Author: Philip

Lunch

A gray, windy day is soup weather and today Trader Joe’s Clam Chowder, made with half and half, and a freshly baked rustic roll really hit the spot.

• Par-baked roll is 63c
• The clam chowder is $1.69 a can or 85c per serve
• The Half and Half is $1.39 per pint, and we used 3/4 or 53c per serve.

It was a very satisfying lunch for $2.01 per serve.

Dinner

Thursday night “steak” night was dedicated to pork chops from our Prather Ranch meat delivery. Two small chops were souse vidé to just below cooked, then fried off in butter to get a golden brown finish, over which we drizzled a balsamic reduction.

We served with baked kabocha squash, which was new for us, and sugar snap peas. We liked the squash. The skin was crispy and the flesh full of flavor without being at all mealy.

• The pork chops were $12.89 or $6.45 per serve
• The kabocha squash was $1.74 but we only served half, or 44c per serve
• Sugar snap peas were $3.99 but we only used half, or $1.00 per serve.

A thoroughly enjoyable meal with a good balance between the pork, squash and sugar snap peas. The combination of peas and squash was particularly good. Most enjoyable for $7.89 per serve.

Lunch

Today’s toasted sandwiches: Crispy Lamb & Lentil with Hummus, and a sliced turkey breast, mayo and cheese.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared two or 40c per serve
• The turkey breast was $9.59 for 15 oz and we used three, or 96c per serve
• The lamb and lentil mix is $3.00 per serve and we used under 1/4 or 38c per serve
• Add 20c for hummus
• Add 20c for mayo.

Todays sandwiches were both interesting and tasty for $1.43 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we tried a new meatloaf recipe, although slightly modified because of the amounts of meat we had on hand.

• 1 lb of ground beef was from our Prather Ranch meat box and cost $9.71 or (with four serves) $2.43 per serve
• The pork also came from our Prather Ranch meat delivery – 1 lb of ground pork cost $8.31 or $2.08 per serve
• 16 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99 and we used 4oz or 19c per serve
• A pastured egg is 55c and two were required- 28c per serve
• Add 30c per serve for sundry seasonings
• Sugar snap peas were $3.99 but we only used half, or $1.00 per serve
• The steel cut oats are $3.19 for 24oz, and we used 8oz or 53c per serve
• Mushrooms were $2.29 or $1.15 per serve.

Dinner tonight was good for $7.96 per serve.

Lunch

Because it was the weekend we added egg(s) to our flatbread quesadilla with the cider braised pork.

• The flatbreads add 50c per serve
• Half a can of refried beans, shared across two halves: 26c
• Bacon is $5.49 for 10 slices or $1.10 per serve
• 2 oz of cheddar split between two is 50c per serve
• Eggs are 55c each or 82.5c per serve (average).

Lunch today was a good quesadilla for $2.91 per serve.

Dinner

It turns out that the kedgeree that we’ve been having isn’t particularly authentic, so when Foodie Greg came across Jamie Oliver’s recipe for a more authentic kedgeree, we decided to give it a go, with our new favorite fish: smoked trout.

For us the recipe served two, but we used a lot less fish and about the same amount of rice, and we dropped the yoghurt and coriander.

• The rainbow trout fillets are $7.49 or $3.75 per serve
• Add 33c for basmati rice
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used 2, or 70c per serve
• Add 25c for garlic, onion and ginger
• Add 55c per serve for an egg
• Add 25c for the remaining ingredients.

This kedgeree was very different from the Anglicized Kedgeree we’ve been cooking, but with the smoked trout this was exceptionally good for $5.83 per serve.

 

Lunch

We ended up at The Country Deli for lunch where Philip had his usual marinated skirt steak with eggs, while Foodie Greg had a pastrami on rye with fries.

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

Dinner

After trying the Cauliflower Gruyère Soup in early December, we turned to the concept with Cauliflower Cheddar Soup figuring that cheddar is less expensive than Gruyére! The recipe made four serves for us because we dropped the potato (to reduce carbs) and used only four cups of chicken stock.

• The cheddar was $3.99 or $1.00 per serve
• The green cauliflower was $3.90 or 98c per serve
• Chicken stock is $1.99 for eight cups and we used four, or 25c per serve
• Carrots were $2.99 for the pack, and we used 1/4 or 38c per serve
• Add 80c for onion, garlic, celery and seasonings.

Tonight’s soup was really very good, and every bit the equal of the gruyére version, for $3.41 per serve.

Lunch

More toasted sandwiches including left overs from last night.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared two or 40c per serve
• Add 33c for Wildbrine Madras Curry and Cauliflower Sauerkraut salad
• The lamb and lentil mix is $3.00 per serve and we used under 1/4 or 38c per serve (with some of the tahini dressing).

Todays sandwiches were both interesting and tasty for $1.43 per serve.

Dinner

Thursday night steak night! Tonight a dry aged NY strip steak with an interesting beet, orange, watercress and halloumi salad.

• The dry aged NY Strip Steak was $19.80 or $9.90 per serve
• The halloumi was $5.08 or $2.53 per serve
• Organic beets were $2.45 or $1.23 per serve
• Living watercress is $1.79 and we used half or 45c per serve
• Add 15c for dressing.

Tonight’s steak was perfectly cooked and the salad is a great complement, except we felt that feta would be a better cheese choice than halloumi. A good meal, if a little expensive, at $14.26 per serve.

Lunch

With an avocado to use, our sandwiches were based around that: one with a Lemon Pepper Salmon pouch and the other with sliced smoked turkey breast.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• The avocado  was 4 for $3.49 or 44c per serve
• The salmon was $2.79 or $1.40 per serve
• The smoked turkey was $2.99 for 7oz and we used about 2oz or 43c per serve.

Both sandwiches were tasty and satisfying for $2.59 per serve.

Dinner

A return to the Crispy Spiced Lamb & Lentils with Tomato Cucumber Salsa and a Lemon Tahini dressing. They are supposed to be served in a lettuce cup but we got the wrong sort of lettuce, so we served it as a salad.  The lamb recipe came from the linked page, but the salsa and dressing were created by Foodie Greg.

The lamb and lentil recipe serves four. The dressing and salsa just two.

• The lamb was $7.99 or $2.00 per serve
• The Simple Truth lentils were 99c for the can or 25c per serve
• Add 30c for spices and oil
• A Persian cucumber is 40c or 20c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used 2, or 70c per serve
• The feta in brine was $6.50 and 1/4 went into dinner, or 41c per serve
• The “tahini & lemon” dip works out at around 45c per serve
• The Living Spring Mix was $2.24 and we used about 1/4 or 28c per serve.

We added a little spice to the lamb mix based on our experience last time, but otherwise this is a great combination. A little easier to eat as a salad than in lettuce cups and pretty good for $4.59 per serve.