Comments on: Contest: The $5.99 Primal Value Meal

By: Jennie Yundt

Jennie Yundt — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:13:19 +0000

I feed myself for $5.71 a DAY!

3 hard boiled eggs $0.24
10 oz of meatloaf $1.48
8 oz of Ribeye $3.99

I purchase a dozen eggs for $0.99 and hard boil them.

Meat loaf is 2lbs of ground beef at $1.99 a pound from Trader Joe’s. I combine this with 2 eggs, 5T of almond meal, salt, pepper and garlic powder and bake at 350 for 1.5 hours.

My dinner is 8oz of Ribeye, also from Trader Joe’s which costs $7.99 a pound. I could go HOG WILD CRAZY and eat the entire ribeye if I’m feeling really hungry, and I’d still be feeding myself for less than $10 a day.

By: Grok

Grok — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:35:37 +0000

Start practicing, I’ve tried! Done some clubbing too.

Primal Grok was a hardcore dude! It takes a mean whack usually followed by a tackle to get the job done.

By: Freeze Dried and Frozen Fruit

Freeze Dried and Frozen Fruit — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:54:11 +0000

Thanks for sharing such a nice post. Freeze Dried and Frozen Fruit

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:53:23 +0000

Found it! Michelle posted pictures of her riceless sushi here. You can also eat these things uncut, like a ehou maki, and then it's like a sandwich.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:06:40 +0000

So I’m probably late for the contest (I just got up), but I still want to share a few of my “readymade” lunches, none of which have to be expensive.

My favorite is called Scotch Eggs, which is basically a hard-boiled egg inside a meat ball. You just boil a bunch of eggs, peel them and cover them in sausage meat (don’t forget those spices and herbs!). Then just fry them, and when they are done, let them cool – voilà, two or three days worth of lunches. I like that they are good when eaten cold. You could always wrap them in lettuce (or chinese cabbage, or savoy cabbage) leaves if they are too greasy to handle, that way you get some greens.

Something else I like is basically anything grilled on a stick – Chicken Satays, Lamb Keftas, Mixed Shish Kebabs (in between pieces of meat,go wild on peppers, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, whatever is in season where you live), liver on a stick… you get the idea. These, too, can be prepared ahead of time, and they keep in the fridge for a few days. They are very good cold. Don’t forget that you can grill fruit, too! Chicken satays with a bit of peach or pineapple thrown in, that’s like lunch and dessert in one. You don’t get messy fingers when you have a wooden or metal stick to hold, and you can drop it at a moment’s notice.

Anything good costs either time, work or money. If you want fast and cheap lunch, I thinks it’s best to invest a little work (i.e. preparing it yourself) once a week and then enjoying the fruits of that work all week long.

And just recently, I came across a recipe (will link if I remember the address…) for riceless maki rolls. It’s easy enough to make: You make a tamagoyaki (thin omelette), put that on top of the nori, and then fill with avocado, any veggies, fish, shrimps, whatever! If your budget is really tight, just use canned tuna.
Again, a dish that is good when eaten cold, but don’t make this one ahead for the whole week

Thanks, everybody, for some yummy ideas. It’s always good to have a bigger repertoire.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:18:00 +0000

My favorite easy meal is cottage cheese (from Trader Joe’s – no rBGH) with some great vine ripe tomatoes and basil. It’s awesome with some salt and pepper, super easy to throw together, and makes a great breakfast or lunch.

Good luck to finding your favorite easy and cheap meal!

By: mcoz-09

mcoz-09 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:53:53 +0000

Variations on MC’s $5.99 Lunch-To-Go
Alternative use for the Veggie Sandwich Crust
7. Use the crust as a basis for a cold open pizza sandwich by topping while still warm with for example, shrimp (preferably raw, thawed, shelled and sliced), diced bacon, pre-cooked chicken or other meat, chopped mushrooms, tomatoes, drizzle of heavy cream, a sprinkling of fresh mozzarella or other cheese, chopped basil or other herbs (best added under other ingredients) etc.; heat at 410oF for 5 – 10 minutes, being careful not to burn uncovered edges. Again the choices are endless and it keeps well in a cool lunch box giving a truly delicious open sandwich (room temp is great or if you like it warm, use the lunch-room microwave for a very quick heat-boost).
Some Veggie Crust Variations
Vary the vegetable in the sandwich crust. For example, I used zucchini
8. Shred 2 medium sized zucchini (~14 oz) with the food processor attachment (can use a box grater). Remove excess water from zucchini by salting and draining in a colander for about 30 min. Since this makes the zucchini too salty, I actually slosh it around in more water. OK this extra step makes for a better tasting product but is a backward step. (the alternative is to go light with the salt). Squeeze each handful of veggie as much as possible, and put into a clean kitchen towel. Wring the towel well to get dry it further. Substitute the zucchini for the Swiss chard in the above recipe to make an even crisper veggie sandwich crust.
9. I’m thinking about trying other veggies like wilted spinach, shredded broccoli or cauliflower heated for about 4 minutes in microwave (take lid off immediately), raw, shredded carrot (makes a sweeter bread), or a mix of any of these veggies. Adjust the amount to produce a spreadable, not too wet ‘batter’.

