Dinner Tonight: Beef Fried Rice & Crab Rangoon

Well, I finally made this meal and unfortunately it was pretty disappointing. The crab rangoon were just not what I had hoped - the wontons were crispy on top but the bottoms weren't done enough. Granted, I didn't cook them as long as I was supposed to but I was afraid the tops were going to burn. I also felt that they were too rich and had too much crab, but that's because I'm used to Midwestern crab rangoon which is about 99% cream cheese and 1% crab meat. I really should have only made half a recipe - even if we'd liked them we wouldn't have needed 12 of them!
The rice was okay - I used a Hamburger Helper mix and it was easy to make and the texture was fine, but it didn't really have much Asian flavor. Hubby commented that it tasted a lot like the dirty rice mix I use. Overall I don't think either of these will be keepers. After the resounding success of the chimichangas, I guess they can't all be winners.

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Estimated cost of meal

Beef: $2
Hamburger Helper: $1.50
Eggs: $.25
Wontons: $.50
Cream Cheese: $.60
Crab: $2
Scallions: $.25
Mayo: $.25

Total: $7.35

Former life total: Dinner @ Panda Express: $18

Leaner Life Savings: $10.65 or 59%!!!

Dinner Tonight: Chimichangas

This is my first attempt at making chimichangas and I'm proud to say they were quite a success! I cooked the rest of the roast I made last week in the crock pot with some water, beef boullion and salsa. It cooked during the day and was ready to shred when I got home. As I shredded it I tasted it and thought it could use more flavor/moisture, so I added salt, pepper, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder and some of the cooking liquid. There's really not a recipe since I was just making it up as I went along.
Once I liked the taste and consistency, I spooned the meat onto burrito-size flour tortillas and added shredded cheddar cheese. I would have added some onion to mine also (hubby would have protested) but decided to go without so I wouldn't have to remember which one was which. I wrapped them up and put them in a baking dish that had a few tablespoons of vegetable oil coating the bottom. I also brushed the outside of the tortillas with the oil. I wanted to bake them so I wouldn't have to deep-fry, but also wanted to ensure a crispy coating. It worked really well! They baked at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, flipping over after about 10 minutes.
Once they were done I added some more cheese and some green chili enchilada sauce. I didn't even know they sold this until I saw it at Target while shopping for this recipe - hubby loves the verde sauce they put on his chimichanga at Jose Peppers so this was a great substitute. I served with refried beans and cilantro-lime rice.
We will definitely be having this meal again since Mexican food is what hubby misses most about eating out all the time and this is the closest I have ever made to a restaurant-quality Mexican meal. The roast was a bit expensive compared to the ground meat or chicken we have most nights, but still a big savings over eating out.

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Estimated cost of meal:

Beef: $3
Tortillas: $1.20
Cheese: $1.40
Beans: $.50
Rice: $.80
Sauce: $.60

Total: $7.50

Former Life Total: Dinner @ Jalapeno's (my favorite chimichanga): about $30

Leaner Life Savings: $22.50 or 75%!!!

Dinner Tonight: Turkey Pasta

First, a confesssion. The picture above is from the last time I made turkey pasta, since I didn't make a pretty plate out of it this time and also didn't have any salad. Second, my mom thinks I'm a little weird for naming this recipe turkey pasta. It is, basically, spaghetti and meat sauce. The difference is that I don't use spaghetti noodles, since I don't like them. I usually use angel hair, but sometimes it's linguine.
I serve with some sort of crusty bread, usually with either garlic or cheese added. Sometimes I make a salad, sometimes I don't have the energy or fresh lettuce to do so.

Turkey Pasta

1/2 lb angel hair pasta
1 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 jar Prego pasta sauce (I prefer the Garlic & Herb flavor since they stopped making the Garlic Supreme which was even better)
1/4 cup red wine, optional (recommended: Riunite Lambrusco - it's cheap, tastes kind of like Kool-aid, is easy to drink and adds a nice sweetness to the sauce)
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan or Italian-cheese blend

Boil pasta until tender. While water is boiling, brown turkey in a sauce pan. Season with red pepper flakes & Italian seasoning. Once meat is brown, drain grease or wipe from pan with paper towels. Add red wine, cook until wine is reduced or fully absorbed into meat. Add pasta sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, I usually add about 1-2 tsps of salt and sometimes more red pepper since we like it fairly spicy. Spoon on top of noodles, top with shredded cheese and enjoy!


