I love oatmeal! it is cheap and easy to cook~ I buy rolled oats for
.99 /pound, or steel cut oats for a slightly higher price and they take longer to cook.
For 1/2 Cup of Oats, I add 1 Cup water cook until it is the consistency that I like and then I add a teaspoon of butter or coconut oil, 1/4 Cup milk, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of honey.
This costs less than $2 to make!
good for kids too!
I do the same thing with cornmeal, buckwheat, cream of wheat, millet…etc.
This is cheap, easy, and kids love it. Even if you use supermarket bacon and frozen peas, this is a nutritious, delicious meal.
You’ll need:
Enough dry pasta to serve 4. Any shape is fine—you can use whole grain or regular.
1/4 onion
6-8 strips bacon (or some diced ham)
Grated parmesan to taste
1C frozen peas
Fresh chopped parsley—-or not
Some kind of pasta lubricant. This can either be alfredo sauce, cream, or a bit of milk/butter. For four servings, use about 1/4 cup of cream/alfredo, or 2 tbs butter and 1 tb. milk.
Salt and pepper
Chop up the bacon/ham. We use the fancy stuff but anything will do. The less water added, the crispier your bacon bits will be. Put it in a skillet and fry over medium heat.
While the bacon is cooking, heat water on high in a 6 qt kettle. Add a tablespoon full of salt to hasten boiling.
Chop the onion finely, or chop up some green onion or shallot. Add the chopped onion to the bacon. Stir and tend the bacon/onion so that it does not burn.
Set the peas out to thaw—put them in a colandar and run hot water over them
When the pasta is cooked, dump into the colandar (ideally over the peas) and shake thoroughly until the water is drained. Put a bit of butter or olive oil on the noodles so they don’t clump. Dry the pasta pot and dump the peas/pasta back into the pat. Add your lubricant of choice and toss. Add the cooked drained bacon bits and the grated parmesan and toss. Serve with lots of parmesan and black pepper.
Serve with a green salad.
For me, the easiest way to go is to keep it fresh and simple. A visit to the local produce store is the first stop for reasonable local produce. I’ll decide on my menu as I shop. Being creative is essential. At home, we have an herb garden, lemongrass and a kafir lime tree for the flavorful leaves. Other staples inlclude a good olive oil, various hot sauces, ponzu sauce, various vinegars, fresh peppers, lots of dried herbs and spices, tortillas, and various varieties of rice, pasta, noodles. Any protein or seafood will go with good fresh veggies. We create simple and flavorful curry, stirfry, soup (Pho), pasta dishes, fried rice, burritos, tacos using fresh foods all the time. Our family loves to eat this way. Very flavorful, fast and healthy.
1/2 hour, $10 altogether for 5 people
Preheat oven to 425.
In a medium-sized bowl mix 3 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup olive oil (or safflower oil or corn oil) and a pinch of salt. When it pulls away from the side of the bowl pour a handful of flour on the countertop and spread it around. Tip the dough out onto the flour and knead it hard for about two minutes (push down on it, fold it over and turn it sideways, push down again). Divide in half. Use a rolling pin or a bottle to roll out each half until it is about 1/4 inch thick and will fit on a cookie sheet. Lift the crusts up and put them on two cookie sheets. Open 1 small can of tomato sauce and use a spatula to spread sauce on both pizzas (leaving room for the crust around the edges). Grate 1 pound of mozzarella cheese (or buy it grated) and sprinkle it on the pizza. Chop mushrooms and sprinkle them on top. Put pizzas in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile chop 1/4 head of lettuce into small pieces and add 1 chopped tomato. Sprinkle salt and vinegar on the salad. Done!
Sharing Children’s Healthy Lunch Box Ideas Potluck
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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 many, many of the ingredients or all of them from your local farmers markets. I chose high quality ingredients, organic when I could so the prices will be in the ball-park when shopping with your local farmers. I have provided only the totals for the nutrient value and cost. I would be happy to email the detail to anyone who wants it. I kept the cost of each meal well under $5 and added a toy option for the children’s options.
MELTED CHEESE, APPLE, and BASIl Sandwich
Yogurt onion dill dippers
Apple Cider
Makes 2 Children’s Lunches (half sandwich) or 1 Adult
2 Multi-Whole Grain Bread slices
2 ounces whole milk, white American cheese slices
8 fresh basil leaves
half of gala apple sliced thin
half cup of yogurt
1 tsp of dried onion
1 tsp of dried dill
pinch of salt
1 carrot cut in sticks
1 celery stalk cut in sticks
Apple Cider
1. Toast bread
2. Mix yogurt, salt, onion and dill, set aside
3. Layer one slice of bread with cheese, basil, apple and repeat to create 4 layers ending with cheese. Top with other slice of bread and microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese.
4. Spoon yogurt dip into glasses and divide the carrot and celery between them.
5. Serve with 8 ounce glass of apple cider (Or substitute with milk)
2 Children’s Meal Stats
Total Per Child Protein=11.93g Fiber=4.25g Calories=388 Cost $ 1.73
1 Adult Meal Stats
Total Adult Protein=21.10g Fiber= 8.2 g Calories=622 Cost $ 2.68
On hand: dried onion and dill, celery, carrots, salt and fresh basil
ADD a toy! Susan Decker came up with a toy for each of the two meals I’m creating for this challenge. Susan will have this toy beginning the end of September or beginning of October at the Mesa Farmers Market (Fridays) for $1.50 plus tax. Susan is only able to offer the toy at that market and not through the mail because the cost would be prohibitive. She is the most incredibly gifter I have ever met. Susan’s site is here.
