March 15 - March 21

I found a great recipe for chicken and breasts are on sale this week at FC. I've also included a recipe for a side dish to boot. Here's this week's dinner, hope you enjoy!

Roasted Pineapple and Thyme Chicken Breasts

2 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast (3.98 per lb.)
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
15.5 oz. can pineapple ($1.00)
2 teaspoons thyme, dried
scant 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or you could use brown sugar)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan and saute onions for about 8 minutes. After onions have sauteed, place chicken in preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add pineapple and thyme to sauteed onions and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 stirring occasionally. When pineapple juice mixture has reduced to 1/2 cup, add maple syrup, soy sauce, pepper and salt. Continue to boil for about 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from oven and brush with a generous amount of the sauce. Return to oven and continue roasting for about 15 - 2o more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from oven and serve with remaining sauce.

Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

1 bag Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices ($2.00) - or dice up regular potatoes
3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or place toast in food processer and add your own seasonings)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes. Turn occasionally so they don't burn. The potatoes should be tender and lightly browned.

Total for dinner is $4.98 to $6.98 - depending on whether you bought Simply Potatoes or used your own.

Have a great week and happy shopping!

March 8 - March 14

This week Valu Time Pink Salmon is on sale for $1.89 per can. Salmon cakes are easy to make and take less time than you think. Here's the recipe:

Salmon Patties Recipe

Ingredients
1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, undrained and flaked ($1.89)
1 slice of bread, shredded
3 Tbsp chopped onion or green onion ($.10)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill weed, or 1 teaspoon dried
3 Tbsp minced green bell pepper ($.20)
1 Tbsp flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Splash of lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
Several turns of freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method
1 In a large bowl, gently mix together the salmon, bread, green onion, garlic, dill, bell pepper, flour, egg, paprika, lemon juice, Old Bay, salt and pepper. Form into 8 patties; each about 1/2 inch thick.
2 Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook the patties until nicely browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Serves 4.

Add a mini ear of Birds Eye Sweet Corn on the Cob on sale this week at 2 bags for $6.00, there are 12 ears in each bag, so using 4 ears ($0.75)

Add the rest of the onion ($.10) and green pepper ($0.80) you cut up for the salmon cakes to 1/4 head of lettuce ($0.35)

You've spent $ 4.19 for the meal.

Have a great week!

Bargains for 03/1 to 3/7/2009

I'm going to do what my family calls a meat salad for this week's easy meal. Both DH and I are trying to get in more veggies and we eat a meat salad once or twice a week. The Sirloin Ceasar Salad has A tangy sauce that combines bottled salad dressing, lemon juice and Dijon mustard flavors for this filling main-dish salad. You save on cleanup time if both the steak and bread are cooked on the grill, and we use our grill even in the snow. Prep time is about 5 minutes, grilling or cooking time is about 10 minutes, and this scrumptious meal feeds 6. Have a great week!

Sirloin Ceasar Salad Cost: $6.34

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless top sirloin steak - I used beef chuck steak ($2.69)

1 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing - Food City brand was $2.00 per bottle ($0.30)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 slices French bread (1 inch thick) - In the Deli, entire loaf $1.79 ($0.90)
6 cups torn romaine - Ceasar Supreme Fresh express are 3/$5, use 1 bag ($1.66)
1 medium tomato, chopped ($0.79)
Directions: Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag. In a bowl, combine the salad dressing, mustard and lemon juice; set aside 3/4 cup. Pour remaining dressing mixture over the steak. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Brush both sides of bread with 1/4 cup of the reserved dressing mixture. Grill bread, uncovered, over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly toasted. Wrap in foil and set aside. Drain and discard marinade. Grill steak, covered, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Place romaine and tomato on a serving platter. Slice steak diagonally; arrange over salad. Serve with toasted bread and remaining dressing mixture.

Nutrition Facts
One serving:
(prepared with fat-free dressing)
Calories: 214
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 50 mg
Sodium: 586 mg
Carbohydrate: 18 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 22 g
Diabetic Exchange: 2 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable.