After spending a long, beautiful weekend in the hills of Clayton, Georgia- I was enjoying my complimentary seltzer water from US Airways when it hit me. Its late on Sunday; theres no food in the fridge, and less cash in my purse than usual (hence the weekend in Georgia). With my next paycheck always inconveniently far away; it was time for some creative kitchen improvisation.
Its not like Andy & I normally dine on fillet mignon and lobster every night (who does?) but this week I managed to come up with a seriously thrifty menu. Which is not only affordable, but is healthful (lots of veggies, low-fat, etc), and most importantly is down right delicious.
First of all, in Pittsburgh, there are basically three grocery stores close to me. Whole Foods (way, way, way,way too expensive), Giant Eagle (expensive), and Trader Joes (surprisingly the cheapest, by far). So all of the prices I list below are directly from my Trader Joes receipt. Also, anything that says $0 is included in my "given/staple" item list. This list has items like: olive oil, salt, pepper, mayo, squeezy bottle lime juice, garlic, salad dressing, etc. It is intended to reflect items which you probably don't buy weekly, but rather monthly.
Also these recipes feed two people (typically with leftovers).
Alright lets get started!
~Monday~
Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Mayo, Avocado, and Green Salad
1 can of pink salmon -$2
2 scallions- .50
1 egg- .15
Bread Crumbs -$2
Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, garlic, lime juice, mayo -$0
1 avocado- .85
drain salmon, mix with egg, bread crumbs (1/2c), 1 TB mayo, 2 scallions chopped, salt, pepper.
mix together and form into patties, fry them 4 minutes each side until golden brown.
while the burgers fry, mix 1 TB of mayo with a generous squeeze of lime juice- stir.
scoop out the avocado and squirt with the lime juice.
serve the avocado and chipotle mayo alongside the burger with a fresh green salad.
= $6 ($3 per person)
~Tuesday~
Roast Chicken with Fried Gnocci and a green salad.
1 Whole Chicken- $8
1/2 fresh Gnocci- $1.50
Salad- .50
Lemon- .39
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, butter, garlic- $0
wash and pat dry your chicken. rub some olive oil into the skin, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and place half a lemon and several garlic cloves into the bird's cavity. Roast at 350 for about 2 hours, turning up to 375 for a last 20min to brown and crisp the skin.
add some olive oil and 1 TB of butter to a pan. let melt and heat up, then toss in your gnocci, fry until golden brown (about 3min per side).
Serve gnocci and chicken along with a green salad.
{Keep half the chicken meat for tomorrows dinner}
= $10.39 ($5.20 per person)
~Wednesday~
Chicken fajitas with avocado and corn
Whole wheat tortillas -$2.59, but use only half ($1.29)
Bell Peppers- $2.58
Onion- $1
Avocado- .85
Frozen yellow corn- $1.50
Fresh Salsa- $2
Spices (salt, cumin, chipotle powder, pepper), Olive Oil
shred the leftover chicken, set aside. slice your onion (1/2) and your two bell peppers. Heat 1TB of oil in the pan, add veggies. Cook over medium, sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin and chipotle powder each). let cook for 15min until soft. Add chicken and mix together. Squeeze some lime juice over it. Add 3 TB of the fresh salsa to the chicken, peppers and onions. turn off the heat.
In the meantime, mix 1 cup frozen corn with 2TB water and microwave for a minute.
Serve your fajitas with the tortillas and corn.
= $9.26 ($4.63 per person)
~Thursday~
Mushrooms and Pasta with Salad
Mushrooms -$1.99
Pasta (half box) -$1
3TB of fresh grated parmigiana -$2
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Butter and Parsley (from the garden) -$0
put some water onto boil, add pasta and cook til al dente
heat olive oil and 2Tb of butter, add mushrooms and fry until brown (5min or so)
add pasta to mushrooms, sprinkle with parsely, cheese, salt and pepper.
Serve alongside green salad.
=$3.99 ($1.99 per person)
~Friday~
Naan Pizza Margarita and Salad
Frozen naan bread- $1.99
Canned marinara sauce- .99
Salad -.50
Grated mozzarella- $3.69
Fresh Basil (from my garden), salt, pepper
Heat oven to 400
Take your naan bread and spread some of your marinara over one side, sprinkle with cheese (as much or as little as you like), and then sprinkle the cheese with salt and pepper.
Bake in oven for 15-20min, until cheese in golden and bubbly. Then add as much fresh basil as you'd like. Serve with fresh green salad.
=$7.17 ($3.58 per person)
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This brings our grand total for 5 days of dinners to $36.81 or $18.40 per person. Not to shabby!
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