Author: Philip

January 2017 Summary and Observations

After December’s traveling we were very happy to spend the month mostly at home. We went out to dinner three times during the month, including LACPUG pizza.

The averages for this month:

  • Lunch prepared at home $2.93 ($2.48 in December)
  • Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $8.81 ($8.55)
  • Dinner eaten at home: $6.36 ($6.41)
  • Dinner eaten out: $12.63 ($21.03)

Our most expensive meal was lunch sat The Country Deli at $21.00 per serve.

Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $273.11 per person in January. We actually spent $52.77 for lunches at home plus $105.66 for lunches purchased or eaten out: $158.43.

Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $391.53. We actually spent $167.57 for dinners at home and $42.21 for dinners out: $209.78.

We saved $296.43 by preparing and eating most meals at home, plus we have better control over what we eat.

Jan 31: Yeros Wrap; Chinese Meal

Lunch

For a lunch variation we went back to our gyro/yeros meat.

  • 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

Tonight we went out for dinner with a friend at a Chinese restaurant in the Los Feliz district. The food wasn’t bad, and the cumin lamb was particularly good. It’s a recipe we want to chase down and make ourselves.

Dinner tonight cost $16.95 per serve, with tax and tip.

Jan 30: Double Double; Cioppino

Lunch

Another Burbank Monday and Philip had his usual In and Out Burger Double Double for $4.08.

Dinner

After the pork last night, it’s time to revisit the Cioppino by adding a pound of shrimp to the mix and gently bringing it to temperature.

  • Olive oil – less than 3c serve
  • Fennel bulb at $2 makes for 33c serve
  • Onion at 50c makes it 9c a serve
  • Four large garlic cloves are about 1/4 of the 50c garlic – 7c serve
  • Tomato paste 90c can but only half was used, for 8c serve
  • Diced tomatoes in juice – $3.99 or 67c serve
  • 1.5 cups dry white wine – about $1 or 16c serve
  • 5 cups fish stock $6.20 or $1.03 serve
  • The pack of shrimp cost $6.99 or $3.50 per serve
  • Served with Simple Truth Ready to bake garlic bread – $3.49 for the loaf . We used about 2/3 for the meal, or 78c per serve

The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the meal cost $6.74 per serve.

Jan 29: BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato); Smoked Pork Chop with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Apple

Lunch

Is there a better sandwich than a BLT? The smoke and salt from the bacon, as well as that meaty umami, a little acid from the tomato, a wet crunch from the lettuce and a little mayonnaise to keep the bread dry and add a little creaminess. On a par-baked roll right out of the oven, it was a great lunch. We served two rolls each.

  • The par baked rolls are 63c each
  • The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used two per serve, or $1.68
  • We used one kumato per serve or 58c
  • Lettuce and eggless mayo add another 25c per serve.
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. Your classic BLT

Lunch today was a big serve for $3.14 each.

Dinner

Two thin cut pork chops from our Prather Ranch delivery had been dry brining overnight. Tonight we smoked them and paired with caramelized pearl onions and apple, braised in apple cider. To offset some of the sweetness of the cider we swapped 1/4 for apple cider vinegar, which definitely offset the sweetness!

Because they were thin cut, we didn’t want to risk over-cooking by frying them off for a better appearance. The result of the salty brine and smokey preparation was very hammy and delicious.

  • The 12.7 oz of pork chops were $9.95 or $4.98 per serve
  • An Envy apple was $1.08 or 54c per serve
  • The frozen pearl onions were $1.69 or 85c per serve
  • The sparkling cider was $2.89 for the bottle, but we needed 1/3 of that for the recipe (a little less because we offset with the apple cider vinegar) or 48c per serve
  • A little fresh rosemary came from our herb garden.

Tonight’s restaurant-worthy meal cost just $6.85 and a little prep time and was a great meal. The pearl onion and apple worked really well as a variation on the “apple and pork” cliche.

Jan 28: Burrito; Cioppino

Lunch

For lunch we added a burrito stop to our shopping trip.

Lunch today was $6.00 per serve – a slight increase.

Dinner

Dinner at home with a friend, so we cooked the cioppino base and then added mussels, scallops and cod for tonight’s meal. They were extracted from the stew and served with a generous amount of the broth. The balance of the broth mix will be used to cook up some more seafood later.

  • Olive oil – less than 3c serve
  • Fennel bulb at $2 makes for 33c serve
  • Onion at 50c makes it 9c a serve
  • Four large garlic cloves are about 1/4 of the 50c garlic – 7c serve
  • Tomato paste 90c can but only half was used, for 8c serve
  • Diced tomatoes in juice – $3.99 or 67c serve
  • 1.5 cups dry white wine – about $1 or 16c serve
  • 5 cups fish stock $6.20 or $1.03 serve
  • 16 oz of White Wine and Garlic Mussels are $4.00 or $1.33 for each very generous serve
  • The pack of frozen scallops was $8.99 or $3.00 per serve
  • For the firm fleshed fish, Greg used Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod. The 40 oz pack costs $16.89 but only 8 oz was used (two filets). $1.69 a serve.
  • Served with Simple Truth Ready to bake garlic bread – $3.49 for the loaf . We used about 2/3 for the meal, or 78c per serve

Dinner tonight cost $9.26 a serve with a very generous amount of broth left to cook up the next meal and much more generous servings of mussels, scallop and fish than a more expensive restaurant meal.

