This meal is from a while back, but the sales it’s based on roll around pretty regularly. My basic formula of meat/fruit/cooked veg/raw veg/starch is still how I tend to think about pulling a meal together, since 2/5ths of the family would very much prefer foods not touch.

(I Daydream of Casseroles.  That’ll be the name of my parenting book.  Chapter titles include: Shoes: How to Keep Track of the Suckers, Snot and the Removal Thereof, What’s that Smell?, and How to Poop Alone. )

Kid Meal

Normal Person Meal

• peaches                   $1.55
• pasta, 16oz.             $0.99
• blueberries               $0.88
• 2 cloves garlic          $0.12       (~70c/bulb, 12 cloves/bulb)
• tomatoes                  garden!
• basil                         garden!
• butter, 2 T                $0.22        ($3.49/lb for 32T)
• half an onion            $0.11        (8 onions, 3lbs, for $1.79 = 22c/onion)
• chicken, 1 lb.           $1.99
• spinach                    $2.50     (half of a 1lb box for $5)

Grand Total:                  $8.36

Clearly, not everyone has a garden, so the extra spent there would but you right about $10.  This meal had everyone happy with the pasta, chicken and fruit, the kids not excited about sliced tomatoes with salt or the steamed spinach, and me glad to have a healthy meal in about 30 minutes.

Stay tuned for the next $10 dinner! Cheep cheep!