Frugal Floozie Friday is a feature that seeks out dishes - appetizers, drinks, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, whatever - for $5 or less per person. Sometimes I split generously-sized items with loved ones, saving both money and calories; sometimes I find a great deal on a single serving that fits perfectly within the mandatory budget. I try to showcase several options to choose from, and you never know where I'll find them. Check out the column every Friday!

In the midst of a busy evening that involved several errands and two meetings, I needed to find some dinner. I wanted a nutritious meal, not just some grab-'n'-go junk food. And I was hoping to pick up a dinner to take to a park, which I could enjoy on a sunny evening during a few minutes of peace and quiet.

So I stopped by eat to purchase some carry-out dishes that were not only healthy, but which also met our mandatory budget of less than $5 per person. It's possible to not only enjoy some wholesome food, but even to reward oneself with a treat, too, within our financial constraints. And while you can choose to sit and eat at the table or the counter that are available in the small but bright and friendly store-front, eat is primarily suited to take-out.

Beans and Greens was my first choice, and it turned out to be an enormous portion of precisely what is promised — "sauteed Swiss chard with white beans, white wine, garlic, and lemon zest" — for $4.50. It's noted on the menu as a side dish, but this was plenty for an entree, or sufficient to be split by two people as an accompaniment to something else. Other sides and salads that could be ordered within our budgetary limits are the side of roasted vegetables for $4 or the side of Quinoa and Lentil Salad for $3.50. And pork confit can be added to your dish for only $1.

In the interest of tasting more than one item and showing more than one dining option, I also chose the side order of Tahini Sweet Potato Salad — "roasted sweet potato, scallions, and cilantro in a lemon-garlic tahini dressing" — for only $3.50. Had I ordered this substantial serving alone, it would have left room in the budget for one of the delicious cookies that cost only $1.

eat is an open space which permits you to watch as the kitchen staff prepares your food. On the day I visited, there were abundant quantities of fresh green beans, purple cabbage, orange carrots... an entire colorful array of gorgeous produce just waiting to be turned into a meal that's good for you as well as for your budget.

Don't presume that fast food necessarily has to be bad for you! eat proves otherwise.

eat
1906 Packard
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-213-7011
Monday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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Mary Bilyeu - a self-proclaimed Food Floozie (named for her blog, which is taking a summer vacation) - writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.