Why?
I chose the idea of exploring affordable and healthy eating because it is an issue that many university students struggle with. I am using this project not only to support myself in finding affordable and healthy recipes but also to share my findings with my peers to help them as well.
Free Inquiry Reflection #1
Recipe #1 – Honey Garlic Chicken Pasta w/ Boiled Carrots and Mini Baked Potatoes
Inspiration Recipe by Recipe’s Elite on recipeelite.come – I found this recipe online through personal research of affordable and healthy recipes.
https://recipeelite.com/twisted-pasta-with-honey-garlic-chicken-and-parmesean-cream/
Graphic made on Canva
My Steps
Above is a graphic of most of the steps within my cooking process. I started off by washing and cutting the chicken. I then seasoned it with salt and pepper and browned it in the pan. Following that, I combined the honey, soy sauce and garlic in a pan to simmer. I then added the chicken to coat it in the sauce. While all that was cooking, I had the pasta boiling on the side. While I was waiting for that to cook, I melted the parmesan cheese in the heavy whipping cream. I combined the pasta with the cream sauce and let it simmer. While that was simmering I boiled some carrots and baked some mini potatoes as my side. I served it all up on a plate and put the rest in containers to use as meal prep for the week! I would call this first recipe delicious, affordable, healthy and a success!
What?
For my first recipe I wanted to choose something that was simple but also inexpensive and enjoyable. I also wanted to make sure that I was getting the nutrients I needed.
I chose to do pasta as my first recipe due to popularity. Many people enjoy pasta and I believed that this recipe would appeal to many. With this recipe, it also uses many ingredients that I already had at my house making it more affordable and my spending less.
My Price Break Down
With this recipe I was able to spend less than $30.00. Although that may seem like a lot, this recipe supplied me with 6 meals. If you compare this to an average eating out expense, that is about six times more food you can get for the same price.
Another finding that I came across regards the price of the chicken. Fairway Market is where I decided to go shopping this week as it is a very convenient spot close to campus. I found that they have many meat products that have some money off. Although their expiry may be approaching, the meat is perfect for same day meal prep and makes it more affordable as well.
So what?
What I learned:
- It is more than possible to cook at an affordable price.
- I proved that it is possible to find a recipe that is most cost effective than eating out.
- Cooking from home is not as time consuming as you may think.
- I enjoyed cooking my own food more than I thought I would.
- Eating nutritious foods from home is very possible.
My Struggles:
- I found that my recipe made a lot of dishes. This is something that does not matter to me as I live in a house, however, students living in a more confined space many dishes are not ideal.
- I would like to incorporate more food groups into my dishes.
- Although this recipe was delicious, it was a little time consuming and I would love to find an even quicker recipe for when students are in a time crunch
My Strengths:
- I was able to cook multiple aspects of the meal at the same time. Cooking the chicken, pasta and vegetables all at the same time.
- I feel as that the ingredients were not unrealistic and affordable for the amount of food that was being produced.
- I used vegetables and side ingredients that I already had at my house to avoid excess spending costs.
Now what?
For my next free inquiry entry, I would like to visit another grocery store to experiment with different costs. One of my goals for this project is to make it as affordable as possible for students. Therefore, I want to go to other grocery stores such as Walmart, Thrifty Foods and Save-On-Foods to see and compare their prices with Fairways. I would also like to find a recipe that includes more daily food groups to fuel my body as it needs to be.
Free Inquiry Reflection #2
Recipe #2 – Honey Garlic Salmon w/ Caesar Salad and Mini Baked Potatoes
Inspiration Recipe by Lena Abraham on delish.com – I found this recipe online through personal research specifically around healthy proteins
Graphic made on Canva
My Steps
Above is a graphic of many of the steps that I completed in the order of my cooking process. I started with making my sauce consisting of soy sauce, honey and lemon juice for the glaze on the salmon. I then chopped the garlic to later be chard with the salmon. My next step was to sear the salmon with the skin side up to allow for an initial sear. I then flipped the salmon and added the garlic to char for a few minutes and then add the glaze to allow it to thicken and cover the salmon.
I then started to prep my salad. I washed and dried my lettuce followed by cutting it up and adding it into the bowl. I then added the dressing and added it to the plate. For the mini potatoes, I already had these on hand which added a starch to my meal. I microwaved those for 4 minutes, smashed them, and then added some butter and salt on top. I put it all together on a plate and was ready to enjoy my meal!
What?
With this recipe I wanted to focus on balancing the food groups. Although this may not be the best meal prep recipe, I really enjoyed how balanced the meal was and how good I felt after eating this meal.
This meal brought me to a total cost of $17.58, which I thought was pretty good! With this recipe, it could be produced easily in larger amounts for only a slightly higher price. That being said, the price of this meal was definitely lower than a meal eating out would be. Just the same as my last recipe, I wanted to make sure that I tried to use as many ingredients that I already had in my house to save as much money as possible including the potatoes and the lettuce for the salad.
