How Much it Costs to Feed Me

I have a thing for numbers.  Not math.  I hate math.  I suck at math, but when it comes to creating budgets I'm good at it and I'm fascinated (although sometimes disturbed) with knowing how much things cost.  Now that my normal meal plan has been firmly established for well over a year, I thought it would be interesting to see exactly how much it costs to feed me.  I've heard people say that eating healthy is not expensive, but I've never believed them.  Whole foods are not cheap, and when was the last time you saw a coupon for a bag of apples or a pack of meat?  Yes, those things do go on sale, but you will never find 3rd party coupons for them the way you do for things like Zatarain's rice and pasta dinner mix or Aunt Millie's hamburger buns. I got a thick coupon book from McDonald's in the mail full of the usual burgers and deep fried chicken, but they couldn't be bothered to include a single coupon for one of their premium salads.

This list of foods and prices were collected from several receipts over a period of months, and is a comprehensive listing of everything I meal prep and eat on a daily basis.  When I say everything, I mean everything.  My shopping list is saved as a note in my phone and it rarely changes. I eat out on Friday night and Saturday night always.  I'm sorry, but ground turkey and broccoli while I watch my Friday night movie does not cut it.  I don't mind eating the same thing every week, but I have my limits.  I might take a week off here and there, but for the most part I meal prep every week, and this is what I've been eating for the last year and a half. Same old, same old because I'm just not that into cooking. 

Fats
Peanut Butter (40oz):  $5.48  --$1.27 per week
Almonds (@6.99 per lb): $9.50  --$3.05 per week
Weekly Total:  $4.32

Carbs
Whole Wheat Tortilla (12 ct): $2.46  --$1.43 per week
100% Whole Wheat Bread (8oz/18 slices): $2.96-$3.42--$2.66 per week (I eat 5 days per week .95)
Ezekial Bread 4:9 (24oz/20 slices): $4.99  --$3.49 per week (I eat this weekends only $1.50)
Fiber 1 Cereal (16oz): $3.74  --.87 per week
Weekly Total:  $4.75

Protein
Ground Turkey 93/7 (48 oz): $8.96
Boneless Chicken Breast (2.0 lbs @1.98 lb): $9.51 or
Boneless Chicken Tenders (2.0 lbs @4.95 lb): $7.18 x 2 or
Boneless Chicken Tenders (1.25 lbs): $4.95 x 2
Weekly Total:  $23.32

Fruits & Vegetables
Green Onions: $1.18  --0.59 per week
Frozen Bell Pepper Strips (14 oz): $2.18  --$1.09 per week
Broccoli (2.4 lbs@1.26 lb): $3.02
Shredded Carrots: $1.67  --0.84 per week
Baby Carrots (32 oz): $2.34  --$3.07 per week
Apple (@.97 per lb): $2.33  --$2.76 per week
Weekly Total:  $11.37  

Dairy
Skim Milk (1/2 Gallon): $1.67  --0.84 per week
Fage Total 0% Yogurt (35 oz): $5.98  --$9.57 per week
Weekly Total:  $10.41

Coffee
Stevia (80 ct):  $3.96  --$1.04 per week (I also use this in my Fage)
Creamer (16 oz): $3.18  --0.74 per week
K-Cup (72ct): $35.00 --$3.43 per week
Weekly Total:  $5.21*
*I only use K cups on weekends because coffee is free at work so actual expense is closer to .98 weekly, but I do occasionally stop for $1.25 coffee at 7-11 so I did not adjust.

Wine o'clock: 1 bottle $4.97

Total Spent Weekly $64.35
Total Spent Monthly $257.40

The weekly and monthly totals do not include sales tax.  They also do not include cinnamon to sweeten my Fage or the spices, reduced sodium soy sauce, and reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce ($3.42) that I use to season my meat. It does not include Reduced Fat Ritz Crackers ($1.98) and Pretzels ($1.98) which I like to keep on hand to snack on from time to time.  I almost didn't include my wine because it's not even food, but lets get real, I'm pretty consistent about my weekly wine habit, so even though it might make me look like a wino it made sense to add. 

I know these numbers to be true because I am that person who know exactly how many ounces of everything I eat and can tell you exactly how many ounces are in a pound or how many grams make an ounce without looking it up.  The only thing I did not calculate based on the exact portion size is creamer and peanut butter.  I just eye ball it.  I divided those prices by 30 days because I think I have to replace them about once a month or so.

What this tells me is that eating healthy isn't cheap, at least I don't think it is.  Minus the coffee accoutrements and the wine this is the cost for a healthy diet consisting of 100% whole foods.  Processed food tends to be more expensive.  Right?  So I imagine that my bill would be even higher if I those were a big part of my purchases.

I saved so much money when I didn't eat.  I will never go back to that, but sadly it's true.  It's also sad that I don't even know if I could have afforded $250 a month for groceries back then.  I may have, but it would have been so tight.  I didn't know how to eat properly back then, but even if I had wanted to I'm sure that I would have been put off by how much it costs.

The numbers also tell me that although I did a pretty good job of estimating, I may be a bit under on our joint grocery budget.  When I did Whole30 it cost $520.00 for me alone for 30 days!  I was floored.  After that, I increased our budget from $350 to $500 because we were making changes in our diets and I realized that $350 was not realistic.  If it takes $250 just to feed me, it definitely costs a more to feed my husband because he eats a lot more protein.  He changes his meal plans up a little bit more than I do, but when he returns home it will be interesting to calculate exactly how much it costs to feed him.  And we may have to increase our budget.  Ugh. 

 So how do I stack up? Am I spending too much?

The IRS National Standard for monthly food expense is $345 for 1, $612 for 2, and $737 for 3.  According to the official USDA Food Plan, Thrifty is $164.20, Low-Cost is $207.50, Moderate is $256.30 and Liberal is $327.10 monthly for a female of my age.  For a male & female family of two our $500 budget puts us between low cost and liberal.  According to this Gallup poll from 2012 the American family reports spending an average of $604 per month. In San Diego County a household can qualify for up to $194 for 1, $357 for 2, and $511 per month for 3 through the SNAP government assistance program.

Sometimes when I go through the check out and my total is $85.00, I'm shocked because I realize just how expensive it is to keep yourself fed, and that doesn't even include keeping yourself housed and clothed.  But what else can I do to spend less? 

Giving up coffee and wine isn't an option.

