September 2011
91 posts
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$5 Challenge Transformed into a Meal for a Family...
I took the $5 Challenge and made a nice meal for a family of five. I included the full recipe and cost details at my blog: http://wp.me/p1CqhR-mE - submitted by Leslie Macchiarella
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“Noting that a simple meal was less than a “value meal” gets chuckles and nods.”
– relative value
I like to tell people I am eating with the probable price of our home meal at any restaurant that would serve something comparable. Noting that a simple meal was less than a “value meal” gets chuckles and nods. Valuing a well crafted, foodie type effort like a special pasta at its...
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A $5 Dinner in 15 Minutes
Most of the people planning Slow Food USA‘s $5 dinners have shown remarkable ingenuity in stretching their $5 far beyond what anyone would have imagined—preparing multiple courses of sustainable food that few would have believed cost less than $5 per serving.
I decided to try something a little different.
I stuck to the $5-dinner rules, but I wanted to address the criticism that many people...
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An Anniversary Dinner Party - for $3 per person
We wanted to celebrate our anniversary last weekend, and invited a large group of our friends for dinner. When I looked into catering options, I realized how expensive it would be - and that the food would be less healthy, and not as fresh as I would want. Living on Maui, a lot of prepared food that is available locally for parties is “luau style” - heavy on pork and mayonnaise....
“When eating together we get the added benefits of reducing cost and fellowship...”
– As it turns out we participate in a recovery group on fridays and we always have a meal available for five dollars or less if you don’t have five and when eating together we get the added benefits of reducing cost and fellowship that benefits everyone with very little waste and almost always...
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Chowder, Bread, and Cheese!
Using our CSA veggies (Horse & Buggy Produce, Charlottesville, VA) we often find ourselves making sub-$5 meals chock full of goodness. For this specific challenge day we went with what we had in the fridge and didn’t go out of our way to save money. In fact, if we were trying to make it as cheap as possible, we wouldn’t have used our Cougar Gold cheese and we would have baked our...
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“Chili and Cornbread at a tennis social”
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I shared chili and cornbread at a tennis social. I wrote about it here: http://www.tootimidandsqueamish.com/2011/09/slow-food-and-the-hunger-challenge/- submitted by Marcy
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Tuscan Inspired Beef Roast with Greens, Potatoes...
Here’s what I did…a meal for 4 under $5/serving AND a free meal to boot.
Tuscan Inspired Beef Roast
2 lb boneless or 2&1/2-3 lb with bones beef roast (buy hormone and antibiotic-free, this should be your big purchase so spend about $15 on it because you CAN buy the cheapest cut and it will be fine)
Saute 1 finely chopped celery stalk and 2 small carrots, finely...
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“Break it down and pump it up!”
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I made the pledge, I took the challenge then racketed up up a notch and created a fine family meal for five people for under five dollars. Oh yeah! Check it out with full recipe and photo instructions and, yes, the cost breakdown. Break it down and pump it up! Go Slow Foods! See the recipe...
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Slow Cooker Slow Food
We knew we’d be feeding a crowd, since our event took place at a food pantry, so we went with black beans and rice in a slow cooker. The whole meal comes to $7.23, including extras like sour cream and cilantro, but it feeds four or more people (generous portions), bringing the cost per person down to $1.81. Our recipe features several items that are currently available in our food pantry,...
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Homemade Pappardelle Pasta in Brown Butter Lemon... →
A hearty meal, prepared in 90 minutes, using local, seasonal ingredients, for $4.69 per serving.
- submitted by Jim Pellegrini
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“A Communal Table Key West”
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The Growing Hope Initiative accepted the $5 Challenge on Saturday, September 17th 2011 and created amazing, healthy, low cost meals as part of full day focused on sustainable food, slow food, and community building. The event was the culmination of the group’s Week of Service activities, which...
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“I managed to feed a dozen people (some were children) for closer to a dollar a...”
– I managed to feed a dozen people (some were children) for closer to a dollar a person thanks to the local produce readily available at summer’s end. Here’s how I did it, plus tips on finding local sources and growing your own even in small spaces.
- submitted by DHM
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Cheap Eats with the Flower City Foodie
When I decided to host a $5 Challenge meal for my family, the first recipe that came to my mind was a childhood favorite: yakitori. It is probably strange that some of my favorite food memories from my younger days revolve around Japanese food, given that I am not Japanese and have never been to Japan. But my Dad (pictured above) speaks Japanese and befriended his Japanese coworkers so that he...
