In case you hadn’t been following along with my updates about the 30-day food challenge I was participating in at YummyMummyClub, for pretty much the whole month of May I was seeing whether it was possible to eat well and Canada Food Guide healthy on a limited budget of $5.50 per person per day. Spoiler alert: yes, BUT. Feel free to read about my family’s journey with simulating the challenges that people with low food safety have to face.
I can’t honestly be sassy or jokey about the experience, cause it wasn’t funny in the least. There was lots of angst and worry about hunger and failure, especially in the beginning, and I only had to live this situation for a month. I have to say it’s definitely made me even more sensitive to food security issues for families than I was before.
Anyhow.
I’m still refining and sharing some of the recipes that I made over the course of the challenge here and at YMC. The egg salad sandwich was one of our lunch staples in the first terrible weeks. Two eggs make up a serving of protein, making eggs (at approximately 39 cents per serving) one of the cheapest and most versatile protein options for the limited budget, just behind lentils.
A scoop of egg salad (~$.48), two slices of whole grain bread (~$.22), and a small side salad can make a healthy and satisfying lunch option for a person with one serving of protein, two servings of grains, and about 2 servings of vegetables for just about $1.
It’s extremely easy to do some variations on this recipe to keep it fresh. Swap the celery for crisp yellow or red pepper. Play with the seasonings; swap green onion for red, omit the parsley in favour of dill, use a chopped dill pickle, or add chopped olives. Serve atop lettuce or shredded carrot for some extra crunch and veggies.
And don’t forget to check out my tutorial on how to make your hard boiled eggs come out perfect, every time.


- 8 hard boiled eggs, cooled, peeled, and chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/2 rib celery, chopped
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Salt & coarse pepper to taste
- Combine the mayo, celery, onion, mustard, paprika and parsley in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Fold in the chopped eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Chill until ready to use.
- Refrigerate any unused egg salad mix promptly, and use within 3-4 days.
This simple egg salad sounds so scrumptious!
Next time I make egg salad “sammiches” for my kiddos, I am going to use this recipe. 🙂