Day 08

BREAKFAST - Rice Bowl with an egg over easy & Sauce a l'Andrea
Brown Rice - $0.09
Egg - $0.18
Sauce - Free (figured into the meal cost last night)
TOTAL: $0.27
Yes, this is the same brown rice from the night we made Dijon Chicken.  Thankfully, it is the last of it.
After a quick saute, an egg, and some of the amazing sauce left over from last night... an amazing breakfast was had.  Mmmmmm.

LUNCH - The "BIG" Salad, but no chicken this time.

Lettuce - $0.17
Grape Tomatoes - $0.25
Cucumber - $0.13
1/2 Carrot - $0.05
Flax seeds - $0.01

TOTAL: $0.61

Another salad on the go.

DINNER - Chicken Noodle Soup w/Whole Wheat Bread & Butter

Bread - $0.25

Butter - $0.03

Soup - $0.60

TOTAL: $0.88

Andrea made three different soups that taste AMAZING!  She froze two servings per Ziploc.  The perfect homemade convenience food!

BREAKFAST - $0.27

LUNCH - $0.61

DINNER - $0.88

Total: $1.76

Day 07

BREAKFAST - Cereal and left over Frittata
Cereal - $0.29 (2 servings)
Milk - $0.27
1/2 Slice Frittata - $0.22 (see day 5)
TOTAL: $0.78
It happened!  A lonesome bowl of cereal was going to be my breakfast.  This week has been busy and this weekend has been crazier, I didn't feel like getting creative so out came the bowl and spoon.  Then Andrea reminded me that there was one slice of Frittata left!  Woo Hoo!  We split the Italian ovum delight and put it on a pretty plate with my cereal and took this photo.






LUNCH - Carnitas Tacos
Pork - $0.61
1/2 Avocado - $0.25
Cheese - $0.06
Salsa - $0.06
Orange Slices - $0.06
2 Tortillas - $0.12
TOTAL: $1.16


We love tacos!  Los Angeles is amazing when it comes to Latin Cuisine... it's everywhere!  Our favorite establishment to indulge in the South of the Border grub is Taco Plus, or what our neighbors so affectionately call it.. T+.
Carnitas is very similar to pulled pork, but there is no BBQ sauce.  The natural salty flavor of the meat is sooo nice in a warm tortilla with avocado and salsa. Yes, this is the pork shoulder still lingering from last night.  We only added the BBQ sauce to the small amount we used for the sandwiches in order to keep the pork in it's natural flavor state.




DINNER - Lovely Pasta a l'Andrea
Pasta - $0.12
Tomato and Spinach Sauce - $0.37
Broccoli - $0.13
TOTAL: $0.62

Andrea is the best at coming up with amazing tomato based sauces.  This meal was no exception!  The meal is quite straight forward with linguine and broccoli, but that sauce!

BREAKFAST - $0.78

LUNCH - $1.16

DINNER - $0.62

Total: $2.56

Day 06

BREAKFAST - Crispy Oatmeal Cakes with Eggs & Spinach
Left over Oatmeal - $0.15
2 Eggs - $0.36
3oz Spinach - $0.27
TOTAL: $0.78

Andrea and I rarely throw away food, If there are left overs in the fridge... they gotta be eaten.  One way to keep it interesting is to try and come up with a new way to eat what you find.  That's how I found myself eating crispy oatmeal this morning.
When I was digging in the fridge, left over steal cut oats were crying out to me.  I could have sworn I heard "savory pancake" emanate from their container, or maybe I was still thinking of those potato cakes we made earlier in the week.  Whatever the case, eggs over easy, sauteed spinach, & crispy oatmeal hit the spot!




LUNCH - PB&J the next Day
Whole Grain Bread - $0.32
2 TBS Organic PB - $0.32
Jelly - $0.10
Banana - $0.14
Corn Chips - $.10
Water from home - FREE
TOTAL: $0.98

When you're on the go, gourmet salads are awesome!  On the go with a kid, a PB&J is the "GOLD" standard even two days in a row.
Hudson and I needed a little one on one time.  Our favorite place to be "men" is fishing on Lake Balboa in an inflatable kayak.  I know it's funny to rock the inflatable, but it feels like a floating lazy boy recliner.
Lake Balboa is L.A.'s secret get away.  80 acres of smooth glassy water inhabited by a myriad of exotic water fowl I can't identify... and it was 80F+...not a cloud in the sky.








