Cheapest Healthiest Dinner competition (Winners)

[Workinghard]

Well, I was going to go with a protein drink to follow the thread but it doesn't qualify based on your post.


15.  Calorie count per person must exceed 800 calories

[Unique User]

This also isn't a recipe, but I want to add that grabbing a frozen utility turkey when they are on sale is one of the best deals going.  From a 10 lb bird ($10 on sale in Canada), I can get many different meals, and should I feel so inclined, I can also top it off with a healthful bone broth.

A single turkey could end up used in the following meals:
- classic turkey dinner (with mashed potatoes, vegetables, gravy)
- turkey sandwiches (with or without gravy)
- turkey panini
- turkey fried rice
- turkey nachos
- turkey enchiladas
- turkey curry
- turkey caesar salad (or other type of salad)
- turkey soup (I like to make mine with ample vegetables, quinoa and a tiny tiny hint of cinnamon)

Turkey dinner can be very elaborate, or you can just stick to the basics, keep it relatively inexpensive and keep the turkey portions relatively modest so you can use the turkey for a greater number of meals.  I would argue that perhaps an even more mustachian endeavour would be to eat smaller meals than 800 calories.  :D

Agree on the turkey.  I picked up four turkeys a couple weeks ago at under 50 cents a pound (can't remember the exact, but think it was around 40 cents a pound)  You might want to think about where you are buying meat if beans are excluded.  I get most of our meat at Sav-a-lot when it is marked at 50% off.  I picked up about 9 pounds of beef and 10 pounds of bone in chicken thighs yesterday.  Beef was $1.50 a pound for beef shanks, $2 pound for beef chuck roast steaks and $2.30 a pound for stir fry beef.  Chicken thighs were 75 cents a pound.  The meats are not grass fed, organic, yadda, yadda, yadda, but we don't drink soda, we eat little to no processed foods and we eat lots and lots of produce. I'd love to eat fish, but we just can't afford it on the budget we've set.  I try to make all our salad dressings, salsa, crackers, hummous, baked goods, etc.  So we although we don't eat the fashionable way, we eat good food with as few additives as we can. 

For the chicken at around $3 for the meal, our favorite is to sear a couple thighs, then put in the crockpot with a bit of green chile sauce and cook on low four hours.  Take the meat off the bone and make Chipotle style rice bowls or burritos for cheap.  Two thighs are 75 cents, tortillas are 50 cents or less, a head of romaine for 70 cents (pack of 3 for $2 at Aldi), couple tomatoes for 60 cents (pack of 6 is $1.69 at Aldi), an onion for 10 cents (bought in bulk and stored in the garage when onions are 79 cents for 3lbs at Aldi), some homemade fire roasted salsa 25 cents (I make homemade from reduced rack tomatoes when 30 cents a pound or less). 

I'll make beef and broccoli this week from the stir fry beef.  One pound beef is $2.30, head of broccoli on sale at Aldi for 79 cents a pound, one onion 10 cents, some soy sauce and spices for 10 cents and a cup of rice for 30 cents.  Total $3.59. 

I picked up some pork chops a couple weeks ago for $2 a pound, we will have those this week also for a meal cost of $3.29.  Roasted cauliflower on sale at Aldi for 89 cents each, roasted carrots and onions about 35 cents (60 cents a pound at Aldi) and some cinnamon apples on the side (maybe 5 cents, we picked apples at a cabin we stayed in over the summer, a sign left at the cabin told guests to pick and take as many apples as they wanted.  It was the end of the summer and there were six trees with tons of apples, so we brought home four grocery sacks of apples, peeled and froze them all)

[Bob W]

This also isn't a recipe, but I want to add that grabbing a frozen utility turkey when they are on sale is one of the best deals going.  From a 10 lb bird ($10 on sale in Canada), I can get many different meals, and should I feel so inclined, I can also top it off with a healthful bone broth.

