Soup for supper

2009-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Well, after posting my first blog I got to thinking...who wants to go shopping for stuff to make soup today? I guess the answer would be me..the plan is to make enough soup to last the week for under 5 bucks, and a good hearty soup at that.

I can guarantee you that I will be hitting the bulk section pretty hard to come in under the $5 mark, and it will be a meatless soup at this price, but no less tasty.

Hmmm...just thinking about all the types of beans out there in bulk-land waiting to be slow simmered and turned into soup. Or soaked overnight and turned into soup: red, black ,white, kidney, pinto. Don't forget peas; green, yellow and of course lentils and barley. Some places sell beans already mixed up for soup purposes just like this and I'm going to check em all!!!

Usually, when I 'm making a veggie based soup, I'll use powdered chicken stock, which can also be found in the bulk section. There are other powdered stocks that can be used, such as beef, french onion,turkey, ham, vegetable. It all depends on your taste.

So, when I get back from the store, I'll make the soup and give you the figures and see if I come in under the mark and let you know how it tastes.

All right..I just got back from my local three lettered grocery store and this is what I picked up in the bulk section:

$1.21 1lb of powdered chicken stock(no msg)
$1.01 1lb(2c) yellow split peas
$1.26 1lb(2c) mixed beans for soup

Conviniently, the scoops in the bulk section are about 1c levelled(I just realized this!!!)

I'm only going to use about half the chicken stock I picked up. So, when we add everything up the total is $2.87.

Add the beans and peas to 20 cups of water and chicken stock..on medium heat, bring everything to a gentle boild, stirring constantly. If your soup thickens up and reduces, just keep adding water. Check your seasoning, and adjust to taste.

Now, while I was shopping I picked a bag of carrots for $1.69 and got eight..$.21 each..I'm going to dice up 2 and throw them in and that puts us at $3.29.

I bought a 10lb bag of spuds for $5.99 and got 34...$0.18 each..two are getting cut up and thrown in..that brings us to $3.65

I have half a turnip leftover from last week and I think I payed about $1.40 for it..I'll throw that in too..that puts us up to $4.35

I warn you..this will make ALOT of soup, it may take two pots I'm realizing..and if you break it down over say...15 good sized bowls, the per portion cost is...$0.29, and that is pretty cheap..even by my standards.

Remember; the freezer is your friend, if you get sick of eating soup everyday you can always freeze the left-overs, medium sized zipper freezers bags are even a better friend.

Eating well on the cheap

2009-02-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

Being a chef you may think that working around food gives me the opportunity to eat all the healthy meals I could want. It’s quite the opposite. It’s very difficult to have a full meal while on shift so I end up grazing, and it’s not all good grazing. When I get home though, it’s quite a different story. I like to cook for friends and family on my days off, and I like to go whole hog, so to speak…BUT!!!!

After the bills are paid and what not, there is very little money left over for the essentials, like food, so when I go shopping I am very cost conscious about what I buy (The two best friends a frugal shopper can have is a bulk section at their grocery store and a freezer). Going for the best cuts of meat or the name brand stuff can get costly very quickly and this is where the detective in me comes out. I am constantly looking for mark downs, surplus displays, day old products, blow outs and everything in between: If you look, you will find it!!

Let’s see if I can break it down a little: If I see regular ground beef being blown out of the supermarket at $1.00 per pound, I’ll buy $20.00 worth, and that’s a LOT of beef, granted it is regular beef with a higher fat content, but depending on how you cook it, it’s really a non issue. When I get home I’ll portion it all out into roughly 20 portions, flatten them out in freezer bags , label and date them, then into the freezer they go.

Now, I just got 20 1lb bags of meat and 1 bag I can feed three or four people depending on what’s for dinner.

As an example, let’s say we’re having spaghetti and meatballs, and I make 16 1oz meatballs with no seasoning. The cost of the meat was $1.00, divided by 16 and we get $.06 per ball. So, the cost of the meat per person ( feeding three people with 5 meatballs each), is roughly $.30. With seasonings add $.03 per person.

Next would come the sauce: For arguments sake, let’s say a big can of tomato sauce is $2.00 1/2 medium onion is $.20, fresh mushrooms(8oz) $1.00, small green pepper $1.00, fresh garlic $.20, herbs and seasonings $.20. Add them all up and you get $4.60, the cost of the sauce for three people comes to $1.53 per person.

Now the pasta: Again, for arguments sake, let’s say a 1kg(2.2lb) bag of no name spaghetti goes for $2.00. At roughly 8oz of pasta per portion, divide $2.00 by 2.2 and you get $.91/lb, half that again to get to your portion size and you come up with $.45 per portion.

Don’t forget the garlic bread: ½ loaf French bread $1.00, 4oz no name margarine $.30, 1tbs garlic powder $.10. Add them up you get $1.40, divide that by three portions and you get $.46 per person.

When we add up the per portion cost of all the players in our little dinner theatre, we come to $2.77 per plate for a pretty hefty and hearty meal.

I tend to think like this while I’m doing my shopping, always keeping a kind of running food calculator in my head; How much is this? How many will it feed? Is there a similar product for a better price?

We all can’t always afford the pricier items you find in your grocery store, but we can all afford to eat well. With the limited resources available to us in this day and age, and a little time and effort, anyone can become an expert shopper and closet gourmet chef.

There are many ways to make great meals on the cheap, all you really need to do is shop smart, save smart and cook smart.

Eating Cheap

Soup for supper

Eating well on the cheap