DINNER - Pulled Pork Sandwich & a Mango Red Onion Spinach Salad
Bread - $1.47 (for four) - $0.37 each
Pork portion - $0.61
Spinach - $0.10
Mango - $0.05
Corn - $0.05
Spinach - $0.10
TOTAL: $1.28

The local warehouse store was pedaling pork shoulder for a buck twenty-nine a pound, so I snapped one up.  After slow cooking it in a crock pot for eight hours the meat was falling off the bone and dripping with juice.  Andrea added some BBQ sauce, pulled the meat, toasted the bread, and tossed the spinach.  Mmmmm... this meal put the "Southern" in Southern California.

So while we were making tonight's dinner, I kept sayin' to Willie, "I don't know if were gonna make it on this one."  You see, a lot of the weight on the meat we cooked up was the skin, fat and the bones.  However, then I remembered a conversation I had with our friend Aarti (yes, as in the Aarti from Aarti Party on the Food Network ... how was that for a little plug?)  Anyway, she was saying she has some friends that use meat more as a "side" portion then an entree portion.  By doing it this way, we not only get our meat cravings settled, but we save money too.   
With all that said, I am hoping to create about 20 "portions" of meat from the pork shoulder.  That would be $0.61/serving.  So although we went over a little on din din, and 4 cents over for the day, we are still $3.87 under for the week!!  

BREAKFAST $0.78

LUNCH $0.98

DINNER $1.28

6th day total: $3.04

Day 05

BREAKFAST - Frittata (for four)
Eggs - $1.08
Milk - $0.05
Ham - $0.16
1/2 large zuchinni - $0.25
1/4 lb shredded cheese - $0.25
TOTAL: $1.79
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$0.45 per serving

Not long after our daughter Noe was born, a family from Andrea's "Moms Group" delivered a meal.  The wife was from Spain and the Husband from South Africa... long story short, they dropped off a frittata and a bottle of wine.  Even though its and Italian dish, I guess the Spanish have acquired a hankerin' for it too.  It was meant to be dinner when the delicious goodness was bestowed upon us, and don't get me wrong wine and frittata are awesome!  But, Andrea and I are big frittata in the morning kinda people now.  Breakfast is where we tend to dawn a skillet with the Italian ovum delight.  Some people just call it an open faced omelet.




LUNCH - Good Ole Fashioned PB&J with Bananas
Whole Grain Bread - $0.32
2 TBS Organic PB - $0.32
Jelly - $0.10
Banana - $0.14
Corn Chips - $.10
Water from home - FREE
TOTAL: $0.98

Nothin' says hanging with the kids and eating a sandwich, like PB&J.  Gourmet? No.  Dirty Dijon Status?  Not even close.  The perfect sandwich to satisfy you, the kids, and stick to the roof of your mouth?  Bingo (said like cousin Eddy).  Add a banana, a bottle of water, and a tailgate (sort of, cause we have an SUV)... it's almost the meal you were craving.




DINNER - White Bean Soup w/Ham (10 Servings)
White Beans - $1.59
Ham - $1.60
2 Large Carrots - $0.20
2 Celery Ribs - $0.20
1/2 onion - $0.06
TOTAL: $3.25
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Per serving - $0.33
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Organic Spinach salad - $0.18
Whole Grain Rustic Bread - $0.25
Pat of butter - $0.06
-----------------------
Dinner total:  $0.82

Being from Illinois, I know bone chillin' cold.  At the ripe age of twenty-one I parted ways with old man winter and set my sails for the sunny So. Cal.  With that said, I remember many a night when Patrish (my mom) sent me outside to get a large pot of soup she's been planning for dinner.  On a side note, the reason she kept the soup outside (with a lid of course) was the fact that it was huge and took up too much space in the fridge, plus... outside was colder than the fridge.  Patrish had perfected putting porridge in a pot.  OK, no more Dr. Seuss.  My mom could make a killer soup!
Ladies, ya know how they say you wind up marrying someone like your dad? Well, the same is true for the fellas.  Andrea can stew up a mean soup!  Two for two with the soups!  With her usual kitchen graces, a morsel of bread and spinach salad were her complimentary additions of choice.
Did I mention everything tasted really good?

