Kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
I'm going to re-think this recipe and say rather than make your own Velouté use a can of Cream Of ... whatever you've got! It's a Tuna Casserole
Help with easy, budget meals
- Thread starter Marlingardener
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I'm going to re-think this recipe and say rather than make your own Velouté use a can of Cream Of ... whatever you've got! It's a Tuna Casserole
That could make a huge difference. That can make a lot of meals that depend on cheese for protein accessible. Otherwise, cheese is often more expensive than ground meat and then it's not nearly as useful for a budget friendly meal.
How likely is it that your students will have some of the following equipment at home: food processor, immersion blender, meat grinder?
Kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
Right Taxy?
And Marlingardener, have we mentioned meat-less Lasagna yet?
I'm always donating dried Lasagna noodles and jarred/canned Spaghetti Sauce.
What I've taken to doing is when things go on sale dirt cheap I buy a bunch specifically for the food bank.
In addition, we have, for lack of a better term, a discount food store and I buy a bunch of stuff there too.
My Neighborhood Gal Pals and I, along with my Mother now, go to the community next to us to play Bingo. If I win, I take those earnings and buy food goods just for the food bank.
Kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
AND, if farmers are donating fresh veg, here's an idea for meat-less Lasagna that I high jacked from a chef in another forum:
"Using oven ready egg pasta sheets...One layer is spinach, another is diced zucchini, tomato, red onion, and the third is cottage cheese..A thin layer of tomato sauce in each layer, as I didn't want it to be a sloppy mess, and a bit of Parmesan, mozzarella and diced black olives on top. Then, I topped it up with some vegetable broth and baked for an hour.."
"Using oven ready egg pasta sheets...One layer is spinach, another is diced zucchini, tomato, red onion, and the third is cottage cheese..A thin layer of tomato sauce in each layer, as I didn't want it to be a sloppy mess, and a bit of Parmesan, mozzarella and diced black olives on top. Then, I topped it up with some vegetable broth and baked for an hour.."
When I was a vegetarian, I did something like that. I used thin slices of eggplant instead of zucchini, because it isn't as soggy. I also used my homemade ground beef substitute. I would take some cooked or canned beans and put them through the meat grinder with some onion. I would fry that up and add it to the tomato sauce and use that for spaghetti or for lasagna. I also made the lasagna sheets, because it wasn't possible to buy wholewheat lasagna noodles back then.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
The USDA and state Cooperative Extension offices have lots of recipes and tips on eating healthy on a budget. Here's an example, with a recipe for corn and black bean salsa. It could be a snack with tortilla chips or a side dish.
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/counties/...Can Be the Building Blocks to Your Meals.aspx
This "create a soup" recipe demonstrates how to substitute what's available and what people prefer to eat when putting together a soup, which can be a filling meal.
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/04/create-soup
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/counties/...Can Be the Building Blocks to Your Meals.aspx
This "create a soup" recipe demonstrates how to substitute what's available and what people prefer to eat when putting together a soup, which can be a filling meal.
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/04/create-soup
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blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 6,334
Kaneohegirlinaz Your
Instant Pot® Egg Bites, My Way
has the recipe and you broke down the cost/egg bite. That would be a nice one (individual portions and not expensive) for people that include animal products in their diets.
Instant Pot® Egg Bites, My Way
has the recipe and you broke down the cost/egg bite. That would be a nice one (individual portions and not expensive) for people that include animal products in their diets.
Kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
Yeah, but ya know Bliss, the prices are nowhere near what they were 2 years ago!
My original post as compared to the red font with today's prices:
Eggs: $2.50/dz. = 20¢/Egg - $2.72/dz. = 22.3¢/egg
Bacon Bites: ($1.33/30 Tbsp.) ÷ 3) ÷ 3 = 2¢ - $1.58/30Tb (etc) = 5¢
Cheese: (38¢/oz. X 2) ÷ 3 = 25¢ - 43¢/oz (etc) = 29¢
Milk: ($1.90/qt. ÷ 16) ÷ 3 = 4¢ - $2.17/qt (etc) = 4.5¢
Butter: (22¢/oz.) I used about 1 tsp. total = 11¢ ÷ 3 = 4¢ - 22.4¢/oz (etc) = 4.5¢
I come up with 55¢ per Egg Bite - 65.3¢ per Egg Bite
The prices of that same brand of prepared Egg Bites that I was comparing to is now $4.99 for 2 bites. So that now makes them $2.495 per bite.
