Breakfast for Hunny

With some recent events, I've been worried that Hunny goes 24 hours between meals.  He just simply does not have time to eat at work.  When he gets paid on Friday (TWO DAYS!!!!) I'm going to get him some snack mix at Walmart -- hey... anyone got a suggestion on making it cheaper?  Anyway, I try to make him a protein breakfast when I can (he's often up and gone before dawn, so...)

This morning I made him shirred eggs.  Don't get excited... it's all done in the microwave.

First, I have to say that I LOVE my little oval stoneware bakers from Pampered Chef.  My pusher -- er, I mean "Pampered Chef Consultant" -- Angie is a super-star and feeds my stoneware addiction very well.  I just hate that they retired the small oval dish.  This is one of the very best items in the whole stoneware collection.  I was able to get six of them back when we had money.  I use them for a million different things, including shirred eggs.

SHIRRED EGGS

1 T margarine

4 Brown n Serve LINK Frozen Sausages

3-4 med eggs

First, melt the margarine in the dish in the microwave.  Arrange sausages across the MIDDLE of the dish.  Gently break eggs on either side of the sausages.  

Gently place in microwave (so the sausages don't roll to the edge).  Cook in the microwave 3 minutes on 50% power and then 45 seconds on high.  Add two forks and have breakfast with your hunny.

Cooking it like this, the eggs are a perfect medium egg, closer to poached than fried.

Here's the breakdown, got everything at Save-a-Lot:

• 4 Sausages, box of 8 for $1, so -- 50¢
• 3 eggs, 30/2.69 -- 27¢

That's breakfast for two for a total of about 80¢

Good ole mac n cheese... sort of.

Ugh.  Did not want to cook tonight.  Surreal day and still so freaking hot.  "Beef or chicken?" I asked the sons.  I wasn't too shocked to hear "beef" as an answer as we've had a few days of meatless/chicken.

So, I decided to do a few boxes of mac n cheese (Save-a-lot brand) with ground beef and onions.  Here's the breakdown:

2 lbs ground beef (Winn Dixie sale, 1.99/lb) -- $3.98

4 boxes mac n cheese, $1/box -- $4.00

Onion, milk, margarine -- abt $1.00

I first sauteed the onion in a little oil.  Then I added garlic powder and the ground beef.  In a large pot, I made all four boxes of mac n cheese.  When it was done, I put about 2/3 of the mac n cheese in with the cooked (and drained) ground beef and onions.

Served 7 of us tonight.  Wish I had been able to have a vegetable, but we did have a little salad from last night.  Total = $8.98.

Light Sunday Supper

Today, I had planned my usual Sunday:  go to church, make lunch for us, knit and chat with my craft friends all afternoon and then have evening potluck and teach Bible study.  But, other events occurred and even though we sat there in the parking lot at church, with the food in the car, we turned around and headed back home.

So, when we got home, I made biscuits and summer sausage -- fed five of us for $6.

Tonight, we wanted something light -- and I had a bunch of lettuce since I was going to take a salad for tonight's potluck -- so I made egg salad sandwiches and salad for dinner.

Here's the breakdown:

• 15 eggs, sold 30 for $2.69, so $1.35.
• Loaf of bread, $1.19.
• Mayo, relish, yellow mustard, dash of tobasco, salt and onion powder -- about $0.75.
• Two heads of lettuce, $1.49 each -- $2.98.

So, that leaves us feeding 6 for a total of $6.27, and we have leftovers of a lot of lettuce and enough egg salad to make a couple of sandwiches.

Of course, the vegetarians liked it, but I got this from one of the carnivores:  "For a meatless dinner, it isn't bad."

Sigh... I wish I could afford sausage.

I knew I shouldn't have looked.  We won't have a single penny before hunny gets paid again on Friday and by then the sales will be over, but I just had to look and see what Winn Dixie has on sale.

They have their bratwurst and Italian sausage on sale!!!  $2.99 a pound.  I could just cry.  Granted, it's not our regularly cheap meal -- it's more like $2 per person rather than $1 per person -- but, wow, it is a good meal.

I found the recipe on the Johnsonville website:  Gyro Brat Hoagie.  Of course, it goes without saying that Johnsonville's brat is better tasting, but the Winn Dixie brat doesn't let you down either.  And, either is sooooooo much cheaper than lamb!  Seriously, try this recipe sometime.

We don't have a grill, so I cook the brats in about 3/4" of water in a big skillet, letting the water boil off and turning them to cook on all sides.  Then I slice them longways.  At this point, it's good if I already have the onions and tomato sliced and the tzatziki (cucumbers and sour cream) prepared because the vultures are already circling trying to get a nibble of meat.

Some day, I really want to make the tzatziki with Fage yogurt... ah... that will be living the dream!

This is a good one for the vegetarians as well.  They love filling their sandwich with the veggies and tzatziki.

