Sliders
I really like burgers for dinner: they are such as easy, fun, and satisfying meal. So I was hoping I could fit them into the budget now that we are being conscious of how much our meals are per serving. I have been in the mood for sliders lately so I picked up some dinner rolls and ground beef and my favorite sweet potato fries. There is no recipe here, I formed 2 pounds of ground beef into 16 mini patties and cooked them on the stove-top. We set out the toppings and made the fries and dinner was ready.
Cost Analysis:
- 16 dinner rolls: $4.98
- 2 lb grass fed beef: $9.99
- 4 slices American cheese: $1.25
- frozen sweet potato fries: $3.39
- Total cost for 6 servings: $19.61 or $3.27 per serving
And whoa was it expensive once I ran the numbers. I did learn a few things though. First, the pre-cut julienned sweet potato fries and pre-made dinner rolls were the budget busters. Homemade dinner rolls and whole, fresh sweet potatoes would have actually brought this meal down into the recession category. Second, for $20 I treated a family of six to sliders and fries in about 15 minutes. So, really, we did better than if we had hit a drive thru both nutritionally and budget-wise. Sometimes it is worth a little extra to have a quick meal ready when your fingers start to reach for the car keys. Of course if I had extra dinner rolls stashed away in the freezer or the inclination to chop up a sweet potato, I would be ahead of the game with this meal.
Posted in Fast, Snacks/Appetizers
March 20th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Yes but homemade might have required more energy from the oven to make and brought you to the same amount. I think you did good.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
When they are so small, it makes me think I can have 2, or maybe like 6! They look yummy
March 21st, 2009 at 8:10 am
I love sliders…mini food makes me weak in the knees.
Now, can you make a version of crab cake sliders that’s recession friendly? I think I’d consider worshiping you if that were the case.
Oh, and the paper’s finished. It was on banning fast food restaurants in “food deserts.” I think it’s impossible for me to write a paper that’s not on food by now…
March 21st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I love your cost analysis feature – so helpful!
These sliders look delish!
March 21st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I love burgers. Your sliders look so tasty. We’re doing burgers on the grill tonight and homemade fries.
Glad you’re back; I was beginning to miss you. Love your site.
March 21st, 2009 at 7:13 pm
$5/lb for grass fed ground beef? Where do you get it? (And adding bacon always makes a burger better. Looks delicious)
March 21st, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I love Hawaiian rolls.. I never thought of using them on burgers…. but I will from now on. My husband makes the best breakfast sandwiches with them using spicy sausage and American cheese… delicious.
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I’m all about the economics of food. Local fresh and less pain on the pocket book
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Mmm burgers. I’ve decided they’re one of my favorite foods, now that I only make them at home and I make them medium rare, dang it! So good.
Buying the pre-made stuff can eat into the budget, but yes, you definitely came out a winner overall. And you got to stress over dinner so little, that’s priceless!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 am
very interesting analysis. i am loving your cooking-the-recession series. it’s amazing how making bread or using potatoes from scratch can make such a big difference cost-wise. it is, however, as you mention, important to weigh “life minutes.”
Those sliders look awesome!
March 25th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Those look AWESOME!
March 25th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I am a huge burger fan! You did great, and you never would have had the grass fed beef at a drive through! And a healthy dose of Vitamin A w/ the sweet potato fries!