Author Topic: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?  (Read 19215 times)

GuitarStv

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #50 on: June 08, 2016, 06:39:29 AM »
Ah, a naturopath.  "Doctors" who don't believe in evidence based medicine, and treat their patients via unscientific notions and give unproven diagnosis.   That sheds some light on the matter.

Goldielocks

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #51 on: June 08, 2016, 12:51:22 PM »
Ah, a naturopath.  "Doctors" who don't believe in evidence based medicine, and treat their patients via unscientific notions and give unproven diagnosis.   That sheds some light on the matter.

Yeah,  but the regular system I tried first really sucked.  As I did not have cancer and they told me the internal specailists and other doctors were too busy with important stuff to deal with me....  at least the naturopaths here (some) have licenses and university training with the medical system.

If it helps,  I think she "fired" me as a client when I kept asking "why"... and "Don't you know canola is a very important export for Canada...?"  I am pretty sticky about GMO's and my opinion that they do not cause any health issues, in general... (one may have environmentalist reasons, but no proof for health reasons...)  Well, a different viewpoint from the naturopath's, anyway...  that topic could derail this thread quickly....

At the end of the day, even people with views you don't agree with, may still have some science based medicine, and there is trending now a whole lot of genetic science that says that people from different backgrounds may tolerate foods differently.   Lactose intolerance and Celiac disease, both, vary across genetic populations, for example, that is pretty widely accepted scientifically.



GuitarStv

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #52 on: June 08, 2016, 01:25:00 PM »
The recognition of naturopathy as anything other than quackery is one of the most shameful things that Canada has ever done.  Someone who studies it is as well suited to help you with a medical problem as someone with a doctorate in theology.  It is a very profitable business full of lies, wild and unsupported claims, and guesswork.  It's common for practitioners of this pseudo-science to mix current scientific information with the gobbledygook that they make up in an attempt to sound more legitimate.  Don't confuse naturopathy with science.  They are not intersecting fields.  Don't confuse a license as any sort of legitimacy.

Goldielocks

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #53 on: June 08, 2016, 03:54:54 PM »
The recognition of naturopathy as anything other than quackery is one of the most shameful things that Canada has ever done.  Someone who studies it is as well suited to help you with a medical problem as someone with a doctorate in theology.  It is a very profitable business full of lies, wild and unsupported claims, and guesswork.  It's common for practitioners of this pseudo-science to mix current scientific information with the gobbledygook that they make up in an attempt to sound more legitimate.  Don't confuse naturopathy with science.  They are not intersecting fields.  Don't confuse a license as any sort of legitimacy.

So,  do you have a opinion, then?

I was in your camp, until the naturopath was the only medical doctor to provide me with some actual help.   Then she fired me for not believing in naturopathy.

:-)

Kouhri

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #54 on: June 21, 2016, 12:16:12 AM »
until the naturopath was the only medical doctor to provide me with some actual help.

A naturopath is NOT a medical doctor.

Anyway back on topic I totally plug for a Shepard pie type thing that I often make in winter. Really flavored veggie mince, generous  on the stock and spices and slap some mashed potatoes on top. I lov8e it and really yum.

Also pasta bakes depending on how cheap you can get the pasta.

HappyHoya

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #55 on: June 21, 2016, 06:51:42 AM »
There are lots of Italian dishes that would be great for this. It doesn't have to be all about carbs and cheese, either. Think a simple pasta with a garlic and olive oil sauce, escarole and beans (or be flexible with the greens and mix escarole, spinach--whatever is on sale and in season or that you can pull from the garden). Optionally add  sausages on the pasta or on the side with peppers and onions.

Enchiladas can be intimidating to learn to make but well worth it for meals like this and easy once you get it down. I like the enchilada sauce recipe from the Budget Bytes blog. Tortillas are inexpensive anyway, but you can get great deals when they are on sale and they freeze well. Since recipes usually call for shredded meat it makes the pricier ingrediants stretch further. I like to do a mix of black bean, spinach, and maybe sweet potato enchilada and a chicken and cheese enchiladas. Making your own taco seasoning is also really easy and inexpensive and for whatever reason seems to impress people. Serve a few trays of enchiladas, rice and beans, and a simple salad with romaine, tomatoes, and red onion, and that's a great meal.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2016, 06:53:56 AM by HappyHoya »

2Birds1Stone

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #56 on: June 21, 2016, 06:55:27 AM »
Feed them to each other.

Trudie

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #57 on: June 21, 2016, 02:12:47 PM »
Breakfast for dinner - eggs, roasted potatoes, pancakes (all cheap)
Burrito bowls -- black beans (cook your own in the slow cooker), rice, bulk shredded cheddar (from Costco if possible), a few spices, salsa
Soups

Do you have an option to buy local veg?  Any opportunities to take a load of abundance off a farmer and make beautiful food?  (like tomato pie in tomato season?)

seathink

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #58 on: June 21, 2016, 04:36:24 PM »
Find an international grocer and stock up on bulk spices: Paprika, Curry, Italian, Poultry, etc. Use these to season all the beans/rice/lentil/barley/oats/pasta etc. meals that you will make meals out of by adding to them in-season produce from a wholesaler, or farmer's market leftovers at the end of the day. Go the last 1/2 hour, ask about taking their stuff. Is this for a charity? They may give it to you.

intirb

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #59 on: July 04, 2016, 11:19:39 PM »
Wow - thank you all so much.  These posts are amazing.  I've heard a lot of the standard advice, and of course done a bit of googling, but you folks took this all to the next level - exactly what I was hoping for!  And some of these "basics" are things I've forgotten about - it's true that really simple things like potatoes and oatmeal are great staples for when you get sick of the rice and beans routine.

To answer some questions: it is indeed a non-profit of sorts - charging people wouldn't really be an option, but I might have found someone to donate some fresh vegetables during the year.  For now though, I'm going to focus mostly on making my dollar stretch as much as possible - there are groups that need the donated food in our city way more than we do.  And as for tastes - I don't think anyone here is super picky, though I personally have had a bit of a personal bias against pork products.

Anyway, thanks again!  I'm definitely going to have to get a spreadsheet going and see how many of these I can pull off.

CindyBS

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #60 on: July 05, 2016, 03:42:11 PM »
If it is an actual non-profit with a 501c(3) status and a tax ID - there are several places for free food.  I have gotten the end of day bagels and sweets from Einstein Bros bagels for a non-profit (like a hundred of them).    Pair that with fresh fruit and some eggs and that would be a cheap meal.  Some restaurants and bakeries also do this.

Depending on how much help you have - visiting a U pick place for produce or even getting "seconds" (produce that is ok to eat but cosmetically bad) from a farmer may be a good option to look into.   

bryan995

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Re: How would you feed 50-100 people for as cheap as possible?
« Reply #61 on: July 05, 2016, 03:54:51 PM »
Hmm, with $1200 I would buy:

80 x 50lb bags of rice ($15 each)
22700 grams * 130cal/100gram = 29,510 calories per 50lb bag
29,510 x 80 bags = 2,360,800 calories

Or a more flavorful no-effort option:

800 x Costco Hot Dog + Soda ($1.50 each)
900 calories x 800 meals = 720,000 calories.
+ unlimited refills! =)