Saturday Dinner

Tonight I made Slow Cooker Sweet & Spice Asian Pork from this month's issue of Real Simple magazine. I would have taken a photo to post with the entry, but we were so hungry that we wolfed it down before I got a chance to break out my camera. That should tell you how good it was.

I always make a few changes to recipes, and this was no exception. I found that the original recipe didn't make enough sauce to cover the meat, so I doubled the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, brown sugar, chili-garlic sauce, grated ginger). Also, my slow-cooker just doesn't get hot enough, so when the meat was done I transferred everything to a skillet and cranked the heat to high to reduce the sauce to a thick, syrupy consistency. Then I added the bok choy and simmered for a few minutes until it was tender. I also doubled the amount of rice. The end result served 5 people, with seconds.

This recipe was a definite keeper.


Totals:

$2.07 - pork shoulder (BOGO at Lowes Foods - had my butcher cut a larger one in half)
$1.69 - bok choy
$1.50 - additional ingredients

$5.26 for dinner for 5 (sister and brother-in-law joined us)

Thursday Dinner

Ain't they purty?

In case you couldn't figure out out from the photo, we had steak tonight - 2 thick, beautiful NY Strips (even though the markdown sticker mistakenly tagged them as ribeyes). Original price, $18.13 (for 1.65 lbs) - price after markdown, $5.27, which is roughly $3.19/lb. (Have I convinced you yet to always scan the Harris Teeter meat department for markdowns, even if you're just popping in for bread and milk?)

I marinated the steaks in Lawry's Signature Steakhouse marinade (on sale B2G3 free this week at HT), then threw them on the George Foreman until they were perfectly medium-rare. On the side I sauteed a thinly sliced onion and 8oz sliced mushrooms (also on sale this week at HT) in a little butter, then added in garlic salt, Smokehouse pepper, and a few dashes of Worschestershire. I also cooked a package of Knorr/Lipton Pasta Alfredo.

The steak was so tender you could cut it with a butter knife, the mushrooms & onions mixture was caramelized to perfection, and the pasta alfredo was surprisingly light (which is one reason I serve the mix instead of the "real deal").

I just love it when an ordinary weeknight dinner feels like a celebration.


Totals:

$5.27 - NY Strips
.40 - marinade (about 1/3 bottle)
$1.49 - mushrooms
.05 - pasta side dish (BOGO sale + triple coupon)
.40 - additional ingredients (butter, milk, onion, etc.)

$7.61 for a steak dinner for 3 (try finding a restaurant steak dinner for 1 for this price without using a time machine)

Wednesday Deals

I know I haven't written about Wednesday deals in awhile. Frankly, I've been on the fence about posting them at all. On one hand, I'm able to cook the way I cook, on my budget, specifically because I shop Triad-area grocery stores for sales and deals. But on the other hand, there are so many sites for grocery sales, listing each and every deal and coupon that's out there. I can't compete with that and I shouldn't even try. So, from now on, I'll just write about the sales & deals that interest me because, ultimately, that's what I'm going to end up buying, cooking and blogging about in future dinner posts.

I should mention that I already did my Harris Teeter shopping today and found some fantastic meat markdowns on steak, so be sure to watch for those yellow stickers!


Harris Teeter Flier

eVic special:
2 lb chub ground chuck, $2.97 (limit 1 per VIC card household)

Other deals:
Large white eggs, .99/dozen (limit 2)
Fresh whole mushrooms, $2.97/lb

Buy 2, Get 3 free
Lawry's Marinade (I love keeping these on hand)

BOGO
Arnold or Thomas Bagel or Sandwich Thins (we love these for lunches)
Birdseye Steamfresh Meals for 2 (recent $1.50 coupon makes these $2.50/bag)
Breakstone 16 oz. sour cream (free when .55 coupon from last Sunday's paper doubles)
Blue Bunny Ice Cream
Cantaloupe
Whole Pineapple
Chex Mix (recent coupons for .50 off 2 will double)



Lowes Foods Flier

3-Day-Sale (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
8 lb bag Russet Potatoes - $1.99
Kelloggs Frosted Flakes - $1.38 (look for recent coupons)
Blue Bunny Ice Cream - $1.99
Ore-Ida frozen potatoes - $1.88

Regular (all week) Sale items
Split bone-in chicken breasts - .99/lb


Food Lion Flier

I don't see anything to bring me in this week.

