Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do they really think we can't add? I have skinless chicken in organic tomato soup, with half a dozen glasses of red wine with water and cranberry juice added. Its definitely less than $9.95 and tastes great. I haven't really been doing any exercise yet weight is stable at 145 lbs. My blood tests are excellent.
Still very confused by this opening post (and unfortunately the OP hasn't been back). Normally in English the way it is written would mean that the recipe is skinless chicken, organic tomato soup, 6 glasses of red wine, water, and cranberry juice. Does not sound appetizing at all, which makes me think the OP simply did not mean it to be "read" that way. (Is the "meal" skinless chicken in organic tomato soup, then the 6 glasses of wine/water/cranberry juice are to drink? That doesn't seem to make sense either. So I am puzzled, as a lot of us seem to be.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanms3030
If you are talking about services like Blue Apron then all of their ingredients are organic, sustainably sourced from local farmers etc etc. So the only comparison would be putting together the same meal from similar ingredients. Put together a meal like that shopping at Whole Foods and I would assume it's going to be close to $10/portion.
Well, except that many of us -- probably most of us -- cannot tell the difference in taste between "regular" chicken that we can get on sale for <$1/lb. at our local grocery store versus the "organic" version that costs 3-4 times as much (at least). I actually started a thread on this because I was really curious if others could taste the difference (I couldn't). Here's that thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/food-...n-organic.html .
Quote:
Originally Posted by katenik
I have considered subscribing to a meal delivery services, as it is possible to for me to save money by doing so (I estimate that it would probably cut my weekly grocery bills in half), but the meals are often very carb-heavy. I prefer to buy high-quality proteins, and don't eat a lot of pasta and potatoes, so the potential savings isn't worthwhile to me.
Really? (And that's a serious question, I am NOT being snarky.) What are you buying that you could SAVE money on the delivery services? (That would imply that your meals normally cost $20/portion?! ) If I think about the meals that I cook at home, the only time I exceed $10/portion is when I have something like prime rib. Other than that, $1-$3/portion is probably more like it (and even less if I have a meatless meal).
BTW, I am NOT saying that the meals through these services are outrageously expensive per se (I understand that the "convenience" factor contributes to the high cost) -- only that they are NOT as cheap as cooking your own meals (which is what the services CLAIM, and which I THINK is the question of this thread). For the vast majority of people who cook their own food (especially those who are cooking for the hypothetical "average family of 4"), I cannot believe that most of their meals cost $10 per portion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanms3030
cheap chicken breast from corporate farms pumped up with hormones and antibiotics swimming in cheap canned soup full of sodium and preservatives doesn't sound like a great way to live. I'll gladly pay a couple of bucks more for something that isn't going to take 10 years off my life
The USDA does not ALLOW added hormones in chicken (or pork), so you are misinformed on that first point. As for the soup, yeah, OK, lots of people HATE the idea of using canned soups for cooking, but geez, many of us use them occasionally with no ill effects at all. The idea that somehow making a meal with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup a couple of times a week will take years off our life is just, well, silly.
In addition, it's not "a couple of bucks" more -- it could be FIVE TIMES the cost per portion ($2 versus $10). Honestly, I don't know too many people who could afford to spend 5 times their "dinner grocery money" just to, what, think they are eating healthier?
Anyway, hopefully the OP will return and clarify the question in his/her opening post ... that "recipe" just doesn't make any sense ...
Most of our meals cost under $5 for both of us. Even steaks, we bought a tri tip at around $3 a pound & sliced it into steaks. So the meat is less than $3 per meal. We make coleslaw, & that is cheap to make & very healthy too. often have it with oil & vingear instead of mayo. Potatoes are cheap too. One portion of fish is often enough between us for a meal, so is one large pork chop. It is not hard to make budget friendly healthy meals.
It's cheaper if you are making a recipe with tons of ingredients. Last time I checked, you can't buy 1 tbsp of fresh basil, 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, 1/4c balsamic vinegar, 1 carrot, etc. I'm not going to buy $30 worth of spices/sauces for a recipe that I don't know if I will even like.
I've crunched the numbers and it's not much more expensive than shopping for a single person/couple. It's when you get into a family where cooking yourself is a better deal.
But seriously, why the criticism? Almost everything in the world is cheaper to do yourself. Who cares?
I have considered subscribing to a meal delivery services, as it is possible to for me to save money by doing so (I estimate that it would probably cut my weekly grocery bills in half), but the meals are often very carb-heavy. I prefer to buy high-quality proteins, and don't eat a lot of pasta and potatoes, so the potential savings isn't worthwhile to me.
Check out home chef, they have low carb options. There's a few companies that have paleo/Mediterranean diet options.
People, are of course free, to cook or not cook. I buy a bottle of hoisin & keep it in the fridge, use it in multiple recipes. I bought a basil plant so I can grab a basil leaf any time. But, if take out or delivery is your thing, then that is fine with me.
It's cheaper if you are making a recipe with tons of ingredients. Last time I checked, you can't buy 1 tbsp of fresh basil, 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, 1/4c balsamic vinegar, 1 carrot, etc. I'm not going to buy $30 worth of spices/sauces for a recipe that I don't know if I will even like.
Well, except many of us have SOME spices, sauces, etc. in our pantry! And of course if you want to be honest, you can't count the ENTIRE cost of, say, a bottle of balsamic vinegar for ONE meal. Most of us would find ways to use that bottle until it is empty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellob
I've crunched the numbers and it's not much more expensive than shopping for a single person/couple. It's when you get into a family where cooking yourself is a better deal.
Well, for me as a single person (as I tried to describe earlier), it is WAY cheaper than $10/meal to cook for myself (I don't make one portion at a time, of course). As I wrote earlier, my meals are probably $1-$3 each, less if I am not having meat (to be honest, that happens only once every couple of weeks).
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellob
But seriously, why the criticism? Almost everything in the world is cheaper to do yourself. Who cares?
I think that (the highlighted portion) is the key: that the services are trying to SELL themselves as being as cheap as cooking for yourself. But for the vast majority of people, that simply would not be true. So false advertising, you know? Not a HUGE deal (most of us simply would not buy those services), but still, deceptive.
It's cheaper if you are making a recipe with tons of ingredients. Last time I checked, you can't buy 1 tbsp of fresh basil, 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, 1/4c balsamic vinegar, 1 carrot, etc. I'm not going to buy $30 worth of spices/sauces for a recipe that I don't know if I will even like.
I've crunched the numbers and it's not much more expensive than shopping for a single person/couple. It's when you get into a family where cooking yourself is a better deal.
But seriously, why the criticism? Almost everything in the world is cheaper to do yourself. Who cares?
My roommate did Blue Apron years ago. LOVED it. She loves to cook, but hates to grocery shop. It was more expensive than doing it herself, but less expensive and healthier than eating out. She particularly enjoyed the way it allowed her to try new things.
Sadly, another friend tried it recently, and it had declined in quality. But yeah, part of the positives for services like Blue Apron is getting to try new things. (We were THRILLED by the tteok in one of the Korean-inspired dishes
Check out home chef, they have low carb options. There's a few companies that have paleo/Mediterranean diet options.
None of the services really appealed to me after I browsed their menus and read customer reviews. Initially, I was attracted to the idea of preparing dinner in 30 minutes or so because I work late, and when I realized that I could also save money, it sounded great. However, after I did a little research, I was really put off by reports of vegetables arriving in various stages of rot, skimpy portions, menus that included too many things I would not eat, etc., so I decided against it. Really, what I need is a personal chef!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