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$4.79 Challenge
We had pasta w/spinach & cheese sauce, fresh organic salad with garden grown tomatoes, figs & cheese, and peaches, honey & goat fudge for dessert. All organic, all local ~ $4.79 each!
- submitted by ddotcom12
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“I was not able to go to the farmer’s market, but I was able to go shopping in my...”
– After going away for a couple of days I came home and realized that the Slow Food Challenge was upon us. I was not able to go to the farmer’s market but I was able to go shopping in my pantry, and freezer. was able to feed my family of 5 a Three Course Meal for under $9. See how I did it here.
-...
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Meat and 3, under 3
I’m fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods across the street from me so I bought a few things and whipped up this meal in about 15 minutes. It isn’t really a recipe it’s just basic staple foods cooked and presented, with some spices and condiments to kick them up a bit. So, below are the components, and below that, the price breakdown.
...
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Moussaka and melon, with brownies for dessert
We had eight people for dinner and just brought it in under $40 counting the wine and the milk we drank with dinner. I made romesco sauce and sliced baguette for an appetizer. We had moussaka (like lasagna but sliced eggplant and potato instead of noodles, and half a pound of ground lamb) and sliced cantaloupe. For dessert, we had brownies and whipped cream. All but the brownies, whipped cream,...
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“If it comes in a package, there was a middleman involved that probably added a...”
– … I buy fruits and veggies from the produce section and then turn my attention to the bulk bin (found at Whole Foods and a ton of other grocery stores). Grains, beans, and legumes abound and I’m always trying something new.
- submitted by LaureND
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Roasted Orange Cauliflower with Campenelle Pasta
This recipe is a more budget friendly version of a dish from one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities. The original is made with gnocchi and mascarpone. But this one is just as good for a home meal.
Orange Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower chopped into bite size pieces
The juice and zest of one naval orange
approx a tsp of red pepper flakes (I pinch and eyeball)
drizzling...
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“My garden is supplying a lot of the food for my $5 Challenge meal.”
– … It is a great way to eat the most delicious, fresh food and it’s right outside my kitchen door. I also got a box of peaches at a farmers’ market that the farm was going to get rid of. I had to sort through it but I had enough to make 2 pies with free fruit.
- submitted by Gail Wadsworth
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Mission Possible: Feed Your Family a Slow Meal at...
Slow Food USA has thrown down the gauntlet to members across the country: Prepare a healthy, nutritious dinner for the same price as a fast-food meal.
Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA wants us all to take the $5 Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 17, its national day of action. My local South Bay chapter wants to help its members by providing the menus and recipes to do it.
I decided to put...
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Slow Food Meal Challenge, Version 1
Slow Food Challenge - Meal Version 1
Dear Folks, Here is the first of 2 meal versions for Slow Foods Healthy Meal Challenge. I decided to make “happy meal” versions which I think will be appealing to either adults or children. I tried for nutrient dense options with a lot of flavor. Due to time constraints I purchased items from traditional grocers, but you will be able to find...
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“Back to basics”
– We buy practically no processed foods. We only buy basic foodstuffs and we buy them in as big of quantity as feasible. We also garden. But, everyone in the family is a good cook and baker so we eat really well and really cost-effectively.
- submitted by Paul Kobulnicky
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$1.68 organic caribbean black bean and sweet...
Full post on www.GreaterGoodLife.com.
Carribean black bean and sweet potato soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Makes about 6 2-cup, main dish servings.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dry organic black turtle beans
2 tablespoons organic coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 organic onion, chopped (I used sweet yellow)
4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp...
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WatchI headed off to the local market to see what was in season before deciding what to make for the $5 Challenge. There were so many options, but I finally settled on comfort food, made better by good local ingredients, slow cooking and sharing with friends.
- submitted by Susy from Chiot’s Run
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$5 Dinner Julia Child Style
By spreading the wealth of the meal between seven, I stretched $5 per person (more specifically $4.44 per person) to make a three course meal from Julia Child’s The Way To Cook book. Read the whole story on my website, Hounds in the Kitchen.
- submitted by Rachel Tayse
“Today is the $5 Challenge! Help us tell the story by sharing your experience”
– Click the “Submit” button to your right and send along your stories, photos, videos, audio messages, etc from your $5 Challenge experience.