There are probably a few swaps I could make, but overall the cost of whole foods is the cost of whole foods and there isn't much I can do about it.  I buy Ezekiel Bread and Almonds in bulk at Sprouts.  I shop at my Neighborhood Walmart for everything else because it's close to home and cheap.  I am sure the totals would be much higher if I shopped at Ralph's or Von's.  I admit, Ezekiel bread is kind of a luxury item. Fage is pricey, but it's the best.  Regular carrots are probably cheaper, but baby carrots taste so much better.  The biggest swap I could (and probably should make) is to stick with the whole chicken breasts instead of the pre-cut tenders.  It bothers me that I am paying so much more just because I don't have to cut it, but raw meat is gross, and it's easier to have it done for me.  Those thick breasts take so much longer to cook and I got so sick of eating them that way.  I refuse to buy more than two at a time and since it's just me, I'm allowing myself to do it.  Also, since it's just me I don't feel the need to splurge on a "nice" bottle of wine. 

How do you stack up when it comes to your grocery expenses?  Do tell.  I'm fascinated.

 
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Popcorn By the Pound

I buy my popcorn by the pound.  Well I used to anyway. True life.  I was addicted to popcorn.

It all started sometime last year.  I had an insatiable craving for things like pretzels and potato chips.  Pretzels are low fat but super high sodium and you can only eat so many chips because FAT and neither one has any real nutritional value.  I started focusing on getting more nutritional value out of everything I eat and something kind of cool happened.  I totally quit eating pretzels and I only ate chips occasionally.  I fully enjoy the chips when I do eat them but I no longer crave them like I used to.  I needed a healthy snack that would satisfy my munchies AND give me some kind of nutritional value and popcorn fit my needs perfectly.  Low calorie, low fat and it has protein.  It has carbs but healthy carbs are okay right?  Loading it with butter defeats the purpose.  I wanted it in it's most natural form without added sodium or fat so I went old school and started popping kernels in a pot on the stove.  It turned out to be the perfect snack.  6 tablespoons of kernels makes a pretty big bowl of popcorn and I could eat all.  The whole getting to eat it all part was really cool.  

It was quick to make, I could eat a lot of it, and it was healthy.  Once I'd discovered the perfect snack I wanted it every day and there was just one problem with that.  Oil.  It was necessary in order to get the kernels to pop.  I used as little as possible but still, it was added fat AND washing the pot out every single day got old.  I'd want my snack but dread scrubbing out the pot. 

Enter the Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper that I found on Amazon.  Where has this magical bowl been all my life?  All I have to do is dump the kernels in the bowl, stick it in the microwave and in 3 minutes my all natural popcorn is done.  No oil, no fat and no clean up either.  I only have to wash the bowl once a week.  My popcorn addiction grew even more if that was even possible.  When I was making it in the pan I would sometimes add garlic salt or popcorn seasoning to flavor it up but if I do that in the bowl I have to wash it every single time.  With a daily popcorn habit I was too lazy to bother so it totally worked out that I didn't even miss the extra flavor.  I really love the natural flavor of popcorn.  If you really love popcorn this bowl will change your life.  I've since bought one for my mom and sister.  

Those dinky little 16 oz containers of kernels were not enough to feed my addiction.  I could not be a day without having at least the option of eating popcorn so I was constantly running to the store for kernels.  It was clearly time to go bulk so I went back to Amazon and bought the biggest bag of popcorn I could find.  Weighing in  at 12.5 lbs this bag of popcorn is actually larger then a new born baby.  I had to lean it up against the wall to keep the kernels from spilling out.  It looked really bad sitting there like that but I couldn't tuck it away too far because it's too heavy to keep getting out.  First world problems, I know.  I solved this by getting a cute jumbo mason jar to store the kernels in and refill as needed.

It was really bad.  This is the part of the addiction that I'm most embarrassed to admit.  I tend to be kind of possessive of my food anyway and it was even worse with popcorn.  I wanted  needed the entire bowl to myself.  I only allowed MJ to have a couple handfuls before I got really annoyed.  I used to ask him if he wanted some because if he did then, I'd pop some extra but he always said no so I felt mostly justified in swatting his hand away.  And how long do you think it took me to eat 12.5 lbs of popcorn? Let's see.  I ordered my first giant bag on March 1st and I had to place another order on May 3rd.  That's about 4lbs of popcorn a month.  Told you.  I was totally addicted, but if you are going to be addicted to something it could be a lot worse then all natural popcorn. Right?  If it's not one thing it's another with me and food.  When I like something I like it and I will eat it constantly and never get sick of it.

My current meal plan does not allow for a huge mega bowl of popcorn a day habit.  I still eat it sometimes but it's been 3 months since my last overflowing giant steamy bowl.  I am still as yet undecided on how long I'll continue with this meal plan but I definitely see a big bowl of popcorn in my future and MJ better not ask for even one kernel.  

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Why I Only Eat Greek Yogurt

What took me so long?  I tend to ask myself this question a lot.  I'm late to the party on so many things!  Maxi dresses, knee high boots and Scandal just to name a few.  One of my most recent late to the party discoveries is Greek Yogurt.  If you aren't eating it yet you should be and here's why.

Read More HERE >>>

Starbucks Public Service Announcement

I knew something was up the minute I saw it. Not a whole lot gets by me when it comes to food.

Today's new and slightly smaller sandwich

Today is a long day for me so I treated myself to a reduced fat turkey bacon breakfast sandwich from Starbucks.  It helps get me out of bed because I know if I linger for too long I won't have time to stop.  I lingered for a bit longer then I should have anyway and then didn't put my lunch together the night before as per usual so I barely made it.  I like using the Starbucks app to pay.  MJ is a gold star member and I probably never will be but I have been using Starbucks gift cards that I've won in giveaways for a while now and when they run out I'll probably re load.  When I opened my Starbucks app there was a very important message. 

Usually it's just free downloads that I never download.  Does anybody download the free music?  It could be my new favorite song but I never get around to doing it. 

The message said free Grande hot coffee on them from March 12-14th with the purchase of a breakfast sandwich.  I had to look at my calendar since I never know the date.  March 12th!!!  I never get the coffee so this was a nice treat.

New sandwich on top vs old nutritional info on bottom

When I got back to the office and unwrapped my sandwich I noticed that it looked different.  It's a little smaller and paler.  It just didn't look as robust and hearty as it did the last time I got one so after I finished eating I did what any rational human being would do and went online to check out the nutritional information.  Sure enough; what used to be 320 calories is now 230 so we are being charged the same amount for a smaller, albeit healthier sandwich.  Which is fine I guess, because healthier is always good.  In addition to a lower calorie count the sodium and carbs went down too.  It's still good, but not quite as good as I remember.  The bacon is different and the cheese less gooey.  I think those extra 90 calories made a big difference.  I might be more willing to branch out get the breakfast wrap more often now that my go to sandwich isn't the same.

