Month: March 2018

Lunch

We each had an avocado and sardine sandwich.

• Skinless, boneless sardines in water are $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• The avocado was 50c or 25c per serve
• Add 25c for butter.

It’s a decent sandwich for $1.82 per serve.

Dinner

We decided to repeat the Smoked Trout Cobb Salad using the full fillets from Trader Joe’s rather than canned smoked trout. We also decided to drop the bacon from the meal.

• The rainbow trout fillets are $7.49 or $3.75 per serve
• A pastured egg is 50c
• We substituted semi-dried tomatoes – about ⅓ each of the $2.79 of tomatoes we dehydrated, or 93c per serve
• Spinach is $1.99and we used 1/8 or 13c per serve
• The avocado was $2.99 for a bag of five or 60c per serve
• The burrata was $4.99 for two, or $2.50 per serve.

Tonight’s Cobb Salad was still the best Cobb variation we’ve had for $8.41 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we harvested the bounty of leftovers from just one of yesterday’s lunches from The Country Deli: steak and potatoes. This after also sending our guest – the originator of the leftovers – away with a skirt steak and semi-dried tomato sandwich.

• Two slices of rye bread are 32c
• The skirt steak and potato were paid for as part of yesterday’s lunch, so have no additional cost
• Add 20c for butter.

Lunch today was a good toasted steak sandwich, which reheated the meat nicely, for only 52c per serve!

Dinner

Once again our “Thursday night steak night” was our deconstructed satay: grilled top sirloin with satay sauce and a Vietnamese inspired slaw.

• The top sirloin from the Prather Ranch delivery was $11.99 or $6.00 per serve
• The peanut butter was $3.99 and we used about 1/8,  or 25c a serve
• Other seasonings in the satay sauce add 35c per serve
• The remainder of the organic green cabbage was  63c per serve
• Carrot adds 30c per serve
• Salad seasonings add 20c
• Mint came from our garden.

Even though thin, the steaks were perfectly cooked, the satay sauce bought umami, sour and salt to the party and the black rice was a nutty carrier for the other flavors. The Vietnamese/Thai inspired salad contrasted with a sharp sour, but fresh, bite.  A good meal for $7.73 per serve.

Lunch

A simple lunch of toasted tomato, cheese and mayo sandwich. Sometimes a classic is a classic for good reason.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Half a heirloom tomato works out at 48c per serve
• Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• Add 20c for mayo.

Lunch today was good because the ingredients were good, for $1.17 per serve.

Dinner

A simple meal that we’d been planning to have for a couple of days, but got sidetracked because of work pressures and consistently ran out of time. Well tonight we managed it.

• The stock has no real cost
• The pack of split peas was $1.59 or 27c per serve
• The frozen peas is 99c a pack, or 16c per serve.

For dinner tonight the soup cost 43c per serve. We chose not to do a roll or bread with the soup as it is very filling on its own.

Lunch

A simple lunch of toasted tomato, cheese and mayo sandwich. Sometimes a classic is a classic for good reason.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Half a heirloom tomato works out at 48c per serve
• Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• Add 20c for mayo.

Lunch today was good because the ingredients were good, for $1.17 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we tried a new recipe from Nigella Lawson: Italian Sausage with Lentils. We substituted bratwurst instead of Italian Sausage.

• The bratwurst are $3.49 for the pack, or $1.75 per serve
• Four bok choy were $1.99 and we used half, or 50c per serve
• Du Puy Lentils (black lentils) are $2.99 for a 500g (about 1lb) and we used half or 75c per serve
• Red wine for the sauce adds 25c per serve
• Add 30c per serve for onion, garlic and seasoning.

The dish turned out well for $3.55 per serve.

Lunch

It was time to heat the remaining pulled pork and finish off some par baked rustic rolls and make an awesome lunch.

So we did. It was.

• The rustic roll is 63c per serve
• The pulled pork is $3.15 per serve and we shared one, or $1.58 per serve.

Lunch today was really good for $2.21 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we cooked a small lamb meatloaf and served with Sweet Potato Halloumi Bake, which is our potato-less version of Nigella Lawson’s Double Potato Halloumi Bake.

We took a burger recipe and cooked it as a loaf. Because we didn’t want it to be too firm, we added a cup of bread crumbs.

• The ground lamb was $7.99 or $4.00 per serve
• An egg is 50c or 25c per serve
• 16 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99 and we used 8oz or 75c per serve
• Add 35c for onion, garlic and seasoning
• The sweet potato (yam) was $1.94 or 49c per serve
• The bell pepper was $1.25 or 31c per serve
• A red onion is 66c or 17c per serve
• Halloumi $3.64 or 73c per serve
• Garlic adds 5c per serve.

The meatloaf’s texture was perfect with good lamb and mint flavors prominent. The paired down Halloumi bake is still full of flavor with reduced carbs. A very generously proportioned and tasty meal for $7.10 per serve.

Lunch

A late lunch shopping expedition had us close to an In and Out Burger so Foodie Philip had his usual Double Double Animal Style, while Greg had a Cheeseburger Animal Style, for $4.27 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we decided to defrost some thin cut pork chops and lightly fry them, served with a mushroom and bok choy stir fry.

• The pork chops were from our Prather Ranch meat delivery and cost $11.69 or $5.85 per serve
• Four bok choy were $1.99 and we used half, or 50c per serve
• 8 oz of sliced portobellos mushrooms were $3.29 or $1.65 per serve
• Add 25c for sauce ingredients.

The pork chops were fried to a perfect medium and still very slightly pink inside, while the highly seasons stir fry was a good complement to the unseasoned pork. A good meal for $8.25 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we used leftovers from our Country Deli lunch the day before. Foodie Philip got skirt steak with semi-dried tomatoes, while Foodie Greg carb’d up with a boiled potato sandwich.

• Lunch today cost 32c per serve for bread.

Dinner

A quick meal with no compromise in flavor, put together with minimum fuss? Trader Joe’s Vegetable Gyoza with Miso Ginger Broth fits that bill easily.

We poached an egg tonight, but in the past have included bok choy and spinach.

• The Miso Ginger broth was $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• The gyoza were $3.99, or $2.00 per serve
• Add 20c for seasonings.
• A pastured egg is 50c.

Tonight’s meal was excellent. Really tasty and full of Thai flavors for $3.70 per serve, and on the table in about 20 minutes.

Lunch

Having picked up a friend from the train, we headed straight to The Country Deli, where Foodie Philip had his usual steak – as did our guest – and Foodie Greg had a French Dip.

Lunch at The Country Deli runs $21.62 per person (average) with tax and tip.

Dinner

We decided on Dutch Mustard Soup, made with actual Dutch Mustard, for dinner

Like a creamy, mustard version of French onion soup, this recipe is outstanding. The lardons of bacon give it a meaty flavor and texture, without dominating the dish. The onion and leek add sweetness, offset by the sharpness of the mustard, with the heavy cream (in our version) moderating the flavors.

• Bacon ends and pieces cost $3.99 or 50c per serve
• Yellow onions were $2.79 for 2 lb, or 23c per serve
• The leek was $1.38 or 35c per serve
• Add 10c for butter
• Garlic adds 5c per serve
• Sour cream adds 50c per serve
• Mustard adds 25c per serve
• Add 20c for the remaining seasoning.

Dinner tonight was easy to prepare, delicious and only $2.18 per serve.