NOTES: Options include choosing a different fruit, bread or cheese. I used whole milk White American Cheese - low fat versions (I bought Boars Head) will reduce calories by about 40. The flavor of La Brea multi-grain whole wheat is excellent for people including children who may not like the flavor of whole wheat. The addition of honey offsets the slight bitterness of the whole wheat and there are a lot of grains in this ‘multi’. I chose yogurt for the dip to boost the nutrient value over ranch or sour cream. You can choose to double the cheese and reduce the amount of apple. Use pear or other fruits in place of apple. The basil goes well with all fruits, but can be left off if the children are not used to its flavor.
I hope you enjoy this idea for a homemade option to fast food and slow down for a family meal that is enjoyable, tasty and wholesome.
— submitted by Catherine, The Herb Lady
A few years ago I put together a cookbook called “Healthy Eating on a Budget” that was distributed to the families of a couple of local food shelves. Beside recipes I included some shopping and cooking tips. Here are a few. I will post a couple of recipes also.
1. Planning is the first key to saving money and time. Plan your meals for the week based on what’s on sale this week at your local supermarket or available at local farmer’s markets or your garden. Always cook seasonally. Look for coupons in the weekly fliers.
2. Buy meat when it’s on sale and use it in soups, stews and casseroles. Your meat will go a long way and become an inexpensive part of the meal. Aim for recipes that use 1 pound of meat for at least 6 servings.
3. Stretch recipes by adding lots of vegetables and brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
4. Buy in bulk. Food co-ops and many grocery stores have bulk sections where you can buy rice, grains, pasta, oats, flour, herbs, and many more basic staples. You can usually buy organic ingredients this way at a lower price than prepackaged non-organic from the supermarket. Always use the most nutritious ingredients that you can afford.
5. Making your own chicken, beef or vegetable stock takes a little time, but with proper planning it can be done in an evening or on the weekend. Vegetables: Wash vegetables well before peeling, then keep the peels in the freezer to add to the stock. Peels like carrots, tomatoes, onion skins, the leaves from celery, parsley stems, etc. all add color, flavor and nutrition to broths. Discard peels from starchy or waxed vegetables like potatoes or rutabaga. Bones: Save the bones and carcasses from roast chickens or turkeys, the necks, wing tips and backs, beef or pork bones. A pot full of bones, vegetable scraps, a carrot, onion and stalk of celery, covered with water, and you have the basis of a good nutritious pot of stock.
6. When preparing a meal, cook some extra rice, pasta, and vegetables; they make a quick, easy and nutritious addition to omelets, fajitas, salads etc.
7. When you have some time, soak and cook some beans to add to soups, casseroles, and salads. Make your own granola and trail mix. Look at the snacks your family enjoys and challenge yourself to find healthy homemade versions.
8. If you have school age children, get them involved. Let them cut out coupons and help you plan your shopping list. Teach them to read ingredient labels and about healthy choices and saving money. Take them with you to farmer’s markets and cook with them. Get them started on the right foot.
- submitted by Phyllis Trier
Heat skillet with minimal oil. (about a tblsp.)Enjoy!
- submitted by Shauny
Slow Food is easier when it comes straight from your backyard. We grow all heirloom varieties—many on the Ark of Taste. My daughter and I just harvested a gorgeous pile of beans—which, in less than 10 minutes, was a delicious side course. Our tomatoes and basil provided endless “non-cooked” dinners of bruschetta this summer. Whenever I’m stumped for a meal idea, I turn to our gardens first, our Farmers’ Market second—and then open any of Alice Walker’s cookbooks. Slow Food doesn’t mean expensive, highly complicated food. A drizzle of olive oil, a crush of garlic…what more does fresh produce need? Trust me—we have three kids, my husband and I are both business owners, and our schedules are ridiculous. Still, we sit together every night as a family (minus our college boy) and talk about our days, and more often than not—the food is from seeds planted by the kids. Do they eat everything? Nope. They’re kids! However, they know the source of their food, must try everything, and understand the importance of fresh, healthy food—plus, they are proud of the results of their planting and harvesting! Growing food is one of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of Slow Food. Happy Gardening!
- submitted by Julie Adolf
Find the local apples that is good for cooking: PA varieties; In August: Ginger Gold, Cortland. In September: Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Nittany, In October: Pink Lady, Mutsu, York, Stayman, Rome, Fuji, Braeburn, Granny Smith
Six apples/ core and cut the apples with the skin on or peel the apples and cut up (but the fiber is higher with the skins on and the skins do get soft)
Six apples equals about 2 pounds
add honey to your level of sweetness (from your local honeybees)
add a pinch of salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
Cook this all together on the stove top, watch it boil down until soft, then mash with a potato masher to the chunky-ness that you like.
add a little cinnamon to taste
You can store in the refrigerator for a few days, you can also freeze it. I put it in my hot oatmeal in the morning. Also, you may freeze it in an individual serving cup the kids and can put in the lunch box and it will be thawed by the time they need to eat.
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