Before I begin, let me preface this post with this:
Few things irk me more than the statement, "I can't afford that." The reason is that it's often less about the person's income and more about their priorities in how they choose to spend it.
Now, I'm not making judgments here; not at all. You have a right to spend your hard earned cash however you wish. But, please don't turn around and say you can't afford how I eat. Especially if you just bought yourself the latest iPhone complete with a $100 monthly contract, which I may very well be able to "afford", but instead carry an old, flip top, track phone so I can "afford" to pay for the food I choose to buy. Personally, if I didn't have little ones dependent on me for their well being and health, I'd have a hard time choosing food over books; I love books... again it's choices, but I digress.
Okay, on with it then...
Main meals like this one, are ideal dishes to serve a small or large family for a negligible difference in price. It's healthy, mostly organic, affordable and delicious. I fed eight people tonight for less than $15. Ease of preparation is also a priority for me often times, and this meal is no exception.
Enchilada Casserole
Enchilada Sauce
1 minced medium onion, minced
3 minced garlic cloves, minced
1.5 qt organic tomato puree (I'm guessing from frozen puree that I had on hand)
2 Tbs chili powder (add more if you prefer it spicy)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
2- 8 ct pkgs gmo free corn tortillas
1 organic bnls chicken breast
1 can organic veg. refried beans
2 cups shredded organic sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked organic brown rice
1 12-16 oz bag of organic frozen corn
In a large pot, stir together the puree, onion and seasonings. Add the chicken and simmer for about 30 minutes. Set aside about 2 cups of the sauce in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and tortillas and heat through, about 5 minutes. Turn the burner off and set pot aside. Cover the bottom of a greased, deep rectangular baking pan with 1 cup of sauce. Arrange 6 tortillas, overlapping each other and the sides of the pan. Spread 3 cups of the mixture onto tortillas, and sprinkle with 1/3 cheese. Repeat with 6 more tortillas, filling, and cheese. Place the last 4 tortillas on top and cover with reserved sauce and the last of the cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Note: If you wish to have "Enchiladas" instead of a casserole; it's totally doable. I find no shame in admitting I don't often like wrapping individual tortillas for 8 people.
If you can't go without a 10 oz. steak at dinner, than eating organic may not be affordable for you. However, if you can get accustomed to a minimal meat diet, organic is doable on most modest incomes.
Other examples of how I feed my family are, adding lentils or beans to a 1/2 lb of organic/ grass fed ground beef for sloppy joes, tacos, etc. Chopping chicken breasts and thighs into pasta and rice dishes, If you really want an individual piece of meat, organic chicken legs are about $2.99 lb. Again, you can't eat 6 of them at that price but you can have 1 or 2. I put broiled and thinly sliced organic chicken or grass fed rib eye steaks over a salad. I also make completely vegetarian dishes 1-2 times per week. A dozen organic eggs cost less than $5 so I can feed my entire family a spinach and onion frittata for under $10. If you can live with these changes most of the time, you'll find you can afford that $14 splurge on organic ground beef for 8 quarter pounders. Yes, I said splurge for $14. I'd be willing to bet you've paid more for a sub-par, antibiotic and toxin filled burger just for the joy of eating out. Again, that's okay. It's your choice... but if you can pay for that, well, then you get my point.
Now, if you are among the 5% or so who truly can't purchase organic, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure you're eating better. First, reduce your consumption of processed foods. Don't try to tell me it takes longer to make oatmeal than eat cereal from a box because I know better. And, as a bonus; organic oats bought in bulk are waaaaayyyy cheaper. They store well in a 5 gallon pail that I keep right in my kitchen. There are actually lots of bonuses to having a pail of oats around... granola/ granola bars, crisp toppings, coffee cakes, NO BAKE COOKIES (yes, I love them!)... Processed foods often cost more, are loaded with allergens and GMO's, and contain more sodium and added sugar than we should be eating anyway. Second, toxins are stored in fats. If you can afford to only buy a few organic items, always let fatty foods take precedence. Another words, buy butter, fatty meats, cheeses, whole milk and cream organic, and stick to the cheaper conventional produce. Lastly, and most important, know what's in your food and how it affects your body. There's no excuse for ignorance with the amount of information available to us.
