Sep 5: Tomato & Swiss; Slow Cooker Coconut Pork Curry with Brown Rice

Lunch

We’re cleaning up the cupboard and fridge ahead of a trip so we finished off the last two kumato on a sandwich with Swiss and Garlic Spread.

  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one each, or 70c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • Add 35c for garlic spread and butter.

Two satisfying half sandwiches each for $1.70 per serve.

Dinner

Conveniently we were able to finish off the last of the Slow Cooker Coconut Pork Curry from a couple of nights ago.

  • The pork was $8.99 or $2.25 per serve
  • Fire roasted tomatoes were $1.69 or 43c per serve
  • A can of coconut milk was $1.69 or 43c per serve
  • Add 80c for seasoning and oil
  • Add 33c for brown rice.

Despite only cooking for half the recommended four hours, we had tender pork and a delicious sauce for $4.24 per serve.

Sep 4: Bacon & Tomato, Smoked Trout & Swiss; Creamy Garlic Butter Shrimp

Lunch

We fried off some bacon in the panini press and made a bacon and tomato sandwich, but there wasn’t enough bacon done for two sandwiches, so we opened a smoked tuna pouch and combined it with Swiss cheese.

  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
  • Bacon is $4.99 and we used 3 rashers between us, or 45c per serve
  • Add 75c per serve for the pouch
  • Add 35c for garlic spread and butter.

Two satisfying half sandwiches each for $2.22 per serve.

Dinner

Another adventure into a new recipe: Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp.

We Sous Vide the shrimp to perfection in garlic and butter while the sauce came together in the pan. We substituted lentil and brown rice pasta which had a good toothless and decent flavor.

  • The shrimp was $7.99 for the pack, and we used half, or $2.00 per serve
  • The pasta was $2.99 and used about ⅓ or 50c per serve
  • The spinach was $3.29, or $1.65 per serve
  • Add 20c per serve for garlic and seasoning.
  • Add 40c for half and half
  • Add 10c for onion.

We were slightly disappointed in this recipe. It promised great flavor but didn’t really deliver. The sous vide shrimp were perfect. Overall an okay meal for $4.85 per serve.

 

 

Sep 3: Long Cooked Broccoli on Fry Bread; Grilled Eggplant with Satay Sauce and Vietnamese Salad

Lunch

Although we use the Long Cooked Broccoli as a side, it was originally intended as a sandwich filling, so today we heated what remained and topped a piece of fry bread (just bread in the panini press).

  • One slide of Rye is 16c
  • The long cooked broccoli is $1.36 per serve, or 68c per serve
  • Add 25c for butter.

Surprisingly, this was a great way to eat the broccoli for $1.09 per serve.

Dinner

With one vegetarian among our dinner guests we returned to the grilled eggplant with satay sauce that had been so successful last time we had it.

  • Two eggplants were $3.28 or 82c per serve (although not all were served)
  • The peanut butter was $1.99 and we used about 1/4,  or 25c a serve
  • Other seasonings in the satay sauce add 35c per serve
  • Add 50c for marinade ingredients
  • Bean sprouts were $1.49 but we used 2/3 or 25c per serve
  • Carrot adds 10c per serve
  • Mint came from our garden.

Excellent again, as always. Good food and great company made for a great evening. The meal cost $2.27 per serve.

Sep 2: Crustless Spinach Quiche with Feta & Eggplant Salad; Slow Cooker Coconut Pork Curry with Brown Rice

Lunch

We had some crustless spinach quiche that we ate at room temperature with a half serve of the Feta and Eggplant salad that was left over.

  • Five pastured eggs are $2.50 or 63c per serve
  • 7oz of baby spinach was $2.99, or 75c per serve
  • Add 50c for heavy cream
  • A half serve of salad is $1.43.

The salad absorbed more of the balsamic dressing and was even better than the night before. Combined with the quiche, it was a great meal for $3.31 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we decided on Slow Cooker Coconut Pork Curry. We used a lot less pork but otherwise kept the ingredients much the same. The recipe will give us four serves.

