Three Meals, Four People, $10 : Balancing Act

For the sake of the two kids in our hypothetical family of four I was determined that my measly $10 budget would cover the Four Food Groups. It became an obsession.

“Three-Two-Four-Four,” said the voice in my head as I scoured the aisles for milk, meat, fruits, vegetables, bread and grains. The United States Department of Agriculture devised the 3-2-4-4 numerical system to help consumers remember the Four Food Group servings per day for children in milk, meat, fruits/vegetables and grains, respectively.

The updated USDA Guideline formula is slightly different. The new recommended servings are designated for five instead of four food groups (fruits and vegetables are now separate categories). They call for “two to four servings fruit; three to five for vegetables; six to 11 for grains; two to three for both meat and dairy products.” Take your pick. You can’t go wrong either way.

Fortunately for the kids in my $10 a day family, the menus do include more than adequate servings of fruit, vegetables, meat, milk and grains. Something like 4-3-6-4 for servings of milk, meat, fruits/vegetables and grains (in that order).

Our $10 also had to cover all the purchases made at the market that day, no matter what they were. No pro-rating allowed. Can you swing it on $10 when a whopping $2.57 goes for a gallon of milk, $2.50 for chicken, $1.98 for eggs and $1.79 for a loaf of bread? All I needed were four eggs, 10--not 16--glasses of milk to cover four servings for the kids and one or two for the adults, and eight, not 18, slices of bread for all meals that day.

The idea of chicken stir-fry sounded good. I broke out into a sweat wondering whether my $10 would allow a $1.79 jar of sesame oil, as well as chicken and the rest of the stuff. It wouldn’t, even if I switched to pig’s feet (not that I would ) at $1.09 a pound, and there are at least two pounds per foot. That hurt.

My solution was to scratch the sesame oil, keep the stir fry on the back burner, but continue to think “chicken.” I would buy store-brand bread at 69 cents a loaf, and only a half dozen eggs. I would use all the bread, eggs and most of the milk, somehow. A whole succulent, gold-tinged $2.50 chicken sounded better than ground turkey at $1.50 a pound or chicken half breasts at $1.98 per pound for three half breasts (I’d have to buy another package for the fourth breast), or even spaghetti at $1.79 per pound, which, with canned Roma tomatoes at 99 cents a can (I would need two), cheese (expensive), and meat (expensive) or beans for protein (as in pasta e fagiole ) would end up blowing my $10--just for dinner. I also thought of cassoulet , which would work within the $10 limit, but decided that 3-2-4-4 kids would probably turn their noses up at such a meal when they could have roast chicken. The more I thought about my $10 the more complex my menus became.

Many of the ingredients purchased did double, sometimes triple, duty. For instance, the loaf of sliced bread was used for sandwiches in the morning, croutons and cucumber finger sandwiches at lunch and a bread pudding at dinner. The half-dozen eggs were distributed throughout the three meals. (What’s six eggs among four people once in a while?) We scrambled the eggs for breakfast, used egg yolk to thicken and color the soup for lunch, and made bread pudding for dinner dessert with the leftover egg white, the remaining two eggs and most of the remaining milk.

I decided on soup for lunch because it enabled us to get double mileage from a single chicken and vegetables. You get a nice broth with some meat from just the chicken gizzards, heart, liver, neck and wing tips for the soup at lunch. Some of the vegetables, such as the potatoes and carrots, were used to flavor and enrich the lunchtime soup, but were actually served with the roast chicken at the evening meal. (They had to be cooked, anyway). The remaining soup vegetables (turnips, one carrot and celery) were diced and returned to the soup with the gizzards, heart, liver and neck. It may sound weird but, hey, where else can you get three meals and the Four Food Groups on $10 a day?

BREAKFAST

Serve tangerine segments stuck with wood picks. Allowing one egg per person, scramble eggs. Sandwich in toasted bread slices. Allow one glass of milk per child and adult.

LUNCH

The ingredients for the soup do double duty for lunch and dinner. Only the giblets (gizzards and innards), neck and wing tips from a whole chicken are used to make the broth for the lunchtime soup. The remaining whole chicken is roasted for dinner. Half an onion is used in the soup; the other half is reserved to stuff into the chicken for dinner. The majority of the potatoes and carrots used to flavor and enrich the soup are reserved for the evening meal, while the remaining soup vegetables are diced or sliced and returned to the soup.

The egg yolk is used to color and thicken the soup. The egg white? That’s reserved with the remaining two eggs left from the dozen to bind the bread pudding served at dinner.

One or two of the bread slices from the morning loaf are also used to make croutons for the soup in lieu of rice or pasta.

Apples can be eaten out of hand, or, if time permits, baked in a small amount of water to steam. Core and peel the tops of the apples only. Fill the cavity with milk and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. If you are feeling adventurous and have the time, make a pie dough and wrap each slightly parboiled cored and seasoned apple in a square of pie dough and bake until the pie dough is golden brown. If cocoa powder or a mix is available, make chocolate milk or cocoa. Stir or beat hot milk into cocoa powder mixed smooth with water.

