Comments on: The Healthy Dollar Menu & Gift Carnival

By: Kaleb

Kaleb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:42:11 +0000

Carrot Soup! A 2# bag of organic carrots costs $2 where I live. Sautee an onion or 2, spice to suit your taste (like curry, or just a little ginger) and puree. Use chicken stock for a truly nourishing rendition. That’s a main dish for at least 4 people, for $3. Goes great with brown rice, toast, or crackers. You can do the same thing with winter squash, which is seasonal and super cheap right now. Oh, how I love the Fall!

By: Tami Lewis

Tami Lewis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:09:16 +0000

i am so excited about this! i have a family of 9 and a very small budget- less than $100 a week for everything- and tho i have learned much thru out the years about healthy eating (no junk food in my home!) i could certainly use a refresher course and some new ideas. thank you!

By: Pampered Mom

Pampered Mom — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:49:04 +0000

I pointed it out there, but feel a responsibility to point it out here. All that particular blogger proved is that he can do it in his area…not that *anyone* can. In urban areas one has to contend with “food deserts” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert). If there are supermarkets that do remain they’re likely overpriced and the selection of things like produce are abysmal. The problem can be just as keen in rural areas as another friend of mine has pointed out from her experience – limited selection combined with long travel times if you want to seek out alternatives.

All that to say the solution isn’t as simple as it’s made out to be. All of this is a great start, but it’s just that…a start.

By: Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:37:02 +0000

Fun idea, Kimi! I’m interested to see what everyone comes up with. Might have to do some experimenting of my own… hmmmm.

By: Pennywise Platter Thrusday 11/5

Pennywise Platter Thrusday 11/5 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:27:59 +0000

[...] for those of you interested in being part of my new series, The Healthy Dollar Menu, please email me (kimi DOT harris AT gmail Dot com) for the details and requirements. I have [...]

By: esther

esther — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:13:08 +0000

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Here is a link to the dollar menu clip:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/75991/movie-trailers-food-inc—dollar-menu-clip

By: Natalie

Natalie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:29:55 +0000

People’s Food Co-op in Portland has a monthly (or maybe more) free cooking class showing how to cook on a budget from things at Peoples. FYI. The last two have been for $2/person.
I love this idea, but agree with an earlier commenter that the $1 a burger thing, well, that’s just part of your meal. You also need fries or a side or something to get full. So, $2 or $3/meal sounds reasonable to me. Very cheap.

By: KimiHarris

KimiHarris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:49:15 +0000

Great thoughts and ideas everyone! Keep them coming!

By: KimiHarris

KimiHarris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:47:13 +0000

Ranee,

I believe Food Inc, the family really did just buy one dollar menu item for each person (if I am remembering right). So it really is just one dollar per person. For this challenge, I won’t be quite so strict in that it only has to be one dollar per serving, but you could have more than one serving or have a side dish to go with it.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:40:52 +0000

I haven’t really done the math since I stink at math, but I would think I probably already have some of these dollar meals [if you divide the total cost by # of servings it should be well under $1 each]

homemade sausage/egg/cheese burritos [keep these in freezer]
homemade bean/brown rice/cheese burritos [also in freezer]
homemade lentil burgers [haven't tried freezing these yet--they were eaten too fast!]

Those are the things that come to mind. I do not buy any “conveience” food unless you count canned or frozen fruit/veggies.