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Estimated cost of meal:

Pasta: $.75
Turkey $2
Prego: $1.60
Spices/wine: $.40
Cheese: $.20
Bread: $1

Total: $5.95

Former Life Total: Dinner @ Pizza Hut $18

Leaner Life Savings: $12.05 or 67%!!!

Dinner Tonight: Club Sandwiches

Tonight was supposed to be a basketball practice night so I planned one of hubby's favorite easy meals, club sandwiches. I don't think these really justify a recipe, but I will discuss the ingredients since here in the Midwest there seems to be some confusion as to what constitutes a club sandwich. The way I was raised, club sandwiches were made with three layers of white or sourdough bread, roast turkey, lettuce, bacon, mayo and tomato. That's it. On 99% of menus around here, they include some variation of those ingredients, plus ham and cheese. I think the thought of ham and cheese on my club sandwich is quite unpleasant, but I suppose I shouldn't judge people that like it that way.
My favorite restaurant club sandwhich is Cheesecake Factory's, as they use all the correct ingredients and have yummy sourdough bread. Unfortunately we don't have access to reasonably-priced sourdough, so I use wheat (somewhere along the line I read we're suppose to be eating more whole grains so I try to substitute wheat products where I can and hubby doesn't seem to mind most of the time). I also use Miracle Whip Light instead of mayo, I like the tanginess and it's not as rich. I used to use turkey bacon instead of regular, but unfortunately one time I found a good deal on regular bacon and hubby remembered how much better it was than turkey so he strongly suggested I stop using the turkey. I imagine my arteries are quite displeased with this development.

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Estimated cost of meal:

Bread: $.60
Turkey: $1.50
Bacon: $.60
Miracle Whip: $.20
Lettuce: $.40
Chips: $.50

Total: $3.80

Former Life Total: Dinner @ Cheesecake Factory: $30

Leaner Life Savings: $26.20 or 87%!!!

Dinner Tonight: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Tonight was one of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes, buffalo chicken pizza. If you are like me and love the taste of buffalo wings but don't want to deep-fry them at home, this is a great way to get the same flavors in a much easier and (hopefully) healthier way!
I deviate from the recipe in only a couple of small ways. First, I chop my chicken into bite-size pieces and then saute it instead of grilling it. I just find it easier to eat in small pieces and easier to cut before cooking. Second, this time I forgot to buy jack cheese so I used Italian blend - I didn't really notice a difference even though I usually do use jack for this recipe. Third, for hubby's portion there is no blue cheese, no scallions, very little sauce and very little cheese (not that he's picky or anything). Fourth, I use Boboli-style pre-made crusts - the brand I buy comes in a 3-pack which makes the perfect amount for dinner and my lunch the next day.
I serve with some celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing - this time it was Wishbone light blue cheese since I got a bottle on sale for a very good price!

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Estimated cost of meal:

Chicken: $1.50
Sauces/seasonings: $.75
Crusts: $2.50
Cheese: $1
Celery: $.30
Dip: $.20

Total: $6.25

Former life total: Dinner @ Buffalo Wild Wings: $30

Leaner Life Savings: $23.75 or 79%!!!

Dinner Tonight: Chili's

Our originally scheduled meal for this evening has been pushed to tomorrow and tomorrow night's will be pushed to next week. I had to go pick my mom up from the airport tonight and hubby was invited to go see the KU basketball game so neither of us was home.
My mom took me to eat at Chili's - not much to report about that. I will say though that we had excellent service - they were very nice and even gave us the lunch price for the soup/salad combo we ordered even though they are supposed to add $2 at dinner time! Maybe they saw me with my coupons and took pity... So if you are ever in the northern part of KC and want some Chili's, I recommend the Barry Road location!
Speaking of coupons - I got some great deals tonight at Target & Walgreens - will post more on those later. I want to get all of my Walgreens stuff together so I can take a picture to illustrate what a great shopper I am becoming!