If I can get to the farmer's market for the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions; get a good price for the Italian bread, the sausage and the sour cream; we can feed the eight of us for about $12-15 total, but there won't be any leftovers.  ;-)

Imitation Crab Fettuccine Alfredo

Okay... again, like everything else in this blog, this is NOT a healthy recipe, but it is cheap.

Usually this recipe makes enough for the 8 of us to eat as well as leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day... about 12-15 meals altogether.

Here's the breakdown:
2 pkgs Imitation Crab from Save-a-lot, 12-oz pkg*, $2.99 each -- $5.98
2 cans sliced mushrooms, drained -- $1.50
2 sticks margarine -- about 50¢
1 brick of frozen chopped spinach -- $1.00
2 lb fettuccine -- $1.98
2-3 cups half n half -- abt $2.00
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese -- like a million dollars unless you get it on sale.  Last time Winn Dixie had it, I think it amounted to about $1.99

In a skillet, melt one of the sticks of margarine.  Add the drained mushrooms.  Cook until just starting to turn brown.  Because of the vegetarians, I remove the mushrooms before adding the crab, but you don't have to.  Add the imitation crab and cook until heated through.  (Sometimes -- I add a little minced garlic before the mushrooms and once the mushrooms are cooked, I'll add some kind of liquor to them, anything from Marsala cooking wine to white wine to Southern Comfort, just an ounce and then let that cook down for a minute.)

In a batter bowl (or microwave bowl), add the cheese, half n half, and the other stick of butter.  Cook it in the microwave and stir occasionally until cooked through.

Most of the time, I just boil the noodles and the spinach altogether, but you can cook them separately if you want, then drain.

Before vegetarians, I would then just toss this all in a big bowl and serve it.  Now, we serve it as a sort of "pasta bar."  When we can afford it, we also have garlic bread and maybe even salad.  But, the total for this meal is just $14.95, and, like I said, it is not unusual for us to get 15 meals from this.


*I'm pretty sure that it is 12-oz.  I know it is at least 12-oz, but it could be as much as a pound (16-oz.)

Saturday Brunch for Seven

Save-a-lot has been having sausage and turkey bacon on sale lately and coupled with their great price of eggs and canned biscuits... WOW!

Here's the breakdown:
4 cans biscuits, $4*
2 pkgs turkey bacon, $2
2 pkgs Brown 'n Serve Sausages, $2
15 eggs (SaL sells them in flats of 30 for $2.69), $1.35

I beat the eggs in the Batter Bowl and put in the microwave (fat free -- to make up for the other stuff).  I put the sausage in a skillet and barely covered with water and cooked until the water boiled off; turning half-way through.  Then I fried the bacon in the skillet.

Served hunny, 20yo nephew, 19yo daughter, 18yo niece, me, and 15yo and 12yo sons.  Seven of us got our fill for a total of $9.35.

*I know 40 biscuits for seven sounds like a lot, but the vegetarian girls don't eat meat and it's always good to have some leftover biscuits in the fridge.

17 meals of Sloppy Joes

Each Sunday, we have a potluck dinner at church.  This past Sunday, I knew we had a lot of people on vacation, so I wanted to take something to church that would be a whole meal if needed, so after looking at the weekly ads, especially Winn Dixie, I decided to make sloppy joes.
WD had ground beef on sale, 2 lb packages for $3.98, and they had Manwich on sale, $1 a can.  I also got buns at Save-a-lot for 99¢ for eight hamburger buns.

So, it looks like this:

• 4 lb ground beef, $7.96
• 4 cans Manwich, $4.00
• 6 packages hamburger buns, $5.94

Talk about your loaves and fishes!  At church on Sunday night, we had 8 adults and one child, and several of them had two sandwiches.  We brought the leftovers home, and between the 20yo nephew, 15yo and 12yo sons and myself, we ate those sloppy joes for DAYS.

I said 17 meals, but it really was closer to 25 meals... all for a total of $17.90.

Lasagna Noodles

Last night, I made the Save-a-lot store brand of Hamburger Helper, Lasagna.  It is $1 a box, and I used Winn Dixie ground beef, that was on sale for $1.99/lb in a 2 lb package.  I also added a can of diced tomatoes that were on sale 2 for $1.00 (=50¢).  Here's the breakdown:

• Lasagna pasta, 2 boxes -- $2.00
• Ground beef, 2 lbs -- $3.98
• Diced tomatoes -- $0.50

Hunny (husband), nephew (20yo) and I ate, and there was some leftover that the 20yo ate for a midnight snack.  So, four meals for about $6.50.  Not my best feat, but not bad.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tonight I wanted Chinese Food, but the $60+ price tag on take out was just impossible with less than $20 in my pocket.

Sooooo... Save-a-lot, Winn-Dixie and me to the rescue.  Sweet and Sour Chicken for 8... about $12 total.*

It went like this... 

