$3ADDP: Day 9

Today I went to volunteer setting up for Thanksgiving dinner at a Church in Long Beach. I was moved by the outpouring of support in the form of volunteers and donations. With the help of over 100 selfless individuals, the church will be able to serve over 200 people for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I thought about how much money was actually spent by the people that donated and realized that if we all just spent a little less on food ourselves, we could easily provide so much to others. There are people who do it everyday.

Starting tomorrow I will be taking a break from the $3 a Day Diet Project until Monday. For Thanksgiving $3 a day will be impossible to track and on Friday I am leaving for Las Vegas to support my sister at her softball tournament. I will probably build up a Vegas Food blog series off the visit but I know it won't be for $3 a day.

Today Josh already started his Thanksgiving festivities at work so he started his hiatus today.

I had Ramen ($0.17 - 400 calories), Vietnamese meatballs ($0.50 - 100 calories), spinach ($0.25 - 10 calories) for lunch. I snacked on a free food at the church while helping out which I'm not going to count in value but probably amounted to 200 calories. for dinner I had a piece of chicken off Josh's takeout and a baked potato with sour cream. I estimate all that to come out to $2.00. $1.00 for the piece of chicken and a homemmade baked potato from my mom's thanksgiving supplies. It's probably and overestimation but who cares? The calories should come in around 275 calories for dinner.

Leah: $2.82 for 985 calories.

Signing off headed to turkey and vegas debauchery.

$3ADDP: Green Beans and Ground Chicken

I don't know if there are many vegetables as man friendly as green beans. I mean, Tony Roma's and TGI Fridays each have their own man friendly version of these delicious little green sticks. And have you ever have black bean green beans at any Chinese restaurant? Yum.

I had a bag of green beans I bought for $1 at the farmers market that were going to go bad if I didn't cook them very soon. So I took a few of my favorite flavor makers, namely garlic onions and jalepenos and made a little ditty that really made the hubby happy.

Ingredients

1/2	onion ($0.08)
1/4	teaspoon garlic ($0.06)
2	chili peppers ($0.08)
2	lb green beans ($1.00)
1/2	lb ground chicken ($0.50)
2	teaspoon soy sauce ($0.06)
1	teaspoon mirin ($0.08)
1/2	teaspoon sesame oil ($0.03)
1	salt and pepper ($0.02)

Directions

1. Parboil green beans.
   
   
2. Pour sesame oil into a skillet.
   
   
3. Dice onion and chili peppers, I used jalepenos, and mince garlic. Add to the oil and lightly brown.
   
   
4. Add ground chicken to the skillet along with soy sauce, mirin, salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is done. It won't brown but it should crumble and turn from pink to a brownish color.
   
   
5. Add the drained green beans and coat the green beans with the mixture.

Makes 4 servings ($0.26).

$3ADDP: Day 8

Ok, it's official, most of my friends and family think I'm just being weird by subjecting myself to a project like this. What's the point they ask despite the fact that I explain it to them. Then they say that they couldn't do it.

But the reality is that it's not that hard. There are a few challenges here and there which include:

1. Having the foresight to make sure that we're packing the meals that we'll need to eat away from home. Lately, Josh has been working a lot of overtime so I've been having to remember to pack his lunch and dinner for work. Today, I forgot to pack his dinner. He's going to have to pick up a $1 burger or something.

2. Lots of cooking. Seriously, I'm cooking almost everyday which didn't seem like it would be a big deal to me because I cooked often before, but the challenge of having to cook in order to eat is kind of wearing me down. Most processed foods, even canned foods, are too high in cost and too low in nutritional value to be included.

3. Temptation. In my family, food is how you show love so this is really more about my mother. I see my family almost everyday and though my mom knows about this project, she insists on offering me food. I'll take a few bites here and there to appease her or to tell her the food is good but then it'll throw off my totals for the day.

But aside from the challenges there are huge benefits! I used to watch the Real Housewives of New York and Bethanny, of Bethannybakes.com, was one of the women. Her goal was to democratize health the way that Martha Stewart did democratize homemaking. I was really inspired by that, but how do you democratize something if it costs people more to do it than to not do it?

I feel the same way about going Green. Sure, going green is a good idea, but it'll only work if it's less expensive for the masses to do it. Someday, someone is going to have to explain to me how it's possible that things cost more when you're trying to conserve more and reuse more. Hello?! Other than antiques, I don't understand why something recycled should cost more than something new. Save Mother Earth and don't put a "luxury" price tag on things that are good for the environment.

I digress, one of the benefits, aside from losing a few lbs and eating healthier, happened today when I got a message from someone telling me how inspiring this blog is and I thought I'd take the time to thank her publicly because it's feedback like that message that makes me feel like I'm doing something that can really help others.

Speaking of helping others, tomorrow night I'm heading over to help prepare Thanksgiving Dinner for 200 or so people in need in Long Beach. This project has made me feel a little more altruistic.

