$4 Dinner for Two

Two of my goals for this year are eating healthy and spending less money. This dinner encompases both of those goals wonderfully. (Look for the cost breakdown at the end of the blog.)

Seasoned Pork Cutlet Sandwich with Romaine Lettuce and Tomato on Earthgrains Thin Bun

Broccoli

Sauteed Portabella Mushrooms

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet Potato Chips

1 large sweet potato (makes enough for about 4 servings)

Olive Oil

Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and thinly slice sweet potato (I used my food processor). Drizzle olive oil over slices and add seasonings. Toss or stir potatoes until evenly covered. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray. Place sweet potato slices onto cookie sheet, making sure that they are not overlapping. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges start turning brown. The chips will become crispier as they cool down.

**What I would've done differently** Instead of baking the sweet potatoes at 425 degrees, I would've baked them at a lower temperature for a longer time. I think this would've prevented a lot of the burnt edges. I'm sure these could be baked in the morning or the next day and stored until ready to eat.

Seasoned Pork Cutlet

2 Pork Cutlets

McCormick Grill Mates seasoning (or seasonings of your choice)

In order for the meat to cook evenly, I like to let it sit, covered, at room temperature for about a half hour before cooking. Preheat your skillet (I used cast iron for this, but if not using cast iron or non stick, make sure to spray your pan or put a little olive or canola oil in it). Sprinkle seasonings on both sides of pork and rub in.

Put cutlets into pan. Cook on each side for about 5-10 minutes until done.

Sauteed Portabella Mushrooms

4 oz Portabella Mushrooms (serves 2) (A lot of times sliced mushrooms will be the same price as whole.)

1 tsp unsalted butter

1 Tbl olive oil

*Most sauteed mushrooms are made with a lot of butter, by subsituting some of that with olive oil, you still get that great, sauteed taste, but it's a little healthier for you.

Garlic (fresh or powdered)

Onions (fresh or powdered)

Melt butter in pan with olive oil over med-high heat. If using fresh garlic and onion, satuee these before adding the mushrooms. If using powdered garlic and onion, add with the mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms develop a dark brown color. Usually about 10-15 minutes.

**Tip for storing mushrooms: If you're only using half a package, only wash what you will use and store the rest of the mushrooms in a brown paper sack. This will keep the mushrooms fresh a little longer than storing in plastic containers or bags.

Steam the broccoli.

Toast the buns and serve with condiments of your choice.

Cost Breakdown:

EarthGrains 100% Whole Grain Thin Buns = $.62 for 2 buns

Bird's Eye Broccoli = $.99 for 1 bag

Sliced Portabella Mushrooms = $.75 for 1/2 container

Sweet Potato Chips = $.79 for 1 sweet potato

Total cost for dinner for two = $3.15

(Plus, there were some Sweet Potato Chips and Broccoli leftover that I had for lunch the next day!!)

4/4/10 Sunday Coupon Preview

Look for a P & G coupon insert in this Sunday's papers.

According to Sunday Coupon Preview, these are some of the coupons that will be available:

4-4 P&G coupon insert


Sunday coupon preview

Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected!



(x) before coupon = multiple of same coupon

ETS = excludes trial sizes



P&G Coupon Insert



Duracell rechargeable cells, charger, pocket or powerhouse charger Save $2/1 (4/30)

Tide Save $1/1 (4/30)

Dawn Save $.50/1 (4/30)

size Cascade Save $.50/1 (4/30)

PUR OR PUR flavor options system Save $3/1 (4/30)

PUR pitcher or faucet mount multi-pack replacement filters or PUR refrigerator filter Save $3/1 (4/30)

Charmin product Save $.25/1 (4/30)

Venus,Embrace, or Breeze systems or any Venus disposable Save $2/1 (4/30)

Olay body wash, in shower body lotion, hand lotion or body lotion Save $1/1 (4/30) ETS

Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler Save $1/1 (4/30) ETS

Secret clinical strength or soothing effects Save $1/1 ETS 5/31/10

Natural Instincts or Loving Care product Save $3/1 (4/30)

