Author: Philip

Lunch

The salsa from our crispy lamb and lentil lettuce wraps of two night ago was used in last night’s salad, but there was still some of the spicy lamb and tadziki blue cheese dressing. Perfect for a wrap.

• The wholemeal wrap is 50c
• The lamb was $5.99 or $1.50 per serve
• The Madras Lentils were $3.99 for the pack or $1.00 per serve
• Add 30c for spices and oil
• The “yoghurt & cucumber” dip (tzatziki) is $4.99 but we used only two tablespoons, or 31c per serve.

Lunch today was delicious and cost $3.61 per serve.

Dinner

Two large, bone in thick cut pork chops were in our Prather Ranch meat delivery, so we sous vidé them then finished with a quick fry on a hot griddle. We paired it with an old favorite: strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and cucumber salad, with some blue cheese crumbles added.

• The pork chops were $10.07 per serve
• We bought a huge punnet of strawberries for $2.49 and used about 1/3, or 43c per serve
• A Persian cucumbers was 77c, or 39c per serve
• Blue cheese crumbles were $3.99 but we used so little, it comes to 45c a serve
• Add 20c per serve for the balsamic vinegar.

The pork chop was perfectly cooked, and the strawberry cucumber salad was – as always – perfect, although it probably did not need the blue cheese crumbles. Because of the quality of protein from Prather Ranch it’s a little more expensive at $11.54, but worth it.

Lunch

As we had to drop off a package near The Country Deli, we stopped there for lunch. Foodie Philip had his usual (excellent) marinated skirt steak, eggs and home fries, while Foodie Greg had a Pastrami on Rye. Lunch today averaged $23.21 per serve.

Dinner

A new recipe for us, fattoush is a middle eastern bread salad, somewhat similar in concept to a panzanella salad. The recipe has conflicting instructions on preparing the pita, with the version that cuts into pieces before going into the over seemed to be the more successful as they were crunchy not chewy.

We used the tomato/cucumber salad from last night as the basis (as we couldn’t find suitable tomatoes while shopping.

• A Persian cucumber is $1.03 or 51c per serve
• Tomatoes were $1.13 or 28c per serve
• The pita are $1.99 for a pack of six, or 35c per serve
• Radishes were 99c or 50c per serve
• Mint came from our garden
• Add 35c per serve for seasoning and juice.

Dinner tonight was an okay salad for $1.99 per serve

 

Lunch

For variety we purchased a large supermarket chicken.

• The flatbread is 50c per serve
• The roast chicken is $9.99 for the bird, which works out at 63c per serve
• We picked up a bacon and blue cheese salad kit from the supermarket for $3.99 or $1.00 per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.13 per serve.

Dinner

Another new recipe: Crispy Spiced Lamb & Lentils with Tomato Cucumber Salsa and a Tzatziki and Feta Dressing, served in a lettuce cup. The lamb recipe came from the linked page, but the salsa and dressing were created by Foodie Greg.

• The lamb was $5.99 or $1.50 per serve
• The Madras Lentils were $3.99 for the pack or $1.00 per serve
• Add 30c for spices and oil
• A Persian cucumber is $1.03 or 51c per serve
• Tomatoes were $1.13 or 28c per serve
• The feta in brine was $6.50 and 1/4 went into dinner, or 41c per serve
• The “yoghurt & cucumber” dip (tzatziki) is $4.99 but we used only two tablespoons, or 31c per serve
• The roots-on lettuce cost $3.49 but we used only a fraction of the head, or 10c per serve.

We felt that the lamb mix needed more spice, but otherwise this is a great combination. A little messy to eat. Dinner tonight cost $4.11 per serve.

 

Lunch

Our favorite wrap has disappeared from the supermarket shelf, so we’re looking for alternatives, starting with pita pockets.

• The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10oz pack. There are really four serves, so each serve is very slightly cheaper than the chicken, at $1.00 per serve.
• The pita are $1.99 for a pack of six, or 35c each
• Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.35.

Dinner

Puttanesca – a.k.a. slut spaghetti – is a quick and easy meal, mostly from cans, but we used only fresh kumato instead of canned.

• Anchovies are $1.59 a can, or 40c per serve
• Garlic and seasonings add about 10c per serve
• The pasta was $1.29 or 33c per serve
• The kumatos (black tomato) are $3.49 for six, or 58c per serve
• A jar of pitted olives is $2.99 but only half is used in the recipe or 38c per serve

Dinner tonight cost $1.79 a serve.

Lunch

Foodie Philip was in Burbank having a Double Double at In and Out Burger while Greg finished the last serve of Mustard soup. Lunch cost $4.08 per serve.

Dinner

As we still had “meat for fajita” in the freezer we returned to a favorite: Stir-Fried Beef With Snap Peas and Oyster Sauce but with Udon noodles instead of rice.

• The ‘fajita’ beef cost $10.21 or $5.11 per serve
• Snow peas add $1.00 per serve
• The various sauce and marinade ingredients add $1.00 per serve
• The udon noodles were $3.89 but we used 1/2 or 98c per serve.