  • The pork was $8.99 or $2.25 per serve
  • Fire roasted tomatoes were $1.69 or 43c per serve
  • A can of coconut milk was $1.69 or 43c per serve
  • Add 80c for seasoning and oil
  • Add 33c for brown rice.

Despite only cooking for half the recommended four hours, we had tender pork and a delicious sauce for $4.24 per serve.

Sep 1: Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato; Lamb Leg Chops with Feta and Eggplant Salad

Lunch

For lunch we tried a variation on a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. We “grilled” the bacon in the panini press. The press needs cleaning before toasting the sandwich.

  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
  • Bacon is $4.99 and we used 2 rashers each, or 64c per serve
  • Add 20c for lettuce
  • Add 35c for garlic spread and butter.

We should probably have not bothered adding the lettuce at the end. While it added a little fresh crunch to the sandwich, opening the sandwich to add it after toasting caused a loss of structural integrity in the sandwich. Still, a great tasting sandwich for $1.81 per serve.

Dinner

We rarely have lamb, especially lamb steaks, chops or roasts, largely because our regular meat delivery from Keller Crafted features beef and pork. Given how often we ate lamb growing up, we always appreciate the opportunity, so tonight we grilled a large lamb leg steak and served with an Eggplant and Feta salad. We dropped the pasta.

As it turns out, we got three good serves out of the salad.

  • Eggplant was $1.39 or 40c per serve
  • Pomegranate seeds were $4.49 and we used half or 75c per serve
  • The lamb was $12.29 for just over a pound, or $6.15 per serve
  • Parsley was $1.89 for the bunch and we used half or 32c per serve
  • The Valpresso feta was $9.99 for the tin, but we used 1/6, or 55c per serve
  • Add 85c for other ingredients.

We substituted balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar and that worked exceptionally well with the eggplant. Overall this was a great salad with the pomegranate seeds being a wet sweet pop counterbalancing the savory salad. Together with the perfectly medium rare lamb steak, this was a great meal for $9.02 per serve.

August 2018: Summary and Observations

For us, we had a lot of evening meals out, or five counting another SoCal Creatives dinner, but we ate fewer lunches prepared outside the house.

The averages for this month:

  • Lunch prepared at home $2.59 ($2.57 in July)
  • Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $9.69 ($11.28)
  • Dinner eaten at home: $5.27 ($5.76)
  • Dinner eaten out: $20.69 ($10.00)

Our lunches at home are a little up at $2.59, but within the normal ranged. Lunches prepared outside the home are a little lower because only ate at The Country Deli once during the month,.

Our most expensive meal was at Yen Sushi and Sake Bar at $33.27 per serve, but it was great sushi.

Our most expensive at home meal was the Bone in Pork chops, with Apple Endive salad, because the Pork Chops are such a generous serve, but still at $11.50 per serve.

Lunches at home cost 27% of the cost of eating food prepared outside the home , while dinners at home cost 25% the average of dinner out this month.

Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $300.39 per person in August. We actually spent $59.54 for lunches at home plus $61.42 for lunches purchased or eaten out:  $121.36 in total.

Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $641.39. We actually spent $139.58 for dinners at home and $82.74 for dinners out: $222.32 in total.

We saved $598.10 by preparing and eating most meals at home, plus we have better control over what we eat.

Over the month we prepared 24 different recipes for evening meals.

Aug 31: Supermarket Sushi; White Bean and Tuna Salad with Radicchio and Parsley Vinaigrette

Lunch

During a trip to Whole Foods to purchase ingredients for tonight’s salad Foodie Greg picked up a black rice avocado and celery  roll, and a volcano roll, for an average of $12.99 per serve.

Dinner

Another new recipe idea: White Bean and Tuna Salad with Radicchio and Parsley Vinaigrette. We ended up with tuna in garlic olive oil (and if we’d been smart we’d have used that oil in the dressing, but it didn’t occur to us in the moment).

