We’re more than halfway through our experiment, and things are mostly pretty swell. Admittedly, I’m developing a little agita. The planning and math are fairly intense, and I’m kicking myself for not including protein in my calculations. Maybe I’ll remember next year, when I try to feed the Chicago Bears for eight weeks on 80% of a May 2007 Euro.

On the bright side, this is only due to the blog element. I think the non-obsessive layperson would have a much easier time, as you wouldn’t be calculating the price of 3/4 of a pineapple ring.

But enough whining! On to today.

We don’t really eat lunch on weekends, preferring instead to do a big brunch. Husband-Elect also had two cups of coffee, creating another caloric obstacle. As a result, we missed the 2600 minimum and failed miserably on the produce front.

After much therapy, I am okay with this. He’s far from hungry, and our fridge is filled with leftovers. It’s entrancing, really. Like a lava lamp made of pork.

And with that, the numbahs!

DAY 4 TOTALS: 2454 calories, 95 g fat, 28.1 g fiber, $3.58
GRAND PRICE TOTAL (SO FAR): $14.47

BRUNCH
5 homemade pancakes (Betty Crocker recipe): 550 calories, 21.5 g fat, 1 g fiber, $0.50
1 banana: 121 calories, 0.4 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, $0.23
1/2 tablespoon butter: 51 calories, 5.8 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.03
1/3 cup Aunt Jemima butter lite syrup: 131 calories, 0 g fat, 1.3 g fiber, $0.25
1 cup coffee: 2 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.22
TOTALS: 855 calories, 27.7 g fat, 5.8 g fiber, $1.23
PREP TIME: 15 to 20 minutes

SNACKS
1 cup coffee: 2 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.22
1 tablespoon Coffee mate: 25 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.05
2 Snickerdoodles: 300, 13.6 g fat, 1 g fiber, $0.20
TOTALS: 337 calories, 13.6 g fat, 1 g fiber, $0.47
PREP TIME: 2 minutes

DINNER
3 ounces Tasty Kitchen Puerto Rican Pork: 229 calories, 17.3 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.46
2 corn tortillas: 100 calories, 1 g fat, 2 g fiber, $0.09
1/4 teaspoon Adobo sauce: 2 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.01
1 pineapple ring: 30 calories, 0 g fat, 0.6 g fiber, $0.18
1 cup brown rice: 219 calories, 1.5 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, $0.15
1 serving refried black beans: 220 calories, 7.9 g fat, 10.5 g fiber, $0.39
2/3 cup organic mixed baby greens: 5 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g fiber, $0.20
1/2 tablespoon olive oil: 60 calories, 6.7 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.06
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar: 0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.01
TOTALS: 875 calories, 34.4 g fat, 17.6 g fiber, $1.55
PREP TIME: about 15 minutes for everything but the rice, which took another 15 or 20 minutes of waiting

DESSERT
2 tablespoons peanut butter: 190 calories, 16 g fat, 2 g fiber, $0.13
1 piece Light Banana Bread: 197 calories, 3.3 g fat, ~1.7 g fiber, $0.20
TOTALS: 387 calories, 19.3 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $0.33
PREP TIME: 2 minutes

NOTES

• I scored a 5-ounce clamshell of Earthbound Farms mixed baby greens for $0.99 this week. It was in the markdown bin, presumably because it hit its inspiration date. The greens were perfectly fine, though. So, YAY! Organic greens for less than a buck!
• Our favorite Mexican place makes a dish called Tacos al Pastor, which is basically spicy pork with pineapple. I tried to mimic it with leftover pork and pineapple juice mixed with a little adobo sauce. All considering, it worked well. It’ll never be confused for the real thing, but I’d eat it again and twice on Sunday.
• The refried beans are basically: beans, olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat em, mash ‘em, and *poof*, there you go. Easy and delicious.