Pnatene Styler or Treatment (4/30) ETS

2 Pantene products Save $1/2 (4/30) ETS

CoverGirl product Save $1/1 (4/30)

Olay Pro-X facial cleanser or facial moisturizer products Save $5/1 (4/30)

Olay facial moisturizer or cleanser Save $1/1 (4/30)

Olay Total Effects 7-in1 anti-aging body wash Save $2/1 (4/30) ETS

Buy Head and Shoulders shampoo, get conditioner free (4/30) ETS

Crest premium paste 4 oz or larger Save $1/1 (4/30)

Crest 3D White professional effects whitestrips Save $10/1 (4/30)

Crest rinse 440ml or larger Save $.75/1 (4/30)

2 Crest toothpaste 4oz or larger Save $1/2 (4/30)

Glide floss or Glide picks Save $.75/1 (4/30)

Oral-B pulsar, crossaction, advantage or TWO indicator manual toothbrushes Save $2/1 (4/30)

Buy 1 Always Pantiliner 68-120 ct, get 1 34-60ct free (4/30)

Buy 1 Tampax 36-60ct, get 1 18-20ct free (4/30)

Buy 1 Always Pad or feminine cleansing cloth 24-54ct, get 1 12-22ct free (4/30)

Fusion razor Save $4/1 (4/30)

Gillette Mach 3 cartridge Save $4/1 (4/30)

4 Pringles 180g or larger Save $1/4 (4/30)

Pringles Snack Stacks Save $.50/1 (4/30)

Fixodent 1.05oz or larger Save $.50/1 (4/30)

Downy Liquid or Sheets Save $1/1 (4/30)

Prilosec Save $1/1 (4/30)

Prilosec Save $3/1 (4/30)

B1G1 Mach3 disposable, Sensor3, Custom Plus3, Goodnews or Customplus (4/30)

Pampers Diapers or pants Save $1.50/1 (4/30)

Pampers Splashers swim pants Save $1/1 (4/30)

Kandoo Save $1/1 (12/31)

A Fool's Dinner

Ever have the feeling that you've been without adult interaction for a little too long...I did after making this April Fool's Day Dinner! Nothing like pink mashed potatoes to make you realize you need a night out with your friends!

I am some what of a freak when it comes to holidays. I love decorating and celebrating no matter what it is! So why not make a special dinner for April Fool's Day? What says 'April Fools!" better than meatloaf cupcakes with pink mashed potato 'frosting' and pound cake 'french fries'.

(The pink stuff in the glass container is strawberry whipped topping. The plan was to make it red to look like ketchup, but I didn't have enough red gel coloring)

Even funny bun liked the pink potatoes!

Fool me once...

Ever since I saw it on America's Funniest Home Videos, I have wanted to put a rubberband on our kitchen sprayer so when hubby turns the sink on, he'd get completely soaked! Of course I haven't because, while I may love a good prank, other people don't and dear hubby is one of those people. So, I just fight the urge.

Looks like the sink wanted to play it's own trick on April Fool's Day though!

The sprayer decided that it didn't want to shut off! Now, I like to think of myself as a woman that's pretty handy with tools and DIY work. I figured it just had some buildup in it-- nothing that a little vinegar couldn't fix.

So, I took the nozzle off and soaked it in a bowl of vinegar. Still couldn't use the sink though because when the nozzle is off, there's nothing to push down on the sprayer hose to make water not come out of it. As usual, I kept forgetting this fact and everytime I turned the sink on, I'd get sprayed with a blast of water!

I put the nozzle back on after about an hour of soaking. Yeah...still didn't work! Needless to say...a hammer can fix anything. :)

Dinner and a Workout

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to make homemade ravioli last night. I've never made this or any other kind of pasta from scratch before but I thought how hard could it really be? Hmmm...

I started off with 2 cups of whole wheat flour (thought I'd make healthy pasta), 3 eggs, and a 1/4 tsp of salt. This is what I got...

...a hard, clumpy mass that would never be able to call itself pasta. I pushed the cement pile out of the way and started over with all purpose white flour. I made a little mound of flour and salt then added the 3 eggs.

