Mar 5: Double Double; Ginger Miso Broth with Chicken Gyoza

Lunch

Foodie Philip was back in the Burbank Monday routine with the normal In and Out Double Double Animal Style for $4.27.

Dinner

An easy meal: prepared ginger miso broth and chicken gyoza, both from Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately they did not have any of the vegetable gyoza, which we found to be the tastiest of the whole selection.

  • Bok Choy was $2.77 and we used ⅓ or 46c per serve
  • The Miso Ginger broth was $1.99 or $1.00 per serve
  • The gyoza were $2.99 and, or $1.50 per serve
  • Shelled edamame was $1.29 or 33c per serve
  • Add 20c for seasonings.

An easy “cheat” meal assembled from prepared ingredients that still manages to be greater than it’s parts. The vegetable gyoza definitely have the most flavor, while the chicken is the least interesting. A good meal for $3.49 per serve.

Mar 4: Gyro Meat, Tabouli in a Rustic Roll; Roast Pork Loin, Kabocha Squash and Kale Salad

Lunch

After buying some more tabouli, we were ready to use the balance of the gyros meat. Today we finished baking a Trader Joe’s par baked panini rustic roll each and stuffed it with the meat and tabouli. It was pretty tasty.

  • The fully cooked sliced gyro/yeros meat is $3.99 per 10 oz pack. There are really four serves, so $1.00 per serve
  • We served 1/2 of the tabouli salad or 67c per serve
  • The  par baked rustic roll is 63c per serve.

Lunch today was pretty good for $2.30 per serve.

Dinner

A simple dinner of brined and roasted pork loin, roast kabocha squash and a kale salad with lemon dressing. The pork loin was drizzled with a little balsamic reduction.

The pork loin came from our Prather Ranch meat delivery. Like almost all pork and poultry that we cook, we brined the pork loin for just over two hours. Brining makes the meat juicier and protects against over cooking.

We cooked the pork loin to 135 F and rested it for 15 minutes before carving.

  • The pork loin was $14.73 or $7.37 per serve
  • The salad kit was $3.00 or $1.50 per serve
  • The kabocha squash was $1.98 and we used half, or 50c per serve
  • Add 25c for seasoning.

Dinner was a good balance between the salad, squash and pork. We like the skin crispy on the squash because it gives a good texture contrast with the more starchy squash. The slightly tart lemon dressing worked well with the squash, as did the pork. Each component worked well alone, or in any combination. A winning meal for $9.62 per serve.

Mar 3: Split Pea Soup; Bratwurst with Onion Gravy and Horseradish Sweet Potato Mash

Lunch

Another cold and dreary day so we decided to finish the split pea soup and serve with ‘fry bread’ (a buttered piece of bread in the panini press).

  • The soup cost $0.68 per serve
  • The bread (with butter) is 16c per serve
  • Add 25c for butter.

Lunch today was a good call on a rainy day for $1.10 per serve.

Dinner

We still had two serves of the Horseradish Sweet Potato mash, so Greg decided on “bangers and mash,” or in this case Trader Joe’s excellent bratwurst with the sweet potato mash and onion gravy.

  • The bratwurst are $3.49 for the pack, or $1.75 per serve
  • The sweet potato mash was 59c per serve
  • The onions were 22c or 11c per serve
  • Butter adds 20c per serve
  • Chicken stock adds 50c per serve
  • Add 15c for seasoning.

We expected the bratwurst and mash to be good, but the star of this meal was definitely that onion gravy. A simple, but good, meal for $3.30 per serve.

Mar 2: Steak and Stout Pie; Rhode Island Clam Chowder

Lunch

Because it was a gray, rainy day we put two Trader Joe’s Steak and Stout Pies in the oven, and heated some of the leftover Sweet Potato and Horseradish Mash.

  • Trader Joe’s Steak and Stout pies are $6.49 for two or $3.25 per serve
  • The Japanese sweet potato was $2.92, but we got five serves, one of which we shared today, or but we will get at least four serves, or 29c per serve.

Lunch today was satisfying for $3.54 per serve.

