When I first started this blog I used to cook in “complete meal” mode (a main dish + sides) and post each recipe individually, as well as a “complete meal” summary. Somewhere along the line I got away from that format and I think the blog lost a little of its effectiveness because of it. When I took part in the SNAP Challenge last September I had to once again think about the big picture and it seemed to be very helpful to both me and you.
I’ve decided to start working in “complete meal” mode again, so I can show not only the cost of each recipe, but how the ingredients affect the total cost of my trips to the grocery store. You’ll be able to see the cost of the meals as I usually calculate them (each ingredient costed out by volume used), as well as my receipt from that week showing total purchase price and the costs associated with replenishing staple or pantry items. I think it will be very helpful to see the food costs from both perspectives. Plus hopefully it will help those of you who may need help pairing recipes and making a complete meal. Yay! :D
As you may know from my posts earlier this week, this meal included:
Mini Gardent Turkey Loaves: $9.44 (recipe) / $1.57 (serving)
Spinach and Feta Mashed Potatoes: $4.79 (recipe) / $0.80 (serving)
Total meal cost: $14.23 (total) / $2.37 (serving)
The servings included two mini turkey loaves and about 3/4 to 1 cup of mashed potatoes. They’re not huge servings, but enough to squash my hunger and make my tummy happy. If you have a more ravenous appetite or some teenagers in the house, you can bulk up the meal on the cheap with something like steamed broccoli (a bag of frozen spears is usually less than $2) or maybe some dinner rolls.
Here’s what my receipt looked like for this meal:
I did have to replenish some pantry items, like bread crumbs, ketchup, and a bag of yellow onions, but I also had some ingredients already on hand, like fresh spinach, feta, butter, milk, salt, pepper, butter, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Oh, this receipt also include some powdered sugar that I used for another upcoming recipe.
So, you can see how the unit cost calculation for the meal compares to the receipt cost for the items I had to purchase. It will be different for every person depending on what you have in your pantry and what needs to be bought. It’s interesting to compare the two.
Ingredient Lists:
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to complete this meal. I’ve broken the list into two categories, pantry items and grocery items. Pantry items are ingredients that people are likely to have on hand or can be kept a long while and reused in other recipes, while grocery items are more specific to this recipe. As always, this will vary from person to person, so make sure to check both lists to see what you’ll need to purchase.
Pantry Items
- Olive oil – 1 Tbsp
- Butter – 3 Tbsp
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
- Salt – 1 1/4 tsp
- Pepper – to taste
- Worcestershire Sauce – 1 Tbsp
- Ketchup – 3/4 cup
- Eggs – 1 large
- Breadcrumbs – 3/4 cup
- Brown Sugar – 2 Tbsp
- Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 Tbsp
- 1/4 cup Milk
Grocery Items
- Onion – 1 small
- Carrots – 2 medium
- Zucchini – 1 small
- Mushrooms – 8oz. package
- Ground Turkey (93% lean or higher) – 19oz. package
- Russet Potatoes – 2-2.5 lb.s
- Fresh Spinach – 2 cups packed (this can actually be bought of a salad bar, if needed)
- Feta – 2oz.
Preparation Notes:
If you’re making the two recipes together, I would begin with the Mini Garden Turkey Loaves. Once those are prepped and in the oven, you can start on the Spinach and Feta Mashed Potatoes. They cook quickly in the microwave, so you should be able to have them fully prepared by the time the turkey loaves are finished baking.
If you prefer to bake the potatoes instead of microwaving them, start baking them before beginning the turkey loaves. They will bake the entire time you are preparing the turkey loaves, as well as while the turkey loaves are in the oven. They should both finish up at about the same time, then you’ll just need to mash the potatoes and stir in the seasonings.
Oh! And as always, make sure to read through both recipes completely (and check the step by step photos) before you begin, so you can have a mental game plan.
Leftovers?
If you don’t have a house full of six people, worry not. Both of these recipes freeze beautifully.
I packed up four of the six servings in individual containers, chilled them in the refrigerator, then transferred them to the freezer. I’ve been munching on these all week. Woot!
Is this meal summary helpful to you? What other info would you like to see? I’m flexible! :)
Yes! This is great, I love this format. Please keep doing it.
PS I’ve been pimping you out: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/32u33a/z/cqem6ix
Why thank you very much!! Did you know that I did an AMA on Reddit a couple months ago?
Yes! I loved this post. I have really been missing your complete meal posts. I really hope you do more of these.
Hi Beth, I frequently put 2 or more of your recipes together to make a meal. Great way to keep the meal within budget. Last night we had, for the first time, the balsamic chicken, which I always buy on sale and freeze individually, and yellow jasmine rice (with slightly changed up spices to better go with the balsamic recipe)
Thanks for the additional info! The receipt provides a way to see whether your cost will actually be my cost. I can see several prices on yours that are much higher than my local supermarket, so I should be able to make the meal for less. As long as we’re asking :-) , how about providing a list of links or a collection somewhere of the complete-meal posts? I’m assuming they go way back, as I’ve never seen them before. Thanks for such a wonderful blog! We LOVE the chili pasta from the SNAP challenge!
I gotcha covered! :) The link is in the first sentence of the post, but here it is for convenience: Complete Meal Ideas. Also, I’ll be making a button or graphic to go in the side bar so it can be easily accessed… I just want to get a few more made first. :)
Hi Beth, I frequently put 2 or more of your recipes together to make a meal. Great way to keep the meal within budget. Last night we had, for the first time, the balsamic chicken, which I always buy on sale and freeze individually, and yellow jasmine rice (with slightly changed up spices to better go with the balsamic recipe).
I just looked at the complete meals link. That’s Great!
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into both your recipes and your posts to give us all the details. :-) I can’t see anything you left out, and as a detail person myself, that makes me very happy!
Wow, ask and you shall receive :o)
I appreciate the complete meal suggestions. This is a great way to healthy-up the typical meat and potatoes meal.
Yay! I’m so glad you’re going back to the old style! This meal is definitely on my meal plan this week!
Love the full meal plans! Just wanted to say that my husband and I both love your site! Your prices (and perpetually awesome dishes) make it easy for me to put together our meal plan for the week, and my husband loves all the pictures and how easy it is for him as a novice cook to make a delicious meal. Thank you!
Yes – lots more of these! but a little more detail on how you heat them from frozen.
I just pop them in the microwave for a couple minutes, then test it to see if they’re still cold in the center. Move the food around a bit, then microwave a little longer till it’s hot. :)
Love the complete meal. So helpful!
Hooray!
I loved this format back when you used it regularly, and I’m so glad you’re bringing it back! I have to tell you, I’ve made the complete tandoori chicken dinner oh so many times.
I love the breakdown of $/plate for a whole meal.
I love the meal summary like this! I look forward to trying this whole combo soon.
I always like a different take on mashed potatoes, these look pretty good. If you needed another side to stretch this meal spinach salad would be a good one. You are already buying a bag of spinach and feta for the potatoes.
Everything looks delicious! I’ve never thought to freeze mashed potatoes. Did the texture of the potatoes change after reheating?
I didn’t notice any significant textural changes. :)
I made the Mini Garden Turkey Loaves tonight and they were a hit! I only had 1 lb. of turkey and no mushrooms, but scaled back a little on the other ingredients and baked them in 4 mini loaf pans (5″x 3″). I made the full recipe of the glaze and used it all. This recipe is a winner, moist and juicy, lots of flavor and not too time consuming to make. Thanks for a great recipe!