I spent a ton of time today helping my mom prep for Thanksgiving so I ended up having dinner at her place and eating junk at Sam's club when we went shopping there. I had kind of a crummy food day and busted my budget because most of my food was eaten outside what I actually packed for myself. :(

It's raining here today, heavily, which is unusual in southern California and all I want is a peppermint hot cocoa from Starbucks to sip on while I watch the water fall. I'll figure out how to make one of those soon within my budget.

Breakfast: Oatmeal ($0.17 - 170 calories), Coffee ($0.33 - 10 calories) Josh Only.

Lunch: Black Beans ($0.33 - 170 calories), salsa ($0.25 - 30 calories), 4 tortillas ($0.12 - 220 calories), 1/10 serving of chicken with cajun rice ($0.12 - 52 calories) - Josh only. Spinach ($0.25 - 10 calories), Vietnamese ham ($0.20 - 50 calories), egg ($0.17 - 70 calories), unfried Ramen that I found at 99 ranch ($0.17 - 350 calories) - Leah Only.

Snack: Junk from Sam's club - 4 bites pepperoni pizza ($0.25 - 80 calories), 1/5 a hot dog ($0.26 - 62 calories), 5 bites of a flatbread wrap ($0.75 - 100 calories) - Leah Only.

Dinner: White rice ($0.25 - 200 calories), 1/2 portion of a $2.00 side dish from Ten Ten ($1.00 -200 calories). Josh also had a Turkey Sandwich at work for free but I assume this busts his $3.00 a day budget.

Josh: $2.57 plus the turkey so the calories are a ???. Would have been 1052.

Leah: $3.30 - 1122 calories

Wishing for some pepperminty chocolately goodness,

Leah

$3ADDP: Napa Cabbage Salad

I was trying to find a salad that would go well with the soba noodles I made for my husband's lunch. I had some leftover napa cabbage and thought about how delicious a tangy dressing would be with some tomatoes, onions and spicy jalepenos. Turns out that it tasted like Korean banchan and he loved it!

I used some of the leftover salad and soba sauce to put on a tofu dish eaten for dinner. I'll post that quick recipe another day.


Ingredients

4	oz Napa Cabbage ($0.25)
2	Tomatoes ($0.33)
1/2	Onion ($0.08)
2	chili peppers ($0.08)
2	oz rice wine vinegar ($0.25)

Directions

Slice the napa cabage, tomatoes, onions and chili peppers into thin skilvers. Toss in 2 oz. of rice wine vinegar or sushi seasoning sauce.

$3ADDP: Day 7

My mom used to tell me stories about her time as a college student in Vietnam. She came from a well-to-do family and college students were sent to different parts of the country by the government to study agriculture at the different farms. These farms, more often than not, were owned by poor families who had no choice but to host these students who were sent to them. Many of these families could barely afford to feed their own children let alone some uninvited guests.

In true Asian hospitality, they did it with a smile. My mom, being a well raised young lady, took her own food from home with her for the first few days so she wouldn't impose on the family she was staying with. When she ran out of food, she accepted their hospitality, politely horrified to find that they would spoil rice until maggots would form to eat with their newly cooked rice to give it some flavor. One day when she came back to the house she found there was no food to eat and all the children were starving. She gave one of the kids money to buy go to the store to buy "chau" a form of fermented tofu that is slightly spicy and very salty. When she opened the jar, which would normally last at least 4-5 meals because of it's pungent nature, the children devoured it with rice and it was all gone. They were so thankful, it was a luxury to them. The store they bought it from rarely even sold one jar because it was so expensive in comparison to what the villagers were able to afford.

But in my mom's own village, "chau" was something that was considered poor food. Typically monks would eat it because it was vegetarian and it was inexpensive. Oddly, when she was pregnant with me it was the one thing she kept having cravings for and now when I want something quick, easy and comforting, I eat a cube or two of the fermented tofu on rice and feel a little bit brighter.

It's interesting to think of the many dishes that are considered poverty cuisine in some countries are some of the best dishes to come out of any culture. Gnocchi, polenta, rice and beans, etc. I think I'm going to have to look into some of these dishes to prepare for the rest of the month.

As I was looking for something quick and easy to prepare for dinner I started tearing through my cupboards for some of this "Chau." I cursed myself for not having a jar and instead had to pull out a package of extra firm tofu, cube it up, and toss the leftover soba sauce and napa cabbage salad on top and microwaved it for 2 minutes. Husband loved it but it didn't hit the spot for me. I'm going to have to go out and buy a jar and remember my times in the womb. Lol.


Breakfast: Oatmeal ($0.15 - 150 calories), egg ($0.17 - 90 calories), cheese ($0.10 - 20 calories) - Leah. Oatmeal ($0.17 - 170 calories), Coffee ($0.33 - 10 calories) Josh.