Old Version

So consider this a public service announcement about Starbucks.  I might be the only one who cares so acutely about the change in nutritional content of one of their sandwiches but almost everybody likes free stuff so go get your free coffee with breakfast sandwich purchase at participating stores while supplies last.

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Restaurant Snob?

Biggest Naan I've ever seen and the best

On Saturday night we went to Ali Baba Restaurant.  It's on this random street next to a liquor store.  There is a bar across the street and no other restaurant in sight.  It doesn't offer much in the way of ambiance but I love it that it's in our neighborhood.  We don't have to drive downtown and hunt or pay for parking and they serve Naan bigger then the size of my head fresh out of the oven.  The food is delicious and the portions are generous.  We had an authentic Mediterranean Halal food experience right in our  backyard.  I honestly had no clue what type of food it was but that's what it says on their website.  We've been there twice now and plan to take my mother in law when she comes to visit.

There was a time when going to TGI Friday's or Applebee's would be my top pick for dining out on the weekends but over the last year or so I've fallen out of love with chain restaurants.  There is something about their mass produced energy that doesn't appeal to me so much anymore.  I think it's a combination of getting older and the plethora of great restaurants in our city to explore.  There are so many new ones popping up that I'll probably never get a chance to try them all.  I'm also not 100% driven by price when it comes to dining out like I was in my early 20's.  It's a factor for sure; but I'm not compelled to go somewhere just because I see a commercial advertising a 3 course combo for $10.99.

Top:  Chicken Tikka  Bottom:  Chicken Shawarma

Or maybe my husband is starting to rub off on me.  I call him a food snob.  He say's he just likes good food.  Or maybe he's not a food snob and I just wore him down with wanting to go the same places all the time.  When we were still dating On the Border was our spot.  He was still living about 1 1/2 hours away in Orange County.  He'd drive down to my house on Friday's and I'd rush home from work so we could make happy hour.  I got the chicken casadilla and he'd get the tacos.  We'd both get a beer or sometimes he'd get a Margarita.  It was cheap and tasted good to me.  After he got sick of that place we went through a TGI Friday's run until he refused to go there ever again and started saying how much he hated it.  Then it was Outback which is also on his hate list and in between we frequented Chili's and Applebee's quite a bit too.  In his opinion the food at non chain restaurants is better and he burns out with repetition while I'm pretty easy to please and could eat the same things at the same place every day.  I'm a creature of habit and not too adventurous when it comes to food but we started branching out for date nights and really haven't looked back.  

When I go out I want unique decor details and menu items that you can't get anywhere else.  I enjoy ambiance and an interesting vibe.  I love the friendly service and homey atmosphere that I get in little mom and pop places.  They seem to pay more attention to the quality of the food they serve and I like supporting small businesses.  It doesn't have to be fancy or hip.  We like discovering hole in the wall spots and places outside the trendy happening areas.  We are always open to trying new places and if the food and service is good we'll be back.  One of our new favorite spots is a place right down the street from us in a strip mall.  There is nothing fancy about it but the food is good, the people are friendly and we feel at home there.  MJ is such a regular they know him by name. 

I haven't sworn off chain restaurants indefinitely but it's not going to be my first choice and I'm not necessarily planning to go to one anytime soon.  I can't go the rest of my life without ever tasting Red Lobster's cheddar bay biscuits again and I have only found one restaurant that has lasagna I like as much Olive Garden's.  They say it's frozen but I don't care.  Even Italy couldn't outdo Lasagna Classico. And those bread sticks.  Denny's is a sentimental favorite of mine too.  I grew up going there and it was always my Birthday dinner pick.  My how times have changed.

Maybe I'm turning into a restaurant/food snob but I like to feel like I'm having some type of culinary experience.   I don't need a mouthwash dispenser in the bathroom but if I'm spending my time and money I want it to feel worth it and special in some way.  Chains just don't do it for me like they used to.

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That time I Didn't Eat for Five Days

Like any diet Juicing seems to be quite the controversial subject.  If you watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead you are told that juicing is the healthiest thing you can do for your body but not everyone agrees.  Proponents say you are giving your body what it really needs in a high concentration, it can work for weight loss, it allows for a greater variety of veggies in your diet then you'd normally get, it's helpful to give your body a break from digestion and it aids in the prevention of several diseases.  Adversaries say it's too high in sugar, you don't get enough protein or fat and you lose a lot of Fiber in the juicing process when you eliminate the skin.  What do I think?  It sounded like a fun challenge so I was willing to give it a try.

I read that you should prep for a juice fast by limiting dairy and sugar a few days before to reduce withdrawal symptoms and prepare the body.  Not eating was going to difficult no matter how you slice it so I pretty much said to hell with that and just went for it.  On Sunday I ate the cheesiest Pizza you ever saw and after that, nothing but juice for five days.  On day one I went to the gym but I gave myself a pass for the rest of the week.  Physically, I think could have but If my stomach gets a digestion break then it seemed only fair that I get a gym break. 

What I drank:
They say for a veggie juice the only thing acceptable to mix in with it is Apples.  Something having to do with enzymes and sabotaging digestion.  On Day 1 and Day 2 I drank 32 ounces of a Veggie based Mean Green combo of Apples Kale, Cucumber, Ginger, Mint and Lemon for Breakfast and Lunch.  It took me most of the day sipping on it at work to finish.  In the evening I switched it up to a fruit based combo of 12 oz of Pineapple, Apples, Oranges, Mango and Strawberries for dinner.  On Day 3 after running out of the Mean Green concoction we juiced up 24 oz of Carrots, Kale and Apples for me to drink during the day.  I could really reduce the sugar content by eliminating the Apples from the Veggie drink but I'm thinking it probably would have tasted awful without that sweetness and I just didn't want to go there.  I also drank a ton of water on top of that.  Can you believe that I was "over" juicing half way though day 3? I didn't want to make anymore so that night and the last two days I survived on Naked Juice.  It was good but I liked our homemade juice better.  It seemed thicker and more "hearty" so it kept me full longer. A Juicing diet has a lot more carbs and sugar then I realized.  I should have known this because I know that is what fruits and veggies are made of.  My Fat, Sodium, Fiber and Protein intake went down while my Carbs and Sugar went up.  I got all the wonderful vitamins and nutrients that you get from fruit and vegetables but nothing else.  I don't know how that could be healthy for you long term without supplementing for what you are missing out on.  I estimate daily calories at around 1,000 or less.  