A single turkey could end up used in the following meals:
- classic turkey dinner (with mashed potatoes, vegetables, gravy)
- turkey sandwiches (with or without gravy)
- turkey panini
- turkey fried rice
- turkey nachos
- turkey enchiladas
- turkey curry
- turkey caesar salad (or other type of salad)
- turkey soup (I like to make mine with ample vegetables, quinoa and a tiny tiny hint of cinnamon)

Turkey dinner can be very elaborate, or you can just stick to the basics, keep it relatively inexpensive and keep the turkey portions relatively modest so you can use the turkey for a greater number of meals.  I would argue that perhaps an even more mustachian endeavour would be to eat smaller meals than 800 calories.  :D

Agree on the turkey.  I picked up four turkeys a couple weeks ago at under 50 cents a pound (can't remember the exact, but think it was around 40 cents a pound)  You might want to think about where you are buying meat if beans are excluded.  I get most of our meat at Sav-a-lot when it is marked at 50% off.  I picked up about 9 pounds of beef and 10 pounds of bone in chicken thighs yesterday.  Beef was $1.50 a pound for beef shanks, $2 pound for beef chuck roast steaks and $2.30 a pound for stir fry beef.  Chicken thighs were 75 cents a pound.  The meats are not grass fed, organic, yadda, yadda, yadda, but we don't drink soda, we eat little to no processed foods and we eat lots and lots of produce. I'd love to eat fish, but we just can't afford it on the budget we've set.  I try to make all our salad dressings, salsa, crackers, hummous, baked goods, etc.  So we although we don't eat the fashionable way, we eat good food with as few additives as we can. 

For the chicken at around $3 for the meal, our favorite is to sear a couple thighs, then put in the crockpot with a bit of green chile sauce and cook on low four hours.  Take the meat off the bone and make Chipotle style rice bowls or burritos for cheap.  Two thighs are 75 cents, tortillas are 50 cents or less, a head of romaine for 70 cents (pack of 3 for $2 at Aldi), couple tomatoes for 60 cents (pack of 6 is $1.69 at Aldi), an onion for 10 cents (bought in bulk and stored in the garage when onions are 79 cents for 3lbs at Aldi), some homemade fire roasted salsa 25 cents (I make homemade from reduced rack tomatoes when 30 cents a pound or less). 

I'll make beef and broccoli this week from the stir fry beef.  One pound beef is $2.30, head of broccoli on sale at Aldi for 79 cents a pound, one onion 10 cents, some soy sauce and spices for 10 cents and a cup of rice for 30 cents.  Total $3.59. 

I picked up some pork chops a couple weeks ago for $2 a pound, we will have those this week also for a meal cost of $3.29.  Roasted cauliflower on sale at Aldi for 89 cents each, roasted carrots and onions about 35 cents (60 cents a pound at Aldi) and some cinnamon apples on the side (maybe 5 cents, we picked apples at a cabin we stayed in over the summer, a sign left at the cabin told guests to pick and take as many apples as they wanted.  It was the end of the summer and there were six trees with tons of apples, so we brought home four grocery sacks of apples, peeled and froze them all)

.       Nice work.   I do canned mackeral for fish.

[Bob W]

For the record "wheat" hasn't been made from actual wheat for something like 3 decades.  It has the same glycemic value as sugar and a host of other issues.

So what are the fields of wheat I see around me being grown for? Remember I am from Australia where the meat eats grass rather than grain, so don't say that it is for feeding animals. And my packets of flour say that they are 100% wheat.

All readers please skip this post if you have no interest in the wheat is unhealthy thinking. 

Does your oil say "vegetable" as well in Australia?  It does in the US.  Funny but it is made entirely of heat treated and chemically processed GMO Soy Beans.  Not a veggie one!   There is also no such thing as a "Canola" plant by the way.   Canola is made from Rape seed oil which is basically inedible and was used to make mustard gas.  It is highly chemically processed and high heat treated.  It is legal to sell it in the US only because the Canadian's primed the pump with lots of cash and got it approved as Generally Accepted As Safe.  It is not.  I'm hoping they don't sell that crap in Austrailia?

Not wishing to get into a big debate regarding so called "wheat" and as I said I do eat it but would rather find better options for this challenge.   