The worst/best intent is to go to the grocery store when you’re hungry. Suddenly, everything looks glorious and you requirement to take it every bag that instant. Yes, I crapper take an whole frozen pizza and incase of cookies, don’t discourse my sentiment correct now!Well, I was in that locate a some weeks past after a New period break diversion practice. Strolling through the Graminaceae aisle, I was nearly low with the coefficient of judgement. Golden Grahams? Special K? Lucky Charms? Cinnamon Toast Crunch? You crapper already surmisal who came bag with me. By chance, I stumbled upon this instruction from Sugar Plum Sweets. The stars aligned and I had to try it out. These are accepted issue bark buns. The only disagreement is the addition of the Graminaceae low in the edifice to add a lowercase crunch.Cinnybun:1 containerful active dry yeast2 tablespoons granulated sugar1/2 prize hearty concentrate (not hot)1 super egg, gently beaten1/2 teaspoon flavourer extract1/4 teaspoon salt4 tablespoons tasteless butter, softened, divided use1 2/3 cups clams flour1/4 prize crowded brown sugar1 teaspoon connector cinnamon1/2 prize low Cinnamon Toast Crunch cerealFrosting:5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar2 teaspoons milkIn the bowl, whisk together yeast, granulated dulcify and 1/2 prize hearty concentrate until substantially combined; allow to set 5 minutes. Lesson learned, I utilised nonsynthetic leavening for the prototypal instance and I hit to say, I was not impressed. Though the rolls came discover fine, I felt they were more doughey than usual. Sticking to my accepted leavening next time.Add egg, vanilla, briny and 2 tablespoons butter, and intermixture using a dough hook, until substantially combined. If you don’t hit the hook, you module endure with a lawful attachment. I got lucky and institute ours in the drawer!Add flour and intermixture on medium pace for 5 minutes. Remove dough onto a gently floured surface, and manipulate for an additional 5 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, locate in a greased bowl, gently cover, and allow to uprise in a hearty Atlantic for 1 1/2 hours. I was told the higher the positioning you permit the clams sit, the meliorate because heat rises. Roll dough discover using a actuation pin, into a 13×9-inch rectangle. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons butter over dough. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and Graminaceae over dough. Roll up, jellyroll style (like a burrito!), and swing very ends off. Slice log into 6 equal pieces, and locate in a greased and floured 9-inch block pan. Lightly counterbalance and allow to uprise in a hearty Atlantic for 45 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a little player dissolved butter over rolls, if desired. Warning: make trusty you flour the lowermost of the pan and cushy on the butter. A some of mine were slightly caramelized on the lowermost because the butter flowing to the lowermost of the pan and not existence enwrapped sufficiency by the flour.Bake 20-25 transactions or until metallic brown. Remove from oven and modify on a accommodate rack for 15 minutes.For the frosting, impress together confectioners’ dulcify and additional 2 teaspoons concentrate until combined; drizzle over bark rolls, and serve. These came discover pretty good; I ease same the Pumpkin ones meliorate but that’s because I only fuck squash and it rattling did alter it up on a classic. If you’re looking for a solid bark bun with a lil crunch, these are a win! Even though doc prefabricated his annoyance for embracing instance clear as he watched….
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It’s Day 1 of the $25 Food Project! I’m excited! Husband-Elect’s excited! This is gonna be a good time! However…

Already I’m about $0.40 off. Yikes. This isn’t insurmountable, but I don’t like starting behind the curve. Fun fact: if I was feeding myself (with a 2020 calorie requirement) instead of Husband-Elect, I’d be right on target.

So here’s what happened. I made a few major tactical errors right off the bat. Well, it was actually just one mistake made several times, like so:

• Instead of buying a bag or two of dried beans, I figured I could use canned beans from my stash. (Er … pantry.) They’re not expensive in the grand scheme of things, but for this experiment, compared to bagged beans, they may as well be caviar.
• Same thing went for cheese; I got really great deals on Cracker Barrel a few weeks ago, but it’s still pricey compared to generic cheddar.
• Oatmeal … same. I could have had the store brand but … moving on.

Essentially, I got cocky. It wasn’t catastrophic, though, especially since Husband-Elect “feels that I have been sated.” (He’s a peach, that one.) I think I can make up the slack through the rest of the week, too. (Woot!)

