Foodie Obsessed

Budget Meals

by Tracey Thompson on September 24th, 2008

With the constant news of the collapse of financial institutions, the Great Depression II, bail-outs and foreclosures and the rising costs of just the everyday necessities of life, I think we are all running a little scared.

I know that I am trying to find ways to be more creative with my weekly menu.  The last two weeks I haven’t gotten past spaghetti and tacos.  So I have have sat down and attempted to figure out my weekly grocery budget.  I have come to the conclusion that if I can keep meals at $10 or less each meal and manage to stretch out the meal for at least another day then I am doing pretty good.  Now, to get past the mundane and find some well-priced and quick meals.

iVillage shares a few  budget friendly recipes that I think that the whole family will enjoy.  I think that there choices are a little pricey (ie Grilled Steak with Chimichurri and Poached Salmon).  They did help spur my imagination, but I was a little surprised that they didn’t offer some more reasonable options.  My budget has gotten really tight and I, like many Americans, are attempting to find places to cut-back without feeling like you are sacrificing good food.  They did have a great recipe for Vegetarian Lasagna with Pesto.  It was $16 dollars, but lasagna can probably get you through at least 2 meals easily and you can vary the vegetable you use based on the season and price at the grocery store.

Now, Food and Wine has 15 Cheap and Delicious recipes ranging from dips and sides to main courses.  I thought that their recipes were much more reasonable in price and I doubt you would have to tweak the recipes that much.  Beans seem to be that food we all gravitate too during the lean times but they offer up some great ways to cook those beans as well as other inventive and basic recipes including the one below:

Turkey and Date Meatballs with Lentils and and Yogurt Sauce

ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 6 dates, pitted and finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup French green lentils
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey with the bread crumbs, dates, eggs, sesame seeds, sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the lentils, garlic, thyme and cinnamon stick with 2 inches of water; bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the lentils and transfer to a bowl; pick out and discard the seasonings. Stir the olive oil and vinegar into the lentils and season with salt and pepper.
3. Form the turkey mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Spread the meatballs on a lightly oiled large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned on the bottom and cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, blend the yogurt with the lemon juice, mint and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Serve the meatballs with the lentils and yogurt.

NOTES ONE SERVING 615 cal, 24 gm fat, 4.9 gm saturated fat, 57 gm carb, 17 gm fiber

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POSTED IN: Misc. Foodie Stuff, Recipes