Jan 27: Manhattan Clam Chowder; Beef Massaman Curry with Rice

Lunch

A cold and somewhat windy day so we went for a soup option: Progresso Manhattan Island Clam Chowder – a clam chowder without dairy. This is a simple ‘heat and serve’ soup without adding water or dairy.

One $2.00 can makes one serve.

Dinner

A nice warming beef  beef massaman curry seemed appropriate and we used for the cold evening, and to use beef chuck eye steak from our Prather Ranch meat bounty! While this would normally be done with stewing meat we sliced the raw beef and gently simmered it to temperature in the curry at the end.

Beef massaman is warming without being too spicy. We use a curry base we buy from Amazon for this simple, quick meal.

  • 19 oz of aged chuck eye steak was $11.33 or $5.67 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
  • Potato adds 25c per serve
  • The bunch of carrots was 89c but we used half in this dish, or 23c per serve.

Dinner tonight was perfect for the weather: delicious and warming but a little expensive at $9.45.

Jan 26: Smoked Salmon on Onion Bagel; Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Lunch

A nice sunny day before the wind kicked in, so we toasted an onion bagel each, and filled it with avocado, capers and smoked salmon. Delicious.

  • An onion bagel is 50c
  • Salmon was $5.99 or $3.00 a serve
  • The avocado was 35c per serve
  • Add 5c for capers.

Lunch today was generous and delicious for $3.90 per serve, but would have been better with a little thinly sliced shallot.

Dinner

Once again we had Emeril Lagasse’s Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli but sliced up a top sirloin for the beef and used udon noodles. This is a very simple dish, but very tasty. We upped the garlic and ginger in the sauce and replaced the honey with sweet chili sauce. We don’t mind a bit of spicy heat!

  • The broccoli florets where $3.49 or $1.75 a serve.
  • The top sirloin came from our farm-direct meat delivery for $11.43 or $5.72 per serve.
  • The ginger and garlic was 38c or 19c per serve
  • The noodles were $1.99 for the pack, or $1.00 per serve.

Dinner tonight cost $8.66 per serve.

Jan 25: Chicken Wrap; Pizza

Lunch

Lunch used the last half of a chicken breast, along with part of a salad kit from Trader Joe’s.

  • Wholemeal wrap is 50c
  • Instead of hummus we used an avocado which was 39c, or 20c per serve
  • The salad kit was $2.49 but we used half, or 63c per serve
  • The chicken is $9.99. Divided into four portions or $2.50 each, one breast is split into two serves, or $1.25 per serve.

Lunch today was $2.58 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight was the monthly LACPUG meeting, followed by pizza and wine at Palermo’s. We each contribute $5 to cover expenses.

Tonight’s meal cost $5.00 per serve.

Jan 24: Chicken Wrap; Popeyes Fried Chicken with Jamaican Rice and Peas

Lunch

Lunch used another half of a chicken breast, along with part of a salad kit from Trader Joe’s.

  • Wholemeal wrap is 50c
  • Instead of hummus we used an avocado which was 39c, or 20c per serve
  • The salad kit was $2.49 but we used half, or 63c per serve
  • The chicken is $9.99. Divided into four portions or $2.50 each, one breast is split into two serves, or $1.25 per serve.

Lunch today was $2.58 per serve.

Dinner

Basically left overs: the remaining Popeye’s fried chicken with another two serves of the Jamaican rice and peas.

  • Chicken cost $4.36 per serve
  • The rice and peas cost $1.22 per serve.

Dinner tonight cost $5.57 per serve.

Jan 23: Double Double; Jamaican “Rice and Peas” with Roast Chicken

Lunch

Another Burbank Monday had Philip at In and Out Burger for lunch.

A Double Double is $4.08 with tax.

Dinner

Time to  use the chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) from our supermarket roast chicken this week. Tonight we paired it with Jamaican rice and peas, which are really beans. The recipe makes six serves.

The chicken was steamed over the cooking rice. The rice and peas was okay, but it needs more beans, and we found a generous sprinkling of Trader Joe’s Lime and Chili and some fresh lime went a long way to improving on the recipe.

  • The chicken was $2.50 per serve
  • Onion and garlic add 10c per serve
  • The rice adds 25c per serve
  • A can of black beans costs 99c or 17c per serve
  • Coconut milk is $1.69 per can or 56c per serve
  • The habanero was 25c or 4c per serve
  • Add 10c per serve for seasonings and oil.

Tonights ‘rice and peas’ cost $1.22 and with the chicken, $3.72 per serve. With our improvements, the rice will be better tomorrow night. A little piri piri sauce gave the dull chicken some interest.