Good & Cheap: Eat well on $4 / day

[kite]

Anyone seen the cookbook that shows how you can eat well on $4 per day?

http://www.leannebrown.com/

Everytime I read about a celeb, politician or journalist trying and failing at the SNAP challenge, insisting that it can't be done, I've thought of publishing something exactly like this as a rebuttal.  I'm glad someone did. 

[eil]

I think this has been posted here a few times. Some people like it. My own diet is not compatible with most of the recipes there but in general most people would cut their grocery bill in half easily simply staying away from canned, processed, and packaged foods (the middle aisles) and being careful of the quantity of meat they buy.

[kite]

Thanks.  Hadn't searched back 5 pages.  Hard copy version was just published and I saw a copy. 

[Matt_D]

Anyone seen the cookbook that shows how you can eat well on $4 per day?

http://www.leannebrown.com/

Everytime I read about a celeb, politician or journalist trying and failing at the SNAP challenge, insisting that it can't be done, I've thought of publishing something exactly like this as a rebuttal.  I'm glad someone did.

That book looks cool and I like the buy one/give one thing!
Doing math though... I looked at the SNAP allowances and if you even make as little as $500 a month, you only end up about $400/mo SNAP assistance for a family of 4, which is completely maxing out the $4/meal thing. In other words... no room for slip-ups unless you're actually averaging considerably less than $4/meal on many meals.

EDIT: I was doing this math based on $4/person/meal, assuming that was the intent.

[nobodyspecial]

Leaving aside the $/day hook it is a very decent introduction cookbook.
A lot on basics and techniques, how to cook staples and make a lot of the sides and dips you might in expensive little tubs from the store.

[kite]

Anyone seen the cookbook that shows how you can eat well on $4 per day?

http://www.leannebrown.com/

Everytime I read about a celeb, politician or journalist trying and failing at the SNAP challenge, insisting that it can't be done, I've thought of publishing something exactly like this as a rebuttal.  I'm glad someone did.

That book looks cool and I like the buy one/give one thing!
Doing math though... I looked at the SNAP allowances and if you even make as little as $500 a month, you only end up about $400/mo SNAP assistance for a family of 4, which is completely maxing out the $4/meal thing. In other words... no room for slip-ups unless you're actually averaging considerably less than $4/meal on many meals.

EDIT: I was doing this math based on $4/person/meal, assuming that was the intent.

It's $4/day per person for all meals.  I'm kinda spendy when it comes to food and don't even get close to $4/meal which would be $12/day.  Usually come in around half that, without trying which is why I was always suspicious of the "How hard it is to do the SNAP challenge" kinds of articles.  I & my spouse both grew up poor, so we have a skill set borne of that experience. His family relied on food stamps, gardening & hunting to eat.  Mine had a lower middle class income, but a dozen mouths to feed.  However, I do see why it's hard for those who grew up middle class, relied on convenience foods, etc to make it work.  They lack experience and familial know how.  Had they grown up with oatmeal cooked in a pot on the stove instead of little instant packet variety, they might be different.  Who knows? 

[rae]

This looks like a great cookbook, and I'll definitely give some of these recipes a try.

However, I always assumed that the main reason it is so difficult to live off of government programs like this is that it's often single parent families where the parent is working one or two (or three) minimum wage jobs, with double duty of child rearing and housekeeping and are too exhausted by the time they get home to cook, or are not even at home at dinner time. And so they rely on quick easy things, that cost more, that they or their children can assemble.

It would be interesting to know how successful the book has been in helping out these families.

[nobodyspecial]

It would be interesting to know how successful the book has been in helping out these families.

Like all cookbooks it's more use to mustacians but there are rice+beans type recipes that can be made quickly and easily and it's a lot more practical than a lot of celebrity chef $/day cookbooks.

There was one infuriating cookbook being promoted "to teach the poor to cook" which included lots of items like "a fresh basil leaf = 1c", yes it's 1c if you have fresh herbs growing in your window but it's not 1c if your only local shopping options are at the 7/11.
It also had lots of recipes that involved baking in the oven for 2 hours but ignored the electricity cost   

[Matt_D]

This looks like a great cookbook, and I'll definitely give some of these recipes a try.

