Dinner for 9, Under ₳400 (Some Nights)
Ok so, big win this week. I got the whole family fed for under 400 Alberta dollars and nobody at the table asked where the meat went, mostly because there wasnt any, mostly because meat is currently priced like a small vehicle you would need a loan for.
We are calling this one Freedom Stew in the family group chat, which started as a joke, except Dale keeps saying it at the table in front of the kids like its an actual name, so now I guess it is one.
The trick this month was the government cheese. If you havent been to the ration center lately, they started stocking these big yellow blocks stamped with the Ministry seal, and honestly, I was skeptical, but it melts fine and it stretches the whole pot further than real cheese ever did, so I am not going to be picky about where my dairy comes from anymore, we are past that as a family.
- Potatoes, 2kg ₳58
- Onion, 1, still a splurge ₳22
- Protein Adjacent Product, 1 tub ₳140
- Government cheese, ration block free with card
- Bouillon cube, generic ₳19
- Bread, day old, Republic Reserve loaf ₳96
- Emotional labor of pretending this is fine priceless
Seven kids ate off this one pot, which still amazes me every time, along with two adults and a very judgemental dog who is somehow eating better than the rest of us, dog food is apparently not covered by any price controls, go figure.
Pro tip, if the kids ask why it tastes different than last months stew, tell them its a seasonal recipe. It is not seasonal. Prices just moved again, thats the whole season around here.
Also if anyone from the Ministry newsletter is reading this looking for another Model Household photo, we are booked through next month, my hair needs a rest.