The Art of Eating Fresh - it saves money

There is a lot to be said for eating fresh foods; they contain less sodium, fat, fresh foods have higher vitamin content and in the long run processed foods are more expensive.

Take the humble box of macaroni and cheese. You can purchase a 7.25 oz box for $1.00 at my local grocery store. The generic brand runs 3/ $1.00. I know from experience that one box will feed my 2 kids 1 lunch. Now lets look at a box of elbows, they are less then $1.00 for a 16 oz box. An 8 oz bag of shredded cheese is $2.00 - $3.00 depending on the brand you prefer. Flour will cost $2.00. What about butter and milk you ask ...... you would have to use it in the prepackaged stuff any ways so I consider that even.

Use a simple stove top macaroni and cheese recipe:

7 ounces of elbow macaroni
1/8 cup butter or margarine
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
salt
pepper
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese(if you love cheese feel free to add more!)

optional:
1 clove pureed garlic
2 tbs pureed onion

Start to cook your pasta. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper to taste (those who like a little more flavor in their mac and cheese add 1 clove of pureed garlic and a few Tbs of pureed onion); cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Drain macaroni; stir in cheese sauce.





So lets look at what we are left with.

Boxed version:
Macaroni and Cheese $1.00
milk $3.00
butter $2.00

total spent $6.00

cook time: about 5 minutes

leftovers to use again; milk, butter



Homemade version:
elbow pasta $1.00
milk $3.00
butter $2.00
flour $2.00
salt $0.50
pepper $0.50
cheddar cheese $2.00
garlic bulb $0.50
onion $0.50

total spent $12.00

cook time: about 8 minutes

leftovers to use again; pasta, milk, butter, flour, salt, pepper, garlic, onion

Looks like I have enough there to make elbows topped with a simple white sauce and caramelized onion. I even have enough leftover to make some biscuits! Okay I guess I would have to buy the a $0.33 box of baking soda.

And after all that I will still have some butter, milk, flour, salt, pepper and garlic leftover. Looks like we will be having country gravy over biscuits for breakfast with that.

It is that simple, $12.00 for fresh ingredients makes a lunch, dinner and breakfast vs. $6.00 for boxed which makes only lunch.

It gets even better when you make your own pasta. Don't get nervous, it is so easy a child can do it! How do I know? My 8 and 9 year old make it!

So remember, a well stocked pantry is less expensive in the long run then prepackaged food.

Veggie Hash w/ Poached Egg and Parsley Pesto

Veggie Hash w/ Poached Egg and Parsley Pesto

This is a flavorful dish I truly had my doubts about. It calls for a rutabaga, which I am ashamed to say I have never had before. Now I can not wait to try it in another recipe! This dish takes about an hour to make but only about 15 minutes of active prep time.... or less, how are those knife skills? This recipe gives you a lot of chances to practice them. Cut down on your prep time by giving the kids some peelers and let them peel the veggies for you. I didn't give you amounts for the veggies because this recipe is very forgiving on the amounts. Like potatoes more then carrots? Add more potatoes and less carrots! The trick to this dish is making sure your veggies are cut the same size, this keeps some veggies from still being raw while others burn.

Pesto

1 1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small roasted garlic clove ( do not peel yet !)

Hash

olive oil
diced, peeled potatoes
diced, peeled rutabaga
diced, peeled carrots
diced, bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
diced, peeled onions, sliced
salt
pepper


4 large eggs



preheat oven to 400°F

coat the inside of a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil

put all the veggies EXCEPT the minced garlic on it

place the unpeeled garlic clove on the sheet too off in a corner all by itself

season veggies to taste with salt and pepper

roast veggies until tender, turning occasionally, 45 minutes

remove the garlic with the peel still on it and set it aside to cool

stir in minced garlic roast 10 minutes longer

while you are finishing off the veggies fill pot halfway with salted water and bring to boil

while you are waiting for your veggies to finish off and the water to boil peel the roasted garlic clove, place all your pesto ingredients into a small food processor and run it until they are smooth

crack eggs, 1 at a time, into a dish, then slide eggs into simmering water

poach eggs until softly set, 3 minutes

split veggie mix onto 4 plates, carefully top it with the poached egg (don't break the yolk until its time to eat) and then top the egg with the pesto sauce

ENJOY!

My Goals

For those of you who do not know a polemic is "a discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed". Also known as an altercation, argument , to bicker, to clash, contention, controversy, debate, disagreement, dispute, fight, quarrel, squabble or tiff. I will have a few of these with my family as I try to complete my mission.

What is that mission? To go completely preservative free. In today's fast food, boxed meal mayhem it seems like an impossible task for any one who does not have hundreds to spend on groceries each week. So here are my guidelines:

1) I will keep my spending on groceries UNDER $100 per week to feed a family of 4. This means I am going to have to get creative and learn about the resources I can use around me.

2) At first I will be cheating a little by using the bottle of ketchup, mustard, ect. But once it is gone, it is gone forever. I can not buy anything that is prepackaged with the exception of raw, unflavored meats. No cold cuts, hot dogs, sausage, ect unless I make them myself.

3) I will only use raw sugar. No over processed, bleached white sugar for this family.