Geek Challenge - $10 and $15 dinners
Indy - 5/10/2008 at 21:24
Here is a challenge to everyone on the site including people that are just visiting. Create $10 and $15 healthy dinners for families of 4. You'll get bonus recognition for $15 dinners for families of 6. I am also looking for simple $5 lunches.
I want to create a list of recipes for low income people. I want to prove that you can feed your family healthy meals on a very tight budget.
The dishes should be simple to make. I don't want to intimidate people who already rely too much on fast food. I want a variety of meats and fresh vegetables. Try and stick with seasonings that most people would have or are inexpensive and easy to use with a number of different dishes. So no Saffron. :-)
List the items, price per item, and approximate serving sizes if possible. Here is your chance to show off your skills and maybe make a difference to someone.
Please post your recipes here.
Katya4me - 11/5/2008 at 13:23
Something like this? This is courtesy of the BF who likes to track things. 
We shop at Whole Foods, Wegmans and Trader Joes, so there is every possibility that this recipe could be made even cheaper.
| Recipe |
| Pizza Casserole | | Prep Time: 30 Minutes | | Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour | | Yields: 8 servings | | INGREDIENTS: | | 2 cups | uncooked egg noodles | | 1/2 lb | lean ground beef | | 1 | onion, chopped | | 2 cloves | garlic, minced | | 1 | green bell pepper, chopped | | 1 cup | sliced pepperoni sausage | | 16 oz. | pizza sauce | | 4 tbs | milk | | 1 cup | shredded mozzarella cheese | | DIRECTIONS: | | 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). | | 2. Cook noodles according to package directions. | | 3. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat. Stir in the noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce and milk, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. | | 4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, top with the cheese, then bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. |
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| Recipe |
| INGREDIENTS | COST | | 2 cups egg noodles | $0.75 | | 1/2 pound lean ground beef | $2.78 | | 1 onion | $0.91 | | 2 cloves garlic | $0.50 | | 1 green bell pepper | $0.97 | | 1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage | $1.50 | | 16 ounces pizza sauce | $1.50 | | 4 tbs milk | $0.50 | | 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese | $2.33 | | Total Cost | $11.73 | | Servings | 8 | | Per serving cost | $1.47 |
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Nutritional Information
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 380
* Total Fat: 25.3g
* Cholesterol: 70mg
* Sodium: 1005mg
* Total Carbs: 17.3g
* Dietary Fiber: 2.2g
* Protein: 19.8g
Katya4me - 2/4/2009 at 11:39
| Recipe |
| Apricot Lentil Soup | | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | | Cook Time: 50 Minutes | | Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes | | Servings: 6 | | Ingredients: | | 3 tbs | olive oil | | 1 | onion, chopped | | 2 | cloves garlic, minced | | 1/3 cup | dried apricots | | 1 1/2 cups | red lentils | | 5 cups | chicken stock | | 3 | roma (plum) tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped | | 1/2 tsp | ground cumin | | 1/2 tsp | dried thyme | | salt to taste | | ground black pepper to taste | | 2 tbs | lemon juice | | Directions: | | 1. Saute onion, garlic, and apricots in olive oil. Add lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. | | 2. Stir in tomatoes, and season with cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. | | 3. Stir in lemon juice. Puree 1/2 of the soup in a blender, then return to the pot. Serve. |
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| Recipe |
| 3 tbs olive oil | $1.50 | | 1 onion | $0.91 | | 2 cloves garlic | $0.50 | | 1/3 cup dried apricots | $1.00 | | 1 1/2 cups red lentils | $0.75 | | 5 cups chicken stock | $5 | | 3 roma (plum) tomatoes | $1.50 | | 1/2 tsp ground cumin | $0.15 | | 1/2 tsp dried thyme | $0.15 | | salt to taste | $0.00 | | ground black pepper to taste | $0.00 | | 2 tbs lemon juice | $0.20 | | Total Cost | $11.66 | | Servings | 6 | | Per serving cost | $1.94 |
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Indy - 2/5/2009 at 08:17
Oh I love lentil soup. This might sound stupid but what are plum tomatoes sold as? Would Roma work?
Katya4me - 2/5/2009 at 08:26
Yes, and we are lazy/minimalists, so we deseeded and chopped the tomatoes, but didn't peel them. We also did not blend the soup at the end and it really was delicious.
chrisisasavage - 2/5/2009 at 21:43
Sounds yummy. I love lentil soup. I love apricot chicken.
Rick - 2/6/2009 at 02:27
Roma and Plum tomatoes are the same thing.
Indy - 2/7/2009 at 02:31
I love Romas.