The salad works best with a combination of the radicchio and white beans because the bland beans balance the intense bitterness of the radicchio.

  • The garlic tuna was $8.99 or $4.50 per serve
  • The white beans 79c for the can or 40c per serve
  • The radicchio was the smallest they had at $3.74 but way too much for our serve and half was ultimately thrown away, for $1.87 per serve
  • Parsley was $1.89 for the bunch and we used half or 47c per serve
  • Add 40c for other ingredients.

There was too much radicchio for the other ingredients throwing the salad out of balance. While it was good, we’ve had much better meals for $7.74 per serve.

Aug 30: Liverwurst & Mustard, Tomato & Garlic Spread; Rib Eye with Long Cooked Broccoli

Lunch

While it sounds unusual, a liverwurst, shallot and mustard sandwich is an amazingly complex combination of flavor that transforms into something beyond its parts. Kumato and Garlic Spread, on the other hand, is an example of how something simple can still be elevated.

  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Liverwurst works out at 40c per serve
  • Shallot and mustard/aioli add 25c per serve
  • Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one per sandwich, or 70c per serve
  • Add 45c for butter and garlic spread on both.

A great pair of sandwiches for $2.12 per serve.

Dinner

The last of our Keller Crafted steaks (and sadly because we’re flying out on what would have been delivery day, the last for the next month) went on the grill and was paired with an old favorite: long cooked broccoli with onion and feta.

The broccoli is completely transformed by the long cook, into something that melts away in your mouth and has great flavor from the onion and feta. The dish makes four serves.

  • The steak is $21.60 per pound and tonight we shared 10 oz, or $6.70 per serve
  • The Valpresso feta was $9.99 for the tin, but we used 1/6, or 42c per serve
  • The broccoli was $2.79 or 70c per serve
  • 2lb of sweet organic onions were $2.79 and we used about 1/8 or 9c per serve
  • Add 15c per serve for red pepper flakes and other spices.

A very filling and satisfying meal for $8.06 per serve.

Aug 29: Smoked Tuna Pouch, Turkey Breast & Tomato; Pizza

Lunch

A smoked tuna pouch went into a melt with capers and Swiss cheese. The second sandwich was turkey breast, moon touched tomatoes and Swiss. Toasted and shared for a little variety in the meal.

  • The rye bread is 32c per serve
  • The pouch is $1.99, or $1.00 per serve
  • The turkey breast is $2.99 for 8 oz and two went on the sandwich, or 76c per serve
  • The tomato adds 25c per serve
  • Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve
  • Add 35c for garlic spread and butter.

A couple of good sandwiches for $3.01 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight was our monthly LACPUG meeting with pizza afterward where we all contribute $10 each.

Aug 28: Shredded Beef in Rustic Panini Roll; 4 Ingredient Gnocchi Skillet

Lunch

Today we finished off the shredded beef in a rustic panini roll we finished in the oven. Drizzled with the juices and topped with a little crisp pickled onion, it’s nearly a perfect roll.

  • The beef is $3.79 per serve
  • The panini roll is 63c
  • Add 5c for pickled onion.

A great sandwich for $4.47 per serve

Dinner

An exploration into a new recipe – Gnocchi skillet with bratwurst & tomatoes, although we used Trader Joe’s Bavarian Bratwurst instead of chicken sausage. We also used cauliflower gnocchi instead of pasta and used shaved parmesan instead of basil, because we don’t like basil!

  • The bratwurst are $3.49 for the pack, or $1.75 per serve
  • Cherry tomatoes were $2.69 or $1.35 per serve
  • The gnocchi was $2.69 or $1.35 per serve
  • Shaved parmesan comes in a $5.49 pack, and we used 1/4 or 46c per serve.

Every new recipe you hope to find another winner, or a new favorite, but this time we got an okay meal for $4.91 that we probably won’t repeat.