The stir fry is a good weeknight meal, for $8.09, mostly because we get all our beef aged from Prather Ranch, which is definitely more expensive than conventionally sourced beef.

Lunch

We were meeting up with a friend from out of town, and Gordon Biersch is a good choice, as we needed to be in Burbank later in the day. It was gourmet burgers all round and our friend picked up the check.

Dinner

An intriguing and new recipe for us: Dutch Mustard Soup, or when we order it in September during IBC, Mosterdsoep! Foodie Greg prepared it ahead of time, so it was a simple reheat, add some bacon and finish off baking the bread to have a meal on the table, as we expected to finish the day late.

Which is what we did. Like a creamy, mustard version of French onion soup, this recipe is outstanding. The lardons of bacon on top give it a meaty flavor and texture, without dominating the dish. The onion and leek added sweetness, offset by the sharpness of the mustard, with the sour 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
• The par baked roll was $3.99 or $1.00 per serve.

Dinner tonight was easy to prepare, delicious and only $3.18 with the bread!

Lunch

On our way back home we stopped in at Whole Foods for some supermarket sushi for $9.69 per serve.

Dinner

With a lot of yellow mash left over, Greg decided to make bubble and squeak – refried leftover vegetables. Unfortunately, our non-stick pans were also no help creating a crust.

• The squash cost $1.99 or 50c per serve
• Russet potatoes weer $1.49 but we used 2/5 or 15c per serve
• Sour cream is $2.99 for a tub, and we used 1/3 or 25c per serve
• Spring onion adds 15c per serve
• Bacon ends and pieces were $3.99 per pack, but we used about 1/3 or 67c per serve
• An onion adds 12c per serve
• Pastured eggs are 5oc each or $1.00 per serve.

Dinner tonight was tasty despite the lack of crust for $2.84 per serve.

Lunch

Yeros wrap time again.

• The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10oz pack. There are really four serves, so each serve is very slightly cheaper than the chicken, at $1.00 per serve.
• The flatbread is 50c per serve
• Hummus is $3.99 per container and we used about 1/6 or 33c per serve
• We served 1/4 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve.

Lunch today cost $2.50.

Dinner

We still had half the shredded beef ragu left and decided to serve with mashed potato. Then Foodie Greg saw some chopped butternut squash and his mind went back to ‘yellow mash’ – the name his mother used for squash and potato mixed, in order to get him to eat squash or pumpkin!

We elevated the mash by using sour cream, pecorino and spring onion, and it was really tasty and a perfect companion to the ragu. It makes at least four serves, so we have two for bubble and squeak later.

• Beef chuck steak cost $6.93 or $1.73 per serve
• The sweet onion was 46c or 12c per serve
• Sliced crimini mushroom – a bit more than the recipe called for – cost $2.29 or 58c per serve
• Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used 1/4, or 11c per serve
• Beef broth is $1.99 for 2 pints, or 13c per serve
• Crushed canned tomatoes with no added salt were $1.49 or 38c per serve
• Add 30c for thyme and other seasonings
• The squash cost $1.99 or 50c per serve
• Russet potatoes weer $1.49 but we used 2/5 or 15c per serve
• Sour cream is $2.99 for a tub, and we used 1/3 or 25c per serve
• Spring onion  adds 15c per serve
• Snow peas were $2.99 but we used only half a container, or 75c per serve.

The mash was a much better accompaniment to the ragu, while the blanched sugar snap peas added crunch, all for just $5.15 per serve.

Lunch

Take a small naan bread, top it with feta and kumato and sprinkle on fresh thyme, then roast until the feta has softened and the tomato dried. One of the tastiest lunches we’ve ever had.

• The kumatos (black tomato) are $3.49 for six, or 58c per serve
• The garlic naan is $3.69 for six and we had two each, or $1.23 per serve
• The feta in brine was $6.50 and 1/2 went into lunch, or $1.63 per serve
• Add 10c for the thyme.

Lunch today was more expensive than our usual home prepared lunch at $3.54 per serve, but it was worth it.

Dinner

If you can have pulled pork, why not pulled beef, which for some reason is called shredded beef despite being prepared much the same way. Paired with some gnocchi it was basically “meat and potatoes!”

The meat sauce – ragu – made four serves.

• Beef chuck steak cost $6.93 or $1.73 per serve
• The sweet onion was 46c or 12c per serve
• Sliced crimini mushroom – a bit more than the recipe called for – cost $2.29 or 58c per serve
• Organic baby carrots were $1.69 for the pack, of which we used 1/4, or 11c per serve
• Beef broth is $1.99 for 2 pints, or 13c per serve
• Crushed canned tomatoes with no added salt were $1.49 or 38c per serve
• Add 30c for thyme and other seasonings
• The gnocchi was $1.69 or 85c per serve.

The ragu was intensely rich and satisfying, but didn’t pair well with the gnocchi so we’ll repeat the ragu with mashed potatoes tomorrow night. Still a very tasty meal for $4.20 per serve.