My Price Break Down
With this recipe I was able to spend under $20.00. I thought that this was a pretty reasonable cost. If you wanted to make this meal larger or for meal prep, an alternative could be buying a larger amount of salmon for a few more dollars or buying salmon that is frozen for a cheaper price as well.
In my last post I wanted to explore using different grocery stores to find the most affordable prices. This week I attempted to try walmart. I found that I was able to get many of my ingredients for around the same price or slightly cheaper here, however, I was not able to get the meat. I had to go back to fairways to find the meat that I needed for my recipe. Although this may have been a little inconvenient, I think that it was worth it for the price I was paid.
So what?
What I learned:
- Using up what you have at home will save you a lot of money
- This recipe was very quick to make, under 20 minutes
- This recipe made my body feel good after as it was very balanced in the food groups.
- I enjoyed the salmon that I made more than I have previously enjoyed it when eating out.
My Struggles:
- Having to go to two different grocery stores to get my ingredients
- The sticky sauce was difficult to get off of the pan
- The price was a little higher than I would have liked considering it only made one meal.
My Strengths:
- I was able to complete all of the cooking and clean up in under 20 minutes.
- I used up what I had at home to save on costs.
- Although the recipe was just for the salmon, I was able to find side dishes that included all food groups and complimented the meal well.
Now what?
For my next free inquiry entry, I would like to try to limit my stores to just one stop. I would also like to continue my goal from the first reflection of try to broaden my stores. Next post I would like to try using Save-On-Foods to see if I can get my ingredients for affordable prices and all that the same place. I would also like to find a recipe using another mixed media online to broaden my use of technology.
Free Inquiry Reflection #3
Recipe #3 – Taco Salad Meal Preparation
Sohonutrition on Tik Tok: Taco Beef Crunch Bowl – 467 kcal and 28g Protein
Inspiration Recipe by Sohonutrition on Tik Tok – I found this recipe on Tik Tok by researching healthy and affordable meal prep recipes.
My Process through video using IMovie
For my third recipe, I wanted to find a recipe that was shown on a different type of media. I found a recipe that was healthy, full of protein, and one that I could adapt to make a large amount of to have as meal prep.
My Steps
This week I decided to show my steps through a video format just like how I found my recipe. The video gives a compilation of my steps and how I completed my recipe!
What?
WIth this recipe I wanted to focus on meal prep. I wanted a recipe that would keep well in the fridge over the week and still be something I would enjoy eating by the end. That being said, I also wanted to have lots of protein in my meal. As someone who is always on the go, I need to make sure that I have meals that are quick and filling at the same time.
I did alter the recipe in the video a little bit to include my preferences and to make a good amount to have successful meal preparations. One serving of this meal provided me with roughly 28g of protein. As someone who struggles with meat intake, this was a great alternative for me. I hope that others who struggle to get a sufficient amount of meat in their diet are inspired to make a dish like this for themselves.
My Price Breakdown
Although this meal was a little more expensive coming in at $30.00, I think it was worth it. The prep provided me with 6 full meals. That means that each meal cost me roughly around $5.00. Which meals that I fed myself a $5 dinner five nights in a row. This meal could also easily be made as one individual meal by cutting the portions down.
In my last post I said that I would want to try Save-On-Foods as my next grocery store. I was able to get all of the groceries that I needed at Save-On-Foods for a reasonable price. I ended up getting a good deal on the meat as well which helped with the price. I have found that it is super important to look for the meat sales. Often, grocery stores have sales on their meat that may need to be used in the next few days. Deals like this are great for university students that are looking for same day affordable meals. As for my next grocery store, I would like to see what Thrifty Foods has to offer.
So what?
What I learned:
- I was able to make 6 meals for $5.00 each which saves a ton of money
- This recipe tasted the same the first and the last day that I ate it which proves that it can last well in the fridge making it convient
- This recipe provided me with ways I can get my sufficient protein intake without purely eating meat.
My Struggles:
- I had to buy more containers to store the food in as I was not used to storing so many different things for a long period of time
- The price seemed like a lot at first, possibly find a way to cut it down even more
- The grocery store was okay for me as I have a car, but may be a little too far for those that have to bus
My Strengths:
- The meal was a fast prep and only took 30 minutes
- I had made myself lunch/dinner for 5 days of the week which saved a bunch of time
- The meal was filling in all of the food groups and provided me with energy to get through the day
Now what?
For my next free inquiry entry, I would like to find another recipe that I am able to meal prep with but have a stronger focus on dinner. I will also continue to try different grocery stores to find the best prices and accessibility. I will try Thrifty Foods as it is very close to the University. I would like to find my next recipe through a TV show or a platform with a professional chef and try some new techniques.
Free Inquiry Reflection #4
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Free Inquiry Reflection #5
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Free Inquiry Reflection #6
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Free Inquiry Reflection #7
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Free Inquiry Reflection #8
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Free Inquiry Reflection #9
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Free Inquiry Reflection #10
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