Lunch: Soba ($0.33 - 220 calories), memmi ($0.08 - 20 calories), napa cabbage salad ($0.50 - 62 calories)

Snack: Sample Pasta at Mom's ($0.50 - 200 calories) - Leah Only

Dinner: 1 cup rice ($0.25 - 231 calories), 1 cup broth made from bouillon ($0.02 - 40 calories), 1 egg ($0.08 - 35 calories), Tofu ($0.25 - 45 calories), memmi soup base ($0.15 - 40 calories)

Josh: $2.16 - 873 calories.

Leah: $2.58 - 1153 calories.

P.S. Josh just told me, after I asked him if he was still hungry because he took in so little calories, that he cheated and had 1 slice of garlic bread, a small amount of pasta and a side salad from Buca Di Beppo. Uh... wow.

$3ADDP: Thanksgiving Stuffing

As I previously mentioned, Hubby and I were headed to an early Thanksgiving at his dad's place. I cooked up a dish to contribute to the meal, in the usual holiday tradition and tried to keep the price low and the flavors great so that my Dear Readers can make the same dish if they are so inclined, without breaking the budget.

I originally wrote the recipe to include 4 cups of water, or if you prefer, 4 cups of broth, and it created a relatively wet stuffing which my Husband likes. If you like your stuffing on the drier side you'll want to pull 2 cups of the liquid out of the pot and slowly add it back in after you put the bread cubes in until the stuffing reaches your preferred texture.

Ingredients

12	oz sourdough bread ($0.99)
4	small carrots ($0.66)
1	onion ($0.17)
3	green onions ($0.30)
5	stalks of celery ($0.25)
1	oz olive oil ($0.11)
1	teaspoon parsley ($0.08)
1	teaspoon thyme ($0.08)
1	teaspoon savory ($0.08)
1/2	teaspoon caraway seeds ($0.04)
1	teaspoon sage ($0.08)
1/2	lb ground chicken ($0.50)
1	oz mushrooms ($0.24)
1	oz raisins ($0.20)
4	oz bouillon ($0.06)
4	cups water ($0.00)

Directions

1. Dice sourdough bread and place onto a cookie sheet. Bake on 350 until bread is dried and brown.
2. Dice carrots, onions, mushrooms and celery. Finely chop raisins.
3. Heat a large pot and pour oil into the pot. Add carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, raisins, and all herbs. Brown the ingredients.
4. Add 1/2 lb ground chicken. Cook through.
5. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Turn off heat.
6. Add toasted diced sourdough bread to the pot. Stir and place in a baking dish. Place in the oven at 350 degrees until the top is browned.

Total $3.84 for 10 servings. or $0.38 a serving.

$3ADDP: Day 7

As of today, I am down 3.5 lbs which means over the course of the past 6 days I have lost over .5 lbs a day. That's interesting because I am not really hungry at all. The occasional cravings I have are those "I know I can't have this so I want it" type cravings but I'm slowly overcoming them.

Beware of upcoming TMI. Husband and I went to his Dad's house for early Thanksgiving dinner and I made a stuffing that cost $3.84 to make 10 servings. It was a pretty big hit so I don't feel like I was a big Thanksgiving mooch. Now, there are three major things of note.

1. We ate a much smaller meal than we normally would for a holiday meal. We had about 6 oz of roast beef (Hubby's stepmom made roast beef instead of turkey), 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes and gravy, 3/4 cup of stuffing, 1/2 cup of shrimp scampi, 1/2 cup of corn, 1 biscuit, 1 slice of pie and 2 beers. Now that is a massive amount of food but it was the only meal we had all day and 5 hours later I'm still full.

2. The amount of food and the amount of processed carbs and fats gave us serious digestive issues. I don't know if it was that we're not used to eating that much food since we started this project OR if our bodies aren't used to eating that amount of unhealthy foods. Josh and I both are very gaseous to say the least.

3. Josh has pretty much cheated half the time on this project. He's basically thrown the rules out the window today because he figures that it's a cheat day based on the dinner at his Dad's. Lol. Which brings me to my next point.

Of course, Josh's mom and my family, as well as our friends, know about the project. As time has past, Josh has gotten more frustrated with this because he feels really restricted. I realized that he feels that way because I'm making all the food and he's not having much of a choice on what I make. The fact that I'm in control makes the project feel less difficult for me because I can find a way to satisfy certain cravings in low cost ways. Both of our moms think I'm an oddball.

I am prone to taking on challenges like this, mainly because I like to test my will power but also to see if doing something different and slightly difficult can yield good results. It seems that since Josh is now married to me and subject to my zany whims he is getting quite a bit of sympathy from the Moms.

I've decided, however, two things. First that I'm going to try to take some of Josh's favorite dishes and start trying to make low cost delicious versions of them and second that I'm going to make my mom a day's worth of Project food so she sees how not depleting the diet is once I figure out some outstanding recipes.

Still full and signing off.

Leah