Food Project: Monday, week 1....

Late.... I know.... but that's just me never learning how to manage my time. I promise I'll work on that.

Ok, let's get this show on the road.... see how long it lasts. I did good today, ate all my meals.... which, for me... well, yay! But this is about food costs, so... Here's today's rundown:

Breakfast: Oatmeal mash, served with milk and jam, ray bread with meat spread, juice to drink. Price per person: 8,04 SEK (1,21 USD).

Ugh, i never liked oatmeal. But, i baked the bread myself! Yay! One thing i was thinking about. How much juice did they count on? How big is a glass anyway? i have glasses that are 1,5 dl and I have glasses that are 4 dl. I opted for 2 dl, that felt ok.


Morning Snack: Coffee with milk, 1 crispbread with butter, 1 orange. That's the original version. I don't drink coffee, so I sub it out with 1 dl of hot cocoa. I also subbed out the orange for 100 g of blackberries. I want to eat fruits and veggies that are in season, so to speak. Well, oranges are in season now, but when I started planning for this project it was still September and as i shopped this first Monday in advance, I bought frozen blackberries. Anywho, with my tweaking, this snack cost me 13,35 SEK (2,02 USD).


Lunch: Fish stew, served with potatoes, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, 2 pieces of baguette with butter. This stew apparently calls for saffron, as it says so in the menu. But 1: Saffron is expensive. REALLY expensive, and 2: I couldn't find any good recipe. But i found a recipe using creme fraiche saffron&tomato. I also subbed out the lettuce for baby spinach. As this is is a stew, there is no reason to make less than 4 portions. This means 3 portions in the freezer. Making the stew cost 109,27 SEK (16,56 USD). 1 portion, including veggies and bread; 38,94 SEK (5,90 USD).


Afternoon snack: 1 piece of ray bread, with butter and cucumber. I HATE eating butter like that. At least the bread was warm, so the butter melted. Cost: 2,55 SEK (0,38 USD)


Dinner: Pea soup with pork and mustard, 1 ray bread with butter, 1 carrot (I think), 2 pancakes with jam. Ok, so, a couple of changes here. I skipped the pea soup, as I cannot even look at it without feeling nauseous. I subbed it out for spinach soup with a hard boiled egg. Carrots I'm allergic to, so I just skipped out on veggies. But who doesn't love pancakes? Strawberry jam I love, but take care with, as I'm also allergic to strawberries. Making spinach soup for one is a piece of cake, but i made pancakes batter on 3's (3 eggs, 3 dl of flour, 3 dl of milk), making 15 pancakes at a cost of 15,91 SEK (2,40 USD). 1 portion of Spinach soup and pancakes landed on 19,75 SEK (2,98 USD).

Evening snack: Tea, 1 bread with butter and cheese. Again, subbing things out. I don't drink tea. Never did. I should probably start. I had my mini cup of chocolate instead. And instead of normal yellowish cheese, i had some brown cheese, mesost, that I have never seen anywhere other than Sweden and Norway. Don't ask me to describe it because I can't. I want to say it's a bit vanilla-y... Never mind.. can't do it... anywho, this snack of mine landed on 4,47 SEK (0,67 USD).


So today's shopping list looked like this:

If i had had empty cupboards:                      Actually needed to shop:
Jam                                                             Jam
Sugar                                                          Sugar
Eggs                                                            Eggs
Nutmeg                                                       Nutmeg
Heavy cream                                               Heavy cream
Chicken stock                                             Chicken stock
Yellow Onions                                            Yellow Onions
Frozen Spinach                                           Frozen Spinach
Baguette                                                     Baguette
Baby spinach                                              baby spinach
Tomato                                                       Tomato
Creme fraiche                                             Creme Fraiche
Leeks                                                          Leeks
Black pepper                                               Black pepper
Codfish                                                       Codfish
Blackberries                                                Blackberries
Butter (for bread)                                        Butter (for bread)
Crispbread                                                  Crispbread
Instant chocolate                                          Instant chocolate
Meat spread                                                Meat spread
Wheat flour                                                  Wheat flour
Ray flour                                                       Ray flour
Butter (for cooking)                                      Butter (for cooking)
Yeast                                                           Yeast
Orange juice                                                Orange juice
Milk                                                            Milk
Salt                                                             Salt
Oatmeal                                                      Oatmeal
Cheese                                                        Cheese