Cost:
Juicing isn't cheap because in general produce isn't cheap and it takes quite a bit to make an adequate supply of juice to live off of.  I don't know exactly how much we spent on vegetables but we went to Sprouts and spent $16 to add to vegetables that Mj had already bought.  It took five large carrots, 6 medium sized apples and some kale leaves to make 24 oz.  It's definitely cheaper to buy the produce and make it yourself then to buy it.  When I got lazy I it cost $5 on sale for 32 oz of Naked Juice.  At that price it's about $7.50 for enough juice to last a day which is about $37.50 for the week at the minimum and more if you want more then 48 oz a day.

What I survived on for Five days:  Mean Green Juice, Fruity Juice Mix, Carrot Based Juice and Naked Juice

Day 1:
I didn't start to feel hungry until lunchtime.  By the afternoon I was feeling a little headachy but it didn't last.  I went to the gym after work and had a decent work out. I actually felt really energetic for about an hour after but then my energy just dropped.  By 8:00pm I was so sleepy I was falling asleep on the couch and the low grade headache came back.  

Day 2:
I got some stomach growls in the morning and was very sleepy for most of the day. Caffeine is not recommended but I drank some anyways.  Coffee doesn't really work on me for some reason.  It never perks me up but I'm always hoping that if I think it could help that I can mentally trick myself into thinking it is.  Plus, I like it in the morning.  It was hard to tell if I was sleepy just because I was sleepy or if I was sleepy because I hadn't eaten.  I didn't really crave food because I'd already made up my mind that I wasn't having it.  The overwhelming sleepiness finally passed at about 5:30pm just in time for me to get off of work.  I felt fine for the rest of the day.  No headache.  I just feel a hollow pit in my stomach where food usually is.  It wasn't a hunger belly ache or anything like that.  I was just constantly aware of being empty.  The hardest thing about day 2 was that I lost my juicing partner in crime.  Mj was super tired and couldn't continue working without eating so he had a bagel while he was at work and then came home and made pancakes for dinner.  It smelled so good!  Normally, I'd at least taste his food but I couldn't even have a single bite. 

Day 3:
On Wednesday morning there was no hunger, no emptiness in the pit of my belly and no headache either.  I did not feel like someone who hadn't eaten for going on 3 days.  I've been way hungrier on some mornings after I've had a big dinner.  I had coffee again.  I just wanted it and so I did.  I felt awake and just fine during the day and then the hunger pangs started to hit around 6:00pm but they passed by bedtime. Mj made a BLT for dinner and I went to bed with the tantalizing aroma of bacon in my nose.

Day 4:
I felt just fine in the morning.  I had another coffee cheat.  I wasn't hungry or tired.  I wanted so badly to just have one little piece of one of the left over cookies from our meeting but I resisted.  By the time I got off work I was feeling really hungry.  Drinking my 16 oz of juice for dinner helped but by bedtime I was really hungry again. I literally dreamed I was eating Pizza that night.

Day 5:
This was the hardest day yet.  I woke up feeling fine but as the morning wore on I just felt tired and hungry.  There were cookies sitting out in the office and I wanted one so bad.  I became very aware of how much we snack in our office.  There were cookies, chocolate and pretzels in addition to the normal office organic popcorn that our boss gets for us. Normally, I'd be right there with them munching on something or other but I sipped my juice and blocked it out.  I broke my fast that night with some raisins and as soon as my stomach got a hold of them it started growling louder then it had all week.

The food cravings weren't so bad because I'd already made up my mind I couldn't eat.  What I missed most was the action of eating food.  I missed the flavors and the enjoyment that I get from it.  I missed snacking while I watched my favorite shows which is probably a habit I need to break anyways.  In my opinion a liquid diet is way easier then a low Carb diet or even just eating in moderation.   I tried low carb for three days last year and found that to be so much harder then five days on juice.  With a liquid diet there is no margin for error and it's really clear cut.  Either you ate food or you didn't.  There is no extra cookie, five servings of tortilla chips, just a tiny piece of bread or whatever else you couldn't keep your hands off of to screw you up before you even realize it happened.  If you drink an extra juice it's not a big deal, plus it's not like I was sitting there craving mean green juice or anything anyways so I drank my juice and when it was gone that was it.  I wasn't running back to the kitchen for more juice or a "snack" as I might do if I was eating food.  I lost 6.8 lbs in five days.  It's not real weight though so I expect to gain some of it back. 

Because of nutritional deficits like most extreme diets I don't see it as a realistic approach to weight loss and diet long term.  Bottom line; you need to know how to eat right to maintain a healthy weight and body but there were some positive things about it. Juicing is great for hydration.  I am so hydrated right now and feeling very regular if ya know what I mean.  I eat pretty healthy most of the time despite what my Instagram feed might tell you but I do have a sweet tooth and sometimes I fall off the wagon and go on a bender and fill my body with a ton of crap.  Sometimes all I crave junk.  Eating Healthy is a lifestyle and a mindset and juicing helped me get back on the right track.  I'm not craving chocolate at all like I was before.  Five days was pushing it but I really wanted to see if I was capable of it. It actually was a fun challenge which is weird to say about not eating food but somehow it was.  Call me crazy but I already have another one planned for May with another blogger but I'm only doing 3 days.  There's a very good chance I will never do five days again!!  If anyone wants to join in for motivation let me know.

Read about my 3 Day Juice Fast here.

He Bought a Juicer

Freshly Juiced Orange Juice

And when I say HE bought a juicer I guess I mean WE bought a juicer but he was the one who picked it out and brought it home and I will probably never use it.  Or so I thought.  He did his research and decided that the Omega VRT350  was the one he wanted to get.  The day he bought it he stopped at the grocery store and came home with tons of fruits and veggies so he could get started right away.  I was fine with tasting the fruity stuff.  Not one to be adventurous when it comes to tasting new foods I refused the green stuff.  I wasn't saying that I'd never taste it just that I couldn't deal with it right then so he would leave me alone.  It bought me some time but I knew he wouldn't give up.  A few days later he asked again.  I sighed and made a dramatic face but took a sip anyways and you know what?  It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought a bunch of juiced up veggies would be.  In fact, it actually tasted pretty good.