Tuesday Dinner

I took photos of last night's dinner but they came out dark and unappealing, so I scrapped them. (I really like the idea of adding photos to the blog when I can, but the Foodie is not a photographer, y'all.)

Last night was strictly a heat 'n serve dinner. I wrote awhile back about Voila bag-to-skillet dinners on sale BOGO at Harris Teeter. (This is a product that goes on sale frequently.) In addition to the sale, I had a coupon, which brought the price to $3.65 for 2 bags. Some varieties are enough to serve my family of 3 with one bag, but our favorite flavor (Beef and Broccoli) is not. We need 2 bags of this to serve 3, although we usually have a little left over. We all really love this variety; I just wish the rice was packaged separately because it gets a little mushy, and the whole thing a big soupy, when heated with the meat, veggies and sauce.

On the side I served a recent Trader Joe's purchase - Mini Chicken-Cilantro Wontons. These come frozen, in a bag, and only require a little pan-frying/steaming. (First you stir-fry in a little oil, then add a bit of water to finish the cooking.) I followed the recipe on the back of the bag and whipped up a little dipping sauce with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. They were absolutely delicious and an item I'll be putting on my "must buy" list for future visits.

The result: a dinner that, while it doesn't rival Chinese take-out, sure fulfills the craving. A bit more expensive than my goal (to average no more than $5 per meal), but worth the small splurge.

totals:

$3.65 - 2 bags Birdseye Voila Beef & Broccoli
$2.99 - Trader Joe's Chicken Cilantro Wontons

$6.64 for dinner for 3 (with 1 small serving Beef & Broccoli left over)

Monday Dinner

Lobster Ravioli with white wine cream sauce, Romaine salad

The other day I mentioned that I don't pay much attention to the gourmet chicken sausages in the meat case because they're too expensive. Well, the same holds true of the fresh pastas in the dairy case. If I were only feeding 2 people, they'd be a reasonable splurge from time to time. But since I have to buy 2 packages to feed my family of 3, it never seems like a good value. (To me, a pasta dinner should always be less expensive than serving meat.)

A few weeks ago, I was looking at something next to the fresh pastas, and noticed a few packages had peel-off coupons for .75 off. I took one, thinking it might come in handy if the pasta were ever on sale. Lo and behold, it went on sale last week (making me wish I'd snagged 2 coupons, because there were no more to be found). The normal price of the pasta was $3.99 per package, but they were BOGO last week. After the .75 coupon doubled (this was Harris Teeter, after all), the price for 2 packages sunk to $2.49. Perfect! But now what to do with them?

I hunted around on the internet and quickly found the general consensus was to pair lobster ravioli with a light cream sauce. (Everyone seemed to be in agreement that ready-made sauces, especially tomato-based, were too heavy and overpowering.) So while the water was heating for the pasta, I whipped up a quick white-wine cream sauce. I sauteed 1/2 a large shallot in a pat of butter until softened and translucent, then added in about 1/2 cup white wine. I let the alcohol cook off for a few minutes, then added about 1/2 cup heavy cream. Once that had reduced and thickened over medium heat (about 3 minutes), I added salt & pepper to taste, then folded in the cooked and drained ravioli.

I knew the dish would need a green of some sort, but I couldn't come up with an appropriate accompaniment in my head. Asparagus? Perfect, but too expensive - not to mention bitter - this time of year. Artichokes? Yum, but too time-consuming for a Monday night (also hella pricey). Broccoli, or any veggies from the cruciferous family have too strong of a flavor. And so forth, until a simple salad of dressed romaine (which I already had on hand) seemed the only solution. So I whipped up a quick salad dressing of 1 T. diijon mustard, whisked together with about 2 T. balsamic vinegar (bought in a $3 jug on my last trip to Trader Joe's), and about 3 T. olive-canola oil blend, plus salt & pepper to taste. I drizzled this over my greens and gently tossed, and that was my side dish.

