Throughout the summer I'm give my girls a challenge that they are actually quite excited about. Create a meal from items purchased at the
dollar store for $5 or less. It has to
feed at least two people and be as nutritious as possible. Spices, oil and salt & pepper are the
only things excluded from the $5.
Everything else they use has to be an item you could purchase at Dollar
Tree. They both eagerly accepted.
My oldest took on
Challenge #1 and selected items to make a breakfast. Hashbrowns, sausage, eggs and fruit. Total spent = $4.
She cooked the
sausages first and drained the fat off into a dish using some of it to cook the
hashbrowns in.
With scrambled eggs |
She used a little
more fat to cook the eggs. She only
needed to use salt and pepper to season the hasbrowns and the eggs.
The fruit was served
as a side dish and while it didn't look all that appetizing it was okay. Her recommendation for next time would be to
select a canned fruit like peaches or pineapple.
However she didn't
waste the frozen fruit and used it instead to make a smoothie which she pointed out could've been done with dollar store ingredients as well as they sell
both milk and yogurt.
With fried eggs |
The thought behind
this is for me to help them prepare for any eventuality. I'm encouraging them to think outside the box
a little bit and challenging them to make a meal with little money and fewer
resources. Because you just never
know. I think she did
great!
What a great idea! Your daughter did a great job. I always use frozen fruit for smoothies. I've tried eating them after defrosting and didn't care for it at all. We love smoothies anyway :)
ReplyDeleteWe like smoothies too. Fresh berries are much better, definitely.
DeleteLove this! The food looks good and you are teaching those sweet girls of yours valuable skills. You mighy enjoy watching "Rhoda Stone" on youtube. She is an older woman who uses a lot of Dollar Tree ingredients to cook with. I enjoy her very much. Also "Living On A Dime" on youtube has a show about whether dollar tree is cheaper, interesting take on things. I have enjoyed your blog for years, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn. I'm familiar with Living On A Dime, but well definitely check out Rhoda. Thanks for that. I think some things at Dollar Tree are a good buy, but not everything is.
DeleteThat is such a great idea! Her breakfast looks very good... except the fruit, lol! I like the idea of a smoothie!
ReplyDeleteTania
The fruit was a little gross, ha, ha.
DeleteLove this
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteThe fruit did not look bad at all. I would have loved it. Well, I hope the eventuality is a long ways off. You do actually want them to be able to feed themselves in a healthy and frugal manner when they do leave home some day. So, this is what mothers should do but don't most of the time. Yours will not have to resort to cereal and milk or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteThe blueberries were fine and the strawberries weren't too bad, but the bananas were a bit slimy. All in all though, not too bad.
DeleteWhat a fun project! Great idea, thrifty Mom! :-)
ReplyDelete- Molly
Thank you Molly. It has been a lot of fun. I love to see their little minds working and figuring things out. So cool!
DeleteShe did great. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tana! :)
DeleteShe did a fantastic job! And, kudos to you for teaching them how (and why) people need this life skill! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you. I'm having a ton of fun watching their minds work and see what they come up with.
Delete