The semiSerious Foodies

Lunch

A simple lunch of toasted tomato, cheese and mayo sandwich. Sometimes a classic is a classic for good reason.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Half a heirloom tomato works out at 48c per serve
• Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• Add 20c for mayo.

Lunch today was good because the ingredients were good, for $1.17 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we tried a new recipe from Nigella Lawson: Italian Sausage with Lentils. We substituted bratwurst instead of Italian Sausage.

• The bratwurst are $3.49 for the pack, or $1.75 per serve
• Four bok choy were $1.99 and we used half, or 50c per serve
• Du Puy Lentils (black lentils) are $2.99 for a 500g (about 1lb) and we used half or 75c per serve
• Red wine for the sauce adds 25c per serve
• Add 30c per serve for onion, garlic and seasoning.

The dish turned out well for $3.55 per serve.

Lunch

It was time to heat the remaining pulled pork and finish off some par baked rustic rolls and make an awesome lunch.

So we did. It was.

• The rustic roll is 63c per serve
• The pulled pork is $3.15 per serve and we shared one, or $1.58 per serve.

Lunch today was really good for $2.21 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we cooked a small lamb meatloaf and served with Sweet Potato Halloumi Bake, which is our potato-less version of Nigella Lawson’s Double Potato Halloumi Bake.

We took a burger recipe and cooked it as a loaf. Because we didn’t want it to be too firm, we added a cup of bread crumbs.

• The ground lamb was $7.99 or $4.00 per serve
• An egg is 50c or 25c per serve
• 16 oz Panko breadcrumbs are $2.99 and we used 8oz or 75c per serve
• Add 35c for onion, garlic and seasoning
• The sweet potato (yam) was $1.94 or 49c per serve
• The bell pepper was $1.25 or 31c per serve
• A red onion is 66c or 17c per serve
• Halloumi $3.64 or 73c per serve
• Garlic adds 5c per serve.

The meatloaf’s texture was perfect with good lamb and mint flavors prominent. The paired down Halloumi bake is still full of flavor with reduced carbs. A very generously proportioned and tasty meal for $7.10 per serve.

Lunch

A late lunch shopping expedition had us close to an In and Out Burger so Foodie Philip had his usual Double Double Animal Style, while Greg had a Cheeseburger Animal Style, for $4.27 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we decided to defrost some thin cut pork chops and lightly fry them, served with a mushroom and bok choy stir fry.

• The pork chops were from our Prather Ranch meat delivery and cost $11.69 or $5.85 per serve
• Four bok choy were $1.99 and we used half, or 50c per serve
• 8 oz of sliced portobellos mushrooms were $3.29 or $1.65 per serve
• Add 25c for sauce ingredients.

The pork chops were fried to a perfect medium and still very slightly pink inside, while the highly seasons stir fry was a good complement to the unseasoned pork. A good meal for $8.25 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we used leftovers from our Country Deli lunch the day before. Foodie Philip got skirt steak with semi-dried tomatoes, while Foodie Greg carb’d up with a boiled potato sandwich.

• Lunch today cost 32c per serve for bread.

Dinner

A quick meal with no compromise in flavor, put together with minimum fuss? Trader Joe’s Vegetable Gyoza with Miso Ginger Broth fits that bill easily.

We poached an egg tonight, but in the past have included bok choy and spinach.

• The Miso Ginger broth was $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
• The gyoza were $3.99, or $2.00 per serve
• Add 20c for seasonings.
• A pastured egg is 50c.

Tonight’s meal was excellent. Really tasty and full of Thai flavors for $3.70 per serve, and on the table in about 20 minutes.

Lunch

Having picked up a friend from the train, we headed straight to The Country Deli, where Foodie Philip had his usual steak – as did our guest – and Foodie Greg had a French Dip.

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

Dinner

We decided on Dutch Mustard Soup, made with actual Dutch Mustard, for dinner

Like a creamy, mustard version of French onion soup, this recipe is outstanding. The lardons of bacon give it a meaty flavor and texture, without dominating the dish. The onion and leek add sweetness, offset by the sharpness of the mustard, with the heavy 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.

Dinner tonight was easy to prepare, delicious and only $2.18 per serve.

Lunch

A shopping trip led to the opportunity for some Bahn Mi, so we once again enjoyed this amazing sandwich for $8.50 per serve.

Dinner

Because it was such a generous lunch serve, we went light on for dinner with baked tostadas topped with avocado, capers and smoked salmon, with a sprinkle of spring onion on top.

