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.