As we reach the end of this Real Food – Low Cost Challenge, I have concluded that if you are ever wondering if you’re spending too much on healthy food – do a price break down. It’s a bit of a headache. It might make you a little crazy (or maybe that was just me having issues). But the effort is worth it. To learn that most of my real food recipes can be prepared for an average of $1.00 per person – that was very encouraging to me!
To finish up the cost break down on the remaining items on the challenge list, I’ll let you know that Italian Pasta Bake costs about $8.85 to make, breaking down to $1.48/person in my family.
Cheddar Ranch Burgers came in at $11.93 for eight burgers – $1.49 per burger. Not super cheap, but made with the finest ingredients and very filling. Throw some veggies in and we’ve got a complete meal for around $2.00 a person.
But enough about my recipes and the costs that come with them. I’ve been very anxious for today to come so that you would have an opportunity to share some of your favorite real food recipes that are low in cost. Help me prove that eating healthy does not have to be expensive!!!
If you have a blog, and have some Real Food – Low Cost recipes to share with us, link them up with us here. Be sure to link back to this post so that your readers know where to find more healthy recipes! If you don’t have a blog, please feel free to post your recipes in the comments section of this post. If you care to share the cost break down of your recipes – even better!
Let the Real Food – Low Cost Challenge Recipe Sharing begin!
Thanks for hosting this, Laura! I will definitely bookmark this page to come back to when I need low cost real food recipe ideas! I linked two recipes – one for meatloaf and one for kombucha.
Kombucha – http://www.renaissancemama.com/have-you-tried-kombucha-plus-get-started-making-your-own/
Meatloaf – http://www.renaissancemama.com/are-you-a-meatloaf-fan/
Oh I can’t wait to see what else gets linked up!
Oh I can’t wait to see what else gets linked up!
How fun! I can’t wait to see what everybody links up!
Thanks for hosting Laura!
This is definitely my children’s favorite, which is great for this cold weather season. My calculations came to $4.35 for a pot using homemade stock and a ridiculously expensive free range organic turkey. If you use chicken, your cost will certainly be lower. Not too shabby!
Chicken or Turkey and Rice Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 lg carrot, peeled and chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 quarts chicken or turkey stock or broth (I use homemade)
1 cup water if using cooked rice, or 2 cups for uncooked
1 cup uncooked brown rice or 2 cups cooked
1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
How To:
1. In a large pot, saute vegetables in butter or oil until tender-crisp.
2. Add broth, water, chicken, rice, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer soup 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Thank the Lord for his bounty and enjoy!
Serves: 4-6
Time: 35-45 minutes (10 Minutes active time)
I just wanted to say that this has been an eye-opener to me! With baby #1 on the way, I’ve been trying to find ways to pare our budget down further. Seeing that it will be possible to make good, simple meals for our growing family and not break the bank is very encouraging. Thank you for doing the math so I don’t have to – I don’t think my pregnant brain could handle that! ;-)
I have found that one way to keep real food budgets lower is to use leftovers effectively. Here is one way to use very inexpensive rice and beans with a little twist: http://amotherscalling.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/using-leftovers-mexican-casserole/.
I stopped by to bring Meat, Potato, and Egg Scramble. This is a dish that can be made for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It can feed six with only 1/2 lb. of meat or six slices of bacon. A very good dish to make when funds area little tight. Thanks for the series. I follow you by email.
I’ve never stopped to calculate the cost of preparing a meal. In my mind, I’m thinking $5 should be about right. Reading your examples that are closer to $10, I think “Aha!” –that’s more in line with what groceries are costing these days. Maybe some day I’ll take the time to calculate the costs for things I make. Thanks for the great recipe ideas too!
I used to calculate a lot of my dinners, but I’m too lazy to do that now :) I do still do a rough calculation when I feel like going and getting fast food to show how much cheaper it is to just get off my butt and cook real food!
Thanks so much for sharing. My family is LOVING your honey whole wheat bread. It’s the first I’ve tried making bread from scratch as a regular thing and we are not missing the store-bought stuff AT ALL!
Thanks for hosting Laura. I’ve linked up an inexpensive dessert, lemon curd. It’s even cheaper if you save the egg whites for use later. Often I’ll mix in a couple whites into a few whole eggs for scrambled over the next couple of days.
http://paleorecipes.tv/recipes/simple-paleo-lemon-curd-recipe/