Day 23

BREAKFAST - Deconstructed/Reconstructed Eggs

2 Eggs - $0.16 (found a dozen for $0.99!)

Broccoli - $0.10

1/4 Shallot - $0.10
1Tbsp Parmesan - $0.15

TOTAL: $0.51
So, a couple of days ago Andrea mentioned she heard of a recipe where the egg whites were separated and whipped.  She then went on to say the yolks were placed back in and the whole thing was baked.
This morning, the kids went to school and neither one of us had anything till 11am!  Woo hoo!  Special breakfast!  I decided to tackle the said tale of ovum destruction/reconstruction.
I whipped the egg whites and saved the yolks in their shells back in the carton.  Meanwhile, I pre-heated the oven to 350F, sauteed some shallots in a splash of oil, and shredded Parmesan.  Grabbed a baking sheet and put thinly sliced broccoli on it then threw it in the oven.
Once the shallots were golden brown, I dropped them in the serving bowl (oven safe) and swirled 'em to get oil and flavor on the bowl before putting the shallots back in the pan.
After a good fold of Parmesan and a dash of salt into the stiff whites I spooned them into the shallot oil'd bowls, gingerly delivered the yolky payload, and sprinkled golden-shallot-crispy-delights.  Four and a half minutes in the fired up oven passed while I set the table, threw the broccoli on top, and snapped a photo!
Delicious!


LUNCH
$0.00
TOTAL: $0.00
We both ate at work.




DINNER - Butternut Squash Risotto w/ Asparagus
Squash - $0.52
Risotto - $0.73
Onion - $0.13
Chicken Stock - $0.20
Asparagus - $0.25
TOTAL: $1.83

This dish is one of our favorites!  We learned it from a couple of people from England.  They were taking a cooking class in Costa Rica and a friend of ours happened to be living there and said they should meet us as they passed through LA on their way home.  They stayed with us a few days and we became fast friends.  They've come back to visit several times since.
Anyway, they made us their favorite dish and we could immediately see why!  I couldn't tell you how many times we've made, but I can tell you it's fantastic!

BREAKFAST - $0.51

LUNCH - $0.00

DINNER - $1.83
total: $2.34

Day 22

BREAKFAST - Apple Chutney French Toast w/Sausage
Bread - $0.28
Egg - $0.08
Apples - $0.16
Sausages - $0.25
TOTAL: $0.77

Andrea did it again!  She is the Queen of breakfast and now, she's the Queen of the dollar meal breakfast!  Warm apple cinnamon chutney on hot slabs of french toast makes we feel like we spent a fortune on this meal.  Snap into a bite of the classically over Sage'd sausage link and the flavor pallet for this meal is complete.  Of course, there'd be some whipped cream and fresh berries if this were the Dollar Fifty Meal Challenge.






LUNCH - Split Pea Soup (see day #4)
Soup - $0.32
Salad - $0.10
Carrots - $0.05
Purple Potatoes - $0.00 (left over)
TOTAL: $0.47


As you can see, we have a better photo as promised, but... I have to be honest.  Taking photos of split pea soup are never as rewarding as the taste. Speaking of taste, these Ziploc soups do a bit of melding while awaiting consumption.  Andrea and I both agree, there is some flavor enhancement taking place... I guess soup is like a fine wine, better with time.








DINNER - Vegetarian Coconut Curry w/Brown Rice
Double Rice Portion - $0.36
Red Pepper - $0.12
Zuchinni - $0.25
Carrot - $0.05
Broccoli - $0.08
Cauliflower - $0.06
Sauce - $0.40
TOTAL: $1.32

For the past few days, we have felt a little stuck in the culinary, um, proverbial rut.  So, Andrea chose to dig down deep and rescued us from the mire with this lovely change of pace.  Keep in mind, the photographer hasn't changed so it may just look like the same ole same ole, but if you could taste it.  Whoa!  Nothing before has ever emerged from our kitchen, pantry, & fridge with these flavor combos.  If you like Indian Cuisine, bring some naan and enough mango lassie to share(we can't provide it, cause it would blow the dollar budget out of the water).
Awesome Meal!  Thanks Andrea!

BREAKFAST: $0.77

LUNCH: $0.47

DINNER: $1.32

total - $2.56

Day 21

BREAKFAST - Steel Cut Oats w/ Blueberries & Flax
Organic Steel Cut Oats - $0.30
Organic Blueberries - $0.20
Flax - $0.03
TOTAL: $0.53

LUNCH - Left Over Potatoes and Green Beans
Free - $0.00
TOTAL: $0.00

DINNER - Cauliflower Carnitas Crustini w/ Pickled Carrot Slaw
Bread - $0.50
Pork - $0.30
Cauliflower - $0.10
Parmesan - $0.05
Carrots - $0.10
Romaine - $0.03
Flax - $0.01
TOTAL: $1.09

I've been a fan of a TV show before.  I think every once in awhile we all tend to like a show.  With that said, I've never had a show change my life, or affect the way I live my life... until now.
Chopped is an amazing show that gives random ingredients to four chefs and makes them come up with a dish that is judged by a panel.  I can relate to the show, I can't tell you how many times I've opened the fridge and thought there was nothing to eat cause the food I had was random.  Chopped has cured me of this disease.  Yes, I said it.  Food is food.  It's full of nutrition, eat it.  We tend to only eat what we want.  Well, here's good news... You have the ability to take almost anything and with enough brainstorming can come up with something you just might want.  So Fun!
That's how this dinner came to be.

