Recipes

Feed a Family of 4 on $10 a Day

Nicole
I found this article on Yahoo and thought it was pretty interesting. It’s amazing what you can do when you get short on money and creative with food. I think you can actually do better than $10 a day!
 Enjoy!! Click here for the original article!

When I was growing up, my mother would serve something she called “economy dinner.” Pasta, sauce, maybe a quarter-pound of hamburger meat mixed in and a little cheese sprinkled on top, baked together in the oven. We didn’t understand the name, but we loved the dish.

I was thinking I need to find my own “economy dinner,” as I had yet another supermarket freak-out while watching my grocery receipt print out and curl down two feet behind the register. At home with the receipt in front of me, I decided to crunch some numbers to see if I could feed my family of four for less than $100 a week.

Would it be possible to do 84 meals for less than $100? With room to spare, it turns out. According to my calculations, we could do it on $72.38. We’d be crying of boredom after Day 2. But we wouldn’t be hungry.

If we ate cereal and milk for breakfast, a PB&J and an apple for lunch, and protein-enriched pasta with store-brand marinara and a couple of carrots sticks and broccoli or green beans for dinner, we could get by on $10.34 per day.

I won’t bore you with the math, but this meal plan cuts out all the extras. No snacks, no OJ, no organic milk at $5.99 per gallon, no Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of that pasta, no frozen yogurt at night in front of DWTS. The husband brown bags it to the office. I’ll admit I included my coffee, at $2.15 per week, because I consider it essential, along with milk for the kids at every meal.

This exercise has been an eye-opener for me. Now that I know our family’s bargain-basement dinner costs $3.40, I see the foods I thought were cheap (like a large pizza for $10) are pricey in comparison. And the foods I knew were expensive, such as a $10 steak, fish that’s $14 per pound, or deli meat at $8.99 per pound, now seem top dollar.

Some of the splurges, like the organic milk, I’d opt to add back in. But that package of Pepperidge Farm Nantuckets does more to the bottom line (both bottom lines, really) than I’ve cared, up until now, to realize.

To get out of our pasta rut, I consulted with Leslie Bonci, a dietician at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, about other nutrient-rich foods that pack a lot of bang for the buck. Here’s what she suggested:
Eggs:

  • 99 cents per dozen, can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or hard-boiled for snacks.
  • Canned beans, like kidneys or chick peas: 79 cents for a 16-ounce can.
  • A five-pound roasting chicken ($5) could yield two dinners. For the first meal, roast with potatoes and carrots and eat half of the chicken. For the second meal, make a stir-fry with the leftover chicken and a bag of frozen mixed veggies ($1.29 for a 16-ounce bag) and serve over brown rice (99 cents for a 16-ounce bag).
  • Oatmeal costs $3.69 for a 42-ounce canister and has 30 servings. That could replace at least $7 worth of boxed cereal, and the oatmeal is more filling.Bananas, at 49 cents a pound, cost less than most fruits, especially those “select” peaches and nectarines at $1.99 per pound. 
  • Bananas are definitely cheaper and healthier than the sugary granola bars I send in my daughter’s lunch.
  • Texturized Veggie Protein, a lean meat substitute that’s a lot like ground beef and can be added to pasta sauce or tacos, is $2.69 for 10 ounces.

Recipes

Crisyp Onion Straws

Nicole

On occasion we take unhealthy to a whole new level and make our own onion straws. They are so yummy and so fantastic that it’s really had to pass them up.

They are simple and delicious, and I don’t make them often enough, but they are worth the time and effort you have to put into them.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large onions
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • Oil for frying

Directions:

  1. Begin heating oil in a frying pan on medium high heat (adjust as needed). By the time your prep work is done your oil should be hot enough to fry (test your oil to make sure before frying)
  2. In a zip plastic bag add flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, zip up and shake all together
  3. Slice onion as thin as possible. I use a boning knife to get the onions super thin.
  4. Add sliced onions to the zip bag close and shake.
  5. Add onion a handful at a time to the oil (do not over crowd your frying pan) and fry until they are golden brown.
  6. Drain on a paper towel
  7. Repeat until onions are all cooked.

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Recipes

Pan Fried Turnips and Potatoes

Nicole

My husband is from Minnesota and told me he had never tried turnips. I am very much a southern girl and grew up with turnips. I always had them in stew and that’s pretty much it. I decided to take a turnip and turn it into something I thought he would like. I know him well enough to know he wasn’t going to like turnips, and I was right. I made this recipe because it’s a combination of both turnips and potatoes I wanted to break him in easy. It turned out great, but it was very evident when you had a turnip in your mouth because they have a much stronger flavor than potatoes. If you like turnips I have no doubt you will like this recipe. 

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Cook cubed potatoes and turnips in boiling salted water until fork tender; drain well.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for about 3 – 4 minutes.
  3. To the skillet, add the cooked drained potato and turnip cubes.
  4. Add the salt and pepper.
  5. Continue to cook and stir until potatoes and turnips are lightly browned (or browned to your liking), adjusting heat as necessary.
  6. When done, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Recipes

Ham and Potato Hash

Nicole
This recipe is not visually appealing, but it definitely takes comfort food to a whole new level! I started off using this recipe, but then I wanted to add my own twist to it. I made it the first time following the recipe to the letter, and it was wonderful. The second time I decided to add my own spin on it, and it was wonderful! 



Ingredients:

  • 3 cups potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 of a medium onion diced
  • 2 cups condensed milk (like Carnation)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
  • 2 cups cook ham diced 
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

  1. Peel, and dice potatoes and boil until they are tender, drain and place in a baking dish
  2. While the potatoes are boiling cut ham into cubes and place in a frying pan along with the onion. Begin to pan fry until the onion is tender, but not brown. Add to the baking dish 
  3. Gently combine the potatoes, ham and onions in the pan. 
  4. Melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Gradually add flour mixing constantly with a whisk, gradually add milk then add cheese and paprika.
  5. Heat until warm, melted and smooth. (Use a whisk and stir constantly)
  6. Pour white/cheese sauce over potatoes and meat and mix all together.
  7. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes (watch, until golden brown on top).

Recipes

Hearty Corn Chowder

Nicole
This is an excellent recipe on a cold winters night! It’s warm and filling, and even better… it’s not very expensive! I love corn chowder!! I had no idea I loved it until I finally gave it a chance now it’s a favorite soup of mine. I did not use fresh corn. I actually used one can of sweet corn.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Husk the corn.
  2. Carefully remove most of the silk by hand and then rub the ears with a towel to finish the job. 
  3. Cut the kernels from the cobs and place in a bowl.
  4. You should have about 2 cups.
  5. Using the back of your knife, scrape down the cobs and add the milky substance that oozes out to the corn kernels.
  6. Heat a 3-to 4-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon.
  7. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown.
  8. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
  9. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, cumin, and turmeric and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes, until the onion and pepper are tender but not browned.
  10. Add the corn kernels, potatoes and stock, turn up the heat, cover, and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes.
  11. Some of the potatoes will have broken up, but most should retain their shape.
  12. Use the back of your spoon to smash a bit of the corn and potatoes against the side of the pot.
  13. Reduce the heat to medium and season the chowder with salt and pepper.
  14. Stir the cornstarch mixture and slowly pour it into the pot, stirring constantly.
  15. As soon as the chowder has come back to a boil and thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
  16. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  17. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder AFTER it has chilled completely.
  18. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
  19. When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don’t let it boil.
  20. Ladle into cups or bowls and sprinkle with the chopped chives.

This recipe was found on http://www.food.com