The $5 Meal Challenge: Part II

As I mentioned in a previous post, this past Saturday I took part in the $5 Challenge presented by Slow Food USA. I love all of the conversations I've had with people about the goal, the message, the challenges, etc and thanks to everyone who came over for dinner! I had a total of 10 people, so my budget was $50. I did not take into consideration things like olive oil and flour which I already had on hand. However, there was so much food left over that in all likelihood people ate for more like $3 per person even if you figure in the olive oil!

In case you're curious, or you'd like to try this yourself, here is what was on the menu:

When people arrived: 

Bread with two different dipping choices, olive oil and vinegar or olive oil with Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper

 

Main course:

Vegan eggplant and tomato stew

Corn on the cob

Creamy spinach

Roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions (all from the farmer's market) seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme

2 whole roast chickens, flavored with garlic and fresh rosemary

Dessert:

Whole wheat biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream

Not too shabby for fifty bucks, right? Here's how I did it...
The veggies: All of the fresh veggies were from the farmer's market. I got what was cheap - for example, eggplants are in season and only cost $1. The tomatoes in the eggplant stew were canned and the spinach in the creamy spinach (as well as the strawberries in the dessert) was frozen.
The chickens: Were on sale for 99¢ per pound. If I wasn't on a budget I could've taken into consideration things like cage-free or free-range, but that's not a luxury that a lot of people have.
The most expensive items: Probably the capers for the eggplant stew and the fresh rosemary for the chickens.
The nutritiousness of it: The meal altogether was pretty healthy when you consider how many vegetables were served. However, the chickens were whole and therefore not altogether a lean protein. The spinach was made creamy by using non-fat plain yogurt and the biscuits were made with 100% whole wheat flour.
The recipes: I used this roasted chicken recipe, this whole wheat biscuit recipe and the rest were things I'd either made before or just experimented with.
The best part: That night (at one guest's suggestion) I made chicken stock with the remaining bones. The next day I made chicken noodle soup using the stock and some left over chicken; today I made chicken salad. And there is STILL more chicken in my refrigerator!

The photos:

Starting things off nice and classy with bread and oil for dipping.

The full spread.

Note to self: next time start making stock immediately after dinner, not at 11:00pm.

What went wrong: Yes, things do go wrong. For example, you could spend the better part of the morning roasting, peeling, and chopping beets. And then drop the bowl.

Sad beets.

Thanks again to everyone who made the evening (and the leftovers!) a huge success. I think we proved extremely well that a $5 meal can taste must better, and be much better for you, than a fast food burger or sandwich.

New Healthy Eating Plate

General consensus when the USDA switched from the pyramid to the plate in suggesting what Americans should be eating was that it was an easier to understand image. The previous rainbow pyramid with the figure walking up the side to represent being active didn't exactly inspire anyone. However, I thought that the new plate image didn't go quite far enough in suggesting healthy eating options. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who had that thought! Harvard School of Public Health has unveiled their Healthy Eating Plate to make it even more clear what healthy choices people should be making when they sit down to dinner:

Copyright © 2011, Harvard University. For more information about The Healthy Eating Plate, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, www.thenutritionsource.org, and Harvard Health Publications, health.harvard.edu

What do you think? Will the change from "protein" to "healthy protein" along with suggestions of what those proteins should be help people eat healthier, more balanced meals? Will the fact that potatoes and french fries don't count as a vegetable scare people away at first glance? I'm curious to see what, if any, affect this new healthy plate will have. I know I've got my fingers crossed that healthier meals will result!

The $5 Challenge: Part I

A couple of weeks ago someone posted on facebook about the $5 Challenge sponsored by Slow Food USA. Here is the challenge, from the website:

THE CHALLENGE: This September 17, you're invited to take back the 'value meal' by getting together with family, friends and neighbors for a slow food meal that costs no more than $5 per person. Cook a meal with family and friends, have a potluck, or find a local event.

WHY: Because slow food shouldn't have to cost more than fast food. If you know how to cook, then teach others. If you want to learn, this is your chance. Together, we're sending a message that too many people live in communities where it's harder to buy fruit than Froot Loops. Everybody should be able to eat fresh, healthy food every day.

I completely agree with this theory - that fresh food should not cost more than processed foods. [Sidenote: we had an interesting conversation in one of my classes the other day about the fact that while processed foods might be cheaper to purchase in a store, they actually end up costing more due to the price of health care (because the foods might contribute towards chronic illnesses such as diabetes) as well as the cost to the environment. But more on that some other time.] So, I decided to host a small dinner party with the idea that I would make sure that each serving costs only $5; partly because I really enjoy cooking when there is a challenge attached and partly because I just like hosting get-togethers!

As I considered what to make for the dinner, some obvious options came to mind: pasta is extremely inexpensive, as are many frozen vegetables and dry beans. However, it's still summer (barely) and the farmer's markets are still in full swing so I decided to go there for inspiration. I overheard someone say the other day "I can't afford to shop at farmer's markets." I can see that - sometimes produce can be pricey when it hasn't been flown in from another country (which is crazy, but again, more on that some other day). Since I was on a budget, I decided to just go, purchase whatever seemed in season (at a farmer's market you can often tell what is most in season by what is cheapest), and figure it out from there. Here is what I purchased today, for a total of $15...

4 ears of corn, 2 giant eggplant, 4 pounds of potatoes, 4 onions, a bunch of carrots, and a bunch of beets

Check back next week to see what I ended up making with this bounty (your guess is as good as mine at this point)! And consider this challenge as you cook dinner on Saturday night. Even if you don't sign up through the challenge website, it's good to think about the fact that a $5 meal doesn't have to come in a box or takeout container.

Functional Frozen Foods

I had the wonderful opportunity a little while ago to spend a week with my grandparents in North Carolina. My grandfather injured his back and is on bed rest, so I figured I'd go down and see if I could help out at all. Of course most of what I was offering to do was cook and shop, two things that I thoroughly enjoy doing under almost any circumstance!

It can be hard to know exactly what to do when offering help in a situation like that, so when I got there I analyzed the situation. My grandfather was the one who usually did the grocery shopping, so I knew that fresh produce wasn't something that was coming in regularly. I also found that my grandmother, in having to deal with constant phone calls to doctors, nurses, pharmacies and such, was not always able to find the time to prepare a balanced meal for herself.

Apple muffins made with whole wheat flour and pumpkin puree

My plan of action: fill the freezer with delicious, nutritious food. I flipped through The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook (Everything Series), which it just so happens I edited when I worked at Adams Media. There are lots of great recipes in the book that you can freeze and then pop into the oven to cook for a family. However, I knew that what I needed was recipes that I could freeze in single serving sizes and that would reheat easily (no cooking necessary besides thawing or reheating) so I focused on those recipes that were easily adaptable. I also made sure to sit down and talk with my grandmother before making any of the recipes to make sure that it was something that she would enjoy. Of course this isn't always an option if you're bringing food to help someone you don't know that well, but checking ahead of time for food allergies, or making something that does not contain most of the major allergens (nuts, fish, milk) can be a good idea.

Most recipes can translate to single serving sizes and freezing. Make sure to write on the outside of the frozen bag/container what is in it, the main ingredients, the date that it was prepared, and how it should be thawed or reheated. That way if someone other than the original recipient of the food is preparing it, they can know whether or not they can eat it (if they have allergies) and how to serve it.

Making someone food in a time of need is a great way to help. Giving someone frozen food is a good way to ensure that your help will last longer than a day or two. And making sure that what you give them is healthy is the best way of all to help - because stressful situations can be harmful to the immune system, making sure that the food you bring has fruits and/or veggies can be extra beneficial!