BACOG - Lessons learned in the the $35/week food challenge

[BACOG]

My name is BACOG and I found this forum mentioned on another forum. Will be 60 in a couple of years and am getting back to my roots. Lived for a few years on the edge of a swamp in southern Indiana. With my mother & grandmother out of the picture I am having to teach my self the old ways. Getting pretty good at canning & making bread. I live alone west of the Mississippi River. Have 2 daughters. The oldest is an attorney & the youngest is an RN.

Two days ago I started the challenge of feeding a person on $35 per week. What I did was take everything out of my cupboard & start from zero. Even had to buy salt, pepper, & oil. I know we didn't have to count the condiments but I wanted to be as realistic as possible. The only food I kept was things that I got for free like some beans & peppers.

One thing I do when grocery shopping is take a calculator to keep a running check on what is in my basket. It really kept me on track.

With this challenge I really had my eyes opened. For instance 3 loaves of bread for 2 weeks ( I live by myself) would of been around 4 dollars. For about 6 dollars I got enough flour & baking powder to last a month or more. And I do make a pretty mean biscuit.

My basic grocery list was:
10 lb chicken leg quarters
5 lbs. hamburger
6 can pork & beans - I do like beans
Other canned veggies
Bags for leg quarters
six pack cup-of-noodles
10 lbs potatoes
mac & cheese
tuna
Spaghetti
Spaghetti sauce
1 taco mix

I managed to bring this in $1.38 under the $70 budget for 2 weeks. I did keep some baking soda, margarine & yeast for my sourdough starter and some parmesan cheese for spaghetti. That will be coming off next weeks budget though.

Here is one recipe that I prepared for when buying groceries this week. It makes enough for me to have 2 good meals. With a little home made sourdough bread you are eating high on the hog.


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Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 large can (29 oz.) hominy
1 regular can (15 oz.) southwest corn - some places call it mexicorn. It is the type that has peppers chopped up in it.
1 taco mix

Prepare the taco mix & hamburger just like you were going to make tacos.
When it is done add the hominy & southwest corn with all of the juices from the can
Add the 29 oz can full of water.
Add salt to taste
simmer for about 1/2 hour


Occaisonally I get a good recipe & will post it here. The taco soup is my own invention.

 

[Denim Deb]

I look forward to reading more of your recipes and hearing how well you make out.

 

[moolie]

Yay on joining the challenge, and a belated welcome!

I always have a calculator with me when I shop as well--some grocery stores have the "price per unit" listed on the price tag on the edge of the shelf so comparison shopping is easy, but some don't do this and it's great to be able to work it out quickly.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

The taco soup sounds really good. My son loves tacos and soup, who doesn't!

Have you ever made your wn taco mix? It's prett easy. I finally found a recipe for a mix that tastes like the stuff you buy in the packets, only without the additives.

 

[ORChick]

Welcome to the forum, and to the challenge!

 

[BACOG]

I always have a calculator with me when I shop as well--some grocery stores have the "price per unit" listed on the price tag on the edge of the shelf so comparison shopping is easy, but some don't do this and it's great to be able to work it out quickly.

What the calculator is for is to keep a running total and keep me from going over budget.

 

[BACOG]

The taco soup sounds really good. My son loves tacos and soup, who doesn't!

Have you ever made your wn taco mix? It's prett easy. I finally found a recipe for a mix that tastes like the stuff you buy in the packets, only without the additives.

Would you post that recipe please.

 

[Wannabefree]

The key ingredient is cumin. I make big batches of it, and use 1 teaspoon per pound of meat. It's basically salt, onion powder or flakes, garlic powder, cumin, dried cilantro, and paprika to taste. I'd give you my recipe, but for one person it would last a few years

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

The key ingredient is cumin. I make big batches of it, and use 1 teaspoon per pound of meat. It's basically salt, onion powder or flakes, garlic powder, cumin, dried cilantro, and paprika to taste. I'd give you my recipe, but for one person it would last a few years

Sounds like my grandpa's recipe for hard cider. "59 bushels of apples..."

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Would you post that recipe please.

I couldn't find the original recipe I used, but I tried this one and it's good too. If it were just me, I'd make it hotter. But I use this recipe because it tastes like the mixes from the store (Ortega, Old el paso, etc) because my son likes it, and its mild. The other recipe tastes exactly like the packets but without corn starch another mystery powders. I'll try to dig it up. Try this one and see how you like it.

When I use ground beef, I use about 2 tablespoons for a pound and a half of meat. With diced chicken, I use less. Play with the cumin amount in this, I generally like more cumin flavor.

Taco seasoning
1Tbsp chili powder
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

To add more "hot" add the black pepper, replace half the paprika with ground cayenne pepper, or add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.


To make in bulk and store in cupboard...
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp oregano
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper


Oh, and