Meals for the week

As I mentioned in the last post, I signed up today for Weight Watchers. So, Midalah and I looked at what we have in the pantry, fridge and freezer, along with what was on sale this week at Giant. Since it is Lent, seafood is a good deal this week.

We came up with this week's healthy, budget-conscious menu. Even have it posted on the fridge and everything!

Having a set plan will prevent last minute, "well, what do you want for dinner? I'm running to the store" conversations, and keep us from grabbing junk food or tossing something fattening together because it's easy to do.

Sausage and cheese... pancakes?

In a mood for something savory for breakfast this morning, so I trooped down to the kitchen to see what we have on hand.

No eggs. No Eggbeaters. Hm... sadly short on bacon, too. While the freezer is well-stocked, the pantry and fridge need some filling.

Found the last of a box of pancake mix. In the freezer we had turkey sausage crumbles. In the fridge, shredded cheddar.

So, I heated up the sausage, mixed up the batter and tossed the lot together:

They turned out fairly well, actually:

Unfortunately, they also turned out to be around 10 points, even with low-fat ingredients. Found that little nugget out after breakfast, when I finally bit the bullet and joined Weight Watchers.

Pineapple and pepper chicken

I'll have to take a photo of this when I take it out of the freezer.

Essentially, chicken in a light gravy with pineapple and sauteed green peppers, served over rice. I made enough for 3 meals: 1 tonight and 2 for the freezer.

Cheap? You betcha. Everything on sale and the chicken from a giant 10 lb package from Costco.

Tasty? It's okay, but it's nothing to jump up and down over. Once we've eaten the other portions, I don't think I'll make this one again.

Still looking for tasty and cheap ideas for filling the freezer!

Last day of splurging

Starting tomorrow, I am back to eating much healthier meals and trying to get at least a little exercise in at some point during each day. It might be only a 15 minute walk at mid-day, but that's better than nothing!

Breakfast this morning was pretty much unhealthy as sin:

Leftover mashed potatoes mixed with a little egg and sour cream, topped with shredded cheese and baked for 25 minutes.
Brown and Serve Sausage (hey, it's cheap!)
Grapes (probably the only healthy thing on the plate)

I guess it could have been worse, but it sure could have been better!

Lunch at work

I am trying to be both a) healthy and b) budget conscious when it comes to what I eat at work. We have been doing a lot of dinners that make enough for me to prepare one or two lunches from them. So far, it's worked out pretty well!

That said, this picture is far from the best, but this was actually a decent recipe. True, the original called for the much larger sea scallops ($15 per pound!), but the bay scallops ($ 6 per pound) worked just as well. It made enough for dinner for 2 people plus leftovers for 2 lunches.

The jasmine rice under the scallops was actually leftover from dinner the night before, too.

Oh, and the champagne was leftover from Christmas morning mimosas.

Scallops with champagne sauce

1 lb bay scallops
1/2 - 3/4 c (or so) leftover champagne
Whatever green onions you have in the house. Again - leftovers from quiche from Christmas Eve
Chopped mushrooms, about 3/4 c - more leftovers from the quiche making
Sour cream to taste

Saute the scallops quickly. Should only take a minute or two.

While those are sauteing, mix together the champagne, onions and mushrooms. Add to the scallops. Bring to a boil and simmer about 2 - 3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in about 1/4 - 1/2 c sour cream.

Serve over rice.

Super fast and really good!

Chicken is my friend

Eating a lot more chicken lately! It's cheaper than beef and fairly versatile.

I worked late tonight, and Midalah had class, so a quick baked chicken breast dish worked just fine.

Chicken breasts were on sale this past week.

For 3 servings, the total was $ 6.30 ($ 2.10 per serving).

Chicken: 3.92
Dressing to cook the chicken in: .15
Couscous: .68
Bouillon: .10
Beets: 1.45

I drizzled an Italian/red pepper dressing over the breasts and baked them. The couscous soaked in chicken broth.

Until recently, I had only eaten beets cold and in salads. Recently, we've been eating them heated up, something Midalah has done in the past. I found them surprisingly good that way!

Eating in Erie

Penn State Erie's parents' weekend was this past week. So, I loaded my car with winter clothes, snowboard, food and a care package from Midalah to take up to Roo.

First, the care package:

I'm sure I've mentioned a time or three how much I adore Bon Appétit in downtown Lancaster. Roo has been missing the wonderful goodness from there and from Bonbonniere. Midalah decided to rectify that situation and made up a heavenly care package full of all sorts of wonderful treats. From cocoa dusted goat cheese to chocolates of all kinds to lavender syrup with which to make lavender soda, there was quite a bit to take up.

Roo was teary. "Food!" she exclaimed. "REAL food!" She laid it all out lovingly on her bed and took pictures.

Dinner that night was a quick meal at Steak ‘n Shake, since neither of us had been to one before. Not exactly something exciting and different, but it was good. It was getting late, we were tired and hungry and she wanted to get back for a birthday cake for a friend and a rugby party. Besides, there was guacamole on my burger. I was happy!

The next day was spent running all over Erie, taking care of errands and such. Before I dropped Roo off at the theater to meet up with her friends to watch Paranormal Activity 3, we headed for Sushi and Asian Cuisine. My daughter loves sushi and misses it terribly.

Sushi and Asian Cuisine is not a restaurant to go to if you are in a hurry. The atmosphere and the service are both very relaxed. Unfortunately, another table in the restaurant didn’t quite get that and we were treated to the impressive display of an adult male giving his best darn spoiled-rotten-two-year-old impression. The food here seems to be all cooked to order. Do not go here if you have a fast-food, want-it-now mentality. You will be disappointed.

But if you are willing to wait and enjoy the company of those you are with, you’ll enjoy some very tasty dishes. The seared tuna was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The young coconut soup was different in a good way, and far more filling than I expected it to be. The crunchy roll was just plain fun.

The prices were far more reasonable than a lot of sushi restaurants I have been to. Between the price and the quality of the food, the wait was more than worth it.

Sunday, it was time to head home. So off to The Breakfast Place it was. What a fun place! The food was filling, inexpensive and plentiful. The coffee left something to be desired, but there were many opportunities to have the cup refilled. Roo’s hot chocolate came with a refill, too, something I’ve not heard of in any other restaurants before.

I ordered the chicken fried steak with eggs and hashbrowns. I couldn’t eat more than 1/3 of the dish! Roo’s hash and eggs seemed to go on forever. She, who had spent the weekend happily tucking into dish after dish, admitted defeat after less than half of the plate was gone.

After a quick run to the market for a few more supplies, it was time to say goodbye so I could head home and she could focus on homework and on organizing all that had been brought up to her.

She heads home in November. There will definitely be a stock-up run to Bon Appétit and Central Market before she heads back to school!

More eating in on a budget

Tonight’s dinner features finds from Central Market and from Sharp Shopper.

Chicken from Sharp Shopper: 5 pre-marinated breasts for $ 2.50. - .50 a serving
Broccoflower from Central Market: $ 3.00 a head (6 servings) - .50 a serving
Couscous from the local supermarket: $ 6.00 per canister (we’re nearing the end of this one): .34 a serving
Total per serving: $ 1.34

The leftover broccoflower will be served with tomorrow night’s dinner.

Leftover chicken and couscous will be popped into lunch containers and popped into the freezer.

The biggest splurge is probably the paper plate! And even those are only purchased when on sale. I’m feeling poorly tonight and Midalah is busy sewing and doing homework, so the fewer dishes, the better!