$4.45 a Day-Week 1

Reflections on the Week

We made it! We didn't starve! And, we ate better and healthier than we have in several months. Over the course of the week, I  found that I really came to appreciate each meal and every bite of food.

I used everything I bought last week except the lima beans, a few pounds of potatoes,a cup of milk, five eggs, and a few slices of cheese. Other than some vegetable peels and one or two squishy grapes/strawberries, nothing went in the trash!

Compared to what normally ends up in the garbage at the end of the week, I was amazed (and super happy) by how little I had to throw away.

I'm sure some people are rolling their eyes at that statement but I'm always upset over any food that gets wasted. However, in purchasing whatever we felt like eating each week I have never exercised this level of forethought or control over the food in our house.

Figuring out how to live on such a strict food budget this week was a lot of work, but I actually feel liberated. And, excited to see if I can do better next week! I've always liked a good challenge.

You can find a chart that breaks down the price per serving of each dish at the bottom. I included a spice factor to account for salt, pepper, flour, and other spices used in the recipes.

Now, on to the food!


Beef Stew
I followed this recipe from thekitchn but made a few changes along the way. I cut the amount of meat in half and I left out the alcohol-->no room in the budget for wine or beer. I  also used 14 oz of beef broth instead of all chicken broth.

The stew turned out great and was very filling but I bet it would have been much better with the wine. This is certainly a recipe that I'll make again. I managed to get 6 servings out of this dish and served it with a baguette. However,  I could have easily stretched it to 8 servings.

 



Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Broccoli
I found the pork chop recipe here. I cooked the dish entirely in my dutch oven. If you choose to make this dish, the orange sauce on the pork really makes it special! I didn't have apple juice so I just used the juice from one random orange I had in the fridge with the brown sugar.


 


Frittata-Spinach, Cheese, Potato
I started making frittatas a few weeks ago as a way to use up random leftovers at the end of the week. I originally followed this recipe but changed the filling. However, I have no idea how she managed in the springform pan. Both times I tired egg ended up everywhere. I'll keep making frittatas since they are so versatile and cheap, but I'll stick to using my round casserole dish or a cake pan. As long as I line them with a parchment round and use pan spray, my frittatas always pop right out!





Salads
I was determined to make sure we got some fresh veggies in our diets this week. I used some of the veggies left over from the other meals (carrots, celery) with a bit of fruit and chicken breast. We each had two large salads this week and mini salads with our sandwiches.






Protein Shake
These are basically a cup of milk, one banana, and a scoop of protein powder per person with a heavy dose of cinamon on top. We normally have these for breakfast if we work out early in the morning or are in a hurry to get out the door. Even though I didn't buy protein powder this week, I did include it in the price outline below.






Turkey with Millet
Due to the long cooking time for the turkey, the millet had more of a polenta consistency that the hoped for quinoa-like fluffiness. I also knew when I looked at the recipe I found online there was too much liquid. If I had used the rice in the original recipe I think it would have ended up like glue. The turkey came out moist but didn't have much flavor. However, the millet was great once I added a little salt.




Sandwiches
For sandwiches this week I used the baguettes I made and froze on Saturday. The veggies and meat were leftover from other recipes.

If you want a good baguette recipe, message me. I'm not going to post it here-making baguettes is an intense process. I used a new recipe this week and the bread is a bit too much like white bread on the inside. I think the dough got too cold during the overnight bulk fermentation in my fridge. I'm curious to see what happens when I try again this week. On I side note, I priced out the baguette recipe and each one comes in at $0.28. So, my cost for bread for the week was $2.52.


Gnocchi with Peas
The gnocchi was an end of the week decision. I've always wanted to make it and I found myself with at least 5lbs of potatoes in my pantry. I looked at several recipes but ended up following Gordan Ramsey's recipe minus the ricotta. And, of course, I had the peas leftover from the stew. This is a dish that I look forward to making over and over again until I get it right.

The gnocchi and the beef stew are tied as Charlie's favorite dish of the week.


Friday
Leftover day will consist of scrambled eggs with the last baguettes, the last of the turkey and millet, and the last of the gnocchi and peas for dinner. We will have carrots and apples as snacks. I still have two containers of beef stew in the freezer but I'm going to save them since I'm terrified I'll run out of money before the end of the month!