whenryancooks Can you cook a week’s worth of dinners for less than $15 per meal? I plan to find out.
But why this challenge? Why $15? What are the rules?
Truth is, I’ve always tried to challenge myself in the kitchen. I think it’s just my competitive nature.
When my girls were playing soccer, I would challenge myself to drop them off at practice, go grocery shopping, and have dinner ready to serve – all within an hour. Or often, my eldest and I would try to pick apart and rebuild a recipe based on flavor alone. For me, it’s was a way to keep interesting something that sometimes feel like a chore.
With the cost of everything currently on the rise, this particular challenge was born out of my belief that healthy and flavorful cooking can be done on any budget and that with a little planning, you don’t have to rely expensive ingredients or processed foods to cook something that will get you (at least) halfway decent Family Yelp scores.
The rules for this challenge are simple:
- The total grocery spend must be less than $15 per night – $75 total for the week.
- Dinner must serve at least two adults
- Pantry staples like flour, spices, common oils, etc. and homegrown ingredients do not count toward the grocery bill total. (obviously I know this impacts the actual cost of a meal, but a minimally stocked pantry should be common if you plan to do any amount of cooking)
- No processed foods can be used
As the week progresses, I will post each recipe for you to try. I will also provide my thoughts, techniques, and insights here for each dish to show how I evolve ingredients throughout the week, while still creating something new and interesting each night.
I hope you’ll join me in this challenge!
