Good Nutrition on a Low Budget

Running head: Good Nutrition on a Low Budget

Good Nutrition on a Low Budget

Cindy Yee

Comm/215

Instructor: Harriet Marriner

October 24, 2005

Good Nutrition on a Low Budget

Can a single person have good nutritional meals on a low budget? During one of my lunch breaks at work, I went to walk with John (the name has been changed), a co-worker. We usually walk for twenty minutes and John goes to fast food restaurant McDonald or Kentucky Fired Chicken to buy lunch on the way back to work. The average fast food lunch cost him $7.00 per meal. On this particular day, John wanted a healthy salad for lunch. We walked to a nearby Safeway and went to the salad bar. He picked up a container and packed it with lettuce, broccoli, baby carrots, pitted black olives, chicken, tuna, cheese, and egg. I was shocked when I found out that the price was $11.00. Ð'ÐŽÐ'§Wow!Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ё I exclaimed. Ð'ÐŽÐ'§$11.00? I can feed a family of four if I prepare my own meals.Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ё John said, Ð'ÐŽÐ'§What can I do? I do not have time to fix healthy meals.Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ё I see that John needs help. He spends too much money on a meal and maybe consumes too many calories. In this problem solving essay, I will show how a busy single person can save money, save time, and consume less calories by preparing meals at home.

John currently spends $8.00 for lunch which adds up to $240.00 a month. If John prepares his own lunch, he will save his hard earned money. If John can cook some of his meals ahead to store in the freezer for easy preparation later during the week. The following menus are simple lunches for a week.

Rice and stir fried vegetable with chicken. Ingredients including: chicken, broccoli, baby carrots, onion, and rice; the total cost of the meals for five meals is $12.85Ð'ÐŽXit is only cost $2.57 per meal.

John can also buy the following ingredients to make garden salad: a bag of romaine lettuce, a bag of spinach, a box of small tomatoes, 2 peppers, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of corns, 2 pounds of chicken breast, and salad dressing (The canned food is cheaper when bought at Smart