Month: February 2018

Lunch

We reheated the chicken and served with a Avocado Ranch Salad, and ate outside! California does Winter my way! The salad was uninspiring, but decent.

• The chicken is $2.98 per serve with tax
• The salad was $3.49 or $1.75 per serve.

Lunch today was reasonable for $4.73 per serve.

Dinner

Continuing our experiments with tostadas we decided to take the Mexican ‘chili’ from a couple of nights ago and serve on a tostada with avocado and some freshly chopped heirloom tomato. A dusting with cotija cheese completed the serve.

We had two each.

• The tostadas are 22 for $2.29 or 44c per serve
• Avocado was $3.49 for four and we shared one, or 44c per serve
• The tomato was $1.49 or 75c per serve
• The chili was $2.99 per serve, and we had half a serve each, or $1.50
• Cotija cheese is $3.99 for 8oz and we shared 1oz or 25c per serve.

The Mexican ‘chili’ was better served this way, with the avocado and tomato adding moisture the otherwise dry mix. We really enjoyed these for $3.48 per serve.

Lunch

I’ve raved about Pho Saigon 1’s Bahn Mi before. It was every bit as good today, for $8.50 per serve.

Dinner

Trying to decide what between asparagus and other choice for vegetable to go with tonight’s rib eye, Foodie Greg walked into the supermarket to discover a bundle of good, thick asparagus on special for 99c!

We had previously decided on an onion, blue cheese and cream sauce for the steak that we’d had before and enjoyed immensely.

• The .75 lb rib gave two good six ounce serves for $10.12 per serve
• We used ⅔ or the asparagus, or 33c per serve
• Heavy cream was $1.79 and we used half or 45c per serve
• An onion is 12c, or 6c per serve
• Blue cheese crumbles are $3.49 for the pack but we used about 1/3 or 75c per serve.

The steak was perfectly cooked. The asparagus had good smokey flavor from the grill and also cooked so it still had some ‘tooth’ but was not crunchy, and the cheese sauce was – as it always is – spectacular for such a simple sauce. While the dry aged beef from Prather Ranch puts the price up a bit, this was an exceptional meal for $11.71 per serve.

Lunch

Instead of toasted sandwiches, we finished baking a par baked rustic roll and filled it with spreadable Brie, Ham and Watercress.

• The rustic roll is 63c per serve
• Ham is 4c and ounce, and we probably had two ounces each, or 8c per serve
• Watercress was 79c for the bunch and we used 1/4 or 10c per serve
• The brie was $6.49 and used 1/3 or $1.08 per serve

Lunch today was two good sandwiches for $1.89 per serve.

Dinner

A new recipe for us – Lamb Meatloaf with Yoghurt Sauce – turned out to be a little disappointing for the amount of effort required in preparation. Despite what the recipe says, we got three serves, although we only had ⅔ of the amount of lamb.

We served with roasted cauliflower and tabouli.

• The ground lamb was $7.99 or $2.67 per serve
• An egg is 55c or 18c per serve
• The cauliflower florets were $2.29 or $1.15 per serve
• Add 50c per serve for the other ingredients
• Add 75c for the yoghurt dressing ingredients
• Tabouli is $2.69 for the tub, and we had 1/4 each, or 68c per serve.

As I said, the meatloaf was disappointing, but still made a decent meal with the rather good yoghurt dressing, for $5.33 per serve.

 

Lunch

Foodie Philip was out in Studio City just before lunch, he stopped at Popeye’s on the way home for the 11 pack special with a large red beans and rice.

• The chicken is $2.98 per serve with tax
• The red beans and rice is $2.12 per serve with tax.

Lunch today was as good as it usually is, for $5.10 per serve.

Dinner

Since our recent enjoyment of the Smokey Chicken Tostada at Gordon Birsch earlier in the month, we have been exploring tostada ideas. We decided on a Smokey Egg and Cheese Tostada – well two each!

We bought baked tostada instead of baking them ourselves. They are a great platform as they don’t shatter like fried tostadas.

• The tostadas are 22 for $2.29 or 21c per serve
• Pastured eggs are 55c each or $1.10 per serve
• The cheddar is $3.99 a block and we used 1/4 or 50c per serve
• The salsa is $2.99 and we used 29c worth per serve
• Avocado was $3.49 for four and we shared one, or 44c per serve
• Add 10c for spring onion.

Tonight’s meal was really, really tasty. The flavor combinations worked particularly well for $2.64 per serve. Our only thought for improvement would be to spread a little of the salsa over the avocado, so it mixed better with the egg. Did I mention this was really, really good, particularly since it is so fast to prepare.

Lunch

For lunch we had the remaining serves of the kobocha squash and ham quiche from a couple of nights ago. We served on a slice of “fry bread”: regular bread done in the panini press (with some butter, of course).

The quiche was $1.11 per serve and we added 20c for the bread and butter, or $1.31 per serve.

Dinner

A new recipe for us: Mexican Quinoa On-Pot Meal, which is like a chili, but with a Mexican flavor profile. It makes a good six serves and we served with baked tostadas broken up.

