Just ordered a pizza from Papa John’s. I saw they had something kind of new on the menu called “the Big Bonanza” I figured I would give it a try. For toppings it has barbeque sauce, jalapeno peppers, cheese, bacon, canadian bacon and beef. I know it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen but it also sounds delicious. Since my girlfriend will probably be a fan of none of those toppings I decided to also order a cheese pizza since she likes to keep things simple. Now, I don’t want you to think I am a fast food junkie, 5 nights out of the week I cook an actual home cooked meal which is probably more than most people.
Its so hard to get back to work after you are on vacation. After spending a week being waited on hand in foot its pretty hard to get used to cooking dinner for yourself. The last two days I haven’t been able to bring myself to cook an actual meal so I’ve been ordering take-out. Its not something I like to do but, you have to eat. Well, if any good came from this situation its that I found a new place by my house that makes home-style meals to go. So you go there to order family sized meals to bring home, heat up and eat. I like the concept and think I will probably be using them in the future on days when I work late or am just feeling lazy.
I’m pretty excited right now. I had the day off from work and decided I was going to try and make a pulled pork in the oven. Well I must say the results were fantastic and the dish was super easy to make as well as affordable. I ended up getting the pork shoulder roast from my grocery store for like 1.79 a pound making it about the cheapest cut of meat I ever find these days. I got the regular generic off the shelf BBQ sauce but doctored it up with my own ingredients making it taste homemade. The roast I got was about 5 pounds meaning I can freeze my leftovers and get quite a few meals out of it. Basically its just the kind of meal that families should be looking at with the rising costs of food and the reduction of our buying power. If you would like the recipe I used I will list it below. The cooking instructions will be accurate but as far as the seasoning of the meat goes I just kind of freelanced and encourage you to do the same.
Materials:
- Slowcooker
- 5 pound pork roast
- 2 large onions
- 3 cups BBQ Sauce (season it to taste)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Recipe:
- Basically you want to get a shoulder roast that is about 5 lbs
- Trim any excess fat off the roast
- chop onion and scatter on bottom of slow-cooker
- placed pork roast on top of onion
- pour broth over roast
- set slow-cooker according to directions
- when done cooking (should take about 8 hours on low) use two forks to “pull” the meat into shreds
- stir in BBQ sauce as well as any additional seasonings and cook for an addition hour
- Serve and enjoy
So as you can see the recipe is super easy and as you will experience it is super delicious. Enjoy!
There are few foods that I enjoy more on a chilly autumn evening than grilled cheese and tomato soup. The best part about it all is that it is also very economical to make. Even those that are completely inept in the kitchen can combine these limited ingredients and simple instructions on how to make a great chilled cheese.
Ingredients
2 slices Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese
2 slices white bread
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Put the cheese between the slices of bread. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet or grill and when melted add the sandwich. Gently press down with a spatula once or twice during the grilling. When one side is golden, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, turn the sandwich over, and brown.
For tomato soup just heat using the instructions on the can of whichever brand you decide to use
Although I must admit I am not a huge egg salad fan, my girlfriend does make some great sandwiches. Eggs are routinely among the cheapest main ingredients you can find at your grocery store. Here is a quick little recipe that will show you how to spruce them up just enough to make anyone enjoy your egg salad sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dill weed
- 8 slices white bread
Directions
1. In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion , salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, pepper, and dill. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight. To serve, spread equal amounts on 4 slices bread; top with remaining bread slices to make sandwiches.
Where I live (on the east coast), one of the cheaper main ingredients one can buy is sausage. I can go to the store almost any week and get Italian sausage for 1.99 per pound. All I need is a bag of rolls a large can of tomatoes, a couple of peppers, onion, garlic and olive oil and I have enough hot sausage and pepper sandwiches to feed the family (and pack a lunch) for about 12 dollars. The best part is although they look complex they are actually extremely easy to make and delicious.
