Trump's Secretary of Agriculture says Americans can eat healthily for $3 per meal
By NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (126090)
United States
January 16, 2026 3:55pm CST
These people are whack. Truly. Yesterday Brooke Rollins said in an interview that US citizens could feed themselves a healthy meal for just $3. The contents of said meal: "a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a corn tortilla, and one other thing".
Um WUT? What size piece of chicken would that even be? Have you seen the price of chicken lately? "A piece of broccoli"? Like one floret? What is the nutritional value of that? A corn tortilla? To eat with what? Are people supposed to put the chicken and one piece of broccoli in it like a wrap or taco? And what the heck is the "one other thing"?
Sure you can cut a chicken breast in half or quarters, cook 1 piece of broccoli, serve a corn tortilla, and then whatever else. . . but what kind of nutritious or filling meal is that? Answer: it isn't. Is that really the standard that we as Americans will accept as a proper dinner?
Yes I could come up with $3 meals but they wouldn't be as insane as the Agriculture Secretary's example. In fact I might do that experiment over the next few weeks. We had a former member who would post about her inexpensive meals and cost it out. Maybe I'll try that.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-dairy-queen-brooke-rollins-gives-pathetic-defense-of-tragic-3-meal/
9 people like this
8 responses
@Orson_Kart (7913)
• United Kingdom
17 Jan
A meal costing only $3 sounds very feasible to me. Of course, this is based on UK prices and I don’t know exactly how they compare. However, by bulk buying and batch cooking, I could get it way below that. It’s not possible to buy a single floret of broccoli here, so it would have to be a head. I think that’s the technical term? The biggest problem I have with broccoli is spelling it. Is it double c, double l, or both? 
Have you heard of the British chef Jamie Oliver? I am currently watching his latest cookery series called “Jamie’s Feasts for a Fiver” Fiver being five British pounds. Last week he cooked what he called “Hearty Chicken Hotpot”. This was a meal for four people. He used chicken thighs, which are a cheaper part of the chicken but very tasty. His costs don’t include what he calls “store cupboard items” nor the energy cost of cooking the meal. Other items included in the meal that was costed was: 2 large potatoes, 200g of frozen spinach,1 whole sweetheart cabbage, and 200g of frozen peas. A much more wholesome meal than your Secretary of Agriculture suggested.
Next episode is on Monday and I can’t wait. 
Have you heard of the British chef Jamie Oliver? I am currently watching his latest cookery series called “Jamie’s Feasts for a Fiver” Fiver being five British pounds. Last week he cooked what he called “Hearty Chicken Hotpot”. This was a meal for four people. He used chicken thighs, which are a cheaper part of the chicken but very tasty. His costs don’t include what he calls “store cupboard items” nor the energy cost of cooking the meal. Other items included in the meal that was costed was: 2 large potatoes, 200g of frozen spinach,1 whole sweetheart cabbage, and 200g of frozen peas. A much more wholesome meal than your Secretary of Agriculture suggested.
Next episode is on Monday and I can’t wait. 1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (7913)
• United Kingdom
17 Jan
@NJChicaa It’s on Channel 4 over here. I don’t know if it’s available over there. He’s also got his mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, doing a few low-cost Italian meals. I find pasta meals cheap anyway.
Happy New Year btw!
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (7913)
• United Kingdom
17 Jan
@NJChicaa STOP PRESS:
Due to 10% tariffs imposed by President Trump, from the 1st of February 2026, Jamie’s “Feasts for a Fiver” will now cost you £5.50.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (167411)
• United States
17 Jan
I look forward to your ideas. Since an entire bag of frozen broccoli is much less than two dollars that one piece of broccoli is a real falsehood. We eat plenty of meals for under $3 that are much nicer than that.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (67715)
• Centralia, Washington
16 Jan
We're not eating meat at this point and hubby eats small amounts so I am guessing we're at the three dollar point per meal. Not that we're eating balanced but last night for instance, our main protein was ground walnuts. A pound of walnuts goes a long ways for two people.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (211914)
• United States
17 Jan
Sure, you can make a meal for $3 but will you get all the nutrition that you need? And will you be hungry? We can't all live on beans and rice. One piece of chicken? My husband used to eat several at a sitting. Sigh..
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93389)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Jan
Maybe the cost of both my meals today at $3 a pop but I had to buy my monthjly groceries first, Let's see I had some hash browns and two scrambled eggs with cheddar this morning and then a chicken finger and tater tots,
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (14990)
•
16 Jan
I must admit, that even with high food prices here, Yvonne and I can keep the cost of a nutritious meal below £3 for us both quite easily, and we do eat well.
Chicken is relatively cheap, Vegetables too,
Our problem just now is Beef, the price has gone through the roof and I couldn't buy an 8oz Rump Steak now for less than £7.
A few months.ago I could buy a 16oz Rump for about £5.
1 person likes this
