Polenta for Breakfast

Avril made an updated version of what she had as a child, "fried mush." We had polenta last night as a side dish with chicken. The leftover was spread in a square dish and refrigerated. Today she cut the solid polenta and sautéed in olive oil and butter. When caramelized she plated, the now soft center polenta, with a honey drizzle and chiffonade of basil. Breakfast is served!  

Fried Polenta with Honey and Basil

Meal Inspiration

As I surf the inter-webs sometimes ideas leap into my brain. In a Bon Appetit "Road Trip Week" article, by Rick Matinez,  he remembers tacos his parents brought along for their road journey. My kids'  memories would be of Triscuits and Easy Cheese, our warm weather road trip staples. In our defense we got a lot more creative after our arrival. During our vacations to Disneyland we would rent a hotel with a small fridge and a microwave. It was long before the days of prerequisite free hotel breakfasts, so we  brought our  Black + Decker toaster oven. It was almost like having our own secret kitchen. Breakfasts of toasted bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter were favorites. On a couple of days we bought very inexpensive Pan Dulce and orange juice from the Mexican Market next door. Trying to usher four kids around the market was like herding cats, so i promised them they could split  two packages of Pinguinos if they were good. Dinner items included hot dogs, frozen pizza and macaroni - cheese. For the vegetable-fruit meal components we bought snack packs of carrots, celery and sliced apples. We had the best times and did not bust the bank.

We decided on a small road trip to a local park today so I used Mr. Martinez taco for frugal inspiration. I put together some breakfast tacos and a thermos of coffee for less than three bucks. We drove past the Starbucks and headed to the park. Happy weekend!

Frugal Breakfast Taco

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

Making a $16 burger $8

We plopped exhausted onto the hotel bar stools and ordered two glasses of a decent California Sauvignon Blanc at $11 each. I cringed knowing full well I could purchase the whole bottle for less at retail. As we sipped, starving after a long journey, we scanned the bar menu for something that would assuage our appetite but not blow the expense account. This was an expensive and beautiful four star hotel that we had procured for $64 on Hotwire.com. I tried not to look sticker shocked. I ask if the cheeseburger was big enough to share and the kindly bartender responded "oh yeah." She said she would have the chef split it and put it on separate plates. It arrived and was wonderful. More than enough food for two. We often split meals when traveling because we can't finish the large portions and have nowhere to store leftovers. Most nice hotel restaurants will accommodate this practice. On occasion they might charge a split fee or you will get a waiter who grumbles. I tip according to attitude.

I challenged myself to reproduce a similar burger at home. I used all high end ingredients and my cost was about $3.25. Guess what? We split this one too!

Mining the Refrigerator

Eating While Broke

Getting by on a working man's salary in the Bay Area has been challenging for years. Living paycheck to paycheck becomes drudgery. At certain times rent and car payments trump the food budget. During the lean times one learns to use leftovers and pantry items to stretch the dollar. Beans and rice are the darlings of the frugal food experience. However, in our household potatoes have always been the go to starch to provide a filling base for whatever toppings we had available.

Over the weekend I challenged myself to come up with some simple potatoes by "mining the refrigerator." We have numerous bits and pieces languishing in the fridge that would provide a tasty lunch. I purchased the Idaho Potatoes at Trader Joe's for fifty-nine cents each. If you purchased in bulk that would be cheaper. Think of the potato as a canvas for your food creation.

Possible candidates from my refrigerator

Butter and shredded cheese
Sour cream mixed with horseradish
Ranch Dressing with blue cheese crumbles
Homemade Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette with Parmesan cheese
Chopped pepperoni and leftover vegetables
Frank's hot sauce and butter for "Buffalo Wing" style potato
Leftover bacon




April chose Meyer Lemon dressing and Parm Cheese/ Me: butter, sour cream and bacon!

I asked my son what he would like. His response was "all of the above and throw the leftover pizza slice on top!"