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

Baby Shower Busy-ness

Ok, you probably thought I fell off the face of the earth right? Nope, there is just alot happening around here. The next event is Beckie's Baby Shower this Sunday. Decided to make my very first Diaper Cake and these are just a few of the pictures. The first thing I did was watch about 20 YouTube videos describing how to do it. Then I bought my supplies and put it together roughly first then more refined about a day later. This is a close up of the baby sock roses with mitten leaves. Yes, that video DOES exist! Next is a close up of wrist rattles and a little caterpiller radio that makes soothing sounds for baby. Background ribbon is from WalMart and the blanket set is from the Jungle Adventure Collection at K-mart. The topper for our "Jungle" themed cake is a Silver Back Ganz Gorilla . These little links slipped easily over the ribbon and added a little extra bling to the sides of the cake. Each layer consists of diapers along with extras like washcloths, bu
Post a Comment
Read more

Gratitude

Looky what came yesterday! My Word of the Year Necklace created by Lisa Leonard ! As the New Year approached I decided to choose a word that would define my upcoming year and I chose Gratitude. Around Thanksgiving, I set up my new blog, " I Am Thankful For..." and started keeping a daily journal of all the things I have to be Thankful, or Grateful for. Each day I would review my day in my head and list at least 5 things I had to be Grateful For. It has changed the way I approach each day tending to look for the positive instead of the negative in what life has to offer. If you'd like to find your word of the year, visit Christine Kanes' website  and pick a word of the year for yourself. Then I'd hop on over to the Lisa Leonard site and pick a wonderful necklace stating your intention for the year!
Post a Comment
Read more

Week 7: A Valentine's Pie To Remember!

Back with Week #7 of my 52 weeks of pie! Like most of us, I wanted to create a really beautiful pie, well actually a tart, especially for my Valentine, Wes. It had to be chocolate, decadent and beautiful all at the same time. After looking high and low on the internet for something good, I decided on THIS wonderful Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart featured on the Frayed Apron Blog. I mean, look at her picture! Who wouldn't want to make and eat this??!! (From the Frayed Apron Blog) Now, you may say a Tart isn't a Pie but it actually is. It has a crust and a filling so in my book, its a VARIETY of pie. Over the course of my "52 Weeks of Pie," you will see tarts, pies and galettes, a free form type of pie. So keep checking back, you'll be glad you did! The first different thing for me was the crust. It's put together much like the others with just the addition of cocoa powder. I did use the vodka again instead of the water or milk as suggested because
Post a Comment
Read more