Eating Well on $4.50 a Day

1. Eating Well on $4.50 a Day Learning to create and maintain a strict budget while keeping myself full of fresh produce…

2. September 28, 2013 During my service oriented field experience I was challenged to buy enough healthy food to feed a family of 5. The groups were small and we were armed with calculators & shopping carts. Each group had wonderful creations that included many basic & wonderful staples. I remembered to write down the budget suggestions and basic staples grocery list. I am a self taught chef so I set out to challenge myself to be creative enough with my meals be happy eating in every night. I bought a tiny crockpot and have begun to collect old recipe books from the 50s that use basic ingredients and affordable options for select items… My first week’s theme is SOUTH OF THE BORDER.

3. I made my grocery list & took note of what I already had. I clipped coupons & saved specials from the paper. I looked up some recipes and began my project. Could I do it under $35? GROCERY LIST Dried black beans, avocado, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, clearance portabella mushrooms, fresh local eggs (I am fanatical about my eggs, 6 varieties of end cheeses (look for the smaller cubes that are around $1), tortilla wraps, milk, cornflakes, fresh chicken tenders, and dried rice… Total cost $38.79 at the ValuMarket here in the Highlands area of Louisville… I feel that this store is a locavore’s dream... Iggy and I can walk with our own bags. The store takes pride in the produce section, and I see why. The Kentucky grown vegetables are some of the best items I have ever tasted. I also love cooking what I have grown in my garden… some of these recipes will be using my first Kentucky harvest! !!! Enjoy.

4. One week’s worth of meals on a $40 budget… Mushroom Monday… MONDAY: STUFFED PORABELLAS This dish was the easiest to prepare so I chose this for Monday. I wiped my baking dish in olive oil and set my mushrooms inside. I filled the mushrooms with some home made breadcrumbs *, salt & pepper, shredded cheese, and lightly sprayed olive oil over the top before setting it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 375… *Crumble stale bread into a pan and pour a little melted butter over it. Bake at 400 until crisp and salt & pepper to taste.

5. I started the beans on Tuesday… Before I began my daily routine I poured ¼ of the bag of black beans into the crock pot. I added some water, salt, and pepper and set it on high to cook for the day. I love the smell my place has when I get back from my daily adventures. Today I decided to eat simply and chose a few fresh looking jalapenos from my garden. I chopped them up and mixed them into my beans. I added some fresh cheese and crumbled some crackers into my bean soup…

6. Roasted Brussell Sprouts this Wednesday… This recipe is one of my favorites. I wash & halve the sprouts, spreading them out evenly in my baking dish. I spray olive oil onto each and chop a few cloves of garlic. I sprinkle it all over the sprouts… then 1 add salt & pepper to the mix. In the past I have crumbled bacon over the sprouts (and highly recommend that if you have some around your fridge.) I put the sprouts in the oven and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. I serve these yummies with a dish of ½ apple cider vinegar & basalmic vinegar… A glass of cabernet sauvignon (best budget prices are found at the Walgreens! $3.49 for a decent bottle!)

7. Thursday proved I wasn’t Chicken to try this challenge Cornflake Chicken is a favorite in this household. I find it easy to make… especially when I am eating my flakes as a daily breakfast. I like to tenderize the chicken and slice it into finger size slices. I use a ziploc baggie with olive oil, salt, and pepper to marinate the chicken pieces. After an hour of chilling I crumble cornflakes into the mix. I shake and shuffle the baggie for a few minutes then pour the mixture into my baking dish. I add some thin slices of salted butter to the tops of each piece of chicken then bake it for about 20 minutes on each side at 400… I love to eat this with some fresh tomato slices and some grainy mustard! It is also delicious with Pinot Grigio

8. Friday is a fun cooking day… Today I grabbed the left over chicken and beans from my fridge. I shredded the chicken and took out the tortilla wraps. I made little burritos using the chicken, shredded cheese, left over salsa in my fridge, beans, and wrapped my creations up. Then I poured a bit more salsa over the top & shredded some yummy cheddar over the final creations. I baked my burritos under foil for about 45 minutes at 350… I think this is my favorite part of the week.

9. Saturday & Sunday has garden harvests… Saturday I opted to eat light and simply sliced my avocado. I added some salt & pepper and enjoyed each delicious bite. I also steamed some rice and added it to the remaining beans in my crockpot. I found some vegetable stock and let it simmer for the day…. During my housebound day I love stopping and enjoying mini bowls of fresh hot beans! Sunday was the last day of my challenge…. I scoped what left overs I had and created a big fresh plate of juevos rancheros. I piled chicken, beans, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, and salsa onto my scrambled eggs. I heated up some burrito wraps and made a few extra breakfast burritos for next week. I then put the acorn squash in the oven with some butter and brown sugar. I baked this delicacy until it was soft & celebrated my victory with a glass of wine.

10. I’ve learned how important it is to value each penny you earn… This challenge has taught me a lot about how I have been raised and how others live. I will now be conscious of how I can live simply and how important a garden is to keep your costs down and your health up… I recently cleared this spot at the Slaughter Mansion for a new garden. I hope to be able to provide enough yummy meals for me and my neighbors all next summer!