• Frozen chicken tenders, 2.5 lb package.  They are regularly $10.99, but they were on sale B1G1, so I used one package = $5.50.
• Rice-a-Roni, Fried Rice flavor, 2 boxes at $1 each, so $2.00.
• 2 cans chunk pineapple, $1 each, so $2.00.
• 2 green peppers -- like all veggies, this was the big ticket item, $0.79 each, so $1.58.
• 1 small package of mixed vegetables, canned or frozen (I used a couple of cups from a large bag I keep on hand in the freezer), $1.00

Here is the entire ingredient list:

• Vegetable oil or shortening for frying, about 2 cups (½" deep in a large skillet)
• 2.5 lb frozen chicken tenders, thawed and cut each tender into three pieces.
• 2 sticks margarine, melted (but melt each one in its own separate dish)
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• ½ tsp garlic powder, pepper and seasoned salt (or to taste)  
• 2 boxes Fried Rice Flavored Rice-a-Roni
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (or a can, drained)
• 1 cup maraschino cherry juice (and any strays left in the jar)**
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pineapple juice (=the juice from two 20-oz cans chunk pineapple)
• 1 cup cold water
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 2  20-oz jars chunk pineapple (juice used above)
• 2 green peppers, seeds removed, cut into 1" squares
• A little soy sauce

CHICKEN:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Mix the Bisquick, eggs, and spices in a bowl.  It should not be "gummy" but it should flow off the spoon like pancake batter, so add the milk a little at a time to ensure that the batter is not too thick or too thin.  Add a few pieces of chicken to the batter to coat completely and then add to the hot batter.  Cook until golden brown on each side and then drain on a plate with a paper towel.

While the chicken is cooking -- but keeping a close eye on it -- start the rice.

RICE-A-RONI:

You can always use just white rice in this!  Makes it cheaper even still!!!!

I cook the Rice-a-roni in the oven.  First, put a casserole dish in the oven with a stick of butter in it and turn on the oven to 375°.  When the butter is melted, add the two boxes of rice and pasta.  Leave in the oven about 5 minutes and stir.  Keep repeating until the pasta is golden brown.  Add 4 cups water and the seasoning and the frozen vegetables.  Cook, stirring a couple of times, for about 25 minutes.

→Keep watching the chicken and cooking it in batches.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

I used this recipe from allrecipes.com for my starting point:  Fruity Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Add the cherry juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, and sugar in a microwave bowl.  A Pampered Chef Batter Bowl works wonderfully.  Put in the microwave for 6 minutes.  When it's almost done, mix the corn starch and the cold water together thoroughly.  Add this to the sauce and stir.  Put it back into the microwave for 5 minutes.

PINEAPPLE, ET AL:

When the chicken is done, pour out the oil from the skillet.  Return the skillet to high heat and add the pineapple, green peppers and any cherries that you had.  (You can also add other cool stuff like that dusty can of water chestnuts, sliced onions, even mushrooms!)  Drizzle soy sauce over the skillet -- I had to take off that little plastic thing.  You'll add about a tablespoon total.  Cook just until green peppers are tender, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

TO SERVE:

On a plate, add a spoon of rice-a-roni/vegetables.  Place a few chicken pieces on the rice.  Add a spoon or two of pineapple/green pepper and then a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce.

We had this tonight and it served the husband, the 20yo nephew, the 15yo and 12yo sons, and me.  The two vegetarians, 18yo niece and 19yo daughter loved the rice-a-roni and vegs.  I confessed that the pineapple was cooked in the same skillet as the chicken, but they both ate some anyway.  We had about ten pieces of chicken leftover and a ton of sweet and sour sauce (that the vegetarians will gobble up on white rice later).  There was no rice-a-roni or pineapple/green pepper left.

*I am not including all of the price of some pantry staples, like spices, vinegar and sugar.  If you count the small portion of these, it might come to about $15 tops (still a quarter of the price of take-out).  But, if you have none of these in your kitchen, and you just run to the store with the entire ingredient list, it could cost as much as a hundred dollars to stock your kitchen.

**You know we all have that jar of maraschino cherries left in the back of the refrigerator from the last time we could afford ice cream or had a birthday.  Basically, take the jar and dump the juice in with the Sweet and Sour Sauce and put the three cherries left in it in with the drained pineapple and cut green pepper.  THIS IS OPTIONAL.  If you went crazy and threw that old jar out the last time you were cleaning the fridge, never fear.  It isn't needed in this recipe.  Certainly, don't go buy a jar just to have the juice.  Just take some red food coloring and add a few drops into the sauce.  Shhhh....

Welcome

Hey.  Well, this economy is just the pits.  With a household of eight (seven adults and one 12yo), never having enough money for food, I've gotten pretty savvy about what to cook and what to cook CHEAPLY.

You aren't going to find too much health here, but with two of our household being vegetarians (NOT vegan) you'll see some, uh, "interesting" vegetarian recipes.  Again, you can either eat cheap or healthy, so right now our budget is dictating cheap.

On any recipe, if you'd like to add any comments or ideas, I love the idea of learning from you as well.  But, if you get snarky, I will delete it.  Life is just too hard to deal with that, so take it somewhere else.

Well, buckle up and hold on tight....