This is where it started to get messy...I tried to mix the flour and eggs with a fork, but I just ended up having egg ooze everywhere. To really mix this together I had to dig right in with my hands. Eventually, it started to form a dough ball which I continued to knead for about another 5 minutes. Then I separated the dough into thirds.

Funny Bun woke up at this time, so I let the dough rest for about 10 - 15 minutes while I changed and fed him. After I had him all settled in his high chair, I started to roll out the dough. This is where the workout really started! Not only is the dough extremely difficult to roll by hand, but I was doing this on our kitchen island, which has wheels! Either I would get banged in the legs whenever I brought the rolling pin back towards me or I would have to chase the island down when I moved the rolling pin away from me. At least someone thought it was funny...

Eventually, I had all 3 dough balls rolled out. There weren't as thin as I had hoped, but they'd work.

For the ravioli filling, I used 8 oz of Ricotta cheese, about 1/4 c of Italian shredded cheese, and a sprinkling of Asiago cheese. To give it a little more flavor, I used garlic powder, oregano, and basil. I also added one egg to help keep everything together.

I have a small scoop that I use for cookie dough, so that's what I used to put the filling on the pasta. Looking back, I should've used something smaller because the raviolis were way too big for me.

I brushed some water on the dough along the outside of the filling and then folded the dough over. Next I pressed the dough down around the filling and used a pizza cutter to cut it into squares.

After they were cut, I pinched the edges to give the ravioli a better seal.

If you aren't going to be cooking the ravioli right away, place them on wax paper in a single layer. If they are touching, they will stick together. You can either store them in the fridge, or put them in the freezer. Once frozen, you can place them all in a storage bag or container.

If you are cooking them right away, bring some water to boil and then add the ravioli. They should only take 3-5 minutes to cook and they will usually start to float when they are done.

Originally I had planned on just putting some olive oil and italian spices on the ravioli...

But because they were so big and kind of thick, I ended up using some spaghetti sauce.

All in all, it probably took me one and a half hours to make these from start to finish. Yes, they were good. But they would've been a lot better if I had one of those pasta machines to get the dough really thin and if they were smaller. I will probably make this again sometime, but it definitely won't be a weekly (or probably even monthly) occurrence. Although, if you want a really good workout for your arms...this would be the way to go!

By the way...if you're wondering what happened to that hard mess of whole wheat flour and eggs...

I crumbled it into a pan...drizzled honey over it...and used it for goat treats!

Great savings on toys

Hasbro has some really good coupons right now on some of their popular toys. Go to Playsaver.com and you can print off any coupons you may need. This is great for last minute Easter Basket fillers or just to stock up for birthdays and holidays.

Through the grapevine, I've heard that Walmart has the My Little Pony Friends for $5. If you use the playsaver BOGO free coupon, that's only $2.50 each! Some of them even include a 30 minute DVD.

Crispy Oven Baked Fries

Crispy Oven Baked Fries? Forget it!! It can't be true!! Honestly, I've never cared for oven baked fries because, no matter what I did, I just couldn't get them as crispy as the ones fried in a truckload of oil! So, I've experimented the past few months and I think I've figured out a few little secrets that seem to help. First I cut my potatoes in the morning while Funny Bun is eating his breakfast. Then I let them soak in a bowl of water in the fridge until it's time to start supper. This helps draw some of the starch out of the potatoes, which causes the less-than-desired sogginess of the fries. I also add a little sugar when I'm mixing the potatoes with the spices. That just helps get that crunchier coating on the fries.

Here's the Recipe:
4 Russet Potatoes, cut into strips or wedges
Olive Oil
Your choice of seasonings (For these fries I used Paprika, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, and Sea Salt)
1-2 tsp of sugar
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

After letting your potatoes soak in water all day, drain and dry them. Drizzle with olive oil and add seasonings, sugar, and parmesan cheese.

Toss potatoes until they are covered. Arrange in a single layer on cookie sheet or baking pan. A pizza stone also works great for this! Too bad I broke mine!

Bake in a 425 degree oven for around 30 minutes or until they reach the desired crispiness. It also helps to turn the potatoes halfway through cooking or turn the oven on low broil for the last 5 minutes or so.

Serve with a side of seasoned low fat sour cream...delicious!!