Total cost:871,90 SEK (131,61 USD)          Total cost: 483,21 SEK (72,94 USD)


Ok, that was the first and last time I calculated the cost of having absolutely nothing. It would have taken almost one third of my increased budget and about half of the calculated budget for one person. Of course some of the things will keep over a longer period, maybe even past this projects time. I mean, who uses a pound of salt in 2 months? If you do, you shouldn't.... Anywho, first day of project done, and here's how we stand, money-wise:

Purchasing budget                          Cooking budget                             Budget per portion
  3000,00 SEK(452,84 USD)        3000,00 SEK (452,84 USD)       1720,00 SEK (259,63 USD)
-   483,21 SEK(72,94 USD)       -   197,12 SEK (-29,75 USD)       -  87,10 SEK  (13,14 USD)
  2516,79 SEK (379,90 USD)        2802,88 SEK (423,09 USD)       1632,90 SEK (246,49 USD)

Suffice it to say, if my purchasing cost is going to keep being this high, I'll run out of money before the week is out. Which would mean it is impossible to follow this menu, at least the first time around. Portion budget, however, seems like it can make it.

Food project preamble

Yeah.... Food... We all eat it. Even Yaoi Anime Characters. Buuut.... this project isn't about that. I have another food project waiting that is ALL about Yaoi. No, this is my own little curiosity crusade. See, this is a glorious country I live in. The government even tell you what to eat. And how much it should cost. Ok, tell you is a little... strong... but both Konsumentverket and SLV actually have a 4 week menu on their websites. It's essentially the same menu, all I really found differing was that SLVs version was more detailed, and some days were switched. Now, granted, I only checked the first week.

So, what am I after? Well, my Hypothesis goes: There is NO WAY you can eat everything on that menu for the allotted coin. According to those two government agencies, you are supposed to be able to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2-3 small meals or snacks every day. And a couple of handfuls of candy, crisps and some dessert spread out over the week. Like, dessert one day, chocolate one day and so on. And... hold on to your seats.... 1 glass of wine and 2 light beers a week. Ok, small disclaimer; I'm not sure the sweets and the alcohol is actually in the calculated budget, but I will include the sweets. Not the alcohol, as I don't drink alcohol. Yes, I'm a bore with issues. But as long as you don't try to shove alcohol down my throat, I wont stop you from shoving alcohol down yours. Anywho, the budget for one female in her 20's (that would be me) is 1720 kr (that would be 260 dollars and 73 cent in the US) per month. This include homemade lunch. In Sweden, it's fairly common to bring homemade lunch to work, either specially made lunch boxes or the leftovers from yesterdays dinner. School lunches are free for the little kiddies up to at least 9th grade. Often also our (age-wise) in Swedish equivalent to High School.

I have 3 issues with these menus and their budget. 1: There are no recipes  This creates a problem, as you could go how cheap or expensive as you like. I'm aiming for the cheap-moderate end of the scale. Even with recipes this is a problem, of course, but if you had recipes you'd at least get a hint. 2: Sometimes you HAVE to make food for 4-10 even if you are alone. I intend to solve this by relying on my freezer and let this project run for 8 weeks rather than 4. That should get me some days when food costs cut to 0 week 5-8. 3: There are some things on the menu i CAN NOT EAT. Allergies and some absolutely vile menu items answer for that. But that's easily solved. Subbing out some things might be possible. But I promise to at least present the original menu for each day, and tell what I sub out.

