Author: Philip

Lunch

We were uninspired at lunch, so we reverted to toasted sandwiches. One with sliced turkey breast, sun dried tomato spread and Swiss, the other with Lemon Pepper Tuna, capers and Swiss.

• Sprouted rye bread is 32c per serve
• The tuna pouch was $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 34c per serve
• Add 40c for butter, and sun dried tomato spread.

Lunch was pretty decent for $2.06 per serve.

Dinner

While we have our favorite meatloaf recipes, this Greek Style with Spinach and Feta, was definitely interesting enough to try. We will get four very generous serves from this meatloaf.

We served with prepared dolmas and tabouli.

• Two pounds of lean ground beef from our Keller Crafted meat box cost $20.05 or $5.01 per serve
• The feta was $6.49 and we used half or 82c per serve
• Spinach was $1.49 or 38c per serve
• Eggs are 51c each or 27c per serve
• 16 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99 and we used 8oz or 38c per serve
• Add 50c per serve for parsley, seasoning and pomegranate molasses
• Dolmas were $2.49 and we shared half, or 63c per serve
• Tabouli was $2.69 and we used about ⅔ or 90c per serve.

This was a really good meatloaf. The lemon permeated it without dominating and the feta bought texture variation and salt. We’ll do this one again at $8.89 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we heated some par baked rustic panini rolls and stuffed them with reheated pulled pork.

• The pulled pork is $4.18 per serve and we shared a serve, or $2.09 per serve
• The roll is 63c.

The pulled pork in a hot, crunchy roll makes a perfect cold weather lunch for $2.72 per serve.

Dinner

The only real positive about Winter are soups and stews! Foodie Greg found a new ‘creamy’ mushroom soup that seemed interesting, particularly since we still had farro on hand. The recipe makes six serves.

We had to substitute crimini mushrooms for wild, and our pancetta was more finely diced than the recipe called for, which turned out to be a positive. As it was the same size as the farro, which has a similar texture, the two became indistinguishable, giving the effect of a lot more meat.

• The farro was $1.79 for the pack, but we shared ⅓ or 10c per serve
• The pancetta was $3.29 or 55c per serve
• The mushrooms were 42c per serve
• Bone broth was $5.99 for two cartons, or $1.00 per serve
• Cream fraich was $3.79 and we used half, or 32c per serve
• Add 15c for onions and garlic
• Add 15c for celery and carrots
• Add 10c for sweet sherry
• Add 10c for butter
• Add 20c per serve for other seasonings.

This is a very good mushroom soup. The addition of the sherry/marsala (which would be better) at the end elevates the whole dish. The butter and cream fraiche brings the creamy texture without a lot of dairy. We were surprised how meaty this was, because of the interchangeability of the pancetta and farro. A really good soup for $3.17 per serve.

Lunch

A cold miserable day calls for a nice meat pie. Probably calls to Aussies stronger than Americans, but we do like a pie! Foodie Greg had Trader Joe’s Chicken Balti, while Foodie Philip had the Steak and Stout.

• Trader Joe’s pies are $6.49 for two or $3.25 per serve.

Dinner

Since our hot smoked salmon was so successful last week, we smoked cod (frozen fillets) and served them with a brown rice kedgeree. This is a more traditional kedgeree rice and is served with the cod.

• The cod fillets were six for $12.99 or $2.17 per serve
• Eggs are 51c per serve
• Brown rice adds 33c per serve
• The chili was 15c or 8c per serve
• Limes were 40c or 20c per serve
• Tomatoes add 85c per serve
• Add 55c per serve for ginger, onion, curry powder, ghee and seasoning.

While the kedgeree had more heat than our normal recipe, it was a good variation with more intense flavors. The hot smoked cod was perfectly cooked and took up good smoke flavor and color. Another good meal for $4.69 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we heated the remaining Split Pea Soup, finished a par baked panini and stuffed the panini with a soft French “Fromage” (i.e. cheese).

• The soup cost 43c per serve
• The roll is 63c
• The Fromage is $4.99 for six slices, or 83c per serve.

A great warming meal for $1.89 per serve.

Dinner

With stew beef in our Keller Crafted meat box, and cold weather, we naturally went for Beef Massaman.

• The beef was $8.84, or $4.42 per serve
• The curry is $3.38 per can or $1.69 per serve
• Coconut milk is $1.69 per can or 85c per serve
• Peanuts were $2.99 but we only used half, or 75c per serve
• Peal onion adds 20c per serve
• Black rice adds 44c per serve,

As always this is a warming, tasty meal for $8.35 per serve.

Breakfast

The Foodies don’t generally eat breakfast, preferring an early lunch and keeping food intake time slightly restricted, but about once a month we attend a hosted community breakfast, where we enjoyed a bacon and egg brioche.

Dinner

Foodie Greg like to find different ways to use our monthly delivery of ground pork. Tonight he adapted a chicken chili to ground pork (the other white meat) and it was pretty good. The recipe makes four good serves.

• The ground pork was $8.35 or $2.09 per serve
• Chicken broth is $1.99 or 50c per serve
• White beans are 99c a can or 50c per serve
• The jalapeño chili was 15c or 4c per serve
• Add 10c per serve for onion and garlic
• Frozen corn was $1.29 and we used half, or 16c per serve
• Add 55c for seasoning, lime juice, labné and crushed tostadas.

Despite expecting the recipe to thicken with the blended beans, this was a very loose chili, with a texture more like soup! It has a fairly mild flavor, probably because we could only get one jalapeño and no poblano peppers. Quite enjoyable for $4.14 per serve.

Lunch

We often put more effort into a weekend lunch, so today we did a full on “English” breakfast of Turkey, Spinach and Feta sausages – from Keller Crafted – with Giant Baked Beans, fry toast and a fried egg.

• The sausages were $5.00 for the pack or $2.50 per serve
• The baked beans are $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
  
• Sprouted Rye bread is 16c per serve
• A pastured egg is 51c per serve
• Add 20c for butter and seasoning.

We greatly enjoyed lunch, which was $4.37 per serve

Dinner

In every Keller Crafted box is a shoulder, butt or other slow roast meat. Slow roasting or braising these working muscles releases flavor and turns the meat into something tender and unctuous. We did a slow braise in stock with onions and pulled the results before serving.

• The pork was $21.15 and we will get six good size serves, or $3.53 per serve
• Onion and garlic add 25c per serve
  
• Chicken stock adds $2.00 or 40c per serve
• The missed color carrots were $3.99 but we only roasted half, or $1.00 per serve
• Frozen pearl onions are $1.69 but we only used ¼ of the pack, or 43c per serve
• Add 35c for cumin and balsamic vinegar.

We love pulled pork, and this was a great meal for $5.96 per serve.