Those without an interest skip ahead here -----

The stuff you're seeing grown in the fields is generally a product of the Monsanto Corporation (from my hometown of St. Louis Missouri, USA).  Probably 95% of it world wide is.   It is called Round Up Ready Wheat.  It has been genetically modified to the extent that it resembles wheat in the same realm that spider monkeys resemble humans.  (would you want your daughter to date a spider monkey?)  Any wheat farmer over the age of 65 can tell the difference literally a mile away.

The Round Up Ready stuff has a Glycemic Index as high as liquid glucose.   The introduction of this food like product and it's sister High Fructose Corn Syrup correlates so strongly with the obesity epidemic that causation is indicated.  (and causation of numerous other modern diseases such as diabetes)   The Round Up Ready wheat is similar to the original wheat but it can't really be called wheat anymore than a spider monkey can be called human.  The proper label should read -"Genetically Engineered Food Like Product Made From Grain Like Organisms that have not been tested on humans."

Sorry for the rant everyone - For those that are interested take at look at Wheat Belly or pretty much any books or sites on paleo diets.   Lots of data and facts presented.   You can also check marksdailyapple.com (an MMM favorite site) for lots of success stories getting healthy and curing diabetes by dropping wheat.

Now back to the Cheap Healthy Meal segment!  And thanks to all for taking the time to share.  I'm learning lots.

Can you provide evidence for what you are saying here? For example that 95% of the wheat grown is round up ready wheat, that it has a glycemic index similar to glucose?

I can certainly see the argument about limiting carbs from the diet especially empty calories, but I don't think scare tactics should be used.  this is what Snopes says on the topic.
http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/roundupwheat.asp

Roundup ready wheat has not been approved for use (it is not in the commercial food supply). There has been 2 cases of it found in US grain, but no widespread use, as it is not been approved for use.
http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2014/15663-usda-investigates-roundup-ready-gm-wheat-found-growing-in-montana

. Sure could but that is a whole other thread. 

[DollarBill]

Nice work.   I do canned mackeral for fish.

I buy frozen Pollock for $1.99 a pound. They also use Pollock for Imitation crab meat and surprisingly they do kind of taste like crab IMO. I make them into crab cakes and I can't tell the difference. Sometimes I just poach it dip it into butter. 

[Zikoris]

How about just the claim that 95% of the wheat in the US is Roundup Ready, a product that was never approved for use in your country? Surely that wouldn't take a whole thread to demonstrate.

[Bob W]

How about just the claim that 95% of the wheat in the US is Roundup Ready, a product that was never approved for use in your country? Surely that wouldn't take a whole thread to demonstrate.

.  My mistake,  had my corn confused with my wheat.   

[deborah]

Three recipes we have for dinner done in the sandwich press:

Zucchini Balls (This is originally a Turkish recipe)

zucchinis (lots - at least 6 reasonably large ones)
3 tablespoons flour (any sort that takes your fancy - buckwheat, quinoa, wheat...)
2 eggs
feta cheese or cottage cheese - not much

Mince or grate the zucchinis. Drain all the juice from the zucchinis (takes about 15 minutes). Beat the eggs and add the zucchini cheese and flour.

The original recipe gets you to take spoonfuls of the mixture, roll them in breadcrumbs and deep fry the balls

Instead, I use my sandwich press and take spoonfuls of the mix and put them into the sandwich press and cook for at least half an hour - no crumbs, no oil.

This can be converted to carrot balls, pumpkin balls, and can have whatever meat you like in it as well. You can also use more cheese. Depending upon what is on sale, it will definitely cost less than specified, and has no ingredients in it that you don't want. We are having these for dinner tonight, with enough left over for several days for lunch, as we are currently in the midst of a zucchini glut (courtesy of our vegetable garden) at our place. This is a great recipe as it uses even the biggest zucchinis, which are usually cheaper.

Omonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) for 3 people
1/4 Cabbage
2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour (buckwheat or rice would be more traditional than wheat)
whatever else you want to put into it - a bit of meat, shrimp, a bit of japanese pickle...

Shred the cabbage. Beat the eggs and add the flour. Add the cabbage and anything else. Put 1/3 into the sandwich press and cook for 15 minutes.

Again, cabbage is always cheap, and you can add whatever to flavour it and make it into the dinner you want.

Rosti (Swiss Pancakes)
Enough potatoes
Whatever you want to add - bacon, capsicum... Something with fat in it is required.

