Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Dollar Store Cuisine - Challenge #1



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!


16 comments:

  1. 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 :)

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    1. We like smoothies too. Fresh berries are much better, definitely.

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  2. Love 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!

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    1. Thanks 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.

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  3. That is such a great idea! Her breakfast looks very good... except the fruit, lol! I like the idea of a smoothie!

    Tania

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  4. The 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.

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    1. The blueberries were fine and the strawberries weren't too bad, but the bananas were a bit slimy. All in all though, not too bad.

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  5. What a fun project! Great idea, thrifty Mom! :-)

    - Molly

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    1. Thank you Molly. It has been a lot of fun. I love to see their little minds working and figuring things out. So cool!

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  6. She did a fantastic job! And, kudos to you for teaching them how (and why) people need this life skill! :-)

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    1. Oh, thank you. I'm having a ton of fun watching their minds work and see what they come up with.

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