Skip to main content

Meat"less" Monday

One of the ways we save money during the week is to have a couple of meals that are meat"less" and by that I mean way less meat. We are not vegetarians and on those meat"less" days we DO have eggs, cheese, butter and milk. 

Tonight for dinner, we will be having Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables.  (click on link to be taken to recipe)






We try to eat seasonally and locally and because the temperatures on the Central Coast of California are still cool,  we have access to both butternut squash and Brussels sprouts at our local Farmer's Markets. As gardeners, we also grow both of these items and they can both be readily found at most grocery stores. 

And let me tell you, if you have never had polenta before.... WHY NOT!!?? You are going to love the rich cheesy, corny taste and how it mixes perfectly with the sweet butternut squash and the smokey Brussels Sprouts. You have GOT to try this dish out. So the cost breakdown for the end of February in our area is...


  • 2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese  ($3.99 for 5 oz.)            .80
  • 3 oz. Fontina Cheese ($4.99 for 8 oz)                   1.87
  • 1 Tbsp Butter   (3.99 lb.)                                         .25
  • 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar                                        .25
  • 1 Cup (5 oz) Polenta                                             1.65
  • 3/4 lb. Butternut Squash ($1.78 Squash)                .85
  • 1/2 lb.  Brussels Sprouts  ($2.99 lb. )                      .75
  • 3 Tbsp   Olive Oil                                                    .25
  • Parsley (free, I grow this)                                        .00
  • Salt and Pepper                                                        .00
  • TOTAL                                                                   6.67 or $1.67 per serving
That is $3.34 for a meal for 2, for a meal that's healthy, tasty and frugal! I cannot wait for dinner!

If you are scared to make polenta and are lucky enough to have a Trader Joes grocery store near you, you can pick up ALL the items there. Their polenta is in the frozen section and is mixed with other veggies and you could add in the two types of cheese. This route would be simple and quick but cost a bit more for the ready made supplies. I know they have the squash already cut up and peeled, the brussels sprouts halved and cleaned and the frozen polenta ready to go with just a bit of microwaving.

Try shaving money off your budget by eating on the "peasant" side a couple of nights a week and put the money you saved towards retirement, fun or debt!

 Happy Meat"less" Monday!! 

 Much Love
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grave's Disease

The Picture - Half Empty or Half Full? Many of you who know me know I've been fighting a battle with Graves' Disease for about a year and a half. It was diagnosed in February of 2007. I was so very sick back then I actually thought I was going to die! One of the main symptoms was a rapid heartbeat and mine was probably 110 beats a minute. I was put on Methimazole, about 40 mg. per day to knock down the worst of the symptoms. That has gradually been reduced until now my dose is 5 mg. a day. Then I got some really bad news this week, my numbers are beginning to rise again. My Dr. called on Wednesday and told me he wanted to do the radioactive iodine treatment. I just don't feel ready for that at all. He gave me until the 7th of November, my next appointment, to "see the numbers change". He says to take the medicine every other day and in two weeks go off it all together. Yeah, the numbers will change and it won't be for the better I'm sure. So, I went on the
6 comments
Read more

Patriotic Book Bag

My daughters and I love a challenge. So, back in late May we decided to take each other on in a $5 Dollar Store Challenge. We found inspiration over at Lindsay's Blog , Living With Lindsay. This is how this challenge goes. You shop your local Dollar Store spending no more than $5 on supplies. Then you put your purchases together, in a different way and make something brand new. You CAN use SOME supplies that you have on hand at your house already to complete it. For our challenge, we decided to put in that it would have to be something patriotic, red, white and blue, or something using 4 th of July type supplies, knowing that the completion date would be right around the first of July. I walked in the door of the store about a month ago and found some really nice, thick placemats like these. The ones I picked up were red and white stripes with a blue star pattern. I was already thinking a purse of some kind so I knew I would need about 3; one for each side and one to cut up for
2 comments
Read more

Who Will Remember?

For the past 15 years I've admired your backyard garden. Each Spring the rows of vegetables looked so healthy. You had beautiful flowers that I'm sure you passed out to friends and neighbors. Pots were filled with cuttings and seedlings waiting to make their home in your rich garden soil. Your home looked like a cute little farm home. I could imagine it on property all by itself, surrounded by orchards, gardens and even a small flock of chickens. You walked everywhere you went toting a metal shopping cart and I used to see you take little cuttings of other peoples plants. I can still remember the day a couple of years back that the ambulance came to get your husband, a tall handsome man, most days in overalls. He didn't come back..... I've wondered ever since how you've been. My mom lost my dad and was so lonesome. Her house quiet. Lacking hugs. Lights... I came to see your lights as a sign that you were OK. I saw you out working in your garden on warm summery da
2 comments
Read more