The verdict? I would have rather had meat. Oh it was very tasty (especially the dressing on the greens, which was the perfect counterbalance to the richness of the entree), but it just wasn't substantial enough for a work and school night dinner. The Kid loved it, and finished off the meager leftovers later in the evening, but that just goes to show that nobody was really satisfied. We all went snack-hunting in the kitchen within a few hours of dinner.

I'd make this exact dish again for a first course if I were the sort of person who had dinner parties served in courses. But I'm not. So I'll probably go back to ignoring the fancy fresh pastas in the dairy case.

Totals:

$2.49 - lobster ravioli
$1 - ingredients for sauce
$1 - romaine
.25 - ingredients for dressing

$4.74 for dinner for 3


NOTE: It doesn't happen often, but Harris Teeter sometimes has a regular, everyday price on an item that is lower than WalMart. Shallots are sold loose, in bulk, for $3.99/lb at HT - one large shallot cost me 75 cents. WalMart, on the other had, only sold shallots that were pre-packaged in little mesh bags (like the onions). A 4 oz. bag was $2.29, which works out to $9.16/lb. It pays to compare.

Weekend Dinners + Dessert

Sauteed Bananas with Tangy Sweet Cream

Dinners this weekend were nothing special. Saturday night we ate out, and tonight the adults split a Palermo's Rustic frozen pizza because The Kid had youth group. (The Palermo's pizzas were BOGO the same week Harris Teeter had Super Double Coupons. The price worked out between $1.60 - $1.75 apiece, which is a fabulous price for an upscale, all-natural frozen pizza. So, needless to say, my freezer is full of them.)

Now let's get on to the good stuff - DESSERT!

I made this last weekend and it was so good I couldn't wait to make it again. The tangy sweet cream is especially wonderful - it would lend itself beautifully to other desserts, but is so delicious that I could eat it all on its own. (The Kid thought so, too, and snatched spoonfuls whenever I wasn't watching.) It's really a great budget-minded dish, because it starts with sour cream, which is cheaper than heavy cream. There are also frequent coupons for sour cream - I think this was less than 1/2 the shelf price after doubled coupons at Harris Teeter. Plus it keeps well, unlike whipped cream, which will deflate and "melt" eventually. The rest of the ingredients - brown sugar, cinnamon, oranges and bananas - are all things I already have and/or regularly buy anyway, making this a perfect "any night" dessert.

So after The Kid got home from youth group, I whipped this up and we had a nice dessert together as a family. Total cost was under $2 and it took me all of 15 minutes. Win!

NOTE: Since this was the second time I've made this dish I didn't really measure, but I estimate that I doubled the ingredients for the Tangy Sweet Cream. It's so good we all wanted an extra big serving this time.

Friday Dinner

Teriyaki-Ginger Chicken Sausage with Pineapple, Rice, Stir-Fried Cabbage

I don't normally pay much attention to the gourmet chicken sausages because, at $4.99 - $5.99 per package, I think they're just too pricey. But during Harris Teeter Super Double Coupons week, I came across a good sale ($3) combined with a good coupon ($1 x double = $2 off) that brought them down to $1 a package. The sale price was good only on one specific variety, the Al Fresco brand Teriyaki-Ginger flavor, so that's what I got. I had no idea what to do with it, but the package gave some suggestions in that area, too. So tonight I sliced them up and threw them in a pan with a thinly sliced onion and sauteed for a few minutes, then added in about 1/2 can of pineapple tidbits and a little of their juice. For a side dish (and in another pan) I stir-fried half a head of shredded cabbage in a little oil, then added in soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil. I served the whole thing up with plain white rice.

The verdict: 2 out of 3 diners at the Foodie's house loved it. I was the fence-sitter on this one. I thought it was OK, but nothing special. For one thing, the sausage-pineapple dish was very pale and uninteresting. If someone else were going to make this dish for their family, I would recommend adding sliced green or red peppers for color. A little extra Teriyakki sauce wouldn't hurt, either. Now the stir-fried cabbage was another matter - we all loved that, even The Kid, who usually isn't a big fan of cooked cabbage. The cabbage was really just an afterthought, since it was at the use-it-or-toss-it stage. So I'm well-pleased with those results.