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Kale Lasagna with Walnut Pesto (from Poor Girl...
I am a big fan of cavolo nero, or dinosaur kale, but this could be made with any leafy greens—spinach would be scrumptious; Swiss chard, succulent; and beet greens, delectable. “Bodacious,” which would continue the alliteration, is a word of which I am not terribly fond, and so, “delectable” are the beet greens.
This is a multistep recipe, so if you wanted to get a jump on the prep work, you could...
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Duck Noodle Soup for less than $4
… College students everywhere would be able to name a favorite ramen noodle brand with Top Ramen, I bet, making top of the list. Why? Because it’s quick to make and quick to satisfy. So as a nod to my college days, here’s a healthier and slower version of the noodle soup dishes I used to devour (and still do). Noodle soups are versatile and the cook should always feel free to substitute....
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“Summer Roasted Chilies!”
– California. Summer chilies are at their peak and cheap. I roast several pounds of various kinds on the grill all at once and freeze them. Then when i need a pick me up for any dish, I pull one or 3 out. The also get milder after time, so can use more with less heat.
- submitted by Michelle Lo
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Shrimp with Asparagus and Garlic over Penne for...
I can usually cook every meal for 5 bucks a person or less every day. I always cook fresh, no need for frozen stuff and I ONLY buy what’s on sale. So for you menu planners out there, well, you wouldn’t like my strategy. I consider myself a pretty good cook, not trained, not gourmet, I just enjoy making good tasting food at home on a budget. So I look at the ads, see what’s on...
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Eat Vegan On $4 A Day, by Ellen Jaffe Jones
Great new book shows lots of great plant based, low fat, whole foods recipes!
- submitted by Lynda Roy
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Crock Pot
It’s a mindset to incorporate using the crock pot for recipes that normally are reserved for the weekend when most of us have more time. It definitely has made it easier to put a good slow cooked meal on the table and cut the preparation time you normally would do when you arrived home from work. It’s definitely worth the preparation to use the crock pot more.
- submitted by Patti...
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Seared Local Fish “Sticks” with Herb Tartar Sauce,...
For many people I want to help change those perceptions, here is a meal that can is inexpensive, easy, can be made as easier with a few ready to use products or made from all farm fresh/ farmers market items. Food needs to fit you and your needs. Seared Local Fish “Sticks” with Herb Tartar Sauce Local Vegetable Slaw And Baked Potato Chips Serves 4 Potato Chips: ½ lb Potatoes, scrubbed 1...
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“I have been trying to prepare menus so that I know what to purchase when I go to...”
– …but when I get to the grocery store or farmers’ market I see other items that I would like to use which then changes the menu. I’m still trying to work out the logistics. I am cooking more and always try to work the servings out so that I have enough to take for lunch the next day. It has...
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“Eating on $5 a day: It becomes a lifestyle”
– Planning a must! A meal of Beans once a week! A great pantry with the basics all ready to go. I hardly use canned or frozen foods. I love the smell of a fresh pot of beans and I wind down on Fridays first by making pizza crust and then a fun loaf of bread from what is in the pantry.
It becomes a...
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Use a rolling menu and well-flavored pantry
My best habit is to use a “rolling menu” to reduce waste and cooking time. By using the day of the week with the most time available (usually Sunday for me) to cook the item(s) that take the most time, I can build upon it for future meals. For example, if I roast a chicken and make boiled potatoes and a vegetable on Sunday, I can remove any remaining meat from the bones after the meal...
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“My budget busters are cheese and wine”
– Use these ingredients and you can get a meal for under $5: Main course - chicken, eggs or pasta. Example a potato egg torta from Catalonia or a roasted whole chicken with fennel seed. Buy and steam some fresh vegetables.
- submitted by John Saari
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Melanzane Parmigiana (eggplant)
Ingredients
4 medium sized eggplants, sliced into ½ inch slices 3 large tomatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch slices 1 pound of buffalo mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds 8 slices of provolone cheese 1 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of plain bread crumbs 4 large eggs, beaten 2-3 cups of vegetable oil for frying ( adding as needed) 1 teaspoon of sea salt...
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Baking bread
The trick to making sourdough bread is planning ahead. It really is a 2-day project. I have sourdough starter that has been kept alive by several generations of women in Tennessee. The story is that this particular starter has been passed down from the founding of Nashville. I feel honored to keep this tradition alive. I pour the starter out into a bowl the night before I want to bake...
