Author: Philip

Lunch

The avocados we’ve been buying come in packs of five, so we have bursts of avocado centric dishes. Since one avocado makes two sandwiches, we had to find some variety in the other ingredients: bacon fried off in the panini press on one, and Lemon Pepper Salmon (pouch) on the other.

Both were great, but the bacon got the nod.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• The avocado was $2.99 for a bag of five or 30c per serve
• Two slices of bacon are $1.37 or 69c per serve
• The salmon was $2.79 or $1.40 per serve
• Add 10c for butter.

Two good sandwiches for $2.81 per serve.

Dinner

Although we’ve enjoyed it out several times, we’ve never cooked Tom Ka Gai ourselves. We’ve done Tom Ka Moo – the pork version – but not with chicken.

• The chicken is $6.99 and we used the dark meat or 88c per serve
• A can of coconut milk is $1.49 or 40c per serve
• Parasol mushrooms were $3.99 x 2 or $2.00 per serve
• Chicken stock is $1.99 or 50c per serve
• Lemon grass was 15c or 4c per serve
• Add 33c for brown rice
• Add  49c for lime juice
• Add 45c for seasonings.

This soup is a great way to use cooked chicken, which adds to the meatiness of the mushrooms – the two kind of blend. A good meal for $5.09 per serve.

Lunch

We used the second chicken breast to make two chicken, tomato and mayo toasted sandwiches.

• The chicken is $6.99 and we shared a breast or 88c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used 2, or 70c per serve
• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Add 20c for mayo.

Lunch today was good for $2.10 per serve

Dinner

Tonight we had a simple steak and salad. NY Strip steak from our Prather Ranch meat delivery, and a salad of ingredients already in the refrigerator.

• The NY Strip steak was $20.24 or $10.12 per serve
• Spinach is $1.99and we used 1/4 or 25c per serve
• The avocado was $2.99 for a bag of five or 30c per serve
• The feta is $6.49 and we used half, or $1.63 per serve
• Organic beets were $2.45 or 62c per serve
• Add 20c for dressing ingredients.

A perfectly cooked and tender steak along with a great salad? What’s not to like for $13.12 per serve.

Lunch

The best supermarket BBQ chicken comes from Jon’s Market. Unfortunately the most convenient one closed, so our visits are less frequent, but today was the day. Jon’s also have great baguette’s!

• The chicken is $6.99 and we shared a breast or 88c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used 2, or 70c per serve
• The baguette is $2.79 and we shared half for lunch, or 70c
• Add 20c for mayo.

Lunch today was one of our favorites, and costs $2.48 per serve.

Dinner

Foodie Philip seems to be suffering from a low grade infection, so Foodie Greg thought the  Côte d’Azur or Cure-All Soup would be appropriate. Garlic and chicken stock thickened with egg yolks it tastes a lot more interesting than the picture above.

The recipe made three serves.

• Six pastured brown eggs are $3.30 or $1.00 per serve
• A whole head of garlic went into the soup: 50c  or 18c per serve
• Organic chicken stock was $1.99 or 67c per serve
• Parmesan cost $5.49 and we used it all, or $1.80 per serve.
• Add 40c for herbs, oil  and seasonings.

Although we forgot the oil for serving, this was amazingly delicious for just $4.05 per serve.

Lunch

Time to finish the Popeye’s Chicken, which we reheated, and serve with an Asian Salad kit.

• The chicken is $2.98 per serve with tax
• The Asian salad was $1.49 or 75c per serve.

While we didn’t finish the salad with this meal, we didn’t reuse it, so the cost per serve was $3.73 per serve. That’s still half what most take out would cost.

Dinner

We loved the satay sauce last time we had it, and serving the steak whole seems to suit us better than the skewer approach that’s more normal for satay.

Black rice and bok choy round out the meal.

• Two pieces of top sirloin were $12.95 or $6.48 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 bok choy was $1.15 for two, or 58c per serve
• Black rice adds 40c per serve.