By: mcoz-09

mcoz-09 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:52:17 +0000

MC’s $5.99 Lunch-To Go
I believe in preparing foods that I will use for a week’s lunch ahead of time. I love the idea of a Danish open style sandwich or a closed sandwich made with a vegetable sandwich crust. I make a large crust and store it in the fridge. It’s most convenient to cut the crust into sandwich-size pieces while still warm and then cool completely at room temp on a rack. I prepare sandwich toppings and keep them in closed containers in the fridge eg, washed and spun lettuce, left-over cooked proteins (meat, fish fowl, shrimp), home-made mayo and/or pesto, chopped onions, cucumber, and radishes, sliced hard-boiled eggs, shredded carrot, fresh herbs, … the choices are endless. I keep the tomatoes whole, slicing or chopping on the day, or just taking whole cherry or grape tomatoes. At this time of the year I have zucchini, Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers from my garden and I can visit local farmer’s markets for additional choices. With careful planning and shopping, my lunch is amazingly cheap and quick to put together.
I get free-range eggs ($3.00/dozen; $1/weeks sandwich crusts) from my local rustic-bread baker. I haven’t found a suitable raw cheese, so I settled on a Wisconsin Asiago (it’s cheaper than Parmesan, less salty and gives a perfect consistency). My cheese costs about $5/lb if I buy it bulk. The left-over precooked proteins need to be eaten and their cost is miniscule. Altogether, the initial cost of ingredients for my open or double-crust sandwich is spread over a week and cost me less than $6/day, even if I have to purchase all the vegetables (preferably from a farmer’s market or CSA).
For this recipe, I used Swiss Chard but I’ve used other veggies (see below)
Veggie Sandwich Crust for Open or Closed Sandwiches
Ingredients
About 14 large leaves of Swiss chard, remove from stems, wash well, and spin in salad spinner
1 oz butter
3 eggs beaten together with
1 egg yolk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon veggie oil
2 cup [about 7 oz] Asiago cheese, shredded
4 tablespoons [about 0.8 oz] unsweetened protein whey powder
Seasoning (I grind equal amounts of black peppercorns, coriander and cumin seeds and use about 1 heaped teaspoon; the cheese adds salt so I adjust for salt on my sandwich toppings)
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 410oF. Put 2 pizza stones or 2 caste iron pans. I use one of each for this recipe (or just the stone for ½ the recipe). A rectangular cookie-tray can be preheated for 5 – 10 minutes to give a squarer sandwich-like product, but it’s not quite as crisp.
2. Sweat Swiss chard with 1 oz butter and 2 tablespoon of water on medium -low heat for 5-10 minutes. Should be quite soft. Mine was quite dry. Finely chop in food processer. My leaves are large and my final yield was about 7 oz cooked chard.
3. Stir eggs mix, garlic, cheese, and chard, then protein whey powder with seasoning. The addition of baking powder fluffs the crust slightly.
4. Spread the ‘batter’ in oiled pre-heated pan, or on oiled parchment paper and transfer to pizza stone. Bake until a great golden-brown color (about 15 minutes).
5. Cool completely (or cut when still warm with kitchen shears or pizza cutter and cool). Keep in closed box in fridge, Use for sandwiches, single/open in Danish style or double closed style.
6. Use tomatoes, crunchy romaine lettuce, grated or shredded carrot, finely sliced or julienned cucumber, cooked chicken, beef, salmon from a previous meal, tuna salad, chopped parsley, basil, or other fresh herbs, sugar-free salsa (or homemade salsa), pesto (I like homemade spinach or basil pesto), a sprinkling of lemon juice and olive oil or home-made mayo …. the choices are endless.

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:13:41 +0000

Steak, Eggs, Toast w/Fruit – Primal Style

Boil 3 free range organic eggs – $1
2oz Grassfed Beef Jerky – $2.50
1-2 slices almond bread – $1.50
Handful of grapes or other fruit- $.50

Total: $5.50

This is a wonderful meal on the go and transports well. Easy to eat on the run and can be made in advance as well as stored for days (or longer). You can even buy pre-boiled eggs. No utensils needed!

Eggs assume cost of $4 per dozen, beef jerky is $10 for 8oz at US Wellness Meats, Almond Bread (you can make yourself – recipe below) and grapes or other fruit are readily available.

Gluten Free Simple Bread
2½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Enjoy!

By: Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:49:06 +0000

Personally I like to drain a can of tuna (<$1), flake it, and mix in a tsp of mustard, (again <$1), I also add raisins for a little more texture and either eat it out of a bowl or put it in a lettuce leaf. I add almonds on the side to make sure I stay full for a while. All of this with a glass of water or tea is less than $5.99 and tastes great. Thanks for all the other ideas as well!