So I made it through one week of hard core budgeting…and guess what my total was?

$46.04!!!!!

I won’t bore you with the details of every single thing I ate for days 4 – 7, although I do have a plethora of recipes to follow, with prices. Saturday, instead of recording a dinner price, we went to a friend’s house for BBQ and brought a white bean and green garlic dip, so I included the cost for that. And let’s be honest, there’s no way I didn’t miss something here or there, miscalculate, or not eat every bite of leftovers, which would drive up the per serving cost. So we can safely assume I came in somewhere in the ballpark of $50. On to the recipes: Grits Gratin with Arugula & White Beans, White Bean & Green Garlic Dip, Curried Lentils with Potatoes, Ground Coriander and Cilantro Flatbreads, and Raita!

Grits Gratin with Arugula and White Beans

1 c. polenta = $.75
4 cloves garlic = $.10
1/2 t. sugar = n/a
4 c. arugula = $.75
1 c. cannellini beans = $.45
1/4 c. olive oil = $.30??
Dash balsamic vinegar = n/a
1/2 c. milk = $.18
parmeggiano cheese = n/a
salt & pepper = n/a
Total = $2.53 / 4 servings = $.63 / serving

Bring 3 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. milk to a boil in a sauce pan. Add the polenta (or grits) and cook, whisking frequently, for 10 – 15 minutes. Keep them at a low simmer until the consistency has thickened to that of thick oatmeal. Taste and season well with salt & pepper. Pour the grits into a greased loaf pan and let cool for 1 hour or longer. Can be made ahead.

Chop garlic roughly and add to a pan with some olive oil and the sugar. Cook over low heat until the garlic has softened and begins to get golden brown (but not burnt). Turn off the heat and add the arugula and beans. Toss to coat evenly with the garlic and oil. Season with salt & pepper.

Add the arugula and bean mixture to the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Remove the now solid polenta from the loaf pan and slice into 1/2″ thick slices. Top the arugula with the polenta, then top the polenta with salt & pepper and grated parmiggiano cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

White Bean and Green Garlic Dip
(adapted from the Kitchen Sink)

1 can cannellini beans = $.89
1 stalk green garlic (farmer’s market) = $1
1 small onion = $.20
1/4 t. smoked paprika = n/a
Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper = n/a
Juice and zest from 1 lemon = $.25
Olive oil = $.20
1 baguette = $2.79

Total = $5.33 / multiple servings, but all $5.33 counts against the budget

(Recipe at link above — I added some cayenne pepper because I thought it needed a little kick.)

Curried Lentils with Potato and Rice

(adapted from How to Cook Everything)

1 1/2 c. long grain white rice = $.75
1 c. brown lentils = $.85
3 1/2 c. vegetable (or other) stock =$.93
1 T. curry powder = n/a
1/2 t. cumin = n/a
1/2 t. ground ginger = n/a
1 small onion, chopped = $.20
2 cloves garlic = $.05
1 carrot, diced = $.16
3 small-med. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks = $1.75
Salt and pepper = n/a

Total = $4.69 / 4 servings = $1.17 / serving

Cook rice according to directions.

Saute onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften. Add lentils, spices, and stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 15 minutes. Add the carrot and potatoes and cook, completely covered, for another 10 minutes or so. Stir, season with salt, and if the lentils have become too try, add a bit of stock or water. Continue to cook another 5 – 10 minutes or until the lentils are very soft and the potatoes are soft to the center. Serve over rice.

Ground Coriander and Cilantro Flatbread
(from Bon Apetit)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat) = $.28
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander = n/a
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder = n/a
3/4 teaspoon salt = n/a
1/2 teaspoon baking soda = n/a
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro = $.25
3/4 cup (or more) plain whole-milk yogurt = $.75
Olive oil (for frying) = n/a

Total = $1.28 / 4 servings = $.32 for 2 flatbreads

(recipe at link above)

Raita
(from Bon Apetit)

1/2 c. plain yogurt = $.35
1/2 c. chopped cucumber = $.50
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro = $.10
2 t. chopped green onions = $.16
1/4 t. ground coriander = n/a
1/4 t. ground cumin = n/a
salt, to taste = n/a

Total = $1.11 / 4 servings = $.27 / serving

Seed the cucumber before chopping. Mix the ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to serve.