CHICKEN-LEMON SOUP

Giblets, neck, wing tips of 1 (2 1/2-pound) chicken

1/2 onion

Heart of celery with leaves

1 tablespoon dried parsley or 1 sprig fresh parsley, optional

1 parsnip

1 turnip

1 medium potato

2 small carrots

Salt

White pepper

1 egg yolk

Juice 1/2 lemon

Croutons

Combine chicken giblets, neck, wing tips, onion, celery heart, parsley, parsnip, turnip, potato and carrots in saucepan with water to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until gizzards are tender and vegetables are just tender. Discard parsley sprig, if using. Remove giblets, neck, wing tips, parsnip, turnip, potato and carrots. Slice giblets. Remove any neck and wing tip and add to soup with giblets. Peel and dice parsnip, turnip and potato and return to soup. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Beat egg yolk with lemon juice. Stir into simmering soup. Do not overheat or yolk will curdle. Serve with Croutons. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Remaining 3 medium potatoes and 6 small carrots may also be boiled in soup and reserved for Herbed Roast Chicken Dinner.

Each serving without croutons contains about:

130 calories; 132 mg sodium; 126 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 1.25 grams fiber; 23% calories from fat.

Croutons

1 slice whole-wheat bread

Salt

Pepper

Paprika, optional

Cut 1 or 2 slices whole-wheat bread into small cubes. Place on baking sheet and toast under broiler, tossing to toast evenly. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika.

DINNER

Potatoes and carrots, precooked in the lunchtime soup, are served with chicken at dinner. Serve torn lettuce plain with vinegar and oil dressing. Any greens or cooked vegetables leftover from the refrigerator may be added, if available.

Use all leftover bread, eggs (including the egg white used in the soup) and milk to make bread pudding. Any spread, such as jam, peanut butter or other pantry staples can be used to spread on the bread in the pan.

HERBED ROAST CHICKEN DINNER

1 (2 1/2-pound) chicken

Salt, pepper

Paprika

1 orange, cut in half

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes or 2 sprigs parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh, optional

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh, optional

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh, optional

3 cooked potatoes

8 cooked carrots

Remove any fat from chicken cavity and set aside. Rinse chicken thoroughly. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika inside and out. Insert orange and onion halves in cavity and remaining half orange in neck cavity. Tuck under skin neck. Truss.

Combine garlic, parsley, thyme, dill and oregano and mix. Stuff between skin and flesh of chicken breast, distributing evenly. Place chicken in baking pan and top breasts with reserved chicken fat. Cover loosely with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Remove foil. Remove fat from breast. Remove onion and orange halves and discard. Place potatoes in baking pan, tossing to coat with fat. Season potatoes to taste with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown and meat is tender when thigh is tested with fork or knife. Wrap carrots in foil and place in baking pan to reheat carrots 5 minutes before chicken is removed from oven. Arrange chicken, potatoes and carrots on serving dish. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

312 calories; 194 mg sodium; 59 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 1.87 grams fiber; 27% calories from fat.

VARIATION:

Instead of roasting whole chicken, try grilling it. Use recipe above, but double amount of thyme, dill and oregano and omit onion and orange. Then, instead of roasting, split and grill chicken over medium-low coals or under broiler about 4 inches from source of heat, until chicken is tender and skin is brown and crisp. Cut into crosswise halves. Serve quarters with cooked new potatoes and carrots.

Each serving contains about:

303 calories; 195 mg sodium; 59 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 1.83 grams fiber; 28% calories from fat.

QUEEN’S BREAD PUDDING

10 to 12 slices whole-wheat bread

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup any fruit jam, sliced fruit, peanut butter or other spread available

1 egg white

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Spread each side of bread slices with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Layer slices in bottom of well-greased 9-inch square pan, cutting bread slices to fit pan evenly. Spread half of jam lightly over first bread layer. Top with another layer of bread slices. Cover again with remaining jam. Top with last layer of bread slices, cutting to fit pan evenly.

Beat egg white and eggs with sugar until creamy. Beat in milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over bread layer in pan. Pat down bread to immerse bread in liquid. Cover with foil and bake immersed in another pan filled halfway with hot water at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake until custard is set and top is golden. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 4 large servings.

Note: Jam layer can be omitted. Pudding can be baked in loaf pan, following layering principle. Unmold and serve sliced.

Each serving contains about:

562 calories; 596 mg sodium; 157 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 19 grams protein; 1.25 grams fiber; 29% calories from fat.

Dosti Menu

BREAKFAST

Tangerine segments

Toasted scrambled egg sandwiches

Milk

Coffee

LUNCH

Chicken-Lemon Soup With Croutons

Cucumber sandwiches

Baked or fresh apples or apple dumplings

Plain or chocolate milk

DINNER

Roast herbed chicken

Roast potatoes

Dilled carrots

Lettuce salad

Queen’s Bread Pudding

Coffee, tea (adults)

Milk (children)

SHOPPING LIST

Purchased at Pavillon’s 1 small orange: .20 4 tangerines at 2 pounds for $1: .30 1/2 dozen eggs: .99 1 gallon milk: $2.57 1 loaf generic whole-wheat bread: .59 4 small apples at 5 pounds for $1: .25 8 small carrots at .49 per pound: .30 1 cucumber at 3 for $1: .33 4 medium potatoes at 10 pounds for $1: .40 1 whole chicken: $2.50 1 bunch celery: .69 1 large onion: .15 1 small turnip at .39 per pound: .10 1 small parsnip at .39 per pound: .10 1 head butter lettuce: .49 TOTAL: $9.96 Staples: coffee, tea, salt, pepper, sugar, oil, vinegar, spices, dried herbs