COOKING ON A BUDGET 01/07/21
It’s winter and I know you want comfort food but it’s also January and you want healthy options to drop those pounds you put on in November and December! Here are some great healthy comfort food recipes that I went on the search for! I always love feedback on which recipes you enjoy and what recipes you might want me to add. Thanks and enjoy!
GREG’S FOOD OF THE WEEK:
Sal's Cheese Pizza - 2 for $11 (oven ready - found in deli section)
KELLY’S BEER SALE FOR THE WEEK:
Market Basket – Smuttynose, Dogfish Head - $12.99 (12 pack)
Switchback - $8.99 (4 pack)
Hannaford – Goose Island - $13.99 (15 pack)
ROADKILL’S SWEET OF THE WEEK:
Market Basket - Donuts! - 79 cents each (Made fresh daily)
Hannaford - Party of two Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake - $2.99
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HANNAFORD (SALES END SATURDAY) –
80% Lean Ground Beef - $2.49lb (Italian Patties with salad or you can get 93% lean at MB this week if you prefer less fat)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs - $1.49lb (Chicken and Lentils)
Assorted Pork Chops – 99 cents lb. (good deal)
ALDI (SALES END ON SATURDAY) -
90/10 Ground Turkey - $6.99 (3lb) (Ground turkey with Sweet potato)
Cauliflower - $2.65 (Beef over mashed cauliflower)
White beans – 55 cents (Great northern or Cannellini – Healthy Minestrone)
Vegetable Stock - $1.89 (Minestrone)
Celery - 65 cents (Minestrone)
Chopped Kale - $3.19 (Ground Turkey with Sweet potatoes)
SHAW’S (SALES START FRIDAY)-
Scallops - $7.97 (16oz frozen - good deal)
Beef Eye of Round Roast or 7 Bone Chuck - $3.99lb (Beef over mashed cauliflower)
Avocados – 59 cents (Ground Turkey with Sweet potatoes)
MARKET BASKET (SALES START SUNDAY)-
Parsley - 79 cents (a lot of my recipes)
93% Lean Ground Beef - $3.69lb (Italian Patties and salad)
Zucchini - 99 cents (Minestrone)
Fresh Carrots - 99 cents 2lb bag (Minestrone and Beef over Cauliflower)
Sweet Potatoes (yams) - 69 cents lb (Ground Turkey with Sweet potatoes)
Romaine Lettuce - $1.29 (Italian Patties and Salad)
IDEAS FOR COOKING THIS WEEK
HEALTHY MINESTRONE
In a pot add in olive oil, garlic, chopped celery, carrots and onions and cook until soft and then add in tomato paste and cook for a minute and add in thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook for another minute or so and then add in a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, a couple bay leaves and simmer for 10 minutes then add in rinsed quinoa (healthier than pasta) and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes and then add in a can of drained and rinsed white beans, frozen corn, cut fresh green beans, diced zucchini and continue to cook until your quinoa has popped and your veggies have cooked through. Then add in fresh chopped spinach and add in some lemon juice and add in more seasonings to your taste and remove your bay leaves. You can serve with grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
CHICKEN AND LENTILS
Chop up a couple red chilies and take out the seeds and put in a food processor with chopped garlic, peeled ginger and chopped onion and then in a pan put olive oil in a pan and fry the paste mixture for a few minutes. Add in coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and cloves and cook for another minute then add in diced chicken breast and coast in the spice paste and cook for just under 10 minutes and add in lentils, chopped tomatoes and a couple cups of water and cook for 25 minutes and then add in fresh chopped spinach and season with salt and pepper.
BEEF OVER MASHED CAULIFLOWER
Season flour with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and paprika and toss your diced braising steak. In a pan fry the beef until brown and then remove and put on paper towel. In the same dish add in chopped onions, carrots and mushrooms and more oil if needed and cook until soft. Add in a splash of red wine and scrape the bottom, add in beef stock, chopped parsley, fresh thyme and your beef. Put a lid on your pan and bake at 320 for 2 hours. For your mashed cauliflower, put your cauliflower head in a pot of boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes or until soft and put in a food processor to make creamy. In your pot, drain water and in butter and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, add in your mashed cauliflower and spoon your beef, veggies and sauce on top of the cauliflower and garnish with more chopped parsley.
GROUND TURKEY WITH SWEET POTATO – In a skillet, cook your ground turkey, onion, shallot, garlic until soft and then add in tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add in a peeled and cubed sweet potato, salt, pepper, paprika and chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until your sweet potato cubes are soft (10-15 minutes) and then add in kale and red pepper flakes if you like a little spice. Serve when kale is wilted and you can add avocado and fresh chopped parsley.
**Weird thing about Sweet Potatoes . . .in the store you will see them listed as yams, but they are not yams. So when you are searching the store for sweet potatoes in our local stores buy yams. A yam is actually a different root vegetable and more like a yucca and have a tough, bumpy, almost tree bark skin! Plus they are starchy and not sweet!
Easy meal of the week – ITALIAN PATTIES AND SALAD – In a bowl, combine pizza sauce, an egg, italian bread crumbs, minced onion, minced garlic and season oregano, salt and pepper. Once combined add ground beef and mix and then shape into patties. Broil for 5 mintues on each side and then top with mozzarella cheese and serve with a side salad.