BREAKFAST: $0.45

LUNCH: $0.98

DINNER: $0.82

5th day total: $2.25

Day 04

BREAKFAST - Belgian Waffle (Super Healthy Rendition) w/Whipped Cream, Berry Compote & a side of Scramble
Eggs - $0.18
----------------------------
Waffles (for 4 people):
1 C Milk - $0.18
2 eggs (only whites) - $0.36
10 almonds - $0.10
2 TBS. Flax - $0.03
1/2 C Oat Bran - $0.09
2 C TJ's Multigrain Mix - $0.52
4TBS Heavy Whipping Cream - $0.12
Frozen Berries - $0.50
-------------------------------
One waffle with Berries and Whip - $0.48
TOTAL: $0.66

As a kid, my mom would whip up Belgian Waffles and I loved 'em!  Sometimes she'd put real maple syrup, a pad of butter (that'd melt deliciously into all the little compartments), and chopped pecans.  Other times, she'd get the beater out and make home made whip cream to accompany the waffle topped with fresh raspberries.  She'd do the same with crepes too! Mmmmmm!
Andrea learned the ways of the fresh berries and whipped cream, but in her classic style... she needed to make it her own.  One day she came to the realization that frozen mixed berries are way more accessible than fresh.  In fact when fresh berries are in season, she will typically freeze some extras in a large bag (all mixed ... strawbs, rasps, black and blue).   In hope of competing with the beauty of a fresh berry, Andrea dropped those ugly mix berries in a blender (after a few minutes of thawing) and voila... Berry Compote.  This is Noe's personal fav.
As far as the waffle goes, I wanted to do something to doctor up it's healthiness factor.  Although we do use a multi-grain base, we also add in oat bran, flax seeds, and almonds in addition to the called for milk, eggs, and oil.  She takes everything but the mix and blends it in the blender.  Then adds the mix to make it the proper consistency for waffle batter.  Somehow it all works out and even tastes better too!




LUNCH - BBQ Chicken Salad
Holy lots of ingredients Batman!
BBQ Chicken - $0.25 (it was a very small portion today)
Organic Romaine - $0.16
Organic Black Beans - $0.13
Corn - $0.06
Red Onion - $0.06
Ranch Dressing - $0.12
Crushed Tortilla Chips - 0.02 (this was just to add a little crunch)
Shredded 3 Blend Cheese - $0.03
Avocado - $0.13
TOTAL: $0.96

This was the best salad I have ever had!  Seriously.  You have got to be kidding me Andrea!

I had to work away from home this morning and when I returned for lunch, Andrea had this salad waiting.  Flavor explosion!  I could have never made this salad in (Dr. Evil Voice) one million years.  I can't understand it!  The chicken was perfectly seasoned with I don't even know what.  Yes, it is the same chicken... Ha ha ha...  That chicken keeps kickin'.  Did I say awesome salad?  My only complaint was that I wanted more.  Hence the price of only 96 cents.  
By the way ... a side note on the 3 cheese blend.  I scored a one pound bag of Kraft brand 3 cheese blend at the 99 cent store!  That same night, when shopping for the youth group at VONS, I saw the exact same cheese only in an 8 oz bag (half the size) for 5 bucks!  I bought 2 bags and froze one.  Yep, you can freeze cheese.  



DINNER - Split Pea Soup (6 servings)
Peas (1 pound bag) - $0.59
2 large carrots - $0.20
2 ribs of celery - $0.20
6 3 oz servings of ham - $0.96
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TOTAL: $0.32/serving

This is the worst picture of food ever taken, we know.  Well, now that you've seen it, go ahead and laugh.  It's OK, we know it's bad.  Camera phone on the go photo.  Excuses, excuses, right?  We were with our students tonight and needed to eat on the run.
If you could only taste the soup!  AMAZING!  Andrea knocks it out of the proverbial park three meals in a row.  This is your classic split pea soup, with beautiful chunks of ham we scored for a sweet price.  Yup, same ham from the dirty Dijon omelet.  In fact, I think she made so much soup we are freezing it for future enjoyment... double score!  But I will try to get a better photo next time.

BREAKFAST: $0.66

LUNCH: $0.96

DINNER: $0.32

4th day total: $1.94

Day 03

BREAKFAST - Sauteed Onion & Asparagus Brown Rice w/Egg Over Easy
1/4 Red Onion - $0.05
Asparagus - $0.17
1/2cup Brown Rice - $0.09
1 Egg - $0.18
TOTAL: $0.49


We love to recreate things that we have eaten at really fun restaurants (and do it better ... and cheaper, duh).  There is this one restaurant called Beach 26.  They have these amazing "Rice Bowls" on their breakfast menu.  Basically instead of serving an omelet with your standard side of toast or english muffin, they serve up their omlettes messy (scrambled) and over rice.  We were instant fans!  Here is a new take on it with an over easy egg ...
P.s.  If you are worried about those egg yokes, here's a little tip.  Cook it over medium and then flick out half the yoke.  That way you still get a little bit of the creaminess the yolk and without ALL of the fat and cholesterol.