Juicer Parts

I was worried about having some giant bulky thing sitting on the counter but this one is pretty slim. As long as the item fits through the hole there is no need to chop it any smaller then that so there isn't a whole lot of cutting required.  If the skin is bitter like Oranges you should probably peel it.  There is one chute for refuse and another chute for juice.  All the parts come apart very easily for washing.  The only con is that it's hard to clean the ejection area for the side where all the refuse comes out.  It comes with a little brush for that and it really doesn't take that long but you do have to get in there and scrub it.  That being said, is juicing time consuming?  Overall, I'd say yes but then again I think doing almost anything in the kitchen is time consuming.  You have to get the produce, wash it, do some chopping, thread it through the juicer, then rinse out all the parts and that does take some time. 

50 second video of the juicer in action

So, since we have a juicer we figured we might as well try a juice fast.  It's been 3 days now.  I haven't eaten solid food since Sunday evening.  Mj gave in and ate a bagel yesterday.  He literally could not continue to work unless he ate.  I'm still going.  I'll assess how I feel today and then decide if I'll continue.  If you see another giant cheesy Pizza or a pile of Chocolate in my Instagram feed you will know I threw in the towel.

 
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Tostada Pizza Recipe

We made this for dinner on Sunday.  It's one of the first things I remember Mj and I making together when we first started dating.  I made the 1 1/2 hour drive up to his apartment in Orange County for the weekend.  He suggested we make dinner together so he got out his cookbooks.  I was quite impressed that this young guy actually had cookbooks.  I on the other hand, had not a single one or even pots and pans for that matter.  We flipped through the pages and this one stood out to both of as fun and easy to make.  We went to the grocery store for ingredients.  I distinctly remember we HAD to get beer to go with it.  Our mutual love of beer is actually what attracted me to him.  Totally kidding, but it was definitely a plus.  We went back to his apartment, made dinner and watched a movie.  I can't believe that was five years ago.  We haven't made it in a really long time so it was fun to do it again and think back to the first time.

Pizza is my favorite food and I like it that making it hardly feels like cooking.  It's not a traditional Pizza but it still has cheese and therefore I love it.  Adding cornmeal on the pan gives the crust a nice crunch.  The beans and ground beef are a tasty combination.  We've never tried it with re-fried beans but if you don't want to mash up the pinto beans it would also be a tasty alternative.  We used a canned Pillsbury Pizza crust.  If you want another lower calorie and carb Mexican style pizza option check out the flatout version here.

Pinto Beans:  Mashed ones on the right

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 4 ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained
1/2 0.5 ounce envelope (about 2 Tbsp) of taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 10 ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed drained (or refried beans)
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
bottled taco sauce (optional)

Directions
1.  In a large skillet cook meat until brown.  Drain off fat.  Stir in 3/4 cup water, chile peppers, taco seasoning mix and chilli powder.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

2.  Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.  Pat pizza dough into a 12x8 inch rectangle on the baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

3.  In a bowl mash pinto beans with fork (or just use re-fried beans) and spread over partially baked dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Spoon meat mixture over beans.  Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or more until crust is just golden.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake 1-2 minutes or more until cheese is melted.  Top with lettuce, tomato and green onions.  Serve with taco sauce if desired. 

[From:  Better Homes & Gardens 75th Anniversary Edition Cookbook]

Nutritional Information: (1/16th)
Calories:  151
Total Fat:  18g
Saturated Fat:  3g
Cholesterol:  24mg
Sodium:  181g
Carbs:  19g
Fiber:  6.5g
Sugar:  1g
Protein:  12g

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Girl Scout Cookie Time

I'm about to have another oh my goodness I'm getting old moment which sucks because it means I'm getting old but here goes.  When I was a Girl Scout cookies were only $2.00 per box and the ONLY way to sell was door to door to door and begging your mom take the form to pass it around at work.  Tagalongs were called Hoedown's and the Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich were called something else.  My memory has faded but I think they used to be Savannahs.  Dulce de Leches, Lemonades, Thanks A Lot and bunch of others didn't exist, each cookie only had one name and Girl Scouts Inc didn't have a website.  That was a long time ago! Now they are $4.00, I don't even know if Girl Scouts have to pound the pavement anymore what with social media and e mail and half the cookies have an identity crisis.

Shortbread/Trefoils, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs, Carmel DeLites/Samoas

One thing that hasn't changed is that people still love them including me and my favorite one of all time is the Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I'm a sucker for anything with chocolate and peanut butter.  If you're like me you might be wondering what's up with the double naming of cookies.  Apparently, there are two bakers for Girl Scout cookies now.  Little Brownie and ABC.  The name varies depending on which baker produced the cookie and the name you see on the box depends on where it came from.  I don't understand why they wouldn't just make them decide on a name and stick to it.  Can't they hold a meeting about that or pass a law?  Anyways.  Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs and Shortbread/Trefoils are the only three cookies that must be made every single year and the others can be changed.  Good for us since we really like those.  We got all three.

For a while I didn't even know when they were being sold and kept missing out but now I have a co worker who sells for her niece and she lets me know.  Most of these went into the freezer so we don't over do it.  Turns out that we already had a box of Trefoils in the there from last year!  So yeah, we have plenty.  BUT if I just so happen to see a Girl Scout outside of the grocery store I might just so happen to buy another box of the Hoedown/Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I really can't have enough of those.
    

Korean Honey Citron Tea

The idea of laying around all day half comatose and sleeping instead of going to work sounds really good but when you feel terrible it's no fun at all and oddly enough you'd rather be at work.  Well, that was me Wednesday.  It's been exactly a year since I had so much as a cold and I've never had a flu shot but I can't remember when I ever had the flu.  I never get sick.  Famous last words.

Sick people food // Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese and OJ

Monday night I felt it coming on.  Uh, oh I think I might be getting sick.
Tuesday I tried to fight it with Emergen-C.  I still attempted my 1 hour cardio routine as normal but couldn't finish and spent the last half walking.  Something about the dry air going in and out of my nose was too painful.
Wednesday I called in sick to work after a mostly sleepless night and didn't get out of bed until 11am.  I dragged my achy body downstairs where Mj had lunch waiting.  He is so sweet.  He stayed home so he could take care of me.  Either that or he just really didn't want to go to work but either way I was glad to have him there. Sick or not I had to make my hair appointment that night.  I looked in the mirror and saw a hot mess staring back at me.  How sad that my husband had to look at this all day.  Honey Citron tea and a hot shower made me feel half way human.  I had a good hour or two before I would revert to total uselessness but it was enough for me to make it there and back.
Thursday I went back to work.  On the way there with my eye balls all heavy in my head I wondered why I ever thought it was a good idea.  My brain was foggy and everything I did that day felt like slow motion.
Today I stayed home.  I feel better then I did on Wednesday but it's one of those gray rainy days that makes you want to never get out of bed and so I didn't.  I'm sick and I have a plethora of sick hours so I might as well use them.  I expect to be back to 100% by Monday at the latest if not sooner.   It's just a cold so I guess I can't complain too much.

