Week 1 Recap
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! Continue reading Week 1 Recap
By Rachel Crawford on July 2, 2009 | 0
Day 1: Arroz con Pollo and Black Bean Soup
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. Continue reading Day 1: Arroz con Pollo and Black Bean Soup
By Rachel Crawford on June 25, 2009 | 0
Meal Planning: Prep Time!
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. Continue reading Meal Planning: Prep Time!
By Rachel Crawford on June 23, 2009 | 0
Budgeting Extravaganza
Starting today, I am embarking on a 4-week food budgeting exercise. For anyone who loves food, loves to cook, and/or reads or writes about food all day long, resisting that amazing $10 triple creme cheese or $6 box of farm fresh berries is nearly impossible. These days, however, it’s become necessary. My goal is 4 weeks, $50/week, 3 meals a day for 2 people. This is not the most ambitious goal out there, but I think it’s realistic. I am not trying to set myself up for failure, rather, to reorient my thought process when I hit the grocery store or farmer’s market. Ask myself not just “do I want it?” but “do I need it?”. Force myself to be more creative to create delicious food, because if there’s one area I’m not willing to compromise on, it’s taste. Here are my ground rules:
- 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). Continue reading Budgeting Extravaganza
By Rachel Crawford on June 22, 2009 | 3
Days 2 & 3: Leftovers, Linguine & Improv
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.
By Rachel Crawford on June 12, 2009 | 0