Totals:

$1 - Al Fresco brand Teriyaki-Ginger chicken sausage
.50 - 1/2 can pineapple chunks
.20 - 1 onion
.20 - white rice
.70 - 1/2 head cabbage

$2.60 for dinner for 3, with 1 large serving of everything left over

Thursday Dinner

French Dip Sandwiches, Ceasar Salad

The above title is pretty self-explanatory. I split small bakery rolls (called "Brat Buns") and topped with roast beef and sliced baby Swiss cheese, then baked them at 350 for 10 minutes. They were small, so everybody had 2 (a whole package of each of buns and roast beef, plus 3/4 package of Swiss). For dipping, I made a packet of au jus gravy. A Ceasar salad (romaine, Wish-Bone brand Ceasar dressing, parmesan cheese and croutons) completed the meal.

Totals:

$2 - buns
$1.80 - roast beef (HT B2G3 free sale on deli meats & cheeses)
$1.35 - Swiss cheese (same as above)
.50 - gravy packet
$1 - 1/2 package romaine lettuce
free - croutons (sale + double coupons)
free - dressing (sale + triple coupons)

$5.65 for dinner for 3

Wednesday Dinner

I wasn't much in the mood for cooking tonight. I didn't have a particularly busy day so I have no excuse other than I just didn't feel like it. But thanks to recent sales and super double coupons, my fridge, freezer and pantry are extraordinarily well stocked with heat n' eat type meals right now.

The entree was a ready-to-serve Jack Daniel's BBQ Beef Brisket. As I mentioned the other week, I had a raincheck for another brand of heat n' serve entrees that Harris Teeter discontinued, so they honored the raincheck on any brand in stock. This is one of the entrees that I chose and it was entirely new to us; we'd never tried this brand before. The reviews were mixed. One of us loved it, one of us merely liked it, and one of us got a particularly black-peppery piece and coughed and choked through the rest of dinner. So take that for what it's worth and be warned if you decide to try this brand.

On the side we had a package of buttered noodles from Lipton/Knorr. It's not that I can't boil noodles and add butter and parsley myself - y'all know that's not the issue. But this is a product that puts out frequent coupons. Also, and I'm not at all sure why this happens, but it always seems to be on sale BOGO during Harris Teeter triple coupons weeks. At that point it's either free or .04 - .07 per package, and y'all know I just can't pass that up. It's like a sickness. (grin)

Rounding out the meal was plain ol' canned corn, heated with butter, salt and pepper. I probably should have served something green, but I wasn't crazy about the choices I had in the house. Besides, something about BBQ cries out for corn to me.

Totals:

$3 - beef brisket (after rain check + super double coupons)
.05 - Knorr/Lipton buttered noodles side dish
.33 - canned corn (HT brand 3/$1 sale awhile back)

$3.38 for dinner for 3, with another serving of everything left over

Tuesday Dinner

Are you signed up as an eVic customer at Harristeeter.com? Basically this means that you've linked you VIC card to your email address so that you can receive their weekly flier by email. In exchange for doing this, you're eligible for a different special each week, and sometimes several specials.

I mention this because one of last week's specials was a package of Hillshire Farms link sausages (assorted varieties) for $2. That's a great price on a product that's usually in the $3.50 range. I chose Beer Bratwurst, and pan-fried them until well-browned. I served them on potato rolls with heated sauerkraut and spicy mustard. On the side we had oven fries.

Totals:

$2 - bratwurst
$2 - buns
$1 - 1/2 bag fries
free - leftover sauerkraut (this stuff has been in my fridge for longer than I care to admit. Luckily it's already pickled/preserved.)

$5 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us), with 2 brats and 4 buns left over

Monday Dinner

Citrus Shrimp with Rice and Sesame Broccoli

Citrus Shrimp has become one of my go-to recipes; it's easy, it's delicious and it's always a crowd pleaser. The plain white rice and sesame broccoli are the perfect accompaniments, so I don't mess with the formula for success.

