The $25 Food Project: Day 6

I’m attempting to feed my 6-foot, 205-pound fiancé for one week for $25. This is our story.

First, hi there, folks from BoingBoing! Welcome to Cheap Healthy Good. Hope you like the food.

Second, it’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN, ladies and gentlemen. Day 6 has come and gone, and we’re in cruise control here at the compound. We even have an extra $0.16 left for tomorrow. To the layman, $0.16 sounds like a piddling. In terms of this experiment, we may as well have been handed a lobster. (Um, not really.)

The Husband-Elect, “feels I’ve eaten a lot in the last week. And if I was to keep up these kinds of meals at regular intervals, I would have to exercise to avoid gaining weight. Also, all this peanut butter makes me feel like Mr. Ed – like a horse being forced to look like he’s talking? You know what I mean? That’s what I’m saying.” Deep.

With that, today’s numbers!

DAY 5 TOTALS: 2620 calories, 85.1 g fat, 38.2 g fiber, $3.54
GRAND PRICE TOTAL (SO FAR): $21.27

BREAKFAST
1 1/2 servings Gingersnap Oatmeal: 395 calories, 4.8 g fat, 6.8 g fiber, $0.63
1 banana: 121 calories, 0.4 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, $0.23
TOTALS: 516 calories, 5.2 g fat, 10.3 g fiber, $0.86
PREP TIME: 10 minutes

LUNCH
1/2 serving Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili: 122 calories, 3.3 g fat, 4.6 g fiber, $0.35
1 cup brown rice: 219 calories, 1.5 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, $0.15
1 orange: 62 calories, 0.1 g fat, 3.1 g fiber, $0.25
3 Snickerdoodles: 450 calories, 20.4 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, $0.30
TOTALS: 853 calories, 25.3 g fat, 12.7 g fiber, $1.05
PREP TIME: Made it while cooking breakfast

DINNER
5-oz chicken breast: 156 calories, 1.7 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.53
2 servings Traditional Mashed Potatoes (skim milk): 500 calories, 17.9 g fat, 7.4 g fiber, $0.35
5 ounces roasted carrots: 58 calories, 0.3 g fat, 4 g fiber $0.30
1/2 tablespoon olive oil: 60 calories, 6.7 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.06
1 serving All Recipes Brown Gravy: 90 calories, 8.7 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.06
TOTALS: 864 calories, 35.3 g fat, 11.5 g fiber, $1.30
PREP TIME: 50 minutes - by a long shot, the longest prep period this week

DESSERT
2 tablespoons peanut butter: 190 calories, 16 g fat, 2 g fiber, $0.13
1 piece Light Banana Bread: 197 calories, 3.3 g fat, ~1.7 g fiber, $0.20
TOTALS: 387 calories, 19.3 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $0.33

NOTES

• Today marks the first time I’ve ever made gravy for a non-Thanksgiving occasion. It was way easier than I thought it would be, probably because there wasn’t a 16-pound bird competing for my attention.
• I tried the banana bread/peanut butter combo today. Then I died, went to heaven, found it was lacking banana bread, and came back to Earth.
• Up top is a picture of our Rancor. On Christmas, he wears a hat.