So, Day 1 report. My daily allowance for 2 people is $7.14 to equal $50 for the week.

What we ate Monday:

Breakfast: Brown Bread = $.23 x 2 servings = $.46
Lunch: Leftover Arroz con Pollo = $1.58 x 2 servings = $3.16
Snack: Orange (already accounted for cost in scone recipe)
Dinner: Black Bean Soup = $.74 x 2 servings = $1.50

Total: $5.12 – wow! under!

The Arroz con Pollo recipe, which I made for dinner Sunday, was supposed to serve 4, but definitely came out to 6 servings (and I think I put in 1/2 the chicken it called for!). So that brings my per meal price down significantly. The Arroz con Pollo and soup are also combined to nice effect for lunch — a little bean & rice action. Last night I made cornbread to go along with the soup…but first things first.

Here are the recipes and prices for my first 2 main dishes:

Arroz con Pollo

6 servings

1/2 chicken, cut into pieces, or several bone-in skin-on pieces = $6

1 onion = $.20
2 cloves garlic = $.05
1 red bell pepper = $.75
6 oz. canned diced tomatoes = $.40
1 1/2 c. white rice = $.75 (est.)
3 c. vegetable broth = $.80
Salt, pepper, paprika to taste = n/a
Pinch saffron (opt.) = $.50

Total = $9.25 or $1.58 / serving

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a very large saute pan (with sides) or paella pan until fragrant. Add the red bell pepper and saute for another minute. Add the rice and stir until it is coated with the oil and begins to toast in the pan. Meanwhile, heat the broth until it comes to a boil. Stir in the tomatoes (you could sub with one fresh tomato, diced). Nestle the pieces of chicken in the rice. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with paprika and add the saffron. Add the hot broth to the rice. Lower the heat until the broth is just simmering, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Black Bean Soup

4 servings

1 1/2 c. dried black beans = $1
3 c. vegetable broth = $.80
3 c. water = free
1 onion, diced = $.20
2 cloves garlic, minced = $.05
1 carrot, peeled and diced = $.17
1 celery stalk, diced = $.15
1 chipotle in adobo, minced = $.50
1 lime = $.12
Salt, pepper, chili powder = n/a

Total = $2.99 or $.75 / serving

Soak the black beans for several hours or overnight and drain.

Saute the onions and garlic in a couple tablespoons of oil in a large soup pot until fragrant. Add the celery and carrot and saute until just softened, stir in about 1/2 t. chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Add the black beans, stock, water, and chipotle. Bring to a boil then lower the heat so it remains at a simmer. Stir occasionally and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until the beans are tender but not mushy. You may need to add a cup or two of water to keep the consistency soupy. Taste and season. Ladle 1/2 of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pot and stir. Serve with a wedge of lime. Other toppings that would be great but are not necessary are cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour cream, or green onions.

Probably the most essential part of keeping to a tight food budget is planning ahead — something that seems nearly impossible in the city. Any night of the week you may be called out to some event or another, sidetracked at work, or otherwise engaged. But as soon as you let last-minute plans take over your life, you find yourself spending a lot of money on quick or portable (and not usually very satisfying) meals.

Compiling a bunch of recipes ahead of time for the week was really difficult for me. I tend to cook on a whim, which of course leads to a lot of impulse buying. For inspiration, I pulled out my copy of How to Cook Everything, and just started flipping through the pages. I think I came up with several inexpensive, delicious dishes to cook, and I will have the flexibility to swap days or delay cooking something if I have more leftovers than I anticipated. Here’s what I started with on Sunday. A day of planning and prepping was necessary.

