We hear it all the time. Eating ‘whole foods’ is
expensive. You can’t expect
everyone to be able to cook like that. It’s
elitist. It’s time
consuming. It’s so much
cheaper and easier to open a box, bag, bottle or can, or speed through the
drive-through.
Untrue! And we’re here to prove it. With just a little planning, eating
real, whole foods can be easy and very affordable. Cheap, even!
We’ve recently partnered with the Family Meals Project in Ferndale, Washington to help
families learn to make nutritious, delicious meals for a family of four to six
for only $10 a meal. We
scheduled six classes over the next few months, covering everything from soups
and stews to braising meats to rice and beans. Every class creates an entire meal,
including dessert, for about $10 for a family of six. Classes meet at the kitchen at the
United Church of Ferndale and have a capacity of about 14 – 16 students.
The first
class met this week, with an amazing first-time turnout of 16 participants,
including several kids and teens.
We gathered together in the kitchen and made a
southwestern-inspired meal with the following menu:
Black Bean
Tacos with Homemade Tortillas
Oil and
Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Brown Rice
with Onions and Poblano Peppers
Grilled
Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce
This meal is high in fiber and vegetarian protein,
loaded with good-for-you antioxidants, and naturally sweetened with sweet
caramelized pineapple and Greek yogurt. And
delicious! The favorite of
the night—rolling and griddling homemade tortillas.
The total cost for an entire meal: $2.02, or $12.12 for a family of six,
just over the $10 target! See
the bottom of the post for a breakdown of the cost of each dish. Here are a few strategies for making
your family meals more affordable:
· Shop the bulk bins! Buying from the bulk bins is cheaper,
because you’re not paying for packaging. Shop a few different stores to see who
has the best deals on their bulk products.
· Keep an eye on sales. I found Chobani* yogurt for only $1
each for a 6 ounce container! (*We
don’t represent Chobani yogurt, or any other yogurt manufactures. Other comparable brands include Fage,
Greek Gods and others.)
· Make
substitutions for more expensive ingredients. You could easily reduce the cost of
the meal by switching out a few of the more expensive items with less expensive
options, like substituting chopped peanuts for pumpkin seeds and a banana for
the pineapple. But, it’s a
great example of how simple and inexpensive good food can be.
· Cooking from scratch definitely takes a little more
time than just opening convenience, packaged products. But, cooking together is a great way
to spend time as a family. Even
more incentive, a 2012 study by Cambridge University shows people who cook at
home live longer! Here are
a few tips for making this meal easy for a busy, working family:
· Cook a big pot of beans on your day
off. Let the beans cool
completely and then portion the beans into plastic freezer bags, enough for one
meal for your family (use ½ cup per person as a guide for portion size). The day before you’re making tacos,
just pull the bag out of the freezer and let thaw overnight in the
refrigerator. They’ll be ready
by dinnertime.
· Use the same tip for the rice. Cook a big pot of rice on your day
off, portion and freeze. Both
rice and beans freeze beautifully.
· Cole slaw is a salad that keeps
beautifully for several days. Make
a big batch and then use it for lunch, dinner or snacks for several days. You can vary the ingredients using
what you have on hand.
· If you don’t have time to roll and
griddle the homemade tortillas, store bought are just fine, and can be even
less expensive. I found a
package of 72 tortillas for only $2.79. You
can buy these in bulk and store in the freezer. However, if you do have an extra
half-an-hour, making homemade tortillas is a great way to spend time with your
kids. Kids really like the
job of rolling the dough.
Here are all of the recipes, so you can make your own
$10 dinner. Please feel
free to comment and share other ideas for $10 dinners. We love to hear from you!
Black
Bean Tacos with Homemade Tortillas
Black
Beans
Makes 5
– 6 cups of beans
1 pound
dried black beans
1 onion
1
jalapeno pepper, split in half
3
garlic cloves
1
tablespoon sea salt
1
tablespoon ground cumin
Pick
through the beans, discarding any discolored or shriveled beans. Rinse
well. In a 5-quart saucepan, cover 1 pound dried beans with about 10
cups of water. Cover and let sit at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Drain
and rinse the beans again. Return the soaked, rinsed beans to the
5-quart saucepan. Cover the beans with 3 times their volume of
water. Add an onion, pepper, garlic, salt and cumin. Bring
to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring
occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 60 – 90 minutes. Check
the level of the water and add more if it gets low. Use the cooked
beans for tacos, soup or side dishes.
Homemade
Tortillas
Makes
about 15 tortillas
1 3/4
cups masa harina (corn flour)
pinch
of sea salt
1 cup
hot tap water
Stir
together the masa harina, salt and water, then knead it until it's smooth,
adding more water or masa harina as needed to make a soft but not sticky
dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl cover, and let it rest for
30 minutes.
Heat a
cast iron griddle or a pair of frying pans over medium-high heat. Divide
the dough into 15 balls and keep them covered until ready to use.
Place a
piece of plastic wrap over the two halves of the tortilla press. Place
a ball of dough between the two squares of plastic, then press down with the
press. Peel the tortilla off of the plastic carefully, then slap it
onto the preheated griddle. Flip after 30 seconds, or when browning
in spots. Cook on the other side for about another 30 seconds, and
then remove. Wrap in a warm towel to keep warm. Repeat with
remaining dough, stacking the cooked tortillas on top of each other.
