Just a bit about me...

Food, Inc.

I am a 42 year old home maker, full time student, and mother of two.

Just like you I don't have a lot of time on my hands. In between classes, chores, girl scout meetings, and homework I have to squeeze in time to make a few meals for the family. Since I have a two year old I have an extra selective eater in the house. I am fortunate to have a nine year old who is excited to try new things. She asked me to teach her to cook this summer which dovetails very neatly with this little project.

I also imagine that my budget is similar to most folks. That is, it is tight as a drum. We don't have money for "extras" like health care or mortgage payments.

I am always amused by well meaning budget advice that involves cutting things that haven't existed in this house since long before the recession. Cut out going to the movies? No problem! Did that like five years ago. Cancel cable, presto! It's gone as of.....2007. We have a cell phone month-to-month so we don't pay for long distance. We have the cheapest Internet plan out there. Anybody who knows us knows we aren't stashing jewels or fur coats in the mattresses. We live simply and cheaply.

Having deficits of money and health care are excellent reasons to be very careful about what we eat. Eating healthy saves on medical bills and it saves on grocery bills. That is the hope anyway. Tune in and see for yourself....

Spaghetti Dinner

Great Depression Cooking with Clara (season 1)

OK, my first meal comparison:

I cooked a pound of spaghetti noodles, topped with a gourmet sauce on sale for $2.50 and Parmesan cheese. Oddly, the thing that drove the price up was the four ounces of organic beef. The thing is, the take home message from one of those inspiring documentaries was ; Don't eat meat unless you like the taste of poop. Really the way meat is processed and handled can not be described on a pg blog.

On the side I warmed a loaf of plain french bread and gave it a roasted pepper and garlic spread made from scratch. I also served salad with vinaigrette dressing and sweet tea to drink. There was no high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweetener in any of the bottled products. The dressing did contain soy bean oil, but, baby steps.

The only ingredients listed in the sauce were tomatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, onions, mushrooms and wine. The sweet tea contained tea, water, and pure cane sugar.

My total cost for the food and drinks was $11.05

I compared with a national Italian chain known for cheap food and big portions. For a similar meal minus the bread the total cost for spaghetti, salad and drinks was $33.88 for a family of four. They might throw in free bread sticks, but don't count on it.

So far, success! You can see from the picture there was plenty to eat. And before you ask, yes there was a fourth plate, but the babys food doesnt look as pretty on her plain plastic plate. I even had left overs that will be perfect reheated for dinner before school tomorrow.

My husbands only comment when I asked him if he could taste a difference was :

"I can't taste poop or corn, but otherwise exactly the same!" That's what I get for asking him I guess!

If you would like to know the brands I used please reply with e-mail and I will happily pass on my information!

Thanks and keep reading!

First blog about food

Alice in Wonderland

My intention with this blog is to find out how plausible it is to eat more cheaply at home than from fast food establishments. After seeing some fairly frightening documentaries about food, how it is made and what it is made into I decided to make some lifestyle changes. My main contention with all of these documentaries was the idea that eating at micketywhatwhats was cheaper than buying fresh food bought at the store and prepared at home.

To be honest, the documentaries weren't my only motivation. At 42 I have become decidedly plump. I definitely am a fan of fast food. I understand that it is fattening, I know its bad for my heart and I am vowing to systematically cut it out of my diet. I am not giving any chicken scratch excuses that I am fat because the fast food industry has duped me into believing their food is good for me. We all know deep down at the bottom of our fat clogged hearts this isn't true. There are a lot of things in my life I can't control. I can't control, death, taxes, or the price of gas. One of the only things I can reliably control is what I put into my own mouth.

So, now what? Now I will make periodic posts listing pictures and price breakdowns of various meals cooked in my own home. I intend to price compare with dollar menus and full price menu's of popular fast food joints. I make no claims about the calorie count or nutrition of my meals.

I am certain I will be eating healthier, but I also realize the futility of trying to eat 100 percent organic, nutritious home cooked meals. To start with I am well aware I am still up against genetic engineering, bio science, pesticides. I will make every effort to choose organic locally produced food whenever I can. And I sincerly hope that I can find and prove that no one need be a slave to fast food for the price.