Re: Re: Affordable Healthy Meals

[Guest guest]

I've never really divided it out, but I have a husband, a 2 yo and a 4 yo

and spend in the neighborhood of $150/week on groceries (we buy beef and

pork and sometimes chicken in bulk from farmers so that is not typically

included, though I do randomly buy cuts of meat from the co-op or a local

butcher if I didn't thaw any out and it's dinnertime). I guess if you

realize you have 3 meals a day, seven days a week, that works out to about

$7/meal. I have been trying to eat more dried beans and rice as a way to

increase nutrition and lower my grocery bill. I do have a garden, so I

don't buy canned tomatoes or sauce, pretty much ever. And for a couple of

months now, I will have all the carrots I need. I also buy bulk flour,

sugar, beans, and rice. We don't eat a lot of bread, but I'm trying to find

a good bread recipe that I can bake at home for less money and that my

family can use for sandwiches. The ones in the NT book are just too dense.

We eat recipies from friends and even the Betty Crocker cookbook (I

improvise to increase nutrition)--recipies from Food Network, the NT book,

and just recipies passed down. I work FT so I like to use my crock pot.

Right now, it's fall and my house is cold so I've been roasting veggies with

olive oil and Kosher salt. I also make more casseroles so the house warms

up before bed.

I try to try a new recipe every couple of weeks. Most of the time we don't

like them as is, but sometimes we do. Sometimes they require " doctoring "

for my family's tastes. I can email you a sort of basic menu that I use, if

you'd like. It hasn't been updated in a while, but it will let you see what

I start with.

For instance (here is how I think...transition-wise...on making food

healthier or " more palatable " for my family):

old family recipie: Tater Tot Hotdish made with Ore-Ida Tater Tots and

s Soup

transitioned to: homemade beef stock gravy and co-op organic tater tots--add

veggies

now usually: shepherds pie using homemade beef stock, lots of veggies and

and homemade mashed potatoes on top with real cream and butter

recipe I got from a friend that my family didn't care for: lentils and

brown rice

Cook brown rice with butter and veggie stock or co-op boullion

fry up a pound of grass-fed bacon and put into the crock put with the rest

of the ingredients and lentils

reduce the spice, add more diced veggies

serve with a side of something MUCH more colorful than brown lentils on

brown rice.

Voila! They like it.

We rarely have leftovers worth mentioning, my kids are big eaters, but if

so, I do try to take the leftovers for lunch.

e

PS: Breakfast is usually oatmeal and fruit, so I would say we don't come

close to $7 for breakfast, but spend more for supper.

On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 7:24 AM, smadison56011 <smadison56011@...>wrote:

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> Also, I was just curious as to what other families here on the traditional

> foods minnesota board spend per month on grocceries? For how many people? Is

> my $7 per meal realistic? Or is it ridiculously high? What types of meals do

> you eat?

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