Tacos
1 corn
tortilla
¼ cup
cooked black beans
oil
& vinegar slaw (recipe below)
cheese
or salsa, as desired
To
assemble the taco, top one corn tortilla with black beans and slaw and garnish
with shredded cheese or salsa, if desired.
Oil and
Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Serves
8
1 head
red cabbage, thinly sliced or grated
2
carrots, grated
¼ cup
cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup
toasted pumpkin seeds
½
teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
¼
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4
tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 – 8
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
In a
large bowl, toss together cabbage, grated carrot, cilantro leaves and toasted
pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Toss
vegetables to distribute. Pour apple cider vinegar and extra virgin
olive oil over the vegetables and toss again. Can be served
immediately, or allowed to marinate in the refrigerator for up to two
days. Enjoy!
Brown
Rice with Onions and Peppers
Serves
8
2
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1
medium onion, minced
2
garlic cloves, minced
1 green
or red sweet bell pepper, seeded and minced
1
teaspoon sea salt
2
teaspoons cumin
2 cups
long grain brown rice
4 cups
water
2 cups
frozen corn (optional)
Begin
by toasting the rice. Rinse the rice well and strain. Heat
a 3-quart heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Add the rice
and cook, stirring often, until rice is fragrant. Pour the rice into
a large bowl and reserve.
Return
the stock pot to medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 5 – 10
minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add the pepper, garlic, sea salt, and
cumin and saute until all the vegetables are softened and very fragrant.
Add the
rice to the vegetables, stirring to coat with oil. Add the water and
bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 50
minutes without lifting the lid. Turn heat off and let sit for
another 10 minutes. Stir in corn, if using.
Grilled
Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce
Serves
6
1
pineapple
1
tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼
teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup
plain Greek yogurt
2
tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon
fresh mint (if desired)
Preheat
a grill over medium high heat.
Peel
pineapple and cut into about 12 slices. Brush pineapple with olive
oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Grill about 2 – 3 minutes per side,
or until char marks appear.
In the
meantime, stir together the yogurt, honey and mint (if desired). To
serve, place 2 slices of pineapple on a plate and top with 1 ½ tablespoons of
honey yogurt.
***
Here is
a detailed cost-analysis of the meal.
| Dish | Cost per Meal | Cost per Serving |
| Black Beans | ||
| Makes about 5 cups of beans, 10 - 1/2 cup servings | ||
| 1 pound dried black beans | $0.99 | $0.10 |
| 1 onion | $0.25 | $0.03 |
| 1 jalapeno pepper, split in half | $0.11 | $0.01 |
| 3 garlic cloves | $0.10 | $0.01 |
| 1 tablespoon sea salt | pantry | $0.00 |
| 1 tablespoon ground cumin | pantry | $0.00 |
| Total | $1.45 | $0.15 |
| Homemade Tortillas | ||
| Makes about 16 tortillas, Serves 8 | ||
| 1 3/4 cups masa harina (corn flour) | $1.32 | $0.08 |
| Bag of masa cost $5.29 and made 64 servings | ||
| Cost for ONE Taco | ||
| 1 corn tortilla | $0.08 | |
| ¼ cup cooked black beans | $0.05 | |
| oil & vinegar slaw (recipe below) | $0.09 | |
| Total | $0.22 | |
| Oil and Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds | ||
| Serves 8 | ||
| 1 head cabbage, thinly sliced or grated | $2.35 | $0.29 |
| 2 carrots, grated | $0.41 | $0.05 |
| ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped | $0.78 | $0.10 |
| ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds | $3.41 | $0.43 |
| ½ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste) | pantry | $0.00 |
| ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | pantry | $0.00 |
| 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar | pantry | $0.00 |
| 6 – 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | pantry | $0.00 |
| Total | $6.95 | $0.87 |
| Brown Rice with Onions and Peppers | ||
| Serves 8 | ||
| 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | pantry | $0.00 |
| 1 medium onion, minced | $0.25 | $0.03 |
| 2 garlic cloves, minced | $0.10 | $0.01 |
| 1 sweet bell pepper or 2 poblano peppers, seeded and minced | $0.90 | $0.11 |
| 1 teaspoon sea salt | pantry | $0.00 |
| 2 teaspoons cumin | pantry | $0.00 |
| 2 cups long grain brown rice | $1.79 | $0.22 |
| Total | $3.04 | $0.38 |
| Grilled Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce | ||
| Serves 8 | ||
| 1 pineapple | $3.48 | $0.44 |
| 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil | pantry | $0.00 |
| ¼ teaspoon cinnamon | pantry | $0.00 |
| 1 cup plain Greek yogurt | $1.00 | $0.11 |
| 2 tablespoons honey | pantry | $0.00 |
| 1 tablespoon fresh mint (if desired) | garden | $0.00 |
| Total | $4.48 | $0.55 |
| Total Cost of Meal for EIGHT SERVINGS | $17.24 | |
| Total Cost of Meal for ONE PERSON | $2.02 |