Grate the potatoes. Cut up the other ingredients to a similar size to the potatoes. Mix it all together. Put a serve into the sandwich press and cook for 15 minutes.

Normally these are cooked in butter in a fry pan. In that case I don't add a fat ingredient, but it needs some fat in the mix if it is done in the sandwich press.

Note that I don't add salt when I am cooking. You may need salt.

[Hannah]

Made this yesterday or I would have forgotten.

Char Siu or Chicken BBQ (Adapted from Well Fed by Melissa Jouwlwan)

The great hint in this one is to use applesauce as a sweetener rather than brown sugar. It's crazy delicious and I make it with chicken quarters frequently (approx $.95/lb or the suggested pork shoulder when I can get it at $1.19/lb)

4 lbs meat (boneless pork shoulder or chicken quarters)

Marinade:
1/2 c soy sauce (subsitutes are 3/8c chicken stock + 1/8 c fish sauce or 1/2c coconut aminos)
1 date (de-pitted I've substituted with raisins and it was just fine)
5-6 cloves garlic
1/4 C applesauce
1t vinegar
3T Sunflower seeds or almonds or walnuts (or 1T nut butter- I don't eat nut butters)
1T Sesame Oil
1t crushed red pepper flakes
1 inch ginger root peeled
1t Chinese Five Spice
"Enough" pepper maybe a few shakes
*Optional additional spices are cumin and turmeric- I love them so much that it's tough for me to imagine the flavor without them, but I am referencing the original recipe and realized they are uncalled for, so I guess I started using them when I was out of Chinese five spice and I've never looked back.

Using a food processor blend the marinade together until it's pretty smooth.
*Reserve 1/2 cup for glaze!!!!!
Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken or pork and set in the fridge for several hours. Overnight is just fine.

Glaze:
1/2 Cup of reserved glaze
Can of tomato paste
1/3 C of apple sauce
1T vinegar
(if you do corn products add a bit of cornstarch 1/2t)

While you roast meat, pour into a sauce pan and heat on medium until sauce begins to thicken (10 minutes on my stove YMMV)

Heat oven to 300F
Bake meat in foil covered pan for 20 minutes
Remove foil and bake for 45 more minutes (Start glaze with about 5 minutes remaining in this portion)
Turn on broiler and broil meat for about 8 minutes until meat is brown
Add glaze neatly to meat
Broil 5 more minutes (or less you don't want that glaze to burn)
Allow it to cool about 10 minutes before attempting to slice or eat.

Serve with stir fried green beans or broccoli and rice.

Approximately $10 for 10 servings including the sides

[DollarBill]

I like the idea using applesauce, I'll have to dabble around with it.

[Zikoris]

  My mistake,  had my corn confused with my wheat.

So is wheat back in the running for the contest, or does it still lose points? :)

[iwasjustwondering]

If you soak organ meat in buttermilk for a few hours, it removes some of the gamey taste.  I saw it on Chopped.

[MsPeacock]

I don't eat Paleo, but does buckwheat count as wheat?

This is my favorite recipe of all time, and I don't like it as much with rice noodles as soba noodles.

Loaded Ramen That won't kill You (For 4 at 800 calories)

Ingredients:
1/2 Roasted Chicken Meat/Skin Picked From Bones ($2.5)
1 Quart Chicken Stock ($.25)- Please use homemade
3 Carrots Jullienned ($.30)
1 Red Onion Thinly Sliced ($.1)
4-5 Cloves Of Garlic Minced ($.1)
2T Fish Sauce ($.4)
2T Sriracha ($.1)
4 Eggs Hardboiled with a runny center ($.6)
Soba Noodles (about 1/2lb) ($1.5)
Cilantro (Half bunch)- ($.5)
3T Fat of your choice

1. Heat fat in a large soup pan, and saute onion/garlic
2. Add stock, Sriracha, Fish Sauce, Chicken and carrots, bring to a medium boil
3. Add Soba Noodles and cook until done (usually 12 minutes)

Garnish with eggs and cilantro plus more Sriracha to Taste

Also delicious with sausage rather than chicken, and the most delicious with beef/beef broth but I can't get beef cheap enough.

