Stop Blogging and Cook

Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.  ~Anonymous Author

TODAY’S PREPARATION

SIX WORD SATURDAY
Back for another six-word weekend meme, brought to you by Cate at Show My Face.  Where did the week slip off to?

I get riled when people say that they can eat at a fast food restaurant for less money than it costs to cook at home.  It all comes down to this:  what number are you lookin’ for?

So let’s look at the numbers.  For a family of four – two adults, two young teenagers. what’s a reasonable amount of money to spend for a fast food dinner?  $5 each?  $6?  Twenty to twenty-four dollars for dinner for a family of four is a modest number.  I saw figures up to $10, but let’s be conservative.  A family of four who’s income is stretched is not likely to spend $40  on one night eating out at a fast food joint.

THE BEST DEAL
If you are living on limited funds, you’re going to seek out deals of necessity.  Bargains insure that your money goes furthest.  Grocery stores have weekly specials advertised in  circulars at the front of the store and sometimes in local newspapers.  To get the most for their food dollars, smart shoppers pick up a circular going in to see what’s on sale.  Prices below reflect weekly specials on about half the items, and regular prices on the others.

Grocery shopping compared to ordering at a fast food restaurant where you go in and pay the same price every time, until they raise them.  Brands are pretty competitive, one to another, so if you eat at Burger King, you’re probably going to pay pretty much the same as at McDonald’s.  So, except for promotional specials, no bargain shopping there.

THE MEAL
In weekly shopping, you don’t always buy things for a just single meal.  Flour is bought in a two-pound bag and used in fractions of that amount for making a pie crust and less for thickening gravy.  A five-pound bag of rice for six dollars will last many meals, lowering considerably the price of the rice per meal.  And you can’t add in the entire price of a jar of thyme that will last half a year when figuring the cost of a single dish.  For the sake of argument, I’m gong to use bulk food department prices for a few things which will raise the price of the item over that which a family on a budget would actually spend, and try to get out of the store with only what is needed for that meal.  Some things, like nuts and occasional grains, are best bought in bulk where you can buy exactly what you need for a specific meal.  It keeps foods inexpensive and fresh.

I’ve figured the prices two ways:  the real cost of the single carrot from the one-pound bag in the first column, and the cost of the entire bag in the second.  So while the right-hand column is the actual number of dollars spent at the grocery store, the column on the left is the actual cost of the food used for just that meal.    The price of a teaspoon of salt from a two-pound box of salt costing two dollars is infinitesimal, so I’m not going to even list a cost to such things.  Most people have salt and pepper on hand and certainly don’t buy it every time they want a sprinkle.

THE EQUIPMENT
No special equipment is needed for making this meal.  Standard kitchen appliances (stove, refrigerator), paring knife, serrated knife (for slicing lime and halving grape tomatoes.  And, by the way, don’t even think of buying large, hot house tomatoes before the season because the flavor is just not in them.  Grape or cherry tomatoes, on the other hand, are more often sweet, sweet, sweet as well as juicy.

THE NUTRITION
There is no doubt that this home-prepared meal offers greater nutritional content than a serving-sized comparable fast food alternative. It has no artificial ingredients, no enrichment with chemical additives.  It’s just whole, good food, packed with inherent vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and enzymes that is whole food.   For families working to maximize their food dollars, it is crucial to buy whole foods, found in the produce, meat and dairy departments around the perimeter of the grocery store, and single-ingredient whole foods such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar from the center aisles.  Bulk foods listed are unrefined, their grains intact.  Unlike whole foods, prepared foods contain preservatives, additives, salt, sugar and fat.  And you never really know exactly what is in the fast food you’re buying.

THE COMPARISON
This is a whole food versus fast food comparison.  I won’t be pricing out frozen foods or convenience foods bought in the supermarket.  While there is nothing wrong with frozen foods, they are generally more expensive than fresh food in season.  Prepared foods always cost considerably more than whole foods you cook yourself and, unlike whole foods, fast food is never cheaper by the dozen.

THE MENU
Dinner: Roast Chicken and Gravy
Herbed Rice w/Mushrooms, which is today’s preparation;
Steamed Broccoli
Tossed Salad
Dessert: Apples & Honey Tangerines
Chocolate Bananas

I don’t think that anyone would be hungry after such a dinner, and it is balanced in nutrition, flavor and texture.  Milk and flavored club soda and are served with.  Here’s the shopping list with the amount, the cost for the meal and the cost for the entire item.

BAKED CHICKEN DINNER SHOPPING LIST
Food                                Cost/Meal    Cost/Item
milk @ $3.50/gal                      .90              3.50 **
club soda @ .75/liter                 .75               .75
lime @ 4/$1                              .06              .25 **
4 lbs leg quarters @ $1/lb       4.00             4.00
paprika @ $2.50/4 oz               .02              2.75 **
dried thyme  @ $2.50/4 oz      .05              3.45 **
½ lb basmati rice @$2.50/lb    1.25             1.25
cornstarch @ $1.29/16 oz        .03             1.29 **
2 onions @ 2 lbs/$1                  .20             1.00 **
6 mushrooms @ 3.49/lb            .50              .50
1 lb broccoli @ $2/lb                2.00             2.00
butter @ $2.50/lb                     .10             2.50 **
1/3 leaf lettuce  @ $1.75/head   .60            1.75 *
2 stalks celery @ $2/head          .20            2.00 **
1 carrot @ $1/lb                        .15            1.00 **
1 pt grape tomatoes @ $3/pt  1.00             3.00 *
1 TBSP olive oil @ $6/12 oz       .20             6.00 **
4 tangerines @ 4/$2                2.00             2.00
2 apples $1.50/lb                    1.50              1.50
2 bananas @ .50/lb                   .50               .50
1 chocolate bar  @ $2 each    2.00              2.00
1/4 c almonds @ $4.49/lb         .56               .56

TOTAL                              $18.57        $43.55

CONCLUSION
So there you have it.  A dinner for four – of whole foods – comes to $18.57, less than the $20-$24 for fast food.  Additionally, you’ll have some foods left over for another meal (*), and some things in the refrigerator for the week or on the pantry shelf for a good long while (**).  You can trim the above prices by selecting a less expensive vegetable than broccoli – like carrots – and romain lettuce may be cheaper than leaf, but please don’t buy iceberg!  If it helps, think of the Titanic’s nemesis to remember that any lettuce is superior to that all-to-common, anemic variety.  If you buy staples like rice in larger quantities, you’ll also save in the long run as well as have it on hand for the next time.  Stay tuned; sweet rice coming up!

SO, HOW DID YOU DO WITH THIS ALTERNATIVE-TO-FAST-FOOD DINNER?
Did you find an especially nice bargain at the grocery?  Or devise a way to further cut costs?

Tags: dinner, fast food, gluten-free, good for you food, health, healthy choices, real food, shopping, value, whole food