That's a savings of $1.842 per bite !!!
And again, these are the prices at my local Walmart here in Cowboyville Arizona.
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Do those egg bites have to be made in an Instant Pot?
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
No, they can also be baked in the oven. Fifteen minutes at 350F should do it.
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
Lentils are an inexpensive and nutritious food that often gets a bad rap.
I cook 1/2 cup of lentils in 1 1/2 cups of water with chopped onion and a packet of GOYA beef-flavored bouillon for approx. 30 minutes until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
The cooked lentils can be used in any recipe calling for ground beef crumbles.
I like to add the lentils to a jar of pasta sauce and serve them over angel hair pasta for an inexpensive meal.
They are also good in Sloppy Joes, Spanish rice, chili, lasagna, soups, etc...
I've read many articles that combining lentils with grains, nuts, and seeds in the same meal creates a complete protein similar to that found in meat or dairy products.
Information on simple snacks for kids might be welcome. Things like using plain popcorn on the stovetop or in the microwave, frozen yogurt pops, hummus from canned garbanzo beans as a dip, etc...
Once the group is comfortable you might open up a discussion of their strategies for stretching a dollar. Anyone that feeds a family on a SNAP budget is bound to have some real-world boots-on-the-ground experience that would be worth sharing.
I cook 1/2 cup of lentils in 1 1/2 cups of water with chopped onion and a packet of GOYA beef-flavored bouillon for approx. 30 minutes until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
The cooked lentils can be used in any recipe calling for ground beef crumbles.
I like to add the lentils to a jar of pasta sauce and serve them over angel hair pasta for an inexpensive meal.
They are also good in Sloppy Joes, Spanish rice, chili, lasagna, soups, etc...
I've read many articles that combining lentils with grains, nuts, and seeds in the same meal creates a complete protein similar to that found in meat or dairy products.
Information on simple snacks for kids might be welcome. Things like using plain popcorn on the stovetop or in the microwave, frozen yogurt pops, hummus from canned garbanzo beans as a dip, etc...
Once the group is comfortable you might open up a discussion of their strategies for stretching a dollar. Anyone that feeds a family on a SNAP budget is bound to have some real-world boots-on-the-ground experience that would be worth sharing.
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Marlingardener
Sous Chef
KinAZ, the mothers do get WIC, but that has been cut back recently. They were on tight budgets before, and now it's even tighter.
I do want to thank you all for your help, deeply grateful!
I spent most of yesterday afternoon writing out the recipes I feel (hope) are within the skill and economic scope of the class members. There are three pages of recipes complete with explicit instructions, type of pot/pan to use, and anything else that might be helpful.
A local bank with a copier has volunteered to make the recipe hand-outs, and a local grocery and the church loaning us their kitchen have stepped up with needed ingredients for everyone to make one dish. This is becoming a community effort, but without all of you sharing ideas, knowledge, and recipes, it wouldn't be happening. Pat yourselves on the back!
I do want to thank you all for your help, deeply grateful!
I spent most of yesterday afternoon writing out the recipes I feel (hope) are within the skill and economic scope of the class members. There are three pages of recipes complete with explicit instructions, type of pot/pan to use, and anything else that might be helpful.
A local bank with a copier has volunteered to make the recipe hand-outs, and a local grocery and the church loaning us their kitchen have stepped up with needed ingredients for everyone to make one dish. This is becoming a community effort, but without all of you sharing ideas, knowledge, and recipes, it wouldn't be happening. Pat yourselves on the back!
blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 6,334
Kaneohegirlinaz, thanks for doing an updated cost on those egg bites!
Looking at cost, for grains but more so with beans and legumes.
The price of produce, say broccoli is 99 cents/lb (depends on your area and which store). When you are preparing it, you may lose a small percentage to waste. Let's say you cut off the bottom of the crown, but then wash and chop both the trees and the stalks. What you are eating costs a little more than the 99 cent/lb, maybe $1.10/lb.
