Vero's Kitchen

Healthy food does not cost more than fast food

The usual excuse to not being able to eating healthy food is "it costs so much more money!". Yeah, of course if you compare lunch for 4 at Mc Donald's versus the same at another traditional restaurant, that is true. But what you should compare is that same lunch at Mc Donald's versus cooking a healthy dinner at home.

Granted I rarely go to fast foods, so my numbers may be a bit off, here's an approximate comparison for a family of 4.

- Fast food average "package meal" with taxes: $7x4 = $28

- Healthy dinner with meat or fish ($10 - $15), veggies ($3-$4), pasta or rice ($1): that's barely $20.

Even if you add in the energy costs for the stove and the dishwasher, you still have money left for a bottle of wine. So here's one dispelled myth: it doesn't cost more to eat healthy foods, in fact it will save you money.

Going forward, I'll add an estimated costs to the recipes I share on this blog to try to prove this case further.

The authentic Ratatouille recipe, direct from Provence

Ratatouille is one of the most versatile vegetable dishes around. Make it in large quantities so you have left over. It gets better every time you reheat it. You can eat it as a side to meat or fish the first day. The next day you can use the left over as a great pasta sauce. It's also delicious over plain rice.

As lots of healthy foods, it comes to us from the south of France. While I can make a pretty good ratatouille, my husband, a native from Marseille, is really the expert (he'll tell you that people from the north like me don't stand a chance at making the real thing). This is his recipe below. 

What you need (for 6-8 people)

- 2-3 tsp olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled but kept whole
- 1 large eggplan, cut into 1' cubes
- 1 red and or green bell pepper, cut into 2'x1/3' strips
- 4 zucchini, cut into 1/4' slices
- 8 roma tomatoes (alternatively you can use canned tomatoes), cut into 4 pieces each
- salt and freshly ground pepper

How to make this ratatouille

The first time you make this, you'll want to cut all the veggies first to not be rushed, but as you get familiar with the recipe you can actually cut the veggies as you add them to save time.

In a large pot (ideally a Le Creuset cast iron), heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat with the oil. Add the eggplant, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes with the lid on, stirring about every minute.

Now add the zucchini and tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the lid and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

That's it. You can serve immediately, or prepare it in advance and reheat before serving.