Slow Food USA $5 Challenge

Last week was Slow Food USA's $5 Challenge. The goal: to make food for everyone at the table for less than the cost of fast food. I have a little experience with cooking on a budget, so I took up the challenge—not to see if it could be done. I know it can be done. But to show that it can be done with local and sustainable ingredients. Everything came from sources within 100 miles of my home and was about as close to organic as you can get. No special trips for ingredients—I just used what was already in the house.

Here's what I made: grilled marinated flank steak and barley salad with grilled vegetables, shiitakes, and goat cheese. The tally? Less than $4 per person. And that's not counting leftovers. I have it on good authority that you can't even get a McDonald's "value meal" for that price, much less a McFlankSteak. The thing is, I feel like most of us who cook real food at home do this everyday, often for far less money than that.  I bet if you (yes, you!) did a calculation around what you made for dinner this Monday night, one serving would come in at less than the cost of a McDonald's meal. Probably a lot less. And better, too. Go you!

Sources:
Steak: Chestnut Farms, Hardwick, MA
Red peppers, zucchini, onions: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA
Barley: Moraine Farm, Hamilton, MA
Goat cheese: Westfield Farm, Hubbardston, MA
Shiitake mushrooms, herbs: My backyard

Comments

[cycler]

Yeah, Cooking from scratch is the secret weapon for eating well on a budget. There are a lot of people who just don't have the knowledge and experience that would make it as simple and cheap, which is a tragedy.

The other big issue is having a pantry. You said that you made this yummy looking dinner with what you had in the house.

I, for one would really be interested in a post on your "local food" pantry stores. What do you keep on hand, and from where? What do you buy "every week" "every two weeks" etc.

[Ann Flora]

I'm a day late, but you prompted me to estimate the cost of our dinner tonight: $3.50 for cushaw squash soup and BLT's on homemade bread with homemade mayonnaise. Yess!

[emiglia]

What a great task! My dinners have been all the cheaper recently as I haven't been eating meat... it's amazing what you can do with some vegetables, fruits and cheeses to make a tasty and filling meal (oh damn... I think I might have just quoted Rachael Ray.)

[Julia]

That's awesome! I'm not sure how I missed that challenge, but I'm going to try it... albeit a little late.