Pork loin and bacon, are a combination to love. What more needs to be said? Pork Loin and Bacon Here is an easy-to-prepare dinner that is fast to make and mostly light on your budget. I say mostly light because bacon can be very expensive. I made this one evening a few days after […]
Budget
Food Budget. You need one
Having a food budget does not mean eating the same boring and bland meal each day. There is no reason that when you are learning to cook, you can not learn about budgeting your cost. While still learning to cook to impress.
One of my local grocery stores often has promotional signs suggesting a low-cost meal. Yesterday, I saw a sign near the chicken breast that had a banner ha said his meal at $3.99 a serving. It then showed you what to buy to make a meal for 4 for $16. A food budget of $4 for an evening meal may or may not be what your food budget is, but it sure beats a fast food meal that will likely be twice that.
Food Budget category
Some articles will have a category of budget, and they will show here. They will represent low-cost easy to make dishes. They might not all seem impressive, but they will help you build what you can and will cook. Remember, the goal of cooking to impress is to get you cooking.
Baked Fish Dinner
This meal is too short to have its own post. However, it does show you can eat well without a high cost and without a great deal of effort. My Topps supermarket has a selection of frozen seafood at 5 for $19.99. When I buy this I generally get one tilapia, one ocean perch, and three breaded shrimp.
The tilapia is one pound and usually has about 8 individual sealed pieces, the average size around 2 oz. Two pieces will make a nice 4 oz serving.
Preheat the oven, thaw the fish you want under running water. When thawed, place it in a lightly oiled baking dish and season. I use Old Bay but salt and pepper will do. Bake in the oven. The cost of the fish, $1.
The baked potato is next up. I have a microwave pouch to cook potatoes. You do not really need one, but I like using mine. You simply wash and dry the potato, poke some holes in it, then put it in the pouch or on a microwave safe plate. Cook for about 4 minutes then check if it is soft. If you like the skins crisp, shorten the cooking time to 2 minutes and let them finish in the oven. You will decrease the time in the oven by half. Depending on the type of potato the price may vary. I get russet at $.50 a pound, so $.25 a potato on average. I add a little butter and blue cheese salad dressing.
The veggie is onions and peppers from my freezer stock. I get these from my local Dollar Tree store at $1 a bag. I use them for many dishes, especially omelets, pasta sauces, hot dogs, and as a stand-alone veggie. To cook, put in a frying pan and cook for about 4 minutes. You can also put them in a microwave with some water. Figure about $.25 a serving.
So this meal is under $2.
Here are some Budget postings
StarKist Smart Bowl Burrito Hack
Looking for a quick lunch or snack with a decent amount of protein? And inexpensive? How about a burrito in less than 5 minutes? I recently came across a new product from StarKist called Smart Bowls. These are their version of a grain bowl. Fully cooked, they can be eaten from the pouch or heated […]
Tuna and Pasta, A Comfort Food Lunch
Tuna and Pasta is a great comfort food lunch that is easy to make and easy on your budget. Today was a comfort food type of day. The weather this week has been crazy. It was 72 °F (ca. 22 °C) the other day, and I was out walking in a short-sleeve shirt, and there […]
Crêpes Breakfast Snack or Dessert
You know how you can get a song stuck in your head, and you can not let it go. Have you ever had that happen with food? I had that happen recently with crêpes. Then I went on a cruise that had a crêpe station every evening. I planned my day to have a crêpe […]
Beefsteak Tomato and Eggs
Tomatoes and Eggs for breakfast? A fast and impressive start of the day, A Tomato, a egg, some seasoning and a little cheese to top it off.
Chicken, My Favorite Protein
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Chicken Adobo A Filipino Dish
Chicken Adobo A Filipino Dish Chicken Adobe, the Philippines on a plate. Having lived in the Philippines for many years, I have grown to like a number of Filipino dishes. Adobo is considered the national dish of the Philippines and to many, it is the ultimate comfort food. Being a national dish really means everyone […]