Monthly Archives: July 2010

Basmati Hottie

Posted by meredithfoster in Chicken, Easy Recipes, Indian

Last night we had Jenny over for dinner. She and Blake have both been dying to have Chicken Vindaloo, so when the chicken breast tenders and the potatoes went on sale, I knew it was time. Blake LOVES Indian food. Vindaloo is to Indian food like Spaghetti and Meatballs is to Italian food~ simple, common and delicious.

Here is what we had:

Chicken Vindaloo with Poached Eggs and Basmati Rice

Serves 4

Total Price for 4- $8.27

Total price per person- $2.06

Total Savings for 4- $11.17

Chicken Vindaloo with a poached egg on Basmati rice

  • 3 large Vidalia onions chopped  (Publix $1.29/lb from $1.99/lb)
  • 4 medium tomatoes chopped and seeded (Garden FREE)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (Manufacturer’s Coupon $0.50 off- $0.89 total)
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil. (Kroger $0.50 off total $0.94 for 48oz bottle)
  • 2 small garlic clove, chopped (Publix 5/$0.99 from $1.99/lb)
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (Big Lots $1.00 per bottle)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (Big Lots $1.00 per bottle)
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste (Costco $2.25 off case- whole case $4.75- $0.39/can)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (Big Lots $1.00 per bottle)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (Big Lots $1.00 per bottle)
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika (Big Lots $1.00 per bottle)
  • 1/2 teaspoon (depending on taste) cayenne pepper (Big Lots $1.00/ bottle)
  • 8 skinless boneless chicken breasts tenders or 4 boneless chicken breasts , cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces (Ingles- tenders on sale for $1.98/lb from $3.98/lb- Total $3.96)
  • 1 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (Publix 5lb bag $2.99 – $0.59 total)
  • 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth or water (Costco $1.75 off of case $6.25 total for case- one can $0.52)
  • 2 cups of steamed rice (Super H $9.99 for 10 lb bag from $12.99 for 10 lb bag- total for recipe $1.00)
  • 4 eggs (Costco- 36 eggs for $1.99 or $0.05/each)

Add onions, tomatoes, vinegar, garlic and spices to a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a processor) and blend. Heat two teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large sautee pan, then add the paste. Stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken and potatoes and cook for 7-9 minutes. Then add chicken broth or water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Break 4 –5 eggs on top of the mixture and cover in order for eggs to poach and chicken to fully cook (approximately 5 more minutes). Garnish with 2 strips of crispy bacon and a few sprigs of parsley. ENJOY!

A Fish out of Water

Posted by meredithfoster in American, Easy Recipes, Fish

Blake started his new job last week, and I tried to have him an inexpensive prize at the end of each day when he got home. Today, I got him cedar planks that were on sale from Whole Foods. We put them to use on this dish. We both knew we wanted some kind of white fish, and Mahi Mahi and mango were on sale, so we went with that. I love the combination of mango and tomato~ especially when both are ripe!

Cedar Plank Mahi Mahi with Mango and Homegrown Tomato Salsa

(Serves 2)

Total Price for 2 people- $8.63 ($4.32 each)

Total Savings for 2 people- $14.28 ($7.14 each)

Cedar Plank Mahi Mahi with Mango/Tomato salad and polenta


2 Frozen Mahi Mahi Filets ( Whole Foods/Paycheck $6.99/4 filets from $11.99)

2 Ripe Mangos chopped(2/ $3.00- Publix from $1.99 each)

1 small red onion- diced small ($1.29/lb from Publix from $1.49/lb)

½ Jalapeno- seeded and diced small(FREE- garden)

2 tbsp Cilantro coarsely chopped (FREE- garden)

1 ½ Homegrown tomatoes diced and seeded (FREE- garden)

Juice of one lime (5/$1.00 Publix from 3/$1.00)

Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper

1/2 roll of polenta ($3.19 Whole Foods from $3.69)

Soak Cedar Plank in water for one hour. Marinate the Mahi filets in lime and lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and melted butter in a Ziplock bag (buy Ziplock bags in bulk when you have a coupon from Costco, BJ’s or Sams. Generally coupons range from $2.00-$5.00 off depending on quanity).

In a bowl, add mango, onion, tomato, cilantro, lime, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Strain excess juice.

Turn heat of grill to medium high and allow cedar planks to get hot. Once hot flip the hot side up and apply Mahi to cedar plank and grill for 7-8 never turning.  (If you want crispy Mahi, place straight on grill or broil for 4 minutes per side).

Cut prepared polenta into ½ inch discs and grill for 2 minutes on each side alongside the cedar planks.

Serve Mahi on top of three discs of polenta and top with Mango salsa. Garnish with fresh dill (FREE from garden)

Eat Your Heart Out

Posted by meredithfoster in Uncategorized

Welcome to our blog!

Feel free to follow us on a journey of saving money and eating great food. We believe in the price of presentation because it takes all of your senses to enjoy a meal. We cook wonderful dishes and present them in a way that invites you to dig in! Every ingredient that we use in my meals MUST be either on sale or we have to have a coupon. It’s a fun way to keep the meals creative and ever-changing. Our menu changes with what’s on sale.

One of our main principals is that we will never sacrifice flavor in our dishes to save money. If something that we want in our dish is not on sale, we put our head’s together to find a great substitute for it. We are all about fun and healthy. Happy COOKING, EATING AND SAVING!