Cofee and Camera in the Garden

Every year we plant a small garden off the back deck. This year has been a slow starer but we are finally seeing some results. Early morning is a great time for photos so I gathered my coffee and camera and came up with some tomato still life photos. Nothing better than home grown tomatoes!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The low cost home family meal experience continues. The family style platter below features citrus marinated chicken tenders (Kirkland), harvest grain blend (Trader Joe's) and garlic spinach ( Costco). This was a huge amount of food for the two of us! We used the leftovers for a fritatta breakfast  the next day. The total food cost was under six dollars! Eat good and be frugal.

Citrus Marinated Chicken Tenders

Budget Realignment

Due to an unforeseen decrease on the income side of our budget, a realignment was required on the spending side. One of the easiest cutbacks on spending is entertainment. I love to travel and eat at restaurants and blog about it. That is on hold for now.  Budget seemed like a obscure profane word!

We budgeted before and still had a wonderful time while the kids grew up. An attitude adjustment was in order. Eat well and have a good time on a frugal budget!  The credit cards  are paid and will stay that way for a while. With a little effort one can self entertain. Food and wine, in good company, tastes just as good on a budget. A three dollar bottle of Charles Shaw is on par with the forty dollar bottle at the hotel bar. What shall I blog about? Our food for sure! Look out for some budget home cooked meals. Lets start with a dinner at my place. Teriyaki marinated pork loin, creamy polenta and grilled green beans with tomatoes. What would you pay at a restaurant? The total food cost for this meal was under six dollars. A bottle of Charles Shaw added three bucks to the tab. Under ten bucks for a huge dinner for two! That is pretty darn cheap way to entertain.

Dinner at my place!

My Daily Bread

I was reminiscing about the days when my wife stayed home and took care of our four kids. She had to maintain a strict budget and provide good meals the gang would eat. Going shopping with that many kids was crazy! We purchased a chest style freezer and would stock up to minimize expense and shopping trips. One product we used, and still use today, is Bridgford Foods frozen bread dough. She would bake a loaf or two a day. When I got home from work the house was perfumed with the scent of fresh baked bread. We baked some off the other day and I took photos and posted them on social media. Bridgford was kind enough to ask to use them on their social. Sure enough! Photos to make you hungry!

Fresh Baked Bridgford Bread

Grilled Cheese Bridgford Bread

Toast and Jam Bridgford Bread

Cinna Nom Nom Toast Brdgford Bread