• The tostadas are 22 for $2.29 or 21c per serve
• The avocados were 50c each, or 25c per serve
• The smoked salmon was $6.49 or $3.25 per serve
• Add 20c for caper and spring onion.

While we felt the avocado could use a little hit of acid – ultimately deciding that balsamic reduction would be best – it was a satisfying meal for $3.91 per serve.

Lunch

Since avocado and a can of smoked trout provide enough for two sandwiches, it was two – delicious – sandwiches the same.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• The avocado was 50c or 25c per serve
• The smoked trout is $3.49 per can or $1.75 per serve
• Add 25c for butter.

The smoked trout on avocado is a great combination for $2.57 per serve.

Dinner

Thursday night steak night will be rained out, so we took advantage of the relatively good weather today to grill a New York Strip Steak. We served with the remaining Japanese Ratatouille and finished the meal with black rice.

• The New York Strip Steak was $19.97 or $9.99 per serve
• The ratatouille is $2.02 per serve
• Black rice is 44c per serve.

Dinner tonight was a great combination of meat that was both flavorful and tender (and perfectly cooked), with a power of flavor in the Ratatouille offset perfectly with the nutty rice. An all round great meal for $12.45 per serve.

Lunch

We finished the corned beef on two identical toasted sandwiches. As well as the corned beef, we added Swiss cheese, Bubbies sauerkraut and “Russian dressing.”

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• The corned beef serve is $3.54 and we used about ¾ of a serve in each wrap, or $2.65 per serve
• Gouda slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• The Bubbies (natural) Sauerkraut is expensive at $6.99 or 22c per serve, but it is a very superior sauerkraut without the bad odor of most sauerkraut
• Add 20c for mayo and shrimp sauce.

We both thought these were great sandwiches for $3.56 per serve.

Dinner

With the last of the corned beef consumed, it was time to think about next week’s sandwiches, and dinner tonight, so Greg decided on pulled pork.

We served with “cheesy grits” or in our case, some smokey gouda melted into a 10 grain cereal: same principle, upgraded ingredients. For some green, spinach was wilted in butter.

• The pork was $18.86 but we’ll get six meals from that, or $3.15 per serve
• The Dutch smoked cheese was $2.69 and we used half, or 67c per serve
• The 10 grain ‘hot cereal’ is $5.99 for a 25oz pack, but we used about 1/4 or 75c per serve.
• The pack of spinach was $2.50 and we used about ⅔ tonight, or 83c per serve
• Broth adds $1.00 or 17c per serve
• Add $1.00 per serve for the other ingredients.

An excellent example of the pulled pork, really enhanced by the caramelization of the onion – we used twice the onion the recipe calls for and a decent bit more garlic too – and very juicy. An excellent meal for $5.43 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we revisited Skewers in Chatsworth for two takeout meals instead of the pita pockets we normally get. Foodie Philip had a spiced ground beef, while Greg had the “chunk chicken.”

The meals were $10.99 and $11.99 respectively (before tax) for an average cost for lunch of $12.58 per serve.

Dinner

Given the rather large lunch – offset by some serious work building a retaining wall – we decided on something light for dinner: tostadas with avocado, a fried egg, cotija cheese and a chipotle salsa.

• The tostadas are 22 for $2.29 or 21c per serve
• Pastured eggs are 50c each or $1.00 per serve
• The salsa is $2.99 and we used 29c worth per serve
• The avocados were 50c each, or 25c per serve.

A simple, but surprisingly tasty and satisfying meal for $1.75 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we finished the Popeyes’s fried chicken and paired it with a Vietnamese Slaw.

• The chicken is $2.98 per serve with tax
• The remainder of the organic green cabbage was  63c per serve
• Carrot adds 30c per serve
• Salad seasonings add 20c
• Mint came from our garden.

Unfortunately we ended up with white meat in our Popeye’s order and that’s a lot dryer than the dark meat, and nowhere near as enjoyable. The slaw was the best part of the meal, which cost $4.11 per serve.

Dinner

We started with baked Kabocha squash to create a variation of the Smokey Cheese and Pumpkin Slice, but as a quiche than the savory cake.

• The bacon was $6.99 for 12 slices, and we used three, or 88c per serve
• Three pastured eggs at 50c each is 75c per serve
• The kabocha squash was $1.74 each (we used half), or 44c per serve
• Smoked gouda slices were $2.99 and we used half or 75c 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.

Tonight’s quiche was tasty and filling for $2.99 per serve.