• The beef, from our Prather Ranch delivery, was $10.34 or $1.72 per serve
• We purchased about half a pound of quinoa for $3.01 but used half, or 25c per serve
• Ro-tel diced tomato was $1.19 or 20c per serve
• Chicken stock adds 8c per serve
• The black beans were 99c for the can or 17c per serve
• Roasted corn was $2.49 and we used half or 42c per serve
• Taco seasoning was $1.59 for the pack, or 27c per serve
• Onion and garlic adds 15c per serve
• Avocado was $3.49 for four and we shared one, or 44c per serve
• Baked tostadas are $2.29 for a pack of 22 and we had one each, or 10c per serve.

The ‘chili’ was a little dry with just the avocado, which is probably why the recipe calls for sour cream and shredded cheese as toppings. The flavor was excellent and worked really well with the baked tostadas for a $3.80 per serve.

Lunch

Some toasted sandwiches we liked revisited: Ham, spreadable Brie and watercress on one, and ham with Swiss on the other.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Ham is 4c and ounce, and we probably had two ounces each, or 8c per serve
• Watercress was 79c for the bunch and we used 1/4 or 10c per serve
• The brie was $6.49 and used 1/3 or $1.08 per serve
• Gouda slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve.

Lunch today was two good sandwiches for $1.75 per serve.

Dinner

A baked ham gives us a ham bone. A ham bone means ham stock. Ham stock means split pea soup!

Our version of the recipe now includes one pound of fresh peas (defrosted from frozen) blended in at the end. We also add some Worcestershire sauce to the mix, but we think it would be better added at the end to give it some extra acid and freshness. We get six serves (at least).

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 organic peas are $1.99 a pack, or 33c per serve
• We added a garnish of  cubed ham that was 8c per serve.

For dinner tonight the soup cost $0.68 per serve. We chose not to do a roll or bread with the soup as it is very filling on its own.

Lunch

Instead of toasted sandwiches, we decided to create a ham and cheese quesadilla – or at least our variation on it using a flatbread instead of tortilla. Thin sliced ham worked well.

• The flatbreads add 50c per serve
• Half a can of refried beans, shared across two halves: 26c
• 2 oz of cheddar split between two is 50c per serve
• Ham adds 8c per serve.

Lunch today was pretty good for $1.34 per serve.

Dinner

Still looking for ways to use our remaining baked ham, we decided on a ‘quiche’ that not only used some of our ham, but also the other half of the kabocha squash. We decided to use the caramelized onion cheddar for added flavor but it got lost in the quiche.

We baked the squash first to intensify its flavor, and fried off the cubed ham to provide a little Maillard reaction

We made four serves, which tasted great but lacked a little structural integrity due to the many ingredients added into it.

• Eggs are 55c each and we used three or or 41c per serve
• The kabocha squash was $1.74 but we used the remaining half, or 22c per serve
• Ham adds 8c per serve
• The caramelized onion cheddar is $4.58 and we used about 1/3 or 38c per serve.

Dinner tonight was tasty and filling. Roasting the kabocha squash really amped up the flavor. All in all a satisfying dish for $1.11 per serve.

Lunch

With ham in the refrigerator, we were reminded of a sandwich we enjoyed back in Australia: ham, brie and snow pies. Our version used spreadable brie and watercress, which we think was better than the original.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Ham is 4c and ounce, and we probably had an ounce each
• Watercress was 79c for the bunch and we used 1/4 or 10c per serve
• The brie was $6.49 and used 1/3 or $1.08 per serve.

Today’s sandwich was better than the historic version for $1.54 per serve.

Dinner

We still had two serves of the Tom Ka Gai left, so they became dinner tonight.

• The chicken is $6.99 and we used the dark meat or 88c per serve
• A can of coconut milk is $1.49 or 40c per serve
• Parasol mushrooms were $3.99 x 2 or $2.00 per serve
• Chicken stock is $1.99 or 50c per serve
• Lemon grass was 15c or 4c per serve
• Add 33c for brown rice
• Add  49c for lime juice
• Add 45c for seasonings.

This soup is a great way to use cooked chicken, which adds to the meatiness of the mushrooms – the two kind of blend. A good meal for $5.09 per serve.

Lunch

Although the weather is warm, we still toasted the sandwiches: kumato and mayo with cheddar, and ham, gouda and tomato. Both were pretty good.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
• 12 slices of yoghurt cheese are $4.79 and we shared one or 20c per serve
• Gouda slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• Ham is 4c and ounce, and we probably had an ounce each.
• Add 20c for mayo

Lunch today cost $1.28 per serve.

Dinner

We both really like the peanut sauce we’ve been having, and really enjoying it on top sirloin with black rice, so we had it again! We paired it with a Thai Salad.

• The top sirloin was $11.99 or $6.00 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 lettuce works out to 30c per serve
• Carrot adds 30c per serve
• Salad seasonings add 20c
• Mint came from our garden
• Black rice adds 40c per serve.

We enjoyed the steak, satay sauce and black rice as much as always but felt that the Thai Salad recipe we had was a little heavy on the fish and soy sauces so ended up a little salty. But overall a good meal for $7.80 per serve.