March 25, 2014

Today's Menu

Breakfast:
Oatmeal, 1 c. cooked  5¢
2 T brown sugar (unsure... it's been in my cupboard)

Mid-Morning:
Banana 8¢

Lunch
Easy Sheppard's Pie (1/6 of recipe) 84¢
apple 25¢

Mid Afternoon
Carrots (85 mg) 12¢

Dinner
Baked Chicken Leg/Thigh, no skin 50¢
2 c. cabbage sauteed in 2 tsp olive oil 25¢
baked potato (200 gm when raw) 10¢
1 t. butter 3¢

Snack
popcorn kernels (36 gm)-unsure of cost, have had for a long time
popped in 1 T olive oil  10¢

Total Cost: $2.67 counting "guesstimate" of 10¢ for brown sugar,  popcorn 25¢
Total Calories: 1521

Recipe of the day:

Easy Sheppard's Pie.

This recipe was actually inspired by one of my favorite restaurants... Cheddar's.  I love their restaurant because I can go there and get dinner, a margarita, and a dessert for mini for  $13! One of my favorite menu items is Sheppard's Pie, which when served there is essentially ground beef and mixed veggies in brown sauce, topped with a big dollop of mashed potatoes. It seems like it should be easy for me to replicate very inexpensively and make it very calorie conscious.

For Filling

1 lb of ground beef, preferably 97% lean (or ground turkey) $2.05, bought on a Sell by today special
1 onion diced (about 1 cup of onion) 18¢ at Aldis
1 package frozen mixed vegetables 76¢ at Target on sale using Cartwheel discount
4 cups diced cabbage, sauteed in 1 T olive oil (alternately, use another package of frozen mixed vegetables, or 3-4 cups of any leftover vegetable. I've used cabbage because I can typically find it very inexpensively and it is less calorie dense than mixed vegetables) 25 ¢ I stocked up on heads of cabbage during St Patty's day sales at 29¢ a lb.
3 packages brown gravy mix (warning, this is a sodium & MSG nightmare) 39¢ a packet at Amelia's, or 1.17

Brown the ground beef and onions together, seasoning meat to your preference. Drain any excess fat.  While browning beef, cook frozen veggies per package directions, and saute cabbage until tender-crisp. Mix all of these items together in a 9x13 pan.  Pour the 3 packages of gravy mix over everything after mixing and cooking according to package directions.

Meanwhile, make smashed potatoes

For Mashed Potatoes
1 1/4 potatoes, skins on--scrubbed, diced (1.39 for 5 lb at Amelia's, or 36¢ )
1/4 cup half and half (or milk... I usually have half and half in my fridge, and rarely milk) 16¢
1 T butter 9¢ (butter for $2.49/lb at Aldis)

Simmer potatoes in water until tender.  Drain, reserving some of the potato liquid for making smashed potatoes.  Return the potatoes to the cooking pot, add half & half and butter.  Season with salt if desired.  Using a masher, mash potatoes, adding cooking water if necessary to achieve desired texture.

Top casserole with dollops of mashed potatoes.  If you make everything at once, this will be hot, otherwise, heat in a 350 degree oven until hot.  

This recipe is $1.10 if you make 4 servings, or 84¢ for 6 servings. 

4 servings= 505 calories per serving
6 servings=340 calories per serving.