For lunches and dinners:

• Vegetable Stock (for use in the following):
• Arroz con Pollo
• Spicy Black Bean Soup with Buttermilk Cornbread
• Linguine with lemon oil and arugula
• Grits gratin with garlic, arugula and white beans
• Curried Lentils with Potatoes and Naan

For breakfasts:

• Irish Brown Bread
• Cranberry-Orange Scones

I also bought some sliced turkey breast and cheddar cheese in the event I need to make a sandwich for lunch at the last minute, as well as some honey-roasted peanuts and chocolate-covered orange peel for work snacks. I plan on picking up fruit as the week progresses for additional snacks.

Because some of the ingredients I purchased will be used only partially in each dish (for instance, I am only using half the chicken I bought in the arroz con pollo) I will give individual prices for each dish as I go. I’ll start with the three things I made in preparation to use the whole week:

Vegetable Stock:

- 3 carrots = $.50
- 2 stalks celery = $.30
- 2 onions = $.40
- 6 cloves garlic = $.15
- 1/4 bunch parsley = $.17
- 1 large potato = $.50
- 2 tomatoes = $1.20
- 14 cups water = free

Total cost: $3.22 for 12 cups of stock, or approximately $.27 per cup.

For the Irish Brown Bread:
(recipe on epicurious)

- 4 c. flour = $.75
- 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ = $.40
- 2 teaspoons salt = n/a
- 2 teaspoons sugar = n/a
- 1 teaspoon baking soda = n/a
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar = n/a
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes = $.65
- 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk  = $1.00

Total = $2.80 / 12 servings = $.23 / serving

For the Cranberry – Orange Scones:
(recipe on epicurious)

- 3 cups all purpose flour = $.56
- 1/3 cup sugar = n/a
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder = n/a
- 1 teaspoon salt = n/a
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda = n/a
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel = $.49
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces = $.98
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries = $1
- 1 cup chilled buttermilk = $.50

Total = $3.53 / 8 servings = $.44 / serving

Next up: Arroz con Pollo and Black Bean Soup!

• My budget of $50 per week will feed 2 people 3 meals a day. That is an average of $1.20/serving.
• My goal is to make the most diverse, delicious things I can on my budget, not just ketchup sandwiches and ramen noodles.
• I will not count the most common “pantry” items toward my costs (salt, pepper, sugar), although I will try to estimate price if they are not as common.
• Beverages are not included in the budget, although I am on a month-long booze hiatus anyway, and make coffee at home in the morning to save money (and the environment).

Some of the givens:

• Plan every meal for the week ahead of time.
• Limit meat consumption.
• Buy bulk items as much as possible.
• Keep snacks around at work so I don’t buy $4 pastries from City Bakery
• Always have bread, lunch meat, and cheese around for lunch sandwiches if leftovers aren’t an option.
• Keep a dry erase board on the fridge so I know what I have at all times. Use it.
• Bake a large batch of bagels / scones / muffins and freeze for breakfasts.
• Try to make things from scratch and buy responsibly as much as possible (i.e. organic milk, cage free eggs). Don’t compromise ethics.

Something else to note: When I buy things in bulk and freeze the rest (like chicken, etc.) I am counting the per piece price, not the capital needed to purchase the entire amount. I understand for some people who have severely limited budgets, this is not always possible, but for my purposes I will assume some capital is involved in order to get the best per-piece deal.

So much to say! I can’t believe it’s Friday already, and so far so good. Lots to follow — price breakdowns for days 2 & 3, three new recipes, some disappointments, some triumphs. It’s like a soap opera…without the mistaken identity, steamy sex, or amnesia.

Overall it hasn’t been as hard as I thought. The advantage of pre-planning is knowing what you need when you need it, and not agonizing over what’s in your fridge and how you’ll make it into a meal, or what you need to pick up on the way home. It is definitely freeing. The bad part? Walking through the Union Square farmer’s market and trying not to buy the golden beets, green garlic, cherries, kale….well, everything. It’s possible I could buy something there and not destroy my budget, but I would have to visit every stand and make sure I was getting the best possible deal, and work it in with cheaper ingredients. Which makes me think maybe I should, ethically, be spending more on my food. I am certainly still eating ethically and well on my budget, but I’m not supporting local farmers, which I think is essential. Something to ponder when planning next weeks’ meals….