That said, here’s the breakdown from today:

DAILY TOTAL: 2739 calories, 67.6 g fat, 57.1 g fiber, $3.96

BREAKFAST
2 servings Gingersnap Oatmeal: 526 calories, 6.4 g fat, 9 g fiber, $0.84
1 apple: 77 calories, 0.3 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, $0.17
TOTAL: 604 calories, 6.7 g fat, 12.6 g fiber, $1.01
PREP TIME: 9 minutes

LUNCH & SNACK
PB&J on whole grain bread: 510 calories, 19 g fat, 8 g fiber, $0.46
10 Triscuit Thins: 103 calories, 3 g fat, 2 g fiber, $0.20
4 ounces carrots: 44 calories, 0.2 g fat, 3 g fiber, $0.22
1 apple: 77 calories, 0.3 g fat, 3.6 g fiber, $0.17
1/2 cup White Bean Dip: 230 calories, 9 g fat, 8.1 g fiber, $0.56
TOTAL: 964 calories, 30.5 g fat, 24.7 g fiber, $1.61
PREP TIME: 0 minutes (made it while breakfast cooked)

DINNER
1 serving Easy Bean Chili: 243 calories, 6.6 g fat, 9.1 g fiber, $0.70
2 med. baked potatoes (14.1 oz): 388 calories, 0.4 g fat, 9.2 g fiber, $0.22
1/2 grated cheddar: 45 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.12
TOTAL: 721 calories, 10 g fat, 18.3 g fiber, $1.04
PREP TIME: 30 minutes active prep, 20 minutes waiting for it to cook

DESSERT
3 Snickerdoodles: 450 calories, 20.4 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, $0.30

NOTES

• Oven Stuffer Roasters and pork shoulder were on sale this week, both for $0.79/lb. I went with the pork, because I did chicken once before and wanted to challenge myself.
• I started prepping last night for today. I made an adapted version of Ellie Krieger’s White Bean Dip and skinned and chopped a pound of carrots. All told, this took me 13 minutes, with another 5 added for dishes. BAM, yo.
• For a treat, I made the cheapest cookies I could think of: Snickerdoodles. It took probably 30 minutes prep time (mixing & rolling), plus another 15 minutes for baking and storage. They’re really good! The recipe (from Recipe Zaar) is highly suggested

How many times have you had bananas go bad right after you have purchased them. Sometimes it is hard to use them up and not get sick of the flavor. Over ripe bananas taste terrible so using them in a delicious manner is a little difficult. They can be made into bread or muffins but what if you do not have the time for that. Instead make a banana pancake recipe that will only take a little bit of time and a few other ingredients.

Bananas get over ripe when the skins start to turn brown and spotty. This is when they are absolutely perfect to cook with. Make sure the fruit of the banana does not have brown or black spots and if it does cut them out. If the consistency is a bit mushy it is time to use them to make pancakes.

To make banana pancakes you two bowls. In one you combine one cup all purpose flour, one tablespoon of sugar, two teaspoons baking powder, and one fourth teaspoon salt. Mix these ingredients well and set aside.

In bowl number two beat one egg well. Measure two tablespoons vegetable oil and one cup of milk and add it to the egg. Remove the peel from two bananas that are over ripe. Put them in a cereal bowl and mash them with a fork until they are mashed down well. Throw the banana in with egg milk combination and whisk this well with a large kitchen whisk. Now start to gradually add the mixture in the first bowl. Whisk each addition in until all mixed. If the batter gets too heavy switch to a large spoon to stir this extremely lumpy batter.

Heat a skillet on the stove and add a little vegetable oil to the bottom. Take about one fourth cup of the batter and pour it into the skillet. Once the one side gets brown turn it over for the other side to brown as well then remove to a platter and place a little bit of butter on top.