So, here's my thought, or, my plan rather: I will be counting 3 ways: What it costs to purchase the ingredients, what it costs to cook the food, (that is, you don't pour the whole salt package in the food, and you can't really purchase only one teaspoon of salt, can you?) and how much each portion cost. The two first  will have a budget of 3000 kr (454,77 USD) just because I KNOW it's impossible to purchase all the food for the budget for 1. 3000 kr is the budget for 2 adults who eat lunch at work, so 5 lunches are not in that budget, but that is a side note  as I knew I needed a bigger budget. See... already I've busted this hypothesis  Also, I will for the first few days have two "purchase costs". I wanted to go into this with entirely empty cupboards, but 1: that would mean throwing out a lot of stuff, and 2: I think they have not counted on the "staples". Salt, pepper, flour, cooking oil and some other things i cant really think of right now is probably not in the budget. It is in my budget though, as they are actual costs.

Side note, and side effect, on this project is, as with most food projects, health effects. Including weight. I will NOT treat this as some kind of dietary weight loss project, but as my weight is a concern (to my doctor, i don't really care), and my eating habits (eating habits, people, NOT food habits) are kind of dismal, it will be interesting to see where this leads me. I will only note, each Monday,  if I have lost or gained weight, and if so, how much.

So. Let's get on it. With no further ado. BTW, are you sure it's preamble? Not pre-ramble?

Romantic dinner for two...

Tsukumo and his snacks...

Junjou Romatica. One of my favourite yaoi's. And the first thing you see in it? A bag with a pot of stew. It only confirmed my theory that food is for everyone, even anime characters. Everyone eats, lots of people cooks. Food MATTERS. TO EVERYONE. And poor Tooma in UraBoku, always trying so hard to make the Zweilt, Yuki and Luka good, nutritious food, but while Yuki gladly eats, Tsukumo prefers his snacks and Toko.... well, she's a teenage girl...

Talking about snacks.... OH MY GOD! Yagami Light, you little devil! No one eats potato crisps so devilishly. And L? I think he and Tsukumo should have a sweet eating contest. Honestly. They are always eating sweets, those two...




Me, I'm a sucker for good food and good desserts and GOOD CHOCOLATE. What can I say, I'm a woman. One of my favorite chocolates is Marabou Non Stop. The chocolate bar version. Well, the original chocolate buttons, too, but the guy (or girl) who decided to put caramel covered dark chocolate buttons in a milk chocolate bar really is a genius. When I was a kid, there were small milk chocolate bars featuring Disney characters in white chocolate. I LOVED those. They don't seem to exist anymore in Sweden. Pity. And, of course, something i think every Swedish kid has had at least once after the age of 9: Chocolate Christmas Calendar. Those I love and hate. I love them mainly for nostalgic reasons, and I hate them because the chocolate..... well..... no. Not really, no.... Nooo, thank you... I have been thinking about making my own with quality chocolate, didn't get around to it last year, but maybe this year.... we'll see.

I was thinking, if I was to invite an anime character for a romantic dinner, I think I would invite L. That would be really interesting. Or maybe Giou Takashiro. Although, I don't think that would be all that romantic, L would be more "intellectually challenging goof-ball" and Takashiro.... well, him I just want to smack over the head and tell him to make out with his butler already. If they are NOT in love with each other, I'm a hobbit. Now I just have to figure out what to serve... I suppose I would have to cover L's dinner in chocolate, or he wouldn't eat it. I actually have a spice mix in my cupboard that is chili, cinnamon and cacao. And it WORKS. I have had it in sauces and stews, as well as on ice cream and in chocolate cakes. Takashiro... I think he would want some grilled fish and vegetables, and maccha ice cream for dessert. (Or maybe Fuyutoki for dessert.)

If anyone would take me out for dinner (or, rather, cook dinner for me at home, as I find that much more romantic), I would request a duck appetizer, fish main course and chocolate dessert. I love duck, I don't eat it often enough. It's not readily available where I live and it's expensive at that. fish I eat, of course, but I love fish, so... and what girl doesn't like chocolate?

Tomorrow, Onee-chan is coming here, so I'm cooking a little extra. Chicken lasange and for desert, Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae!


(Pictures belong to their respective creators, I take not credit for them.)