However, I always assumed that the main reason it is so difficult to live off of government programs like this is that it's often single parent families where the parent is working one or two (or three) minimum wage jobs, with double duty of child rearing and housekeeping and are too exhausted by the time they get home to cook, or are not even at home at dinner time. And so they rely on quick easy things, that cost more, that they or their children can assemble.

It would be interesting to know how successful the book has been in helping out these families.

Agree. Availability of cheap/good food for purchase can also often be a factor - look up "food desert" and I think there are even some maps for various portions of the country. If you're in a more rural environment and can grow stuff that helps, but a lot of poor people are in more urban areas and that's just not an option.

[Playing with Fire UK]

Jack Munroe who blogs as 'A Girl Called Jack' does a similar thing. Her recipes are amazing and don't have the patronising tone of other websites I've seen.

[kite]

Jack Munroe who blogs as 'A Girl Called Jack' does a similar thing. Her recipes are amazing and don't have the patronising tone of other websites I've seen.

Thanks!  What a genuine find!!!!!
Her response to the whole "poor people don't know how to cook" brouhaha is spot on. 

[Matt_D]

Jack Munroe who blogs as 'A Girl Called Jack' does a similar thing. Her recipes are amazing and don't have the patronising tone of other websites I've seen.

Thanks!  What a genuine find!!!!!
Her response to the whole "poor people don't know how to cook" brouhaha is spot on.

Also thanks, another good recipe blog!

[Playing with Fire UK]

Yep, she is a legend, actually been there and done that. She also writes for the Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/profile/jack-monroe I don't agree with all she says but I like her style and viewpoint, and love the recipes.

[tj]

I think this has been posted here a few times. Some people like it. My own diet is not compatible with most of the recipes there but in general most people would cut their grocery bill in half easily simply staying away from canned, processed, and packaged foods (the middle aisles) and being careful of the quantity of meat they buy.

Id save a ton on groceries if I ate exclusively processed crap.

[Kitsune]

Jack Munroe who blogs as 'A Girl Called Jack' does a similar thing. Her recipes are amazing and don't have the patronising tone of other websites I've seen.

Thanks!  What a genuine find!!!!!
Her response to the whole "poor people don't know how to cook" brouhaha is spot on.

Every recipe I've tried from her blog has been great, and repeated multiple times in our house. HIGHLY recommending. (Especially the peach and chickepea curry. Less than .75 per portion, and YUM.)

I also really appreciate how she specifically states that most of her 'recipes' come from "I have these three things that need to be used, and it seems like they'd go together well in this way". Kind of encourages looking at a recipe and saying 'oh, I have 2 of the 3, but I have another thing that'd probably work instead, let's try'. Also, it means that one recipe with a specific ingredient is usually followed by several more, so that specific ingredient can get a LOT of use. A while back she did a series with chickpea flour, which was great for someone who mostly does gluten-free food (migraine trigger) and didn't want to buy a specialty flour for a single recipe and not use the rest.

[Playing with Fire UK]

Yes!!! My parents always cooked like this (use an item multiple times, base meals on what is in the fridge) and I didn't realise how unusual it is until I spent more time at my friends' houses.

I went to the freezer for ice and there was only ice and vodka in there. Initially I thought this was epic (still do TBH), but I just can't see how there were no vegetables, or leftovers? Or even a frozen microwave meal. When we cooked at her house I would always stop at the supermarket to pick up bits from her list and they were really specific (three chicken breasts, one stick of lemon grass). When we were hungover and could go to the shop for ingredients we 'had' to order takeout. Worse than that we needed to wait until noon when the pizza place opened. How do people live like this?!?!? [BTW this is not a poor rant, she is has a high income and can totally afford to live (although not retire) like this]

I don't often follow recipes, but can always put together a meal, and often trying new variations because of cupboard roulette is a joy. [Advance cupboard roulettte involves opening tins that have lost the label and then deciding what to cook, Master cupboard roulette you just open the tin right over whateve pan you're cooking in]