BREAKFAST: $0.53

LUNCH: $0.00

DINNER: $1.09

total - $1.62

Day 20

BREAKFAST - English Muffins & Kiwi

English Muffin - $0.17

2 Tbs Peanut Butter - $0.18

2 Kiwi - $0.33

Flax Seeds - $0.01

TOTAL: $0.69

LUNCH - Pulled Pork Fettucini (left overs)
Fettucini - $0.59
Pulled Pork - $1.22
Heavy Cream - $0.15
Broccoli - $0.66
Parmesan - $0.20
TOTAL: $2.82 (4 servings) ($0.71/serving) 

Left overs are great!  They are probably what inspired TV Dinners.  Think about it... a great meal in a dish and all you gotta do is nuke it.


Side thought.  With Pandora and Hulu, would the TV Dinner be named the same if it were invented today?


Laptop Lunch?... Who knows?









DINNER - Chicken Breast w/Red Onion Cream Sauce, Potatoes & Beans
Chicken Breast - $0.80
Red Onion - $0.10
Cream - $0.10
Potatoes - $0.25
Green Beans - $0.25
TOTAL - $1.50

Today's lesson in saving some serious coin is checking those weekly fliers.  You know exactly the ones I'm talking about.  The ones you that overrun your mailbox and they barely make it to the recycling bin.  Well, next time take 2 minutes to peruse the first page of each of your major grocers in your area.  All the best deals are on the front page.


Today, I found Foster Farms Split Chicken Breasts (bone-in) for $0.97/lb!!  This is awesome!!  Although there is still work to be done once you get those bad boys home, it is definitely worth the effort.   I spent some time getting the bones off and putting into ziplocks for the freezers.  But for $5.00 we got 5 breasts and a bag full of scraps for soup.


Then it was Willie that put in the real work for dinner tonight.  I just didn't have it in me.  He made a yummy meal, as usual.  And our friend Nicola and her daughter Madeleine were able to join us as well and loved it!!  She kept on raving about all the flavors in the cooking.


The recipe for this is the same as Dijon Chicken, but no Dijon.

BREAKFAST - $0.69

LUNCH - $0.71

DINNER - $1.50

total: $2.90

Day 19

BREAKFAST - Bagel Eggwich, Salad, & OJ
Bagel - $0.25
2 Eggs - $0.36
Salad - $0.20
OJ - $0.00 (oranges came from a friend's tree!)
TOTAL: $0.81

Salad for breakfast?  Why not?  We tend to eat breakfast for lunch... or breakfast for dinner.  Can't we have lunch or dinner for breakfast?  Salad is delicious and so good for us, add it to any meal!


Fresh OJ is amazing!  Don't be afraid to ask friends and neighbor for fruit off their tree... shoot, ask a stranger.  Most trees in our neighborhood have massive amounts of fruit that is wasted!




LUNCH
I ate at work


DINNER - Homemade Chicken Tenders with salad & Apples
Chicken - Free (kinda ... see below)
Cereal - $0.03
Egg - $0.04
Salad - $0.20
Apples - $0.11
TOTAL: - $0.38
Andrea makes the best chicken tenders on the PLANET!!!  We call 'em chicken nuggets so the kids will get excited about them.  In fact, we have joked about having a chicken nugget side by side taste test.  Andrea would win for sure!


So  technically this chicken was not "free," however you know those little chicken tenders that come off when you are deboning the breast?  Well, anyway, even if you don't know, they are there and I forgot to account for them when figuring out the cost of the meat.  For example, from one package ($5.00) I was able to get the 5 breast and scraps for broth so I divided the total cost by 6 ($0.80 for each chicken breast and the broth).  Hence ... tenders free.  
By the way, these are the easiest thing to make!  I just scramble an egg with a little Lawry's Salt in it, dip the tender in the egg mixture, then coat with panko bread crumbs (or Weetabix cereal crushed up) and pan fry in a little vegetable oil.   And I realize with the pan frying in the oil they may not be the absolute healthiest thing in the world, however they are a heck of a lot better than this.  Ewww!!

BREAKFAST - $0.81

LUNCH - $0.00

DINNER - $0.38

total: $1.19

Day 18

BREAKFAST - Eggs Over Easy, Bagel, & Kiwi
2 Eggs - $0.36
Bagel - $0.25
2 Kiwis - $0.33
TOTAL: $0.96

LUNCH - Left Over Chicken Enchiladas See Day #16

Left Overs - $0.00

TOTAL: $0.00

DINNER - White Bean & Ham Soup See Day #05
Soup - $0.66 (Double Serving)
Bagel - $0.25

TOTAL: $0.91

BREAKFAST - $0.96

LUNCH - $0.00

DINNER - $0.91

total: $1.87

Day 17

BREAKFAST - Skipped It!
Making a BAD Choice - $0.00
TOTAL: $0.00
Don't ever do this!  Bad, bad, BAD!  I hate it when I get so busy that I skip "THE" most important meal of the day.
I was at work.


LUNCH - Lasagna, Bread, & Salad
I went to a luncheon.
I was at work.


DINNER - Pulled Pork Fettucini (for four)
Fettucini - $0.59
Pulled Pork - $1.22
Heavy Cream - $0.15
Broccoli - $0.66
Parmesan - $0.20
TOTAL: $2.82 ($0.71/serving)

Delicious!  Good job Andrea!


It seems to be that pork really IS the other white meat.  So much so that Willie actually thought this was chicken until a couple days later when I told him we had pulled pork pasta leftovers.  He had no idea what I was talking about.  


Well, I understand traditionally you would not put pork in pasta, but I was trying to get some protein into this meal and that was what we had.  It turned out okay, not spectacular.  The kids liked it ... so mmm, not sure if that confirms my point or challenges it?  Either way, it was food.