Dinner Tonight: Westport Flea Market

Oops - we didn't end up eating the grilled cheese & soup tonight as planned. Instead, I met up with a friend at Westport Flea Market. For those who haven't been there, it's one of the strangest places to eat - it really is inside a flea market - but they make a really good burger!
I had a "mini" burger with cheddar cheese. Mini means 5.5 oz instead of 10 oz. I can't even imagine eating the 10 oz one! The burgers are greasy, but in a yummy bar food kind of way. They come with choice of side, but I always go with the standard curly fries. There is a condiment bar to add your own toppings. I love the 1000 island dressing!
They also offer a $5 off coupon that comes in some of my coupon mailers, which makes this a pretty reasonable dinner. Their drinks are really expensive ($2.50 for an iced tea) but bottomless - we were there for about 3 hours and they kept trying to give us refills!

Overall I spent about $8 which wasn't too bad for a great burger and good times!

Dinner Tonight: Pita Sandwiches

This is one of my all-time favorite meals. The secret is the marinade and cooking the meat until it gets a nice crust. We eat ours with Lays potato chips but any side would work.

Pita Sandwiches

1 lb. top sirloin steak, sliced thin
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
Pita pockets (I prefer whole wheat)
Prepared ranch dressing
Lettuce, broken into bite-sized pieces
Red onion, sliced thin

Combine steak w/garlic, oregano, mustard, oil and lemon juice. Marinate at least 30 minutes. Stir-fry on high heat until brown and crusty. Serve in pitas w/ranch, lettuce and onion. I suppose you could add tomatoes too if you like that sort of thing.


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Estimated cost of meal

Beef - $2.49 (on sale!) + about $1 for marinade ingredients
Pitas - $1.06
Toppings - $1
Chips - $.50

Total: $6.05

Former life: (No real equivalent for these sammies) Dinner @ fast food joint: about $10

Leaner Life Savings - $3.95 or 40%

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Quesadillas

Tonight was a basketball practice night, so hubby suggested chicken quesadillas as a quick and easy meal. For the second day in a row, there isn't really much of a recipe to post but I promise one day soon there will be! Perhaps it will be about the time someone other than my family actually reads this!

Chicken Quesadillas (Quantities are per quesadilla, each should feed one adult)

1 10-12 inch flour tortilla (try to get apx. the same diameter as the skillet you plan to use)
1/2 cup grated cheese (I like the pre-shredded Mexican blend)
1 Tbsp canned diced green chiles
4 oz. cooked, diced chicken breast (I chop raw chicken into bite-sized pieces, season w/garlic powder, salt & pepper then saute in olive oil until brown on all sides)
Cooking spray
Sour cream
Salsa (mine is homemade but we'll save that recipe for another day - use any kind you like)

Pre-heat pan on medium-low heat. Add cooking spray, then place tortilla flat in pan. Add cheese to half of tortilla, then spread layer of chicken and chiles over cheese. Fold the other half of the tortillas onto the filling and cook until brown on one side. Flip and brown on the other side. You may need to turn the heat up a bit for proper browning, but start fairly low so you don't scorch the cooking spray like I always do!

Serve with sour cream & salsa for dipping. For side dishes, I suggest rice (recipe below) and canned refried beans (recommended: Rosarita Fat Free) microwaved & topped w/shredded cheese.

Rice (inspired by Chipotle)

Minute Rice
Water
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime juice
Kosher salt
Fresh-cracked pepper

Prepare rice according to package instructions. After fluffing w/a fork, add one small handful of chopped cilantro and the juice of half a lime for each cup of dry rice. Season to taste.

Again, I know this is a really simple recipe but hubby hates Spanish rice and I was always making it and throwing most of it away. Once I discovered that he would eat the rice in his Chipotle burritos, I figured out how to make a similar version at home!

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Estimated cost of meal (4 servings)

Tortillas - $1
Cheese - $.84 (on sale!)
Green chiles - $.30 (shh...don't tell hubby I used generic)
Chicken - $2 (on sale!)
Beans - $.50
Rice - $.53 + apx. $.30 for cilantro/lime
Sour cream - $.11
Salsa - $.20

Total: $5.78

Former life: Cost of dinner @ Jose Pepper's: About $25

Leaner Life Savings: $19.22 or 77%!!!