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"   A surprising fact: eating cheaper does not have to mean eating unhealthily. The New York Times recently published a shocking info-graphic comparing the cost of a homemade meal for a family of four versus the cost of a meal bought at a fast food restaurant. The graphic shows that, contrary to popular belief, fast food is far from affordable compared to a home-cooked meal. More from Delish: How to Save On Groceries and Still Eat Great The fast food meal of two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries and two medium, and two small sodas: $27.89. The home-cooked meal of chicken, salad, potatoes, and milk: $13.78. A homemade meal of pinto beans and rice is even cheaper at $9.26. More from Delish: Cheap Eats from Your Kitchens In the info-graphic&amp;#039;s accompanying article by Mark Bittman goes on to bust the myth of the more affordable fast food meal. Besides the argument that a person&amp;#039;s dollar goes further in terms of quantity when purchasing fast food, Bittman addresses the idea that junk food is necessary because it gives a person more calories for their buck. &amp;quot;Given that half of the people in this country (and a higher percentage of poor people) consume too many calories rather than too few,&amp;quot; Bittman argues, &amp;quot;measuring food&amp;#039;s value by the calorie makes as much sense as measuring a drink&amp;#039;s value by its alcoholic content.&amp;quot; A home-cooked meal is not only cheaper than its fast food counterpart; it can also provide an equal amount of calories - many of which are of the healthy variety. More from Delish: Truly Cheap and Easy Appetizers But just because people can afford to buy wholesome ingredients rather than a pre-cooked fast food meal doesn&amp;#039;t mean they can cook with them. Bittman acknowledges that it&amp;#039;s going to take some work for America to become a country of home cooks. &amp;quot;Somehow, no-nonsense cooking and eating - roasting a chicken, making a grilled cheese sandwich, scrambling an egg, tossing a salad - must become popular again, and valued not just by hipsters in Brooklyn or locavores in Berkeley,&amp;quot; Bittman asserts. &amp;quot;The smart campaign is not to get McDonald&amp;#039;s to serve better food but to get people to see cooking as a joy rather than a burden, or at least as part of a normal life.&amp;quot; We agree with Bittman and have rounded up some of our best easy recipe collections to inspire budding home cooks.     Quick Dinners on the Cheap    Quick, Low-Calorie, Cheap Meals    7 Recipes Under $3 a Serving      Cheap International Cuisine    10 Cheap and Healthy Chicken Thigh Recipes    Cheap Dinner-Party Recipes    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38908/eating-home-cooked-food-is-cheaper-than-fast-food/>