I am a huge fan of something very similar - Ramen + runny  fried egg + teriyaki sauce (homemade) + veg + Siracha = YUM. Meat, tofu, or whatever can also be fried-up and added as wanted. Makes a decent fast fake bi bim bop w/ noodles instead of rice. Fast and cheap dinner that can be made w/ just about any veggie and meat that are on hand. I like to add a very large handful of spinach or lettuce to the bowl and pour the soup over it, which cooks the greens up just perfectly.



... might go make me some right now...

[deborah]

As buckwheat isn't even a grain (it is a relative of rhubarb), it should be in.

[DollarBill]

I love making a Breakfast casserole when I have to cook for a group of people. Make it the night before and just stick it in the oven in the morning.

In a 13x9 pan or dish. Oil the pan,  Break up bread in in the pan, you can use old crusty bread. Brown some breakfast sausage, onions, green peppers, and what ever floats your boat (like jalapenos, chorizo, or other veggies). Crumble this over the bread. Mix about 8-9 eggs and drizzle over the bread then put a layer of cheese. Cover over night. In the morning just stick it into the oven @350 for about 35-40 mins. It's hard to mess up and comes out tasty and cheap...maybe $5-6 for about 8-10 servings.

[Goldielocks]

Here is something different, when you are craving a hearty English pub night:  -->  no frou frou veggy and lentils LOL.

Egg and Bacon Pie
      --}. (OK it is aus. not full British, but general idea)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/egg_and_bacon_pie_09677

Replacing the flour with pricier gluten free flour, should still only cost about $1 per serving (6 person large serving well over 800 calories) for certain. 
Pastry is good for that - cheap and calorie dense.

Add corn (fresh) or peas or chopped cooked veggies like spinach, carrots, onion, etc.
I have made this a few times and the pastry is impressive at a buffet party.

[kkbmustang]

Not sure what time zone rules for this contest, but I just came across this thread, it's 11:34 in Dallas and I love a good contest, so I'll play. But, I just got back from a work related dinner for my spouse, am exhausted and will not be getting up from bed to consult anything about anything. I'm winging it here -- off the top of my head. Also, my family consists of two people with celiac and two with severe gluten intolerance. No wheat in our house. Also, we belong to an organic CSA and buy our beef, chicken and eggs from a local farmer (grass-fed, free range, yada yada yada). If we need anything else we shop at Aldi and the farmer's market. We cook what's in our boxes based on what's in season. I've learned to be adaptable in my cooking.

Here are examples of meals I've cooked lately. But I honestly don't know what the calorie counts are because we don't count calories. Meat is used as a garnish and for flavor. The majority of our plates are taken up by produce.

Meal 1- $8.20 total, serves 4 for dinner with leftovers for lunch AND spin-off meals.
Roast chicken, roasted veggies and fresh fruit

Take a whole chicken (4 pounds), rub the outside with whatever seasonings we have on hand and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Put a lemon sliced in half inside the cavity. Can also insert garlic cloves and a couple tablespoons of butter between the skin and meat on the top. Bake on 375 for an hour or until the thermometer gets up to 160-180 degrees.
Chicken (We pay a lot more than $.99/lb, but you can get one on sale) $4.50
Spices $.20 (?)
Lemon $.20
Garlic $.05
Olive oil, butter $.15

Dice whatever veggies you have - white/gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, parsnips, carrots, mushrooms, etc. I usually fill up a mixing bowl with the raw veg and when I put it on a cookie sheet or roasting pan, it's hard to fit them all in a single layer. Sometimes I do two sheets/pans. I put them in the oven with the chicken for the last 30 minutes. Based on Aldi prices, I guesstimate this would be about:
4 -6 potatoes/sweet potatoes $.30
Broccoli/Cauliflower (half of a head each) $.80
Carrots $.25
Zucchini $.25
Juice of lemon $.20
Olive oil $.10
Spices $.20
Mix everything in big bowl, then lay on baking sheet. Flip veggies at halfway mark. If you like them crispy on the outside, crank up the oven to 400 for the last ten minutes or so while the chicken is resting on the cooktop.

