Fish in a Sweet Corn Chowder Gravy

UGH!  First money disaster!  I asked Carolynn to stop at King Kullen for the Mahi Mahi.  When she got there, it looked pitiful, so she opted for cod.  When I got home I could smell the fish from the front door.  It was not good.  We agreed not to ditch the menu, so I ran out and bought a piece of Halibut.  I really like Halibut and this was a fresh as anything, but it was $19.99 a pound!!!!  Kaboom!  It's Tuesday an I've spent an extra 21 bucks.  Anyway, here's the recipe

Fish in a Sweet Corn Chowder Gravy

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 slices of bacon chopped (can be omitted or veggie bacon can be substituted)

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped celery (with some tops)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon each)

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup vegetable stock

1 cup fat free half and half

1 box frozen sweet corn

dash of cayenne

2 pounds of meaty white fish like Mahi Mahi, halibut, or Cod cut into individual pieces of 5-6oz each

Saute onions and celery in oil until just soft but not brown, add bacon and thyme, saute another 3 minutes or until bacon is crisp.  Add butter and flour stir to incorporate fully.  Add stock and 1/2 and 1/2, bring to a boil.  If too thick add another 1/2 cup of water.  Add corn (no need to thaw) and simmer.  Season with a dash of Cayenne to taste.

Meanwhile heat skillet and a tablespoon of oil.  Salt and pepper fish and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

Serve fish with chunky mashed red potatoes and generous ladles of the sweet corn gravy over the top.  Serious yum.

Grilled Beer Marinated Hanger Steak

My daughter LOVES this recipe!  I cut it out of a Bon Appetite magazine a while ago.  I put the ingredients and began the marinading the night before.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

1/2 bottle dark lager beer (like a bock, or Sam Adams Black Lager)

2 lbs skirt steak (also called hanger steak)

Whisk all of the ingredients together then place into a ziploc bag with steak overnight.  Try to use fresh rosemary, it makes a difference in flavor.  Grill steak (or pan grill) to desired doneness. 

I served it with Alexis Sweet Potato Fries and broccoli, but last night Carolynn's Mom stopped by with fresh corn on the cob, so we ditched the broc!  Since I wound up home after all, I opened a package of BBQ veggie strips and had that for my veggie self.  The steak got rave reviews.

So far this whole $125 thing.  Katherine is taking turkey to school for lunch and breakfast is eggs or a pancake for K.  I'm beginning to realize that using up things like the coffee, eggs, pancake mix, and milk this week is going to add up next week.  I'll worry about that next week!

Shopping Week One!

Hey, I got comments! Thanks for reading!  Christine, you are right about the farmers markets.  We have 2 local farms that i do buy stuff at.  That does help.  The meat issue Tex brought up is an interesting one.  I became a vegetarian back in March.  It was a multifaceted decision, but really an evolution of thought on my behalf.  Carolynn decided to join me shortly thereafter.  Katherine is 11 and has been brought up on a very meat oriented diet and she likes it.  At her age, I'm willing to set a really good example, expand her dietary horizons, and find alternatives for her, but she will need to come to the veg thing on her own.  So, I compromise.  I'll cook an occasional beef or chicken meal for her and she promises to try different things on other nights.  When she is ready, she'll get it.  

So thanks for the comments and keep them coming!

Here is the shopping list week one

 

1 ½ lb salmon

1 ½ lb skirt steak

1 ¼ lb Mahi Mahi

 

2 tomatoes

1 lg Bok Choy

8 oz shiitake mushrooms

2 bunches green onions

1 lemon

1 red bell pepper

1 lg eggplant

1 ½ lbs red potatoes

1 bunch broccoli

1 bag onions

1 lb green grapes

1 qt strawberries

1 avocado

2in piece fresh ginger

1 lg clamshell mixed greens

 

1 box frozen corn

1 bag alexia sweet potato fries

 

1 box orzo

1 box taco shells

1 pack taco seasoning

1 jar salsa

1 bottle soy sauce

1 lg container light sour cream

1 loaf whole wheat bread

5oz log goat cheese

1 lb turkey breast

 

Total cost: $69.87

The woman behind the register of the first store looked at my hand with a $100.00 bill and said instinctively, "Debit or credit?" then said, "Oh, sorry, no one pays with cash anymore."  It was kinda funny.  I have to say I felt really good about shopping consciously.  It took some time, but it was really satisfying. 

Quick Disclaimer: Some ingredients in the recipes I had in house, so they didn’t count against the 125.00.  Over time staples like flour and butter will add to the weekly total, but I want to use up what I have.  All in all I was pretty happy with my first outing.  I went to 2 different stores.  I knew I would need to buy milk, eggs and a few other essentials during the week, so the remainder of the cash went into a envelop on the fridge.  I’ll post the recipes separately so you can search for them later.