I normally make it with just 1 lb of shrimp, but my sister was joining us tonight. Also, my freezer is so packed I really wanted to use the full 2 lb. bag instead of putting half a bag back. So the per-meal cost is a bit higher than usual, but there are leftovers for 2 lunch servings of shrimp, rice & sauce (a good thing since The Kid is out of school tomorrow).

Totals:

$5.98 - shrimp (pre-holiday Buy 1, Get 2 free sale on raw EZ peel shrimp from HT)
.85 - broccoli (steam-in-bag after BOGO + doubled coupon)
$1 - additional ingredients

$7.83 for dinner for 4, plus 2 lunch servings

Sunday Dinner

We split a frozen pizza for Sunday dinner because The Kid had youth group and I didn't feel like cooking for just the 2 of us. (Besides, I got such a great deal on the pizzas during HT super double coupons that I have a freezer full of 'em.)

Total: $1.69 for dinner for 2 (pizzas were BOGO, and I used a $1 coupon on each, which doubled)

Weekend Dinners

Remember last week when I had dry grilled chicken? Well, the leftovers got pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten until I found them again yesterday. It was still OK to eat and I was loathe to throw out that much meat, so I decided to try to salvage it. To "fix" the chicken, I diced it up and threw it in a pan in which I'd just cooked a little bacon. (The fat was drained but the pan wasn't wiped out.) I sauteed the chicken for about 2 minutes, then added just a splash of chicken broth and cooked for another minute or so until it was absorbed. The result - moist, tender and juicy chunks of chicken that tasted better than the first night I cooked it. I used these to make spinach salads, also topped with crumbled bacon, gorgonzola cheese and dried cranberries. On the side we finished off the rest of the Trader Joe's beer bread and everyone had their salad dressing of choice. It was a wonderful meal, even though everyone was hungry again around 10pm last night. Oh well, lucky for us a friend gave us a big Hickory Farms box for Christmas, so we noshed on cheese, summer sausage and mustard.

Totals:

$1 - 1/2 bag of spinach (from Aldi)
$1 - gorgonzola, cranberries, bacon, dressing
free - leftover chicken and beer bread (accounted for in other meals)

$2 for dinner for 3

__________

Dinner tonight was one of the best I've made in a long time. I used one old favorite recipe, and made a new one that turned out to be a definite keeper.

Quick story, though: I needed diced tomatoes for my recipe and I was out. I usually get them at WalMart or Aldi, where they're .44 - .50 for a 14 oz. can. But tonight I ran to Harris Teeter because that's the closest supermarket. The cheapest canned tomatoes they carried were Harris Teeter house brand, at $1.19 per can. I would have been really angry at having to pay more than twice as much for the same product, but I noticed they had a national brand (Furmano's) on sale for $1.50 for the big 28 oz can. Just shows how much the price can vary between stores, and also that it pays to look at value rather than cost. (I ended up using the whole can in my recipe and I really liked the extra tomatoes.)

Here's the original recipe for our dinner:

Creamy Rice, Spinach and Chicken Dinner

Now I always tweak recipes according to my needs, so here's how I did mine:

Started with about 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs, and sauteed them in about 1/4 cup Kraft Sundried Tomato dressing. When chicken thighs were well browned and cooked through (about 15 minutes), I removed them from the pan and set aside. I added in another 1/4 cup of dressing, 2 cups instant rice, the whole 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and about 1 cup chicken broth. I brought to a boil, then reduced heat, covered, and simmered until rice was tender. Then I added in the fresh spinach leaves (about 1/2 a bag), covered and let wilt for 3 - 5 minutes. I stirred the spinach into the rice, then added 1/2 an 8 oz. package of cream cheese, cubed. I stirred the cream cheese until it melted into the rice and made everything creamy. Then I added the cooked chicken thighs back on top of the rice, covered and let stand for 5 minutes to reheat the chicken. This is one of our favorite dinners and always gets rave reviews (I've served it to company, too).

