Is It Too Expensive Too Eat Organic?
I hear it all the time. “Eating organic costs too much.” “I can’t afford to buy organic.” I never hear people say Fast Food costs too much. “I could never afford to take my kids to McDonald’s, or Wendy’s.” It got me wondering so I looked into it to see just how expensive is it to eat organic. According to Google, the average family eats out 4 times a week. Wow! That number was higher than I thought. Let’s do the math. Take a family of four for example and let’s break down. Exactly how much it would cost to buy your food at the drive-thru vs. making the same organic meal at home?
If you’re at your local drive-thru burger joint (I chose Wendy’s just because it’s close to me) and each member of the family gets a medium hamburger meal, it cost $27.16 (before tax). This is a Dave’s singe with a medium fry and a medium soda. (My husband and oldest son would probably want more than a Daves single, lol, but we have to draw the line somewhere for cost comparison).
At Hy-Vee, if you purchase every ingredient – I even factored in the fixin’s and organic staples like ketchup, mayo, and coconut oil (to fry the French fries of course) – it will only cost $28.86. The difference: a measly $1.70 and that’s including organic sodas for everyone. You could do a lot better if you opted for homemade organic lemonade. The result is clear on the money. Eating organic isn’t that much more expensive than ordering take-out. Hamburgers are actually one of the more expensive meals you can make organically because the meat and buns don’t stretch. I’d venture to say if we did something like a pot of scrumptious Chili or even beef and bean burritos your dime would go a lot farther.
But what about the time. “When I get off work, I don’t have time to get dinner.” Well, how many times have you waited in line at the drive-thru during dinner rush hour? I don’t know about you but it would take us 20-30 minutes tacked onto my home commute to pick up a meal at a drive-thru because of the lines and of course the kids have to choose what they want. “Can I get a frosty Mom?”
It takes the same amount of time to make this delicious juicy Hamburger and French fry recipe that I’ve included below. Now it’s up to you to decide how you want to spend your evening!
It’s super simple:
If you’re at your local drive-thru burger joint (I chose Wendy’s just because it’s close to me) and each member of the family gets a medium hamburger meal, it cost $27.16 (before tax). This is a Dave’s singe with a medium fry and a medium soda. (My husband and oldest son would probably want more than a Daves single, lol, but we have to draw the line somewhere for cost comparison).
At Hy-Vee, if you purchase every ingredient – I even factored in the fixin’s and organic staples like ketchup, mayo, and coconut oil (to fry the French fries of course) – it will only cost $28.86. The difference: a measly $1.70 and that’s including organic sodas for everyone. You could do a lot better if you opted for homemade organic lemonade. The result is clear on the money. Eating organic isn’t that much more expensive than ordering take-out. Hamburgers are actually one of the more expensive meals you can make organically because the meat and buns don’t stretch. I’d venture to say if we did something like a pot of scrumptious Chili or even beef and bean burritos your dime would go a lot farther.
But what about the time. “When I get off work, I don’t have time to get dinner.” Well, how many times have you waited in line at the drive-thru during dinner rush hour? I don’t know about you but it would take us 20-30 minutes tacked onto my home commute to pick up a meal at a drive-thru because of the lines and of course the kids have to choose what they want. “Can I get a frosty Mom?”
It takes the same amount of time to make this delicious juicy Hamburger and French fry recipe that I’ve included below. Now it’s up to you to decide how you want to spend your evening!
It’s super simple:
- Peel and cut your potatoes for the fries.
- Heat up about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut oil and fry the potatoes – salt to taste.
- While the French fries are doing their thing. Mix 1 lb of ground beef with 1 TBLS of the Southwest Seasoning blend and 1 tsp of salt.
- Form your patties and stick them under the broiler. (Plop a slice of organic cheese of your choice at the end and turn off the oven.)
- Cut up your burger fixin’s, (We do, lettuce, tomato, onion, and fermented pickles or jalapeno sauerkraut) assemble those suckers and enjoy.
Leave a comment
Please note, comments must be approved before they are published