Taking the Challenge

Taking the Challenge. 

My daughter thinks I’m weird and my partner is convinced it can’t be done, but my challenge is to feed my family of 3 for a week with healthful, gourmet meals, on 125.00 per week.  That is less than half of what we spend now.  It’s a cool challenge.  I’m excited to use my financial brains alongside my creativity.  It is September 22 and my challenge started 2 days ago. 

Friday I got the special food store circulars in the mail.  All nice and neatly packed in plastic, I open the package containing the sales flyer for every food store in a 5 mile radius.  First I look at King Kullen and notice a $10.00 coupon right on the cover.  I begin to cut it out when I realize that I have to spend $100.00 to get the $10 back.  That won’t work for me, as $100.00 is all I have.  I start to write down on a piece of paper all of main course items I might be interested in and what store had them.  Salmon for 4.98/pound, mahi mahi for 3.99/ pound, Shell steak (for my daughter) 4.99/pound.  These are items I could build a menu around.  I also noted things like fruits and vegetables that were on sale and where.  Part of my challenge was to open as few cans as possible, so fresh vegetables were a must. I sketched an outline of the week next to my list:

Sunday – Salmon

Monday – Beef (I would be working late)

Tuesday – white fish

Wednesday – Veggie meal

Thursday – Tacos

Friday – Beans/pasta

Saturday – shellfish 

Ok so I knew salmon was on sale and Mahi Mahi.  I found Eggplant on sale at another store and taco shells.  Shell steaks were ok, but I know my daughter loves marinated skirt steak, so I would look for that cut at a reasonable price.  

I collect recipes as a hobby and keep them in an accordion file.  I pulled out the file and began to look for recipes that contained the items on sale and were relatively easy to cook.  I selected a few and then narrowed it down by taste and list of ingredients. 

Once I selected all of the week’s recipes, I added the ingredients to the shopping list and did a quick calculation in my head.  Here is the menu: 

Sunday – Korean style Salmon with bok choy and mushrooms, steamed rice

Monday – Grilled beer marinated hanger steak, with broccoli, and sweet potato fries

Tuesday – Mahi Mahi with sweet corn chowder gravy, smashed potatoes, and green salad

Wednesday – Over Stuffed eggplant with a garden salad (pizza night for my daughter)

Thursday – DIY tacos, meat or veggie

Friday – Orzo w/chickpeas and goat cheese, cucumber and tomato salad

Saturday - Grilled shrimp and citrus balsamic vegetables

I put a $100.00 bill in my pocket.  I don’t usually shop with cash.  I like the safety of a credit card.  What if I get to the register and have $112.32 worth of groceries?  With a credit card, it wouldn’t matter.  I can be careless, overrun my budget, and not even notice until the bill is due.  That stops today.  I have a mission, a list, and a $100.00 bill in my pocket.  That’s it.  Stay tuned.  I'll post the shopping list and the recipies for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Good Food is Hard to Find

Maybe I’m just crazy. 

I love to cook really elaborate fancy meals like the kind you see in Gourmet Magazine.

I work full time, sometimes more, and have a daughter in middle school.

I love to eat good food.  To clarify, I like expensive food.

I’m an athlete with a propensity to eat the wrong things at the wrong times.

I need to drop 15 pounds, my partner a little more than that, and our daughter as little more than that.

I’m a vegetarian, my partner eats meat as a condiment, and my daughter is a decided carnivore loving only the finest cuts of prime beef.

I passed out when I realized that my little family of three spends over $300.00 per week in food.

 

Are you for real!!!!! $300.00 per week for food!  That’s $15,600 per year or, for comparison, the amount equal to minimum wage in New York State for 40 hour per week before taxes!  That’s NUTS! 

 

I’m not a chef.  I’m not a nutritionist.  I am a smart businesswoman.  I run a multimillion dollar assisted living community.  I have a full kitchen in my place of business and maintain operating costs right around 6.00 per person per day for three meals. For my family of three that would be equal to 126.00 per week.  Why can’t I run my home kitchen like that?  What is wrong with me?  This is my quest. Can I put together a menu that is:

1.  enjoyable for all members of the family
   
2. healthful and conscious of our propensity to gain weight
3. comparable to an excellent restaurant
4. prepared within the confines on my work schedule
5. costing less than 500.00 per month.

Here we go.  The “Good Family Food” project.  Follow along if you want, I’ll post my thoughts, menus, recipes, successes and failures.  There is no reason I can’t do this.