Month: March 2018

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.

Lunch

Today we stuck with the tried and true: cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches! In this case, kumato and Swiss.

• Two slices of bread are 32c per serve
• Five kumato were $3.49 and we used one, or 35c per serve
• Swiss slices are 12 for $3.99 or 17c per serve
• Add 20c for mayo.

Toasted crisp they were delicious for $1.04 per serve.

Dinner

Thursday night steak night was our deconstructed satay: grill top sirloin with satay sauce, black rice and a Vietnamese inspired slaw.

• The top sirloin from the Prather Ranch delivery 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 remainder of the organic green cabbage was  63c per serve
• Carrot adds 30c per serve
• Salad seasonings add 20c
• Mint came from our garden
• Black rice adds 40c per serve.

Even though thin, the steaks were perfectly cooked, the satay sauce bought umami, sour and salt to the party and the black rice was a nutty carrier for the other flavors. The Vietnamese/Thai inspired salad contrasted with a sharp sour, but fresh, bite.  A good meal for $8.13 per serve.

Lunch

For lunch we sliced up some of the corned beef and built it on top of a wrap smeared with mayo and shrimp sauce (for a fake Russian dressing) and topped with sliced Swiss cheese. We stuffed the wrap too full, but otherwise they were excellent.

• The quesadilla tortillas were $1.99 for a pack of six, or 34c 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.

A tasty wrap for $3.58 per serve.

Dinner

The combination of cooler weather, and thin pork chops, made pan frying a better choice. We served with more of the Japanese Ratatouille from a couple of nights ago.

• The pork chops were $6.22 per serve
• The ratatouille is $2.02 per serve.

A filling and satisfying meal with a good meat/vegetable balance for $8.24 per serve.

Lunch

Shopping for dinner required a trip to Whole Foods, so some sushi was on the agenda for lunch.

Spicy tuna rolls and Firecracker rolls averaged $9.19 per serve.

Dinner

Foodie Greg’s birthday tradition has been top round corned beef – what we call silverside in Australia – with a traditional boiled dinner: potatoes and cabbage.

A simple New England Boiled Dinner, it is very tasty. We served with an onion horseradish white sauce.

• The corned beef was $28.31 and we’ll get eight serves, or $3.54 per serve
• Russet potatoes were 75c or 38c per serve
• An organic green cabbage was $2.49 but only used half for this meal, or 63c per serve
• Heavy cream was $1.79 and we used half or 45c per serve
• Add 40c for horseradish,  flour and butter.

A very satisfying, comforting meal for $5.40 per serve.