Cook for Good if you want to save money by cooking and eating delicious food. You'll be doing good, too: good for your health, good for your family, and good for your community and your planet.
The Seven Lively Savings
Once you start to Cook for Good, you’ll gain benefits that I think of as the Seven Lively Savings:
- Save money – Eat well on very little money. In April 2009, you could Cook for Good for average of $1.20 a meal for the regular plan and only $1.80 for the "green" plan which uses mostly organic or sustainably raised ingredients, using the spring menu. Save hundreds of dollars or even thousands of dollars a year compared to the USDA's food plans. And by eating such a healthy diet, you’ll save money on medical costs too.
- Save time – Cook for Good in about the same amount of time as you'd spend eating out and less time than with typical, loosely planned cooking (at least the way I used to cook). Reuse pots several times in one cooking session to cut down on washing dishes. And cooking in batches means that you cook once and clean once but eat several times.
- Save your mind – Get rid of the daily stress of “what’s for dinner?” Eating less sugar and processed foods will make you and your kids less jumpy. Saving money now and learning how to cook on a very low budget will give you confidence in tough times.
- Save your family – Create good memories for your kids by filling your home with the delicious smells of baking and cooking. Give them a chance to talk with you while you cook. (It’s easier to have a heart-to-heart talk at home than at McBurger.) And let them help! Even young children can scrub potatoes. Teens can take over making bread or yogurt. You’ll be teaching them skills to help them when they have their own kitchens.
- Save your community – Have enough food to join celebrations and bring comfort to your family, friends, and neighbors. Support your local farmers so that good food is produced near you.
- Save the planet – Cut back on your use of oil by cutting back on the transportation costs of your food, the amount of meat you eat, and packaging you buy. You'll help slow global warming and reduce the suffering of animals too. Buy organic or sustainably-raised food when you can to reduce pollution and support good farming practices.
- Savor your food – The meals are simply delicious. Enjoy!