An orange, you only eat 2/3rd of it and throw out the peel, compost the rest, to fortify your flower beds or gardens.
The price of meat or eggs, stays relatively stable too. The steak shrinks a little, or when cheese melts it doesn't lose weight much, or cooking an egg, it stays pretty much the same $/lb.
The price of rice, for example a brown basmati rice, may cost $1.65/lb, but when you cook it, it gets hydrated. 4 cups turns into 3 quarts, so $3/lb dry rice turns into $3/6 lbs, or $0.50/lb.
The price of beans, for example black beans (not the least expensive of them), $2/lb. 4 cups (or about 2 lbs) costs $4/lb dry black beans, but once cooked, more than 3 qts of beans of 6 lbs of cooked blacked beans, $4/6 or $0.66/lb.
The price of lentils averages $1/lb here, same calculations, $0.33/lb cooked lentils.
How lbs fit into menu. Most adults eat about 5 lbs of food per day.
Somewhere in the middle, your food can cost $10/lb or $0.33/lb...so depending on your budget, you can move your food costs around to the way you like them. For 5 lbs of food, you can pay $50 or $5 per person per day. The cost can be brought down further with growing your own community plot or garden. In our state food benefits can be used for seeds and transplants to grow food.
Looking at cost, for grains but more so with beans and legumes.
The price of produce, say broccoli is 99 cents/lb (depends on your area and which store). When you are preparing it, you may lose a small percentage to waste. Let's say you cut off the bottom of the crown, but then wash and chop both the trees and the stalks. What you are eating costs a little more than the 99 cent/lb, maybe $1.10/lb.
An orange, you only eat 2/3rd of it and throw out the peel, compost the rest, to fortify your flower beds or gardens.
The price of meat or eggs, stays relatively stable too. The steak shrinks a little, or when cheese melts it doesn't lose weight much, or cooking an egg, it stays pretty much the same $/lb.
The price of rice, for example a brown basmati rice, may cost $1.65/lb, but when you cook it, it gets hydrated. 4 cups turns into 3 quarts, so $3/lb dry rice turns into $3/6 lbs, or $0.50/lb.
The price of beans, for example black beans (not the least expensive of them), $2/lb. 4 cups (or about 2 lbs) costs $4/lb dry black beans, but once cooked, more than 3 qts of beans of 6 lbs of cooked blacked beans, $4/6 or $0.66/lb.
The price of lentils averages $1/lb here, same calculations, $0.33/lb cooked lentils.
How lbs fit into menu. Most adults eat about 5 lbs of food per day.
Somewhere in the middle, your food can cost $10/lb or $0.33/lb...so depending on your budget, you can move your food costs around to the way you like them. For 5 lbs of food, you can pay $50 or $5 per person per day. The cost can be brought down further with growing your own community plot or garden. In our state food benefits can be used for seeds and transplants to grow food.
Dehydrated egg noodles go well with pretty much anything. Over here you can get a pack of four for like $2.00.
Adding in some streaky bacon that can be cut into smaller sections works. It's probably about $0.80c per person if you're using only 1-2 slices each.
Optional additions are things like butter, herbs and spices. It's possible to do a twist on Shoyu ramen using the same ingredients, but it's a little more expensive.
Nothing exciting, but tasty and quite filling for not a lot of money.
Adding in some streaky bacon that can be cut into smaller sections works. It's probably about $0.80c per person if you're using only 1-2 slices each.
Optional additions are things like butter, herbs and spices. It's possible to do a twist on Shoyu ramen using the same ingredients, but it's a little more expensive.
Nothing exciting, but tasty and quite filling for not a lot of money.
GinnyPNW
Master Chef
Thanks for stepping up to do the class! And, thanks for including us in your process too! It is nice to feel that I contributed in even some small way!
Do you know how many students you will have in the class? Please do let us know how it goes!
You rock, Marlingardener!
Kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
+2 !!
Seriously? Around here the cheapest I see whole chicken for is about CAD 3.49 per pound.
yup, was just looking at a small chicken at "No Frills", don't know the weight but it was $14.00. Waterdown, Ontario, Canada. Whole Chicken is not cheap! and rarely comes on special.
