So I mentioned in the other forum that I was going to start posting healthy and inexpensive recipes. For every recipe I post, I'll list the nutritional values, followed by a rough cost.

Here's the first one. I made these for dinner tonight. This is a variation of a recipe that I found on a food blog, which is a variation of the appetizer that Chili's restaurant makes.

This can be made veggie by leaving out the chicken. It can be made vegan by leaving out the cheese or substituting soy cheese. They are somewhat high carb due to the corn and bean combo, but if you're not low carbing it, then they're a great meal.

I suspect you could make these smaller in wonton wrappers and have nice appetizers for a party.

These are very filling. I had 2 of them for dinner tonight and a side salad and I'm full!

2 cups frozen corn, thawed (0.89)
2 cups black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse) (0.99)
2 cups shredded chicken (optional) (1.50)
1 cup shredded 2% cheese (1.00)
2 cups (or 1 15oz package) frozen spinach, thawed and drained (1.29)
1 4oz can diced green chilis (0.79)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash of cayenne
----
18-22 eggroll wrappers (1.50)
(or use 18-22 small flour tortillas - they won't get as crunchy, but they're still good)
olive oil or canola oil or cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Mix all the first set of ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Lay out the eggroll wrappers (or tortillas) one at a time and use about 1/4 cup of the filling per wrapper. Roll them at an angle starting from one corner, folding in the sides.

Lay the rolls seam side down on a baking sheet that you've brushed with oil or sprayed with cooking spray. Brush or spray the tops and sides of the rolls.

Bake for 10 mins, then turn. Bake for an additional 10-15 mins (depending on the level of crispiness you want).

Nutritional value (per eggroll w/chicken): Cals - 205. Fat - 4g. Carb - 30g. Fiber - 3.8g. Protein - 12.8g. The full nutritional value for the recipe can be found here:
Baked Southwestern Eggrolls Recipe - Calorie Count

Cost: $7.46 total and this will easily serve 6 or more people (depending on how many egg rolls each person eats) along with a salad. Prices are based on what I purchased tonight to make these + $1 to cover the cost of the spices on hand and the olive oil.

You should post a recipe about Hummus. Its super cheap and has become a staple in my aparment. I use 1 can of chick peas, 1/2 red pepper, 1/4 of a small onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and squeeze of lemon. Puree and enjoy! I eat it on wraps, pitas, and dip my veggies in it. Im not sure how much it costs, but its way cheaper and tastier than the prepacked versions, which can be aorund $3-4/container.

Hello Kara,

I noticed that you shop at farmer's markets and what not, is this where your items are mostly bought?

Because I cannot find prices like that where I am here. There are farmer's market's around the city, and in town, but they're seemingly expense.

I am wondering if you divide the cost of your foods that you buy as a whole item with the amount that you're going to use? (If that makes any sense)

Because I am blown away at the cost of your items here.

$1.00 for a cup of cheese. Plus your prices are cheaper in a way to mine. They're the same, what I am meaning is you could get a whole lot of cheese here for your dollar.

Do you make a lot of your own foods such as cheese and milk from scratch (if making milk from scratch is possible lol, sorry/as in do you have milking cattle, or goats.) I am just curious. Just from what I have read.

The cheapest that I have found my foods to be are at "Superstore" here. Everything else that I've come across is double or triple the expense for the same items. It's CRAZY sometimes!

I know you made a whole thread on cost of foods, and I should probably be writing this there. But I've only read a bit of it.

P.S.

I really like this recipe idea.

Actually only my veg are bought at a farmer's market. Everything else is at the grocery store or Costco.

I do pro-rate the cost of foods per recipe yes.

I'll use the cheese as an example. If I wait until they're on sale, I can get 12oz bags of shredded cheese 2/$4 at my local grocery store. 1 oz of shredded cheese = 1/4 cup = 28g = 1 serving. So 1/3 of that bag is about 1 cup of cheese. So really, if it's on sale, the cost of the cheese is even less than I posted in the recipe.

That bag will make me 4 meals, if I use a cup of cheese per meal. To not break the price out that way is false math.

Not at all. It would cost me a fortune to make cheese from scratch. It takes something like 4 gallons of milk to make 1 lb of cheese. I'd go broke. I can buy cheese much less expensively.

I do make my own yogurt about half the time, and it is cheaper. But I don't always make it. Sometimes I buy ready made Greek yogurt.

The thing is, when you're budgeting a weeks worth of meals, you have to take into account ingredients that you can use in more than one meal. That's why planning is key. If you buy a bag of cheese for $2 or $2.50 and then you only use 1/3 of it in one meal that week and then it goes to waste, you're not making productive use of your money.

Or if you use that portion of the bag next week ... then that money should count towards your next weeks food budget.

That's where planning comes into play. Because I plan out my meals for the week, I can make sure that I'm not buying things that are going to go to waste - or I can buy things that can be frozen or kept for a while for the next week's meals or even the week after.

RG,

Remember that food is generally quite a bit more expensive up here in the Great White north. We are never going to be able to match the prices that Kara can come up with.

Cheese in particular is horrendously expensive. I never understood why cheese is more expensive than meat.

Edit: with cheese, we buy a block, grate it, and freeze it. That makes it last quite a while, and pre-shredded is great for a lot of different dishes.

True ... cheap is relative. I lived in Alaska for a while and I know I couldn't eat as cheaply in AK as I can here. But I think the principles of cheap eating remain the same.