Dessert tonight was Sauteed Bananas with Tangy Sweet Cream, which was a recipe recently featured on Ten Dollar Dinners. This show airs on the Food Network on Sundays at 12:30pm and has quickly become one of my favorites. The host, Melissa d'Arabian, was my favorite contestant on The Next Food Network Star competition. I'm really pleased with the show the network has come up for her because the topic - good, homemade food on the cheap - is one that's near and dear to my heart. (FYI: The winner of the competition gets their own show for 6 episodes. After those 6 episodes, the network has fulfilled its obligation. Her show, however, was picked up for a full season after that - much to my delight, because I think she's just great.) I have every recipe from that episode bookmarked because they all looked so wonderful, but this is the first one I've gotten around to making. I give it 5 stars because it was simple, delicious and cheap - what more could you ask for?

Totals:

$3.50 - boneless chicken thighs (marked down from $5.50)
$1 - 1/2 bag of spinach
$1.50 - canned tomatoes
.30 - 1/2 package cream cheese (.59 package after super double coupons)
.50 - rice, dressing, chicken broth

$1.60 - bananas
.50 - remaining ingredients (sugar, butter, 1 orange, sour cream)

$8.90 for dinner & dessert for 4 (sister joined us) - with 1 large serving chicken & rice left over

Weeknight Dinners

The Kid and I hit Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill on the way back from our weekend visit, so this week's dinners have relied heavily on the products we picked up.

Tuesday night was the big exception to the above, mainly because I had milk that I needed to use or toss because it was on the verge of souring. So I went to my old standby for that situation, which is homemade mac and cheese. My side dishes were canned Margaret Holmes brand collard greens (my favorite), and orange wedges. (Aldi has a great price on naval oranges this week, and $1.49 for a 4 lb. bag.)

Totals:

$3 - ingredients for mac & cheese
$1.20 - collards
.30 - oranges

$4.50 for dinner for 3 (with lots of mac & cheese left over - I've been having it for lunch every day)

__________

Wednesday was a busy day and I was out until just before dinner. I'd bought a bag-to-skillet entree at Trader Joe's that seemed like a quick dinner solution. It was called Chicken Chow Mein, but I've always understood Chow Mein to mean crunchy noodles and these were soft - more like Lo Mein. No matter, it was very good - chicken, noodles, broccoli, carrots, onions and red pepper, with a thick, slightly sweet soy-based sauce. My only complaint was the serving size. The package said it served 3, but I really think it was a dinner for 2. Luckily I had a side dish/starter to round it out, which was another great deal I got during HT's super doubles. Several varieties of Kashiki brand frozen Asian foods were on sale for $2.50 each, which brought them to .50 each after $1 coupons were doubled. I had more coupons than they had packages of egg rolls, so I literally cleared their shelves.

Totals:

$3.99 - Trader Joe's chicken chow mein
.50 - Kashiki frozen egg rolls (3 to a package)

$4.49 for dinner for 3

__________

Tonight I made a batch of beer bread from a Trader Joe's mix. Anything else I served was superfluous. OK, not really, but this bread is THAT good. I also pan-fried a vacuum-packed package of Trader Joe's Roast Beef hash. I made indents and cracked raw eggs into the hash, then covered and cooked until the eggs were set. Half a jar of chilled tropical fruit (also cheap after HT super double coupons) made a nice side dish.

Totals:

$3 - beer bread ($1.99 mix + beer & butter called for on package)
$1.99 - roast beef hash
$1 - 1/2 jar chilled fruit
.30 - eggs

$6.29 for dinner for 3, with 1/2 loaf bread left over

Recent Dinners

The Kid and I were out of town visiting friends for the weekend, but I did cook last Thursday night and again tonight.

Thursday was another busy day, full of errands and super-double-coupons shopping, so I put together a strictly heat n' eat dinner that night. I know I've mentioned the value of Harris Teeter rainchecks in the past, and I have a perfect example of that to share. Back in 2008, Harris Teeter had a BOGO sale on a certain brand of refrigerated, heat n' serve entrees. They ran out, so I got a raincheck. Several months later, I noticed they were no longer carrying that brand so I asked the customer service manager about it. She said she'd honor the raincheck on any similar product that they carried. So, last week, I used my raincheck to get Hormel and Jack Daniel's heat n' serve entrees BOGO, even though they weren't on sale. Even better, I had $1 and $1.50 coupons for the Hormel entrees which were doubled. My total price after raincheck and coupons was $3 per entree, down from $7.49 - $7.99 each.