I love Fridays

The summer is officially over. I LOVE IT! I hate summer, and even more than that, I hate spring! But that's because I'm allergic. As I look out the bedroom window (live on the 6th floor of an apartment building), the top of the elm tree (at least, i think it's an elm tree) is bright red. It's just the top though, the rest is green. Most of the rest of the trees are still green, though, but that elm(?) is the tallest tree here. I was out with my dog earlier this evening, it had just rained and the air was all crisp and clear and there were the smell of garden fruits..... Yeah, this is my time. Although, early autumn often means crap winter..... I hope not, I love winter. 3 dm of snow and -15 degrees, and I'm home.

Coming inside again after our walk, i had a great urge for some hot chocolate and a piece of cake or a cinnamon bun or something. Buuut, I had none of those....

Seeing as it being Friday, I thought I'd talk a little about food. Everybody eats, right? Swedes like to make a thing out of food, and we seem to love it. Especially coffee and breads and buns and treats, we even made it a whole movement. Or close to. The concept of "fika" intrigues me just as much as it intrigues many foreigners I've met. Maybe because I don't drink coffee. It goes like this: Your busy working and minding your own business, and suddenly, a co-worker shows up by the door or your cubicle or whatever system you have to get some kind of privacy for your phone calls..... whatever, you know what i mean.... S/He asks if you're not going to come and have some fika. This usually happens around 10 in the morning, and again at about 2 in the afternoon. And it doesn't matter how many times you say no, they keep asking til you say yes or quit because you can't stand the question anymore. To try to understand just how important this is, a cup of coffee at least, but probably also a sweet bun or piece of cake or shortbread, here are some statistics:

Swedes ate 78,1 kg of breads, buns, shortbreads, cakes, pizza bread and pirogi per capita (person) 2010. They also drank 161 liters of Coffee. That is 8,6 kg of coffee beans. To put this in perspective, Italians had 5,9 kg of coffee beans per capita, US had 4,3 kg and Japan 3,3 kg. So, yeah, that's a LOT of coffee.

Fridays also means another phenomenon I have never heard of by any friends world-wide, Fredagsmys. Well, it does exist out there, I guess, keeping your family home, eating good food (here, it seems to be tacos, always), seeing a crap movie you don't really want to see, just to be able to have Fredagsmys. For me, Fridays is good food, good desserts and good movies or TV-series. On DVD, of course, who has the patience to wait for a whole week for the next episode.

To top off the Swedish extravaganza, Swedish kids gets Lördagsgodis, or Saturday sweets. Unless their parents are scared of sugar of course. I must say, my parents weren't. Therefore, I will share with you my family's Saturday treat: Chokladbollar!

Ok, so Chocolate Balls sounds a little..... try not to go there..... but these sweet chocolate-y treats are great. You need no tools other then measuring cups and your own hands. But you could put it in a food processor or use a mixer. And it's kid-friendly, make them roll the balls....

Ingredients:
3 dl (ca 1,2 cups) oatmeal
1 dl (little less than 0,5 cup) sugar
2 Tbs cacao powder, unsweetened
1 tbs vanilla sugar (i don't know if this even exist outside Sweden, otherwise, just a little vanilla extract or      pure vanilla powder will do the trick)
100 g soft butter (please don't use margarine unless you have too.)
1 Tbs water or milk or orange juice or coffee (or rum for an adult version)

Stir the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and water and stir into a dough, should feel just about as a cookie dough. this should take only 1 or 2 minutes. Put the bowl  in the fridge for 30 minutes or as long as you need to do something else in between. When you are ready, take the dough out of the fridge and call the kids. Make ready a plate or platter to put the balls on, and ask the kids if they want coconut shavings or sprinkles on their balls. Or maybe both. Then get ready to get messy. a way to keep the mess a liiiittle less messy is to rinse your hands in cold water every now and then, and it gets easier to roll the balls. Roll balls from the dough, take about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of dough, or more, depending on how big you want them. Then roll the balls in sprinkles or what you will, put them on your platter and put them in the fridge. They should keep for about a week, but they'll probably be gone long before that. They can be put in the freezer as well. The recipe make about 25.


So, that was my childhood Saturday treat. Enjoy.


(Statistics for Sweden taken from Swedish Jordbruksverket, for other countries World Resource Institute.)