Fresh fruit, whatever we have, 2 pounds: $1 (orange slices, apple slices with cinnamon, cantaloupe)

This is A LOT of food. Feeds 4 of us for dinner, with leftovers for lunch the next day, AND:
-Carcass of chicken is used to make broth
-Chicken salad sandwiches with leftover meat, usually the white meat
-Creamy Chicken Pasta with remaining bits of chicken, usually the dark meat

Creamy Chicken Pasta $3.16 for four large servings:
-Leftover chicken meat (cost already included above, $0)
-1 package Aldi gluten free pasta ($1.39) or could use quinoa pasta ($2.29 on sale at Tom Thumb)
-1 onion, diced ($.25)
-garlic ($.05)
-olive oil, butter ($.30)
-milk, half& half or almond milk, maybe half a cup ($.20)
-shredded cheddar ($.47 - use a quarter of a block which is $1.89 at Aldi)
-half a bag of frozen peas ($.40)
-spices to taste (salt, pepper, season salt, or adobo seasoning) ($.10)
Sauté onion and garlic in half of the butter/olive oil until carmelized and soft. Add peas, remaining butter/olive oil and cook until peas are warm. Add milk and cheese until melted and a sauce like consistency. Season with salt, pepper and other spices. Stir in chicken and pasta until coated with sauce and warmed through.

This is also good if, instead of chicken, you sauté scallops first, remove from pan, then mix in at the end. Aldi has a package of frozen scallops for $5. Each person gets 3 scallops, IIRC. $8.16 for creamy scallops and pasta. You could also throw in leftover roasted veggies from the night before if you didn't eat them all at lunch.

If you have leftover roasted veggies, use them to make stir fried rice another meal. You'd only need to add a protein (could be leftover chicken) and a few more veggies. $2.05 without protein cost included.
-Frozen peas ($.40)
-olive oil or coconut oil, ($.15)
-garlic ($.05)
-diced onion ($.25)
-diced bell pepper ($.50)
-diced spicy pepper (hatch green chile) ($0.05)
-juice of lemon or lime ($.20)
-tamari/soy sauce ($.05)
-1 cup dry rice ($.40)

The broth can be used to make any rice for exceptional flavor and additional calories.

Also, the most amazing marinade for beef or chicken:
Equal parts soy sauce/tamari and either frozen limeade or fresh lime juice.

[Goldielocks]

Okay!  We need a verdict.

Who won?

[Bob W]

Okay!  We need a verdict.

Who won?

Goldielocks -- wish I had time to pick.  My computer was down yesterday and I'm playing catch up today.     How about you pick one that most closely resembles the original rules?   (Many of them did not)   

[Goldielocks]

Ha ha good try. Unfortunately, your rules don't match my eating habits, so I would make a disappointing choice.

I can wait a few days. Grin.

[deborah]

Let's say the end of next week - he probably needs to try a couple!

[Unique User]

One more.  Found a spiral sliced ham on mark down for 99 cents a pound, a 10 pound ham produced 8 meal portions and a bone for making soup.  Dinner tonight was ham ($1.25) with whole grain mustard (15 cents, found $1 jars at Aldi on clearance), green beans (75 cents, on sale for 99 cents a pound) and green onion and cheddar drop biscuits (maybe $1 max for all the ingredients) = $3.15 for three people. 

[mm1970]

Ooh, this is an exciting challenge and one that got me pretty excited...until I saw 75c and 800 calories.  Man I'm out.

I'm good, but I'm not that good.

I will enjoy reading the thread for other great ideas though.

On a side note, I made a great stew tonight with carrots, onions, peppers, canned tomatoes, celery, sausage, garlic, beans (though you could leave them out or sub potatoes - I've made it with potatoes before) and some extra rendered pork fat.  Because my sausage was from a local pig (and hence, $10 a pound), it doesn't meet your cost criteria, but you could buy your sausage for a better price.

Nice little layer of fat on the top, has to come close to 800 calories.  Could throw it over some rice?

