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Another Week, Another Meal Plan

February 8th, 2014 at 09:28 pm

Meal planning this week...

- tonight - over to friends - we're bringing a big salad (about $3)
- tomorrow - we're going x-c skiing and will eat dinner out
- Lemon chicken with broccoli ($7)
- Homemade Shrimp Sushi ($10)
- Risotto with Goat cheese and Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach ($5)
- Pasta with Goat cheese and Courgettes ($5)
- Posole from the freezer and salad ($1)

We spent $94.20 on groceries
- $35 dinner ingredients
- $24 lunch prep items
- $10 fruit
- $13 staples
- $12 breakfast
- $0 dessert ingredients

I was talking with my brother the other night, and he claimed that to eat "good food" the way that he does, he has to spend about $20 per meal minimum to cook for the two of them. I argued that my least expensive meal is about $2.25 (polenta, red sauce and a salad) total for all three of us, and that most of our produce is organic (I use the guidelines re best and worst foods for pesticides). He argued that it's less expensive to eat meat (he's a vegetarian) which I think is untrue; most of our meals are vegetarian precisely because it is less expensive).

He argued that I wasn't eating the kind of food that he and his wife are eating. I think that's probably true. Our food is probably a lot simpler, and we eat in season and on sale. If we use fresh herbs, it's herbs we've grown in our garden (and I do put the cost of the plants/seeds in my grocery budget). Can you tell he really made me angry?

Posted in Frugal Food, Frugal Shopping | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Another Week, Another Meal Plan”

  1. Looking Forward Says:
    February 9th, 2014 at 12:08 am 1391904521
    1391904521

    I'd be interested in your recipe for the risotto, goat cheese, etc..
    That sounds really good. Smile
    Sorry your brother aggrivated you.. Isn't that what family is for? Wink

  2. rob62521 Says:
    February 9th, 2014 at 03:01 am 1391914918
    1391914918

    $20 a meal? Yikes! No wonder he annoyed you. We rarely spend $10 a meal and we usually have some sort of meat. Don't let him frustrate you...you are doing what is working for you. You menu sounds good.

  3. MonkeyMama Says:
    February 9th, 2014 at 08:14 pm 1391976899
    1391976899

    I don't know if I could make a $20 meal for 2 if I tried. Big Grin

  4. Looking Forward Says:
    February 9th, 2014 at 10:29 pm 1391984987
    1391984987

    MM - I can do steak and lobster for under $20 for 2, so yeah, I'd have to add a bottle of champagne to push it over. Big Grin

  5. Buendia Says:
    February 10th, 2014 at 04:37 pm 1392050268
    1392050268

    I watched them make part of Thanksgiving dinner (we each make half the dishes when we're at my parents' house) and here is my observation: they buy little containers of things which have been already cleaned, crumbled, prepped (like a little container of artisinal crumbled feta or a little container of fair-trade pomegranate seeds or a half ounce of roasted walnuts grown by monks in Mongolia) rather than the raw ingredients. They buy things out of season. They buy the most expensive version of something that exists at Whole Foods. They are nice ingredients, and I get how this approach would cost a lot.

    Anyway, I am coming to Looking Forward's house for lobster! (Not something you find in New Mexico very often!)

  6. Looking Forward Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 06:03 am 1392185027
    1392185027

    Crab is in season now. We had some three weekends ago - YUM!
    (Lobster is a rare treat and only when on sale, of course Big Grin )

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