To make these pancakes a little more interesting you can add one and one or two tablespoons of peanut butter to the egg mixture for peanut butter and banana pancakes. Add one fourth cup of mini chocolate chips for banana and chocolate chip pancakes. You can also add one fourth of a cup of sliced berries to make banana berry pancakes.

You can use syrup on top of banana pancakes but there are other things you can do too. Try just some whipped cream on top. Pour some fudge sauce or chocolate syrup over top or try some caramel sauce usually used to top ice cream. Honey tastes great on banana flavored pancakes. You can make these any time of the day. They are good for breakfast for lunch or make a special dessert during the evening.

If you want to find out how to prepare pancakes at home then check out Andrews collection of simple pancake recipes. If you want take care of your diet and health we suggest this tasty banana pancake recipe but there are many others to choose from as well.

Last week, we posted Food Money Matters: Why Healthy Eating Doesn’t Have to be Expensive, in which we asked readers if you thought eating healthy and frugally was possible.

The response was overwhelming, wonderful, and skewed towards “Heck yeah!” While I know CHG readers may be a tad pre-disposed, it’s comforting to think we’re not taking crazy pills over here.

However, my post was a little short on solutions, and one of the last commenters, GrowingRaw, brought up an excellent question. If y’all are up for it, this week I would love to brainstorm some ideas:

What are the best ways to identify and offer help to people who may be interested in improving their eating habits and health? Given other difficult stuff that goes on in people’s lives, how reasonable is it to expect their diet to be a priority? What’s a reasonable amount of support to offer without being patronising or creating dependencies?

Michelle Obama’s obesity initiative is a solid start to long-lasting institutional change. But on a personal level, the issue is (as always) fraught with tension and complicated emotions. So, how can we help others to eat healthy and inexpensively without being jerks about it?

Though I don’t know the answers, I have some ideas (listed below), and I’d super-like to hear more from y’all. Together, I think we can do a lot of good.

Don’t assume folks want to be helped.
They may be perfectly happy the way they are. They may be completely knowledgeable about nutrition and finances. They may just be trying to put food on the table. They may be too dang busy. They may have four kids and one stream of income. They may have genuinely attempted to change their eating habits, with little luck. They may be using food as an affordable form of comfort (which is totally fine). Situations differ, and that’s okay. If someone isn’t receptive to your ideas, now may not be the time.

Don’t assume your experience is universal, or that you know better than others.
Entering a situation assuming you’re the expert can be a turnoff. Because the stay-at-home mother of four in Tallahassee leads a very different lifestyle than the single Brooklyn food blogger (represent!). Our income, routine, storage, time, skills, transportation, and nutritional needs don’t match up, and what applies for me may not apply for her.

Cook for someone.
Make a wonderful, inexpensive meal for someone you love. Casually mention the price tag, maybe? If it doesn’t take too long, definitely mention the time of preparation. The proof is in the pudding, or in this case, maybe the roasted chicken or turkey chili.

Start a potluck.
Try to incorporate a theme. Put a cost cap on the dishes, or have everyone make something from scratch. Offer ideas to others, if they need ‘em. Turning food into a social event is a good way to get people involved in its creation.

Take somebody grocery shopping.
She/he might be wowed by how much food you buy for so few dollars. One of the reasons I started cooking more frugally was seeing what Crystal could snag for $60. I didn’t know it was possible.

Be available for questions.
Answer them to the best of your knowledge, and without judgment.

Start a multi-family shopping pool.
This idea comes from reader chacha1: “Once a family decides to eat healthy they will find a way to get to the places where they can buy proper food. I think this is something churches could be organizing, but individuals [can] think creatively about doing multi-family shopping pools, etc.”

Volunteer.
Last week, a lot of commenters mentioned that cooking and shopping classes could be helpful. If you have the knowledge, skills and time, why not share ‘em?

And with that, the comments are open. Assuming they want to be helped, how can we assist others in their quest to eat healthy and frugally?

~~~
If you like this article, you might also dig:

• 20 Cheap, Healthy Dishes Made from 10 Pantry Staples
• “Healthy” Defined! (As best we can.)
• Observations from a Novice Cook