[Hannah]

I really love some of the suggestions that I am getting from this thread:

Here's another one that I made that this weekend Coq Au Vin (Chicken in Red wine): http://www.paleofondue.com/2014/04/03/coq-au-vin/

It's too long to write out the recipe, so you will have to  check out the link but it's chicken braised in Red Wine. The only adaptation to this one is that after step 6, instead of using tapioca flour, just take the contents of the pan out, turn up the heat for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, and the return the contents to the pan to heat it prior to serving. This is much better and avoids the use of a weird ingredient which I would never buy due to the word tapioca.

Approximate cost for me is about $9 for 8 generous servings when using chicken quarters ($.95/lb), on sale bacon $3/lb and 3 buck chuck (half a bottle =$1.50), and a single shot of cheap whiskey (not a 1/4 cup as suggested). I pair with rice (or french bread, but not in this competition), and a green salad to round out the calories.

[mm1970]

Okay, I came close!  This assumes most ingredients purchased on sale.  I didn't know how to add in pork fat because I just save it from other dinners.  Like chicken stock.

[dantownehall]

Beans may or may not be healthy.  They are just a poor substitute for animal sourced proteins. 

Eating beans is actually one of the best ways to give yourself a chance at a longer life - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15228991.

[OldDogNewTrick]

Grab two big turkey legs out of your smoker, (hickory smoked and seasoned very generously with Adobo). Separate meat from bone and sautee with a bit of olive oil and a whole diced sweet onion in a largish pot with cover. Take a big bag of shredded collards and cutting the top of the bag fill with cold water from the tap. Swish around to clean and carefully pour water out of bag. Add still dripping collards to pot with turkey and onion. Salt and cook for at least 2 hours. Add chicken stock to make it as soupy as you prefer. Serve over white rice with a generous amount of pot liquor and hot sauce.

[Goldielocks]

Grab two big turkey legs out of your smoker, (hickory smoked and seasoned very generously with Adobo). Separate meat from bone and sautee with a bit of olive oil and a whole diced sweet onion in a largish pot with cover. Take a big bag of shredded collards and cutting the top of the bag fill with cold water from the tap. Swish around to clean and carefully pour water out of bag. Add still dripping collards to pot with turkey and onion. Salt and cook for at least 2 hours. Add chicken stock to make it as soupy as you prefer. Serve over white rice with a generous amount of pot liquor and hot sauce.

Assuming this is at or under $1.00 per serving and over 800 calories,  this would be my winner's choice..   (rice was permitted in the calorie count?)

[OldDogNewTrick]

Grab two big turkey legs out of your smoker, (hickory smoked and seasoned very generously with Adobo). Separate meat from bone and sautee with a bit of olive oil and a whole diced sweet onion in a largish pot with cover. Take a big bag of shredded collards and cutting the top of the bag fill with cold water from the tap. Swish around to clean and carefully pour water out of bag. Add still dripping collards to pot with turkey and onion. Salt and cook for at least 2 hours. Add chicken stock to make it as soupy as you prefer. Serve over white rice with a generous amount of pot liquor and hot sauce.

Assuming this is at or under $1.00 per serving and over 800 calories,  this would be my winner's choice..   (rice was permitted in the calorie count?)

I think it meets the requirements under these assumptions: (1) the turkey legs come from a whole turkey that was purchased on sale for $.40 to $.60 lb. (2) the rice was purchased wholesale from Costco/Sam's Club and (3) the chicken stock was home-made from leftover chicken carcass, limp celery stalks, carrot ends about to be discarded, roadside stand onions, and odd nubs of ginger, (my chicken stock secret ingredient), funky garlic cloves and lots of water, (boil and strain). The key to any economical recipe is very few ingredients.

Now a single serving = 800 calories... not certain about that. Might have to throw in some leftover bacon rinds to drive the calorie count up.

[Bob W]

And the winner is!   

You're all winners silly ---- Thanks to everyone for sharing!

My personal one from today.

1/4 lb chicken breast with skin (on sale for $1 pound),  1 lb mashed potato (on sale 88 cents 5 lbs),  1/3 bag frozen broccoli.  (33 cents)   butter and olive oil 15 cents, salt pepper.

Total cost about $1,  calories about 800.  Pretty healthy

Try this eating trick --- between each bite set your fork down and chew each bite 15-20 times. 

Thanks again everyone!