Dinner

While we’ve cooked Rhode Island Clam Chowder, it was before we started this record, so it’s new to The semiSerious Foodies! A non-dairy alternative to traditional clam chowders, the dairy is replaced by gelatin to provide unctuousness. We also substituted clam juice for chicken stock, because we had it left over from the smoked trout chowder, and to amp up the seafood flavor.

  • The clams were $5.24 or $2.62 per serve
  • The bacon ends and pieces were $4.49 and we used about 1/5, or 45c per serve
  • Onions, carrot, garlic, celery and herbs add 60c per serve
  • Half a cup of dry white wine adds 25c per serve
  • The clam juice was $3.39 and we used ⅓ or 57c per serve
  • Potatoes were 61c, or 30c per serve
  • Gelatin is $2.69 and we used 1/6 or 23c per serve.

The clam chowder was very, very good. Great mouth feel from the gelatin and a lot of flavor from the clams and clam juice, for $5.02 per serve.

Mar 1: Lemon Salmon with Gouda, Tomato, Mayo & Gouda; Mushroom and Red Wine Meatloaf with Horseradish Sweet Potato, Gravy and Dressed Greens

Lunch

Today’s toasted sandwiches started with a pouch of Lemon Pepper Salmon – the perfect amount for one sandwich – and a slice of gouda on one sandwich, with Heirloom tomato, gouda and mayo on the other.

  • The salmon was $2.79 or $1.40 per serve
  • Gouda slices are 12 for $3.99 or 33c per serve.
  • Three heirloom tomatoes were $2.87 and we shared half of one, or 48c per serve
  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Add 45c for mayo and butter.

We were uncertain how well the salmon would pair with gouda (or any cheese) but it worked well. Tomato and cheese is probably the most cliché toasted sandwich, but when done well, is incomparable. Two good sandwiches for $3.30 per serve.

Dinner

Time to slice up that meatloaf and fry it off to get great extra flavor thanks to the maillard reaction on the surface. Pressure cook some Japanese sweet potato, which is not as sweet and further balance the sweetness with some horseradish.

We took some of the greens from a supermarket salad and dressed them simply in vinegar and olive oil to provide a green touch. Mashed potato always calls for gravy!

  • The meatloaf from two nights ago cost $6.55 per serve
  • The Japanese sweet potato was $2.92 but we will get at least four serves, or 59c per serve
  • The salad kit was $3.00 but we only used about 10% or 15c each
  • The gravy was $1.79 or 90c per serve, although some leftover went into the mash for an extra kick.

The fried meatloaf is always good. The gravy and mashed sweet potato went well together, probably better than the gravy and meatloaf! All up a good meal for $8.33 per serve.

February 2018 Summary and Observations

February was largely free of major events, and we spent the month at home.

The averages for this month:

  • Lunch prepared at home $2.20 ($2.40 in January)
  • Lunch eaten or purchased outside the home: $5.95 ($6.77)
  • Dinner eaten at home: $5.11 ($5.81)
  • Dinner eaten out: $11.04 ($15.20)

The averages are fairly consistent with previous months, with some averages slightly higher, some lower. There has been a slow trend for our evening meals to be a little less expensive on average. In February this was largely because of the extremely cheap ham we used.

Our most expensive meal was the night at Gordon Biersch at around $17.07 per serve. Our most expensive at home meal was the NY Strip Steak with “refrigerator” salad at $13.12.

Lunches at home cost just 37% of the cost of eating food prepared outside the home, while dinners at home cost half the average of dinner out this month.

Had we purchased every lunch and prepared none it would have cost us $166.60 per person in February. We actually spent $39.49 for lunches at home plus $47.60 for lunches purchased or eaten out:  $87.09 in total.

Had we purchased every evening meal out and prepared none at home, it would have cost us $309.12. We actually spent $127.66 for dinners at home and $22.07 for dinners out: $149.73 in total.

We saved $280.92 by preparing and eating most meals at home, plus we have better control over what we eat.

Over the month we prepared 16 different recipes for evening meals.