So getting back to that Honey Citron Tea.  Mj drank it all the time when he was stationed in Korea and he re discovered it here at a local Korean market called H Mart.  I'm not a tea drinker at all.  I normally have to add loads of sweetener to make it taste half way decent but I don't need to add a thing to this.  It has the same consistency of jelly and I only use one spoonful for an average sized mug.  It tastes so good and when you get to the bottom there is a little citrus surprise to nibble on.  It's really good when you are sick because it's full of Vitamin C.  They have other flavors but I only like this one.  Best tea ever.  You should try it.  Don't wait until you are sick.

*****

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Flatout Pizza

For reasons that myself or my mom can't figure out 'cause goodness knows we've tried, I just never took to cooking. It just seems like such a chore most of the time and something I'd rather not be bothered with but I do believe I finally found something that I actually don't mind "cooking." And yes, I realize that to call this cooking is pushing it a bit but it does requires the chopping up of ingredients AND an oven so I think it fits the criteria however loosely.   I've discovered Flatouts.  They can be used as a wrap or as a flatbread.  These are my three creations of the flatbread variety.

The Classic Flat Out

The Classic is topped with grilled chicken, green onions, mozzarella cheese and onion sprouts.  Those black spots don't necessarily look all that appetizing but they are onion sprouts and add a lot of flavor.  I could eat a grilled chicken breast with veggies and a dinner roll or I could just put it on a Flatout and add cheese which I find infinitely more appealing.

The Mexican  Flatout

The Mexican is topped with re-fried beans, ground beef, green onions and Mozzarella or Jack cheese.  I think this one is my favorite.  You can also top it with Salsa and I suggest pairing it with an ice cold beer for maximum enjoyment.  This one has 335 calories, 18 grams of fat and 24 carbs for the whole thing.

The Italian Flatout

The Italian is topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni, garlic and basil.  It's basically Pizza but with a whole lot less carbs.  The Light Italian Herb Flatout has only 90 calories each and 9 grams of Fiber.  With toppings this version is 330 calories, 16 grams of fat and 24 carbs.

Making these feels creative and fun which is how I imagine people who like to cook feel about "real" cooking.  They are healthy, quick, easy and I can top them with anything I want for variety.  No matter what I have a craving for there is a Flatout recipe to satisfy it. I put the Flatout in the oven on broil for about four minutes so it gets crispy.  I take it out, add my toppings, bake for 8 more minutes and Voila!  Dinner is served in less then 30 minutes.

Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

I didn't make these all in one week in case you were wondering but I totally would.  Saturday night we made deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet.  It was so good.  We used Pillsbury Pizza dough from the can and filled it with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, turkey pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and topped it with pizza sauce and fresh garlic.  Because it's deep you can load it with toppings.  We coated the bottom of the pan with cornmeal which gives it a nice little crunch and baked it until the edges of the crust got crispy which was much longer then the recommended 6-10 minutes after topping.  My 2nd favorite food is a Quesadilla.  I guess I just prefer foods that are easy to make, that I can eat with my fingers and are covered in cheese.

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Memorial Day Weekend

Mj:  Do you want to help me bake the cake? 
CC: Uh...No.  Not really.
Mj:  Why not? 
CC:  Because I don't really like baking.
Mj:  C'mon, I need your help.  It'll be fun.  We can spend time together.  
CC:  You know you don't need my help and I'm right here.  We're already spending time together. 

Samoa Bundt Cake.  A Giant Girl Scout Cookie

So Mj was in one of his baking moods.  This time it was all about the Samoa Bundt Cake and I ended up helping him out.  Sometimes it's really hard for me to say no to him.  He did Batter 2, the icing and everything else.  He put me in charge of Batter 1 but he watched every move I made.  I was a glorified assistant and I just followed his instructions so I absolutely can take no credit for the deliciousness of this cake.  Not only does it look like the Girl Scout cookie it tastes like it too.  Its perfectly moist and the coconut gives it this amazing crunch.   

 

Condensed Milk turned Caramel

We did discover something truly amazing.  Did you know that when boiled condensed milk turns into Caramel?  It's like magic.  He put the can in a pot and boiled it for four hours and when he opened it up it had magically transformed into Caramel.  Who knew?  Well if you didn't know now you know.  If you want to make this cake and I think that you do, you can find the Samoa Bundt Cake recipe here.

Our own Bar B Q

  Saturday morning I did an exercise video.  Then, I did a little shopping and we went to a Bar B Q.  Gymnastics was on!  I got to watch the Secret Classic-the official first step to the Olympic Games which is coming up soon.  Sunday morning I woke up and went to the gym and spent most of the rest of the day relaxing.  I love it when I can go to the gym in the morning while I am energetic instead of having to drag myself in after a long day of work.  Monday morning I woke up and went to the gym for another 1 hour sweat session.  Later on, Mj fired up the grill and we enjoyed the sunshine outside and ate sliders, hot dogs and beans while listening to music.  We had time to watch two movies and I squeezed in a load of laundry.  All in all this was a pretty fantastic three day weekend.

Good Old Fashioned Diet & Exercise

Photo Source:  Grosvenor and Smolin; Visualizing Nutrition.  

I'm a big one for TV munching!! Behavior modification is ongoing

Isn't it funny how we know exactly what we should do but often find it so hard to do it? The formula is simple and yet we search for all kinds of gimmicks, extreme diets and other ways to get out of it.  Eat less, exercise more.  Eat anything in moderation.  Do not overindulge in high sugar and high fat foods.   That's it.  That pic is from my Nutrition book but it doesn't take a nutrition class to figure this out.

