The semiSerious Foodies

Lunch

Having explored it online, we decided to try frying off bacon in the panini press before adding it to sandwiches. It worked great on our bacon and tomato, and baked beans, cheese and bacon toasted sandwiches.

• Bacon is $5.49 for the pack of 8 slices and we used two, or 69c per serve
• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared one or 20c per serve
• Trader Joes Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce cost $1.99 and we used half or 50c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
• Butter adds 25c.

The bacon worked well and enhanced the sandwiches that cost $2.21 per serve.

Dinner

We were going to cut the sirloin into pieces for satay skewers, but since it was split into two portions anyway, we grilled it as full size pieces and served with the satay sauce on a bed of black rice. We added a bok choy each for some green!

• The sirloin from our Prather Ranch meat box was $7.09 or $3.55 per serve
• The peanut butter was $3.99 and we used about 1/8,  or 25c a serve
• Other seasonings in the satay sauce add 35c per serve
• The bok choy was $1.99 for four, or 50c per serve
• Black rice adds 40c per serve.

A really good meal for $5.05 per serve.

Lunch

More sandwich experiments or repeats. The smokey eggplant salad is a new to our roster but it’s tasty.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared one or 20c per serve
• Add 33c for Wildbrine Madras Curry and Cauliflower Sauerkraut salad
• The corned beef/silverside was $6.82 for 1 lb, and we used about 3 oz in this sandwich, or 64c per serve
• The eggplant salad is $3.89 for the tub but we used about 1/8 or 24c per serve
• Add 20c for the labné.

The smokey eggplant salad worked well in a sandwich just with sliced cheese, and the corned beef and cauliflower pickle is a step up from corned beef and sauerkraut. A good lunch for $1.93 per serve.

Dinner

The “Green Pork Chili“that we had a few nights ago was more  “pork pieces in a chili tomatillo sauce. After eating all the pork, we were left with a flavorsome, spicy sauce. Add some ground pork and a can or two of beans, and now you have a chili!

The remaining sauce has an amazing flavor because it has the pork fat from the slow cook, and the roasted vegetable in the sauce. With the added ground pork and beans it makes another four serves

• The green chili sauce works out at 76c per serve
• The pork came from our Prather Ranch meat delivery – 1 lb of ground pork cost $8.31 or $$2.08 per serve
• Two cans of beans add $1.98 or 50c per serve.

The refreshed chili was really impressive. It retains a deep pork flavor from the slow cook previously; the ground pork adds texture and more pork flavor and the green sauce has a perfect amount of heat. We wondered if you could “beef up” the porkiness! A good bowl for $3.34 per serve.

Lunch

Although we wanted a change from toasted sandwiches, we still used the toaster to make “fry bread,” which is a single slice of bread buttered both sides in the sandwich press.

We topped with traditional baked beans, bacon and fried eggs.

• Bacon is $6.99 for the pack of 10 slices and we used three, or $1.05 per serve
• A pastured egg is 55c and we shared three or 83c per serve
• A slice of brad is 16c
• Butter adds 25c
• Baked beans are 75c per serve.

Lunch today was a tasty deviation from our toasted sandwiches for $3.04 per serve. Lunch is featured in today’s image.

Dinner

The Foodies were invited to a friend’s place for Christmas Eve dinner in what has become a tradition. We were served traditional German beef stew, rice and chocolate mousse, all of which were great.

There was no cost to the Foodies.

Lunch

We used the second chicken breast from our supermarket chicken and warmed it in the sandwich press after slicing it. It then was shared across two toasted sandwiches: one with Swiss cheese, the other with a smokey eggplant salad from Jon’s.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 8 slices of emmentaler cheese are $3.50 and we shared one or 23c per serve
• The eggplant salad is $3.89 for the tub but we used about 1/8 or 24c per serve
• The chicken is $6.99 and we shared one breast or 88c per serve across two half sandwiches.

Lunch today consisted of two very different sandwiches, with the chicken being the least interesting part of both. Not too bad for $1.67 per serve

Dinner

Green Pork Chili is a new recipe for us, and a perfect way to use the “cubed pork” in our Prather Ranch meat box. Consisting of odd sized offcuts, it had good fat and connective tissue that made it perfect for this type of slow cook.

It was also the first time we’ve cooked with tomatillos. There is about twice the sauce as the recipe called for, so we’ll probably use it again.

• Just over 1 lb or pork was $10.52 or $5.26 per serve
• Tomatillos were $1.69 or 42c per serve.
• Jalapeño peppers were 28c or 7c per serve
• A huge red onion was $2.28 or 57c per serve
• Chicken stock was 25c per serve
• Add 20c for seasoning and oil
• Add 33c for brown rice.