So Thursday's dinner consisted of a Hormel meatloaf, with pre-made, refrigerated mashed potatoes (bought with super double coupon) and green beans heated with a little chicken bullion (my trick for jazzing up canned green beans when I don't have the time or inclination to slow-cook Southern-style with fatback). The green beans were actually free because I agreed to take part in a survey about them. The company sent me a free can, I filled out a quick survey, and now they'll send me a check for $5. I guess I could say dinner was totally free because I recouped the $5 cost in the green beans, but that's going toward the "fun money" account, not the food budget.

Totals:

$3 - meatloaf
$2 - mashed potatoes
free - green beans

$5 for dinner for 3, with 1 full serving left over

__________

Monday I made grilled ham and brie sandwiches on crusty homemade bread (from the bread machine), and served them with leftover split pea soup.

Totals:

$1 - sliced ham
$1 - brie
.20 - homemade bread
free - split pea soup (accounted for in another meal)

$2.20 for dinner for 3, with plenty of bread left over

NOTE: Grilled ham & brie is awesome spread with a little apricot jam, but I didn't have any.

Tuesday & Wednesday Dinners

Tuesday night I made my Fake-Out Lemon Broccoli Risotto along with boneless chicken breasts I marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and Cavender's Greek Seasoning. The risotto was awesome, as always, but the chicken was just OK. The chicken breasts were very thick and meaty, and I really should have pounded them before marinating. Since I didn't, they were really dried out by the time the thickest part was done. Also, the marinade just can't penetrate that far, so they were rather flavorless. They were also really too big for a single serving, so everyone just ate 1/2 their portion. So I have 3 bland, dry, half-chicken breasts in my fridge. I want to just throw them out, but the frugal part of my brain won't let me, so I'll see if I can salvage them in a salad or something.

Tuesday Totals:

chicken - $2.33
ingredients for risotto - $2

$4.33 for dinner for 3


Wednesday was a busy day for me that included getting caught up on my coupon clipping & sorting, because Harris Teeter has Super Double Coupons this week! I spent my afternoon shopping and I got some great deals, with lots of free and nearly free products. (Remember, super double coupons means that Harris Teeter will double all coupons with a face value of $1.98 or less, up to 20 per day. So search your stash for $1 and $1.50 off coupons for great deals.)



I knew I wouldn't be up for cooking when I got home (which was really late anyway), so we just had 2 Palermo Thin frozen pizzas, which are on sale BOGO at HT this week.

Totals:

$7.19 for dinner for 3 (2 frozen pizzas with leftovers for 1 lunch serving tomorrow)

Monday Dinner

I'm still operating on the "too cold to go out if I don't have to" principle, so there's still not a whole lot of choices for dinner. Luckily, I still had the meaty hambone left over from the Christmas spiral ham, and I bought a bag of split peas on my last shopping trip.

Dinner tonight was Split Pea Soup with Ham, and homemade bread from the bread machine. I know that split pea soup isn't very well-known or popular in the South, but my parents were Midwesterners and I grew up on the stuff. Once you can get past the appearance (which I admit is green and gooey and not at all appealing), the flavor is delicious. Rich and meaty and so much more complex than the short ingredient list would imply. Plus it's simple and wholesome and as cheap as a meal can get. It's also a dish that is in line with my goals of eating real food (with ingredients my great-grandmother would recognize), and avoiding "edible food-like substances" (overly processed junk) as often as possible.