Feb 28: Heirloom Tomato, Chicken & Mayo; Pizza

Lunch

We finished the second chicken breast across two identical sandwiches, and paired it with heirloom tomato and mayo, then toasted the bread.

  • The chicken is $6.99 and we shared a breast or 88c per serve
  • Three heirloom tomatoes were $2.87 and we shared half of one, or 48c per serve
  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Add 20c for mayo.

Always a good sandwich for $2.88 per serve.

Dinner

Tonight was the monthly LACPUG meeting, which culminates with pizza at Polermo’s (on Vermont), where we each contribute $5.00 to cover costs.

Feb 27: Spicy Labné, Pastrami & Heirloom Tomato, Swiss & Pickles; Red Wine and Mushroom Meatloaf with Kabocha Squash and Sugar Snap Peas

Lunch

A repeat of some favorite sandwiches, although the use of Swiss instead of cheddar turned out well.

  • Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
  • Three heirloom tomatoes were $2.87 and we shared 1/3 of one, or 32c per serve
  • Add 45c for labné and butter
  • The 1.25 lb of beef pastrami was $7.69 (32c an ounce), and we used two on the sandwich, or 64c per serve
  • Add 33c for Wildbrine Madras Curry and Cauliflower Sauerkraut salad
  • Gouda slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve.

Lunch today was tasty for $2.23 per serve.

Dinner

A favorite meatloaf is the Mushroom and Red Wine Meatloaf from Chowhound. Tonight we paired with  steamed sugar snap peas and baked kabocha squash.

The meatloaf will make four very generous serves, exactly the kind we like! Greg created a demiglace of reduced red wine and beef stock.

  • The ground beef is $4.65 per serve
  • Baby portobello mushrooms were $3.29 or 82c per serve
  • Onions and garlic add 20c per serve
  • Two large eggs are $1.00 or 25c per serve
  • The butter is $3.99 per block, and we used about 3/8 for four serves, or 38c per serve
  • Red wine adds $1.00 or 25c per serve
  • Add 20c for Worcestershire sauce and other spices per serve
  • The kabocha squash was $1.84 and we shared half, or 46c per serve
  • The sugar snap peas were $2.99 and we used half, or 75c per serve
  • Red wine for the demiglace adds 50c per serve
  • Beef stock fro the demiglace adds 50c per serve.

The meatloaf came out well for $6.55 per serve. The kabocha squash and snap peas add another $1.21 to the meal for a total of $8.76 withe the demiglace for a very, very generous portion of meatloaf and satisfying meal.

Feb 26: Double Double; Roast Chicken Leg with Kabocha Squash and Sugar Snap Peas

Lunch

A normal ‘Burbank’ Monday for Foodie Philip found him back at In and Out Burger for a Double Double Animal Style for $4.27.

Dinner

Our plan for meatloaf was postponed until tomorrow night due to the lack of defrosted ground beef, so we used the legs from the supermarket roast chicken and paired it with some roast kabocha squash and steamed sugar snap peas.

  • The chicken leg is $1.75 per serve
  • The kabocha squash was $1.84 and we shared half, or 46c per serve
  • The sugar snap peas were $2.99 and we used half, or 75c per serve.

Dinner tonight was simple, inexpensive and tasty for $2.96 per serve

Feb 25: Mexican Chili, Fried Egg on Baked Tostadas; Choucroute (Repeat)

Lunch

Sunday lunch offers the opportunity to do something special. Today we reheated some of the remaining Mexican ‘chili’, layered it on a baked tostada and topped with a fried onion, and some salsa.

  • The tostadas are 22 for $2.29 or 21c per serve
  • Pastured eggs are 55c each or $1.10 per serve
  • The salsa is $2.99 and we used 29c worth per serve
  • We split one $3.70 serve of the Mexican ‘chili’ leftovers, or $1.85 per serve.

Lunch today had a good balance of crunch, spice from the salsa along with the meatiness of the chili topped off by the egg yolk drizzling though the meat. Really good for $3.45 per serve.

Dinner

Dinner was a do-over of last night’s choucroute for $4.71 per serve.