Dinner tonight was really tasty with a little spicy kick to it because we left the seeds on. The pork was perfectly tender and unctuous. We served with brown rice instead of flour tortilla’s for a total of $7.10 per serve.

Lunch

Today’s toasted sandwiches were: Labné and Cauliflower Pickle, and Swiss cheese with corned beef.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared one or 20c per serve
• Add 33c for Wildbrine Madras Curry and Cauliflower Sauerkraut salad
• The corned beef/silverside was $6.82 for 1 lb, and we used about 3 oz in this sandwich, or 64c per serve
• Add 20c for the labné.

Lunch today was satisfying for $1.79 per serve.

Dinner

Time to fry off the remaining French onion meatloaf and serve it with creamed spinach and a Japanese sweet potato. The Japanese sweet potato has white flesh that remains firmer when cooked and is not as sweet as an American sweet potato (or yam).

• The meatloaf was $4.63 per serve and we limited ourselves to one serve each
• The sweet potato was $2.36 or $1.18 per serve
• The spinach (marked down) was 99c or 50c per serve
• Cream was $2.49 for a pint, or 63c per serve
• Add 30c for onion, garlic and seasonings.

Dinner tonight was pretty tasty with the Maillard reaction on the meat adding extra flavor. The sweet potato was not as sweet and took the butter from refrying the meatloaf well. The enormous amount of spinach cooked down to a generous, but not outrageous serve. All in all a well balanced flavorsome meal for $6.12 per serve.

Lunch

Today’s toasted sandwiches were repeats: Cheese and Cauliflower Pickle, and spicy labné with corned beef.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared two or 40c per serve
• Add 33c for Wildbrine Madras Curry and Cauliflower Sauerkraut salad
• The corned beef/silverside was $6.82 for 1 lb, and we used about 3 oz in this sandwich, or 64c per serve
• Add 20c for the spicy labné.

Lunch today was satisfying for $1.89 per serve.

Dinner

A cold night calls for a warming curry!

Beef Sirloin steak still in the freezer from our meat delivery, so  beef massaman curry hit the spot! We use a curry base we buy from Amazon for this simple, quick meal for two.

• The top sirloin steak was $6.59 or $3.30 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
• Peal onion adds 20c per serve
• Add 33c for brown rice.

Tonight’s dinner was $7.37 per serve and very tasty, as always.

Lunch

A trip to Jon’s market always results in one of their excellent baguettes and their superior roast chicken. Add tomato and mayo and you’ve got a great lunch.

• A baguette is $2.79 and we shared half over lunch or 70c per serve
• The chicken is $6.99 and we shared one breast or 88c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
• Add 2oc for mayo.

A great lunch for $2.13 per serve.

Dinner

A cool night means soup weather, especially if you have split pea soup remaining. Add some cubed ham for protein and garnish, and you have an excellent warming meal.

• The stock has no real cost
• The pack of split peas was $1.59 or 27c per serve
• The frozen peas is 99c a pack, or 16c per serve
• We added a garnish of  cubed ham steak that was $2.99 or $1.50 per serve.

For dinner tonight the soup cost $1.93. We chose not to do a roll or bread with the soup as it is very filling on its own.

 

Lunch

The Foodies were out shopping – unsuccessfully as it turns out – and decided In and Out was on the way home! Foodie Philip had his usual Double Double while Greg had a regular Cheeseburger, both Animal Style.

The total was $6.81 or $3.40 each.

Dinner

Since we had that awesome new souse vidé machine Foodie Greg decided to perfect some shrimp with the Sous Vide Shrimp With Garlic, Sherry, and Smoked Paprika recipe cooking to 130 F.

We served with mushroom gouda savory oatmeal and sugar snap peas.

• The shrimp was $7.99 for the pack, and we used half, or $2.00 per serve
• Sherry is $6.99 a bottle or 21c per serve
• The butter is $3.99 per block, and we used about 1/4 for two serves, or 50c per serve
• Add 30c for paprika and thyme
• The steel cut oats are $3.19 for 24oz, and we used 8oz or 53c per serve
• Mushrooms were $3.29 or $1.65 per serve
• Emmentaler cheese was $3.50 and we used 1/3 – 23c per serve – or 46c for this meal
• Add 30c for oatmeal seasonings.

The shrimp had a great firm texture and were full of briny shrimp flavor. Some of the best shrimp we’ve had. The savory oatmeal was a great side dish, with the mushroom coming through.

What was, essentially, shrimp and grits was $5.95 per serve.