LUNCH - The "BIG" Salad
Lettuce - $0.17

Cucumber - $0.13

1/4 Large Chicken Breast - $0.25

1/2 Carrot - $0.05

TOTAL: $0.60

It was a beautiful morning so we decided to go for a bike ride ... destination picnic.  So a lot like the other day (Willie on the run), we packed up a pretty basic salad and hit the road.  I like to reuse old yogurt tubs for packing food on the go.  Not only am I re-using a container that would have otherwise been trashed, but in the event that I do need to ditch/recycle it while we're out, like a middle school boyfriend, I'm not attached.  

DINNER - Roasted Chicken with Crispy Potatoes, Asparagus, & Onion

Chicken - $0.50
Potatoes - $0.13
Asparagus - $0.33
1/2 Red Onion - $0.05
TOTAL: $1.01


Chicken, again?  You better believe it!!  Remember the little chick we (and when I say we, I mean Willie) butchered the other night?  It's back and we've moved to the dark side.  Some people simply will not eat dark meat.  Although I don't PREFER it, I will definitely eat it.  It's very juicy and tender.  We boiled the potatoes before crisping them up in the pan with the onions and a wee bit of the fat rendered from the chicken.  Fat?!?!  You may be thinking, that can't be healthy.  Remember, eating fat doesn't make you fat.  Eating a lot of fat and just too much in general, very well might.  
We did go over by a penny on this meal, however, at just over two bucks for the whole day ... not too shabby and 90 cent to spare.  And yes, I meant cent.  Fiddy gets to say it, why can't I?

BREAKFAST: $0.49

LUNCH: $0.60

DINNER: $1.01

3rd day total: $2.10

Day 02

BREAKFAST - Dijon Ham & Zucchini Omelet with Toast and a Clementine
Dijon Sauce - FREE (left over sauce from last night)
1 1/2 eggs - $0.27
Ham - $0.13 (approx 8lbs @ $0.99 per pound)
1/2 Zucchini - $0.13
1 slice of Toast - $0.12
1 Clementine - $0.25
TOTAL: $0.90

I know this sounds gross, but it's AMAZING!  When we did the French Sauce Challenge (sorry no blog) I discovered that the sauce pan had some delectable-ness still to give the next morning.  I don't know how it originally went down, but I scrambled a couple eggs in the "yet to be washed" sauce pan in hopes of recovering some of the tasty bits. Oh man!  The lovely and deliciously delicate flavors of the sauce I had been dreaming about were back!  So, with story now shared... whenever a sauce is made, I like to keep it for eggs in the morning!


What better way to soak up the lush and creamy subtleties of the Dijon sauce then ham and zucchini?  Right? With another pan I was working an omelet into shape and Andrea was prepping the toast, clementines, and setting the table.


The filling was dropped on the omelet followed by a beautiful fold and BAM!  Delicious breakfast that blew my mind for $0.63 cents?  I know.







LUNCH (On the GO)
Spinach Salad w/Chicken, Avocado, Carrot, Flax, & Brown Rice
4oz Spinach - $0.36
1/2 Large Chicken Breast - $0.50(approx)
1/4 Avocado - $0.13
1 Carrot - $0.10
A Sprinkle of Flax - $0.01
1/2cup Brown Rice - $0.09
TOTAL: $1.19

After breakfast, I had to rush off to work and didn't have time to do much.  With a handful of spinach, some leftover chicken from last night (no sauce), some avocado, a carrot, rice, and a sprinkle of flax seeds I had an awesome lunch!  Sure I went over on the challenge, but I was under on breakfast.


Andrea met up with a friend and was treated to lunch.  Lucky her!







DINNER - Pasta Primavera (2 Portions)
2 oz Spinach - $0.12
1/2 Zuchinni - $0.25
Grape Tomatoes - $0.25
1 Carrot - $0.10
3 Cloves of Garlic - $0.06
1/2 Red Onion - $0.06
Broccoli Crowns - $0.33
Pasta - $0.30
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper - $0.005
Lemon Wedge - $0.05
TOTAL: $0.76 per portion

It was vegetarian night at the Herath's.  Can never have to many veggies, right? 
This is pretty self-explanatory.  Lots of fresh veg, sauteed in garlic, add the crushed red peppers and a squeeze of lemon wedge, toss with pasta and Wah-la!  You have a low cal, really healthy pasta dish.  So easy and so good.   

BREAKFAST: $0.90

LUNCH: $1.19

DINNER: $0.76

2nd day total: $2.85