Mj lost 20 lbs in 90 days on his Beach Body Challenge doing just that.  Plain old fashioned diet and exercise.  The first three months it was mainly about eating healthy, drinking Shakeology for breakfast and doing P90X2.   There were times when he was so exhausted and sore but he kept up with his work out plan.  I felt bad because I didn't really notice the results so much; probably because I see him everyday.  I couldn't figure out where this 20 lbs even came from because I didn't think he needed to lose any weight in the first place.  Then he showed me his before and after pics.  I was shocked!!  How did this happen right before my eyes without me noticing?  Bad wife.  He lost inches all over his body but the most improved area is his chest, stomach and upper body.    He looks great but he wants to keep going.  I thought he'd about lost his mind when he decided to do another cycle for 60 days.  He had a splurge week after his first 90 days but then he started right back in on his regimen.  Now that he's just trying to maintain and continue toning he's started mixing in other exercise with the P90X2.  He is increasing his protein intake and he does allow himself more splurges then before.  I'm so proud of him for sticking to it.  He's busy going to school full time and working but he made time for this and didn't make any excuses.  Loosing weight is hard but he set his mind to it and he did it.  My husband was already hot but now he's even hotter!  Lucky me.

I've been sticking with my work outs too.  I discovered that (surprise surprise) I can actually live without carbs when I experimented with an extreme Low Carb Diet.   It made me more aware of just how much carbs and sugar I typically eat and I've actually cut down on both a lot.  Not that I'm ever gonna give 'em up altogether.  No way.

It's so much easier to work on being fit and healthy when both partners are on board.  There are times when I don't really plan on going to the gym but Mj will get up and go on one of his 8:30am 40 mile bike rides on Saturday or go play basketball Sunday morning.  I'll just be laying there in bed not doing much of anything except feeling like a lazy slug so I think to myself; I might as well go to the gym or do a work out video.  When he's good, he's very good but when he's bad he's very, very bad and he corrupts me with donuts and pizza when I'm trying to be good but for the most part we are both really into eating healthy.  We've been eating chicken breast and veggies for dinner like it's going out of style and we haven't cooked any dinners at home involving pasta all year.  If I constantly had someone waving fast food french fries or cookies in front of my face all the time and laying around on the couch all day it would make it so much harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I was so stubborn before.  I refused to work out.  I didn't need to lose weight and I watch what I eat so I felt like I could get away with it but our bodies always need exercise.  Fitting exercise into my life felt impossible and I didn't have the motivation to even try but I'm so glad I changed my ways so we can be fit and healthy together.  It's important that we do it for ourselves AND each other.

Low Carb Diet Experiment

Pizza is my favorite food in the whole wide world, I'm a calorie tracker, I have a sweet tooth and I rarely taste a bread I don't like.  I watch my calories and fat so as long as I stay where I want there I don't worry about the rest of it so much.  I have pretty much accepted that I am powerless when it comes to carbs. Being a fat and calorie counting carbohydrate junkie is totally at odds with a low carb diet.  Which is why I never ever considered in a million years ever ever trying it.  EVER.  You want me to give up carbs for even one single day?  I simply can't do it.  My daily breakfast alone has about 30 and I like it that way.  I'm very stubborn about what I like to eat and Carbs are in darn near everything so it didn't seem possible.  Mj decided to try the low carb thing last week and at first I didn't even think about it but I changed my mind.  I always wondered what the heck I was supposed to eat on a low carb diet so for three days I found out.

Day 1 Breakfast:  Egg Beaters with Jack Cheese and Bacon (0 carbs)

Day 1 Lunch:  Almonds (6 carbs), Cheese (0)

Day 1 Dinner:  Lo Sodium Ham (1 carb) , lettuce (8), Cabbage (1) and Cheese (0)

What I Ate
When some people think of cutting carbs they think about cutting out bread and pasta.  But on an extreme low carb diet of 50 grams per day you quickly realize that actually won't cut it because just about everything has carbs.   Even a nice low calorie healthy Yoplait yogurt or an Apple might not really be an option because 23 carbs is a lot when you can only have 50 in a day.  Incidentally, that yogurt is more then my double fiber bread which is 19.  Go figure.  For breakfast I did egg beaters or a hard boiled egg.  I microwaved the egg beaters in a mug at work and with a slice of bacon mixed in it was really good.  For the eggs I'd eat one whole hard boiled and only the egg whites of the second to avoid all that cholesterol.  I still wanted my morning coffee and I need my creamer so I had to give up 5 precious carbs for that.  For lunch it was string cheese, almonds or a pickle.  Dinner was lunch meat (ham), cheese and lettuce wraps and roasted cabbage and snack time was more cheese.   And another slice of ham if I felt my stomach grumbling.  It was cool to realize that I really didn't miss the bread all that much when I ate the lettuce wraps.  I never ever thought I'd say that.  We have a bi weekly meeting that we order cookies for and I have never ever NOT eaten one, or two, or three.  But on day two I simply couldn't spend 19 calories on a cookie so as delicious as they looked and smelled I had to pass.  On Day 3 I managed to limit my carbs to just 8 during the work day so I could come home and eat two Carne Asada Tacos from one of our favorite Mexican Food Restaurants. The very thought of those tacos is what literally kept me going all day. 

Day 3 Breakfast:  Hard Boiled Eggs (1 carb)

[Not Pictured because I was so darn hungry I forgot to take a pic]
Day 3 Lunch:  Pickle (2 carbs), string cheese (0)

Day 3 Dinner:  Carne Asada Tacos with Corn Tortilla (46 carbs)

Pros and Cons
The best thing about eating low carbs is that it lowered my Sugar intake.  I just couldn't waste carbs on sweets at 19-20 carbs a pop.   If  I can't eat sweets then I gotta have something and that something was cheese which I love just about as much as I love carbs.  Eating cheese with abandon was the second best part.  The bad part about the diet is that it raised my Calories, Fat, Sodium and Cholesterol intake which is definitely not good for the long term.  Anything high in protein is typically going to be low in carbs so I could eat it but high protein often means high sodium and high cholesterol.  I can't believe how much sodium cheese has.  I kind of did this on the fly but if I'd been more prepared and not too lazy to cook I would have eaten chicken breast to add variety and beef up my skimpy lunches.  It would also keep my sodium intake down because even the low sodium lunch meat is higher then regular meat.  Fiber intake suffers too because you can't eat breads or grains.  On Day 1 I tried to still get my usual 1/2 cup of Fiber 1 cereal in and it used up 25 carbs which didn't seem worth it when I could eat cheese instead for 0 so I ditched it on day 2 and 3. I also missed eating fruit.