Ingredients
2 large onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 assorted bell peppers such as red, green, and orange, cut into thin strips
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or use the stuff that comes in the jar)
1 large (28oz.) can of peeled and crushed plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper and salt
2 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet) links
1 bag of sandwich rolls
Directions
- In large skillet pan fry the sausages until cooked through (
- remove sausage from pan
- saute peppers until soft
- add onion and garlic
- add tomatoes
- season with salt and pepper and continue cooking
- add sausages to mixture and allow to cook covered on low
Since the sausages are already cooked be sure to keep the stove as low as possible since the only purpose of this is for the flavors to fully mingle. When ready just get your rolls and assemble your sandwiches. I usually have a salad with mine but you can have whatever you want or nothing else at all.
It is a simple fact that in todays world we all have to work. For many of us that means not just a regular 9 to 5 but many extra hours. I don’t know about you but the last thing I feel like doing when I come home is spending another hour cooking, but I do it anyway. Sure it would be easier to go to a fast food restaurant or the neighborhood diner to grab dinner, but it would also cost more. When I go to a place like Applebees I can easily spend 50-60 dollars for a family of four. When I cook dinner I generally spend about 10-15 dollars for everything. If I can save 40-50 dollars by cooking for myself that is most definitely the best option. Even if you go a cheaper route and go to a fast food restaurant you can spend 30 dollars for the family to eat poor quality food. While its not the 40 dollars savings, if I can save 15-20 dollars and put good quality, nutritious food on the table that is what I will do. To me it is a no brainer, save your money and prepare your own meals.
Recently at work they raised the cost of vending machines… again. Over the last six months the cost for a small bag of Doritos has gone from 60 cents to 1 dollar. If I go to the store to purchase a 24 pack of snack sized chips I pay 6 dollars or 25 cents per bag. The same goes for a bottle of water they have gone from1 dollar to a dollar and 25 cents. The grocery store cost of water is 4 dollars for 24, for what I spent on water in 4 days at work I can buy enough for a month. These are the types of savings that don’t really show in your savings but when you look at them over the long haul they add up to hundreds of dollars.
Here is another example of a quick and simple sandwich idea that can be used for a dinner. Though it is slightly more complex than a normal run of the mill tuna melt it isn’t that much more expensive to make since the only things that I don’t regularly stock in my kitchen are dill pickles and balsamic vinegar. In any case it is both cheap and simple which are two things we love.
Ingredients:
- 1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 2 teaspoons chopped dill pickle
- 1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bread slices in the oven to toast while it preheats, and while you make the tuna salad.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, salt, balsamic vinegar, mustard and dill pickle until well blended. Remove bread from the oven, and pile the tuna mixture onto one slice. Sprinkle cheese over the other slice of bread.
- Bake for 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and tuna is heated through. Place the cheese side of the sandwich on top of the tuna side. Cut in half and serve immediately.
Chips – First of all, snack chips are great additions to your children’s school lunches. But you can use them as more than snacks. You can also add them to dinner dishes like casseroles like Betty Crocker’s Chipotle Red Beans and Rice Casserole to give your dinner a little extra crunch.
Potatoes – While many different types of produce have become increasingly expensive, the price of potatoes has remained pretty flat. Potatoes can be used to make many different dishes such as mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, baked potatoes…you see where I’m going with this, don’t you?
Pasta Noodles – Pasta is one of my favorite foods, so I was thrilled to see that it hasn’t really been afflicted by rising food costs. Adding an inexpensive jar of sauce (caught at a sale price) will help you create a dinner your entire family will love.
Chicken – Unlike expensive beef, chicken has experienced a relatively stable price. There are as many ways to prepare chicken as there are stars in the sky. Add mayonnaise to baked chicken to make chicken salad for sandwiches. Or bake in a creamy sauce for a lip-smacking entrée. And, who doesn’t love friend chicken? Peruse your favorite cookbook for more ideas.
Flour/Sugar – Staples that are used in baking are very economical choices while you’re grocery shopping. Forget spending tons on pre-packaged desserts. Instead, you can bake your own cookies. Flour will also stand in as an inexpensive breading for meats.