Having the most frugal grocery budget in the world isn’t going to help you any if you can’t put together at least a few healthy, tasty, and cheap eats! Every few weeks, The Outlier Model features a cheap recipe idea, along with the cost breakdown.
I like to prevent food waste whenever possible, so I love recipes that allow me to use up odds and ends that would have otherwise been thrown out. Banana bread is a great way to use up old bananas. Just throw peeled bananas into the freezer as they become over-ripe, then pull them out to use in banana bread when you’re ready. Or, buy ripe bananas from the store – often at a discount! Enjoy!
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas ($0.50)
- 1/3 cup melted butter ($0.55 based on $3.29 per 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup sugar ($0.12 based on ~$0.15 per cup of sugar)
- 1 egg, beaten ($0.20)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (< $ 0.05)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla ($0.10)
- pinch of salt (< $ 0.05)
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour ($0.12 a cup based on ~40 cups per 11lb bag at $4.99)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large mixing bowl, mash together the bananas and butter. Then, add sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix it in. Finally, add the flour last and mix well. Pour into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve. Yum!
Servings: 6 thick slices of banana bread
Cost per serving: $0.30 per slice
Feeling adventurous: Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top while baking and finish with a drizzle of chocolate.
Frugal hack: Making banana bread IS frugal because it uses up old bananas!
