Linda Watson - Wildly Affordable Organic: Eat Fabulous Food, Get Healthy, and Save the Planet--All on $5 a Day or Less

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Table of Contents

To my husband Bruce for his unflagging support
and willingness to try anything, and to his mother,
Catherine Watson, who showed me that thrift, great food,
and warm hospitality go hand in hand in hand.

Part I

Discovering the Wildly Affordable Organic Life

Introduction

Why Cook for Good?

If youve wanted to eat like it matters but felt you couldnt afford it, Wildly Affordable Organic is for you. Its easy to think that organic or sustainable are code words for too expensive. More people than ever want to eat organic food, and the cost of energy is shooting up like genetically modified corn, but eating green doesnt have to mean eating up all your money. You just need to know what to buy and how to get the most out of it.

Use this book to save money, eat delicious food, and make a differencehelping yourself, your family and community, and your planet. Youre on the right path even if you only use this book like any other cookbook: one recipe at a time. You can gain more value by following the tips for streamlining meals, from shopping and cooking to storing food and washing dishes. You can take big steps toward living the Wildly Affordable Organic life in only twenty minutes a day by following the starter plan, or you can go super-efficient and thrifty on the full seasonal programcooking in one or two big sessions that take about five hours a week, plus a little bit of warming up and cooking each day. This is probably less time than you would spend going to a restaurant, ordering food, waiting to be served, and paying every night. You can afford organic, sustainable ingredients because you use every scrap.

Slow global warming with easy, scrumptious meals cooked from scratch? Lose weight, save money, and save the polar bears at the same time? Yes! Although Wildly Affordable Organic cant do everythingit wont give you a great singing voice or teach you to tangoit will help you harness the power of the plate to make the world better.

Immediate and Lasting Benefits

You see immediate benefits when you live the Wildly Affordable Organiclife.

Save Money

Each seasonal shopping list in WAO shows two sets of prices (page 64). The green prices show how much you can save cooking with mostly organic or sustainably and kindly raised ingredients. The thrifty prices show how to save even more by picking ingredients with a focus on cost.

Green meals average less than $5 a day per person, $4.97 if youre counting pennies (and who isnt?). Thrifty meals average only $3.21 a day. Go all green if you can, all thrifty if you must, or create a mix that suits you. Youll still be using the same wildly good recipes, menus, and cooking sessions. Cooking fresh, seasonal food from scratch saves the average family hundreds or thousands of dollars a year on their grocery bills. Families who currently eat out often will see even bigger savings.

Even when including all the ingredients for three meals a day and a snack, Wildly Affordable Organic meals cost less than the food-stamp allowance in North Carolina, where I track prices. The government will provide up to $5.49 a day per person to help a family of four with no other means to survive. This book shows you how to not just survive but thrive on less than $5 using the green prices. For a family of four, that means having an extra $2.08 a day or $760 a year to splurge.

For a national perspective, look at the USDAs meal plans, which track the cost of eating at home at four levels. The USDAs low-cost plan costs 25 percent more than the Wildly Affordable Organic green meals. The USDAs liberal plan costs a whopping 90 percent more, which I call downright extravagant. A family of four would save $6,500 a year switching from the USDA extravagant plan to the WAO green prices.

Want to go lower? WAOs thrifty prices average only $3.21 a day. Save $2.28 a day compared to the North Carolina food-stamp allowance and $1.57 compared to the UDSAs own thrifty plan, its lowest level. A family of four would save over $9,000 a year switching from the USDA extravagant plan to the WAOs thrifty prices!

Whats more, these prices show worst-case scenarioswith no coupons, membership clubs, stocking up on sale items, or homegrown vegetables. The prices even include extra food to supplement the Something from Nothing recipes (page 191). So clip a few coupons, stock up during sales, buy ice cream peaches (page 35), and feed your Stoup (page 198) to rack up even more savings.

What do these numbers mean to you? Although the prices in your community may be a little higher or a little lower, you still save loads of money. Thats true even if you already cook most meals at home. See the savings in your grocery bills from week one. Watch for savings in your medical bills too, as eating fresh fruits and vegetables plus plenty of whole grains and beans pays off in improved health. My advisers, readers, and students say that the Wildly Affordably Organic life is healthy, realistic, and kid friendly.

Eat Well

Saving money doesnt mean subsisting literally on peanuts. Youll be cooking fresh, seasonal food thats so delicious that youd want to eat this way even if a budget was the last thing on your mind. From the first time you smell homemade bread baking in the oven or dish up fresh peach ice cream, youll wonder why you ever ate any other way. Eating with the seasons gives you maximum flavor and built-in variety. Even asparagus, strawberries, and blueberries are affordable when purchased at their peak.

A tasty, satisfying breakfast puts a smile on your face and fuels your day. Wake up to peanut butter on toasted homemade bread, blueberry pancakes with eggs, sweet raisin flatbread, oatmeal, and homemade yogurt.

For maximum family appeal, many lunches and dinners feature healthy versions of dishes familiar from eating out, such as pizza, burritos, spicy Asian noodles, and chili. Enjoy a variety of pasta with homemade sauces, bean stews, and roasted or baked dishes.

Lots of fruit and whole grains make the scrumptious desserts nutritious too. Dig into strawberry shortcake, peach ice cream, blueberry pie, oatmeal-raisin cookies, carrot cake, pudding, and chocolate upside-down cake.

Make a Difference

Cooking efficiently and eating fresh, seasonal food really do let you make the world a better place.

On a personal and family level, youll create a welcoming home full of the smells and tastes of terrific foodand youll set the example of healthy eating. Wildly Affordable Organic will reduce your whats for dinner? stress with dozens of tips and tools, from the seasonal menus and shopping lists to ways to cook ahead and reduce dishwashing. Serving less sugar and fewer processed foods to your family will make them calmer and more focused. And youll lose weight and feel better by eliminating trans fats, preservatives, and artificial anything from your diet.

Gain confidence by learning to cook on a very low budget to help you through any tough times. Make your kitchen a family space where kids learn the fascinating transformations of cooking and develop skills they will need when they have their own kitchens. You might learn something from them too: its easier to have a heart-to-heart talk at home than at McBurger.

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