To make, I cover the ham bone with water in my big stock pot. I bring to a simmer and let cook for about 2 hours, adding more water as necessary to keep the bone covered, until the meat is falling off the bone and the broth is flavorful. (The liquid has usually reduced by about 1/3 by this point.) I take the bone out, scoop out all the bits of meat, and let everything cool until I can handle it without burning myself. I separate all the bits of meat from the bone and fat, which takes all of 5 minutes, then throw the meat back in with the broth. (The feral cat that we feed greatly appreciated the bowl of fat and scraps I set out alongside his dry kibble.) I add in a bag of dried split peas (rinsed and picked over), bring everything back to a simmer, and cook until the peas turn to mush and the soup gets thick. It's done after seasoning with salt & pepper to taste. (I also really like the addition of curry powder, an idea I got from Alton Brown of Good Eats, but I'm the only one in the family who does so I stopped adding it.) A wonderfully rich and hearty meal for a cold day, especially when served with hot, fresh, buttered bread.

Totals:

free - hambone
.66 - bag of split peas
.20 - ingredients for loaf of bread (stocked up during 99 cent bread flour sale in December)

.86 for dinner for 3, with lots of everything left over

Best Cookies Ever

As I've mentioned before, I'm an avid baker. But I really like to cut corners where I can, so I especially like recipes that are based on a mix. Last night, on a whim, I made what turned out to be the best cookies ever. Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix, prepared according to package directions (1 stick butter, 1 egg, 1 T. water), mixed with 1 package Heath Bits o' Brickle (bits of English Toffee, sold with the chocolate chips in the baking aisle). The entire batch (about 3 dozen) lasted less than 24 hours. They were THAT good.

NOTE: Microwave leftover cookies - these or others - for 20 seconds on high to get that fresh-from-the-oven goodness.

Sunday Dinner

It was too darn cold to go out today if you didn't absolutely need do, so I convinced myself I didn't absolutely need to. So pickins' for dinner were a bit slim, but I made do. I made Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits with a side of fruit. The biscuits were canned Grands, bought on sale + coupon (not sure if it was doubled or tripled) for about .50 per can. And I have a freezer full of bacon because it seemed to be on sale every other week last fall. I haven't kept track of what I paid for each package, but it all shakes out to about $1.50 apiece. The fruit was just a can of pineapple chunks (.85 each after sale + double coupon) mixed with a can of mandarin oranges (.60 each on sale), but it was refreshing and delicious.

The Kid especially likes this dinner because I make as many biscuit sandwiches as I have biscuits, so there's leftovers for breakfast (as opposed to oatmeal or cold cereal with milk, which is the school-morning norm). I refrigerate the extras wrapped individually in plastic wrap, and reheat them (still wrapped) at 50% power for 2 minutes.

Funny quote from my kid: "Mom, there's one piece of bacon left." (Puts up fists and narrows eyes...) "I'll fight you for it."

Totals:

.50 - biscuits (8)
.75 - 1/2 package bacon
.66 - 8 eggs
$1 - 8 slices cheese
.85 - pineapple
.60 - mandarin oranges

$4.36 for dinner for 3, plus 3 leftover biscuit sandwiches for breakfasts

Happy New Year!

I've actually been back in the kitchen for the last couple of nights, but the dinners are so close to what I served just before Christmas that all you have to do is scroll down a little to get the complete cost breakdowns. (That's my polite way of saying I'm too lazy to do all the calculations tonight. But, as is always the case with non-holiday dinners, my goal is to average $5 or less per meal.)

Wednesday night we had Crunchy Shrimp Stir-Fry because I was craving something non-rich and non-creamy with lots of vegetables.

Thursday night was cheeseburgers and fries made with another package of hamburger that was free after triple coupons last month. (It's been in my freezer since then, obvs.) I sprinkled the patties with garlic salt and Smokehouse black pepper, grilled them on the George Foreman, then topped with sliced pepperjack cheese and served on potato rolls. The fries were oven-fries, also sprinkled with garlic salt.

I'm not much of a traditionalist when it comes to food, so New Year's Day was celebrated at my house with Curried Coconut Chicken, served over rice. (Sister joined us.)

And tonight, Saturday, I made steak soft tacos much like the steak fajitas a few posts down. I used the skirt steak I got for $1.19/package and marinated it in McCormick Mesquite marinade, prepared according to package directions. After grilling on the George Foreman, I let rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. This was served on heated tortillas with refried beans, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese.

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays. :)