The peanut sauce was excellent, the meat perfectly cooked with noticeable beef flavor, and the bok choy and black rice make good accompaniments. A great meal for $8.06 per serve.

Lunch

We had the leftover smokey cheese and pumpkin quiche, which was also good cold, for $2.34 per serve.

Dinner

With another month’s meat delivery pending, we chose some boneless pork chops and pan fried them in butter, serving with a little Apple-Bacon Slaw.

To be honest, the slaw is better than the pork chops, particularly when the slaw is made with endive instead of cabbage!

• The pork chops were $11.24 for 12oz or $5.62 per serve
• Two slices of bacon are $1.37 or 69c per serve
• The endive was $1.16 or 58c per serve
• The Envy apple was $1.11 or 56c per serve
• Add 20c for dressing ingredients.

Dinner tonight was a great meal for $7.65 per serve. The pork chop was perfectly medium rare, and the salad had a great balance of acid, sweetness, salt and fat!

Lunch

As Foodie Philip was out in the morning, he stopped at Popeye’s on the way home for the 11 pack special with a large red beans and rice.

• The chicken is $2.98 per serve with tax
• The red beans and rice is $2.12 per serve with tax.

Lunch today was as good as it usually is, for $5.10 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 55c
• Cherry tomatoes were $2.79 and we used all or $1.40 per serve
• Spinach is $1.99and we used 1/4 or 25c per serve
• The avocado was $2.99 for a bag of five or 30c per serve
• The burrata was $4.99 for two, or $2.50 per serve.

Tonight’s Cobb Salad was the best we’ve had for $8.75 per serve.

Lunch

Back to a normal Burbank Monday and Foodie Philip was at In and Out Burger for a Double Double Animal Style for $4.27.

Dinner

We still had some of the Kabocha squash that we’d baked and added more to it to create a variation of the Smokey Cheese and Pumpkin Slice, that was a quiche than the savory cake that the recipe normally makes.

The recipe still makes four generous serves.

• The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used five, or 73c per serve
• Three pastured eggs at 55c each is 41c per serve
• The kabocha squash was $1.74 each (we used 1.5), or 65c per serve
• Smoked gouda slices were $2.99 and we used half or 38c per serve
• Half and half was $1.39 per pint, but we used 1/4 or 9c per serve
• An onion adds 8c per serve.

Dinner tonight was filling and tasty. Foodie Philip served with some “fry bread” (slices of bread ‘toasted’ with butter in the sandwich toaster), which added 32c to his meal, otherwise it was $2.34 per serve.

Lunch

Due to some strangeness at Maggiano’s that involved an extra past dish that we ultimately bought home, so we reheated it and served with some spinach, bacon lardons and a poached egg. The Alfredo was very good and the egg melded into the sauce for a really rich result.

• The Fettuccini came free
• Bacon is $5.49 for the pack of 8 slices and we used two each, or $1.38 per serve
• The spinach was $1.99 and we used half or 50c per serve
• A pastured egg is 55c and we averaged 1.5, or 83c per serve.

Lunch was surprisingly good – and a good time to have carbs – for a net cost of $2.71 per serve.

Dinner

We decided to try Pioneer Woman’s Creamy Mushroom Soup and it turned out really well. We got three serves from our modified recipe.

• Sliced portabello mushrooms were $3.29 or $1.10 per serve
• Sliced white mushrooms were $1.49 or 50c per serve
• Half and half was $1.39 per pint, but we used 1/2 or 24c per serve
• Chicken stock is $1.99 or 67c per serve
• The butter is $3.99 per block, and we used about 1/2, or 67c per serve
• Add 33c per serve for sherry
• Add 10c for flour
• Add 30c for onion, celery, garlic and thyme.

The soup had a lot of mushroom flavor, which was what we were going for. Excellent for $3.91 per serve.