Nutrients:  Typical Diet Day
Fat	19g	18%
Saturated Fat	8g
Cholesterol	17mg
Sodium	1064mg
Carbohydrates	172g	72%
Fiber	25g
Sugars	85g
Protein	24g	10%

Nutrients:  Low Carb Diet Day
Fat	72g	58%
Saturated Fat	23g
Cholesterol	120mg
Sodium	2051mg
Carbohydrates	53g	19%
Fiber	8g
Sugars	13g
Protein	65g	23%

This diet had me running to the bathroom all day.  When you restrict your carbs to less then 50 grams your body goes into ketosis when it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrate reserves.  This produces ketones in the body some of which are eliminated in urine.  I was just fine on Day 1-2 but by the end of the night on day 3 I did have a slight headache.  Even after the tacos I still felt hungry and there just wasn't anything else for me to snack on.  I should have gotten pork rinds.  I love those but never let myself eat them so this would have been my chance; they are 0 carbs.  I lost 3.5 lbs in 3 days.  I did gain back 1 pound of it.  They say you actually lose water weight first so I can only imagine if I'd kept it up.  I'm stubborn and tend to think that calorie count is the end all be all so I guess I really didn't want to believe it but not all calories are created equal.  Duh.  Cutting carbs really does work.  I felt like some kind of science experiment as I read about the side effects I was experiencing and why it was happening.

 Focusing on carbs totally changed what I eat.  I discovered I really like sandwiches with no bread aka lettuce wraps and I'll probably start mixing egg beaters in with my usual morning breakfast.  Turns out that I am not totally powerless when it comes to carbs; it's just so much easier to give in.  I don't see it as a long term lifestyle diet for me.  Fifty is just way to extreme to stick with and I find it way harder to eat low carb then low cal.   I'd probably get better at figuring out what to eat to keep the Fat and Sodium levels down but overall I just think it would be too hard to maintain and keep those numbers low enough to not be bad for my heart.  Plus, I'd be pretty darn miserable.  I could see limiting them to 100 if I've overindulged and want to cut back but 50 may not ever happen again.  It's interesting to see how focusing on a different number dictates a whole different diet. And that's just the thing.  You can't focus on just carbs or just calories and fat because the body actually needs it all.

The Cost of Food

Sometimes there's nothing like a good salad

Friday just before I got off work I got a text from my husband insisting that I feed him.  He's quick to tell me he's not eating carbs.  Normally I'd tell him to go jump in a lake (he likes fish) but since I am making an effort to cook now I agreed.  Hmmm...what to do.  I've been craving salads lately and it's technically not really cooking.  Sounds good to me.  As I walked around Fresh & Easy picking out my ingredients I started thinking that this seemed like quite a bit of work just for a salad....and it felt like I was spending a lot of money for it too.  They had some small pre packaged ones for about $3.50 each.  That would have taken me 1 minute to grab and would be just as quick to open up and eat.  They say that you save money by grocery shopping and cooking food yourself instead of eating out but when we can spend $300 in one shopping trip somehow it just doesn't feel that way.  So, I decided to do the math.  I divided each product as needed to estimate 1 serving per item.

The Cost of Salad  

• Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing ($2.79):  .47
• Lettuce ($1.79):  .44
• Tortilla Strips ($1.99):  .33
• Fully cooked Bacon (12):  ($3.49)  .58
• Pre-Cooked Chicken Breast ($4.99):  $1.25
• Cucumber (2) ($1.96):  .49
• Dozen Eggs ($1.89):  .15
• Onion ($0.89):  .22
• Shredded Cheese ($3.69):  .61
• Total Spent:  ($23.48)  $4.21 Per Salad

It  actually is cheaper to spend the time and money making the darn salad.  My homemade salad had a lot more in it then the $3.50 option at Fresh & Easy and if I'd bought one at McD's or Wendy's it would have been at least $2 more expensive.  A Cobb salad at an average restaurant can be anywhere from $10-15 bucks each.  I might spend less money on that particular day for two salads but I get more bang for my buck buying the groceries instead.  Those ingredients last beyond that one day.

These turned out pretty tasty.  We have left over stuffing for wraps.

Then Saturday while we were at the grocery store I was shopping for my Stuffed Green Peppers recipe and I saw that I could literally buy them frozen pre made and stuffed at 4 for $6.99 on sale for $4.99.  Why make them myself when I can just buy them I thought?

The Cost of Stuffed Green Peppers with Rice

• Ground Beef  1 lb ($3.34):  $3.34
• Green Peppers (6@.49 ea):  $2.94
• Brown Rice 16 oz ($2.19):  .55
• Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz:  .69
• Onion (.89@1/2):  .44                     
• Garlic (3 for $1.00):  .33
• Total:  $8.29 =$1.38 per Stuffed Green Pepper

My recipe makes 6 so that's $1.38 each as compared to the grocery store price of $1.23 each (on sale) which in this example is actually a tad more expensive at home BUT depending on how much you pay for ground beef that could make a big difference.  Meat is much cheaper on base but I've paid much more for low fat ground beef.  Also, I got more then 6 servings out of that meat.  Sometimes I moan and groan about spending $11.49 on 6 chicken breasts but when you do the math on it that's only $1.91 per breast and think of how much you pay when you buy a chicken breast entree with veggies at a restaurant?

Time, Money or Health?
Bottom line is that in most cases eating out and buying frozen and  pre packaged meals will be more expensive.  So the next step is deciding how much your time is worth.  Do you want to pay restaurant and fast food labor for cooking the food or do it yourself?  For some it's worth it to spend a little more money and save time but for others the extra savings is well worth time spent in the kitchen.  And it's win win especially if you really enjoy cooking.  There are some really great value meal deals going on at places like Applebee's and Chili's but overall I think that dining out meal prices and the tip you have to shell out can be a waste of money.  The super cheap fast food option can only take you so far health wise unless you spend more money to choose healthier options.  The sodium content of all restaurants and pre made food in the frozen foods section is generally way higher so even if you find good deals it's just not something you should do all the time.

What would be the cheapest way I could think of to eat out every day without developing cardiovascular disease?  I'm a huge fan of $5 foot longs at Subway and I seriously think I could eat it every day although Mj absolutely could not.  If we ate one every day for lunch and dinner and spent $3.00 for their breakfast which is typically and egg sandwich type deal and coffee it would cost us about $56.00 for a week which is $224 for a month.  Then, I'd have to double that because it would be for both of us.  That's $448 per month provided we spent no money on any other food whatsoever which is more then we normally spend on groceries in a month.  That's about as cheap is it could get but it leaves no room for extras and you are pretty limited in your food choices.  It's also a lot of carbs, not that I don't do major carb damage anyways!  So, yeah as much as I wish it actually were cheaper to buy food out instead of spending the time making it that is not the case so the joy of grocery shopping and cooking is here to stay.