The most expensive thing in cooking is time.

A Wednesday night dinner I prepared and served, 20 minutes of prep, 30 minutes in the oven, and 30 minutes to serve, eat, and do dishes. <br><br>- Baked salmon fillet, lemon butter and dill, $2.64 per serving (12 oz fillet for $2.64)<br>- Baked spaghetti squash, sauce, and cheese, $1.56 per serving (2 medium squash + 2 cups marinara + 1 cup shredded mozzarella)<br>- Roasted broccoli side, $0.68 per serving (1 bunch of broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper)<br><br>Total cost per serving was $5.88 and made 4 servings and used a few hours of my life per serving, which I think is the true cost of anything I cook, and I’m coming to realize cooking is expensive.<br><br>This topic is more about time than actual cost of food, but it’s just so hard to justify any cooking for a cheap meal, no matter how thrifty or skillful I am. <br><br>I understand I’m the one choosing to cook, but the cost of time, doing dishes, shopping, planning, cleaning, etc. is just so heavy. What would be your take on this?<br><br>&#x200B;