Price breakdown for Day 2:

Breakfast: Brown Bread = $.23 x 2 servings = $.46
I took a scone to work too….so another $.44
Lunch: Leftover Arroz con Pollo = $1.58 x 2 servings = $3.16
Snack: Grapefruit = $.50
Snack: Peanuts = $.45
Dinner: Black Bean Soup w/ fried egg and Cheddar Buttermilk Cornbread = $.74 + $.25 + $.38 x 2 = $2.74

Total for the day: $7.75

Cheddar-Buttermilk Cornbread
via epicurious

1 c. Cheddar Cheese = $1
1 c. corn meal = $.25
1 c. flour = $.19
1/4 c. sugar = n/a
salt, baking soda, baking powder = n/a
2 eggs = $.50
1/2 stick butter = $1 (from the stupid expensive grocery store!)
1 c. buttermilk = $.50

Total = $3.44 / 9 servings = $.38 / serving

Day 3: Here’s where explaining things gets a little confusing. I still had black bean soup and some rice left over Wednesday, so that’s what I had for lunch, along with some cornbread. How does that factor into my serving price? I have no idea…it’s like a 1/2 serving of each, but they also had more servings than I originally thought, so my other servings cost more than they should have….oh hell, who cares. No one said this was an exact science.

Also, my linguine for dinner was supposed to have shrimp in it. But when I got to Trader Joe’s, the frozen shrimp I wanted was $8.50 a bag. Even using half the bag would ruin my per serving price. I stood there, holding the bag of shrimp, putting it back, picking it back up again. Finally I put it back and hurried to the line so I wouldn’t change my mind. Suddenly though, I had to come up with something to go with the pasta, which I feared would be too plain all by itself, and the chicken breasts I had in the freezer would take too long to thaw.

Luckily I had a couple of small beets left from a farmer’s market trip last weekend before my budgeting got started, an apple I’d just bought, and celery. I decided on a little beet, apple, and celery salad with a lemon-yogurt dressing. Plain yogurt is a great staple to have around, since you can use it in place of sour cream, make dressings with it, or just eat it with fruit. Plus, it lasts forever.

In any case, here’s the price breakdown for Wednesday (Day 3):

Breakfast: Brown Bread = $.23 x 2 servings = $.46
Lunch: Leftover Arroz con Pollo & Black Bean Soup & cornbread = $1.58 + $.74 +$.76 = $3.08
Snack: Grapefruit = $.50
Snack: Peanuts = $.45
Dinner: Linguine with Lemon & Arugula and Beet, apple, and celery salad: $2.82

Total for the day: $7.31 – argh, just over!

Recipes…..

Linguine with Lemon & Arugula

1 lb. linguine = $.99
1/2 bag arugula = $1
1 lemon = $.25
1/3 c. olive oil = $.40??
handful parsley = $.17
parmeggiano cheese = n/a
salt & pepper = n/a
2 shallots = $.40
2 cloves garlic = $.05

Total = $3.26 / 4 servings = $.81 / serving

Zest 1 lemon and combine zest with the olive oil. Let it sit while you are prepping everything else. Thinly slice the shallots and mince the garlic. Heat a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium heat, and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Chop a handful of parsley. Cook the linguine until al dente and drain; return to pot. Add olive oil with lemon zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix in parsley, shallots and garlic, and arugula. Toss until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and top with grated parmiggiano cheese.

Beet, apple and celery salad with lemon-yogurt dressing

2 small beets: $.62
1/2 fuji apple: $.25
1 large stalk celery: $.20
1/2 lemon: $.13
2 T. plain yogurt = n/a
salt & pepper = n/a

Total = $1.20 / 2 servings = $.60 / serving Total meal cost: $1.30 / serving

Wrap the beets in foil and roast at 400 degrees until easily pierced by a knife. Let cool and the skin should easily slide off. Cut into a small dice and refrigerate. Cut the apple (with skin) and celery into the same size dice as the beet and mix the three together. In a small bowl, combine the juice of 1/2 lemon with 2 T. of plain yogurt. Mix to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the beet mixture, chill, and serve.