I’ve had this hankering for olives lately. While I haven’t set out to eat an entire jar of green olives, I have no doubt that I could do it…as long as I had a huge glass of water and something sweet nearby.

As I was perusing the cupboards when making my meal plan over the weekend, my eye fell on the olive jar ($.49 from Walgreens). And as I started to tear into it and eat every last green olive, I wandered off…  It was as if I was standing under an olive tree in a grove overlooking the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean.  It was very Hollywood-esque.

And as I snapped back to the reality of a baby who recently discovered toilet water (and his mother, that would be me, who cannot for the life of her remember where she stowed the toilet locks from the last baby who discovered toilet water, and is too cheap to go out and by new ones, so she just keeps all the bathroom doors shut now) and a little boy begging for water and a snack, it hit me…I need to try these with the mini-meatballs that are in the freezer.

(Writes Mediterranean Meatballs on weekly meal planner.)

In the end, I thought the green olives were a lovely addition to the sauce.

And now for the means to this end.

Ingredients

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes ($.16) Sale, store promo, coupon
1 6 oz can tomato paste ($.19) Used $.75/1 Muir Glen coupon
1/2 jar green olives, plus some juice ($.25) Walgreens sale and coupon
1-2 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
About 2/3 lb ground beef made into mini-meatballs (Sorry I don’t have a recipe posted. Yet. Just make your favorite meatball mix and make the meatballs really small…less than 1/2 inch in diameter) ($2)
4 garlic cloves, crushed ($.20)
Salt and pepper
Spaghetti noodles (about 3/4 lb for our family) ($.75)

1 zucchini ($.75)
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a mixing bowl, add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste.

Pour about 1/3 of a tomato paste cans worth of the olive juice in with tomatoes.

Also add 1 tomato paste cans worth of water in with the tomatoes.

Gently whisk. As to not splatter. (Not that I splattered any anywhere.)

Take about half a jars worth of olives (about 1 cup) and slice a few times through.

Send the olives for a little swim in the tomato tub.

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil.

Toss in the mini-meatballs after the oil is hot.

Ttttsssssssssssssssssssssssss…………..

Brown the meatballs on each side.

Then dump in the olive-tomato sauce.

Season with salt and pepper and add some crushed garlic.  Stir it all in.

Wave good bye to the meatballs.

Cover and let cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Make spaghetti noddles as directed on package.

(For gluten-free meal, use rice noodles in place of wheat pasta noodles…and corn meal in place of bread crumbs in the meatballs.)

Steam zucchini slices in a stovetop steamer for 4-5 minutes, or in a glass baking dish covered with plastic wrap in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve Mediterranean Mini-Meatballs over Spaghetti with Steamed Zucchini.

Cost $4.40

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Looking for something to grill this weekend…look no further!!!

I’ve been making all sorts of burgers this summer.  As part of my quest to grill more. (‘Cause Girls Grill Too, you know!)

And this might just be my new favorite. I *think* I enjoyed it better that a Guac-Topped Burger. I *think*.

Here’s the deal. Make your favorite burger, and while it’s grilling, saute some onions with a “condiment sauce.” Give the “condiment sauce” some zing.

Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients

Favorite burger or cheese burger
Garden Tomato

1 onion, sliced into circles
1 tsp vinegar
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
Hot sauce

Directions

1. Make your burger as you like it. Slice up that garden tomato. (Check out my big boy below!)

2. To make the Spicy Onions: Add the sliced onions to a skillet and begin to cook over medium-low heat.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ketchup and mustard. Add to the onions. Then add 1, or 2, or 9, drops of Tabasco or other smoking hot sauce. Zing!

3. Serve Burgers with Spicy Onions on top! Double Zing!!

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So tonight I’m out on the town…I’m hanging out at the Ultimate Mom’s Night Out and will then catch the last showing of Ramona and Beezus with some girlfriends. (I know…I’m totally getting wilder as I age!)  I really just want to see Ramona and Beezus so I can feel 12 again.

(I might have had a little thing for those Beverly Cleary books when I was a kid. The kind of thing where you read them one after the next, after the next. And you stand in line at the bookstore the day a new one gets released. There you have it, a self-professed Ramona nerd.)

Last night I browned a large package of ground beef…and used most of it for this chili, but saved enough for spaghetti sauce for the guys to have tonight. Over on Facebook, I asked what you guys do for dinner when you head out for a girls night…and I am super impressed with all those Spam and Ramen cooking husbands!

(While I know Steve is perfectly capable of making dinner for the little people, it’s much easier for him if I get dinner ready for them. Or at least pull pancakes out of the freezer!)

I was a little bit nervous about how the “taco” flavor of the chili would work with the potatoes…but for no reason! It totally “worked”!

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes ($.80)
About 1 lb. ground beef ($1.79)
2 15 oz. cans “chili ready” diced tomatoes, drained ($.16 each) Substitute2 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes and add some chili powder and 1 cup chopped onions
3 cups cooked red kidney beans ($.60) Substitute 2 15 oz. cans drained red kidney beans
1 1/2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced ($.05)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter for the potatoes, if you like ($.20)

1 package steamable mixed veggies ($.99) Manager’s Special

Directions

1. Bake the potatoes in the oven. 400 for an hour or so.  Time will depend on how fat the potatoes are.

2. Brown the ground beef and drain. Return to the skillet and add the diced tomatoes, red kidney beans, taco seasoning, crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. When potatoes are finished baking, remove them from the oven and let cool before handling. Break open, mash down, add a little butter if you like, then top with the chili.

4. Steam the veggies as directed on the package.

5. Serve Mexican Chili Topped Potatoes with Steamed Broccoli, Carrots and Snap Peas.

Cost $4.85

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I made these the other night…I made an extra trip to the store to get the ingredients needed for this morning’s news segment…and spotted some $.99 whole mushrooms.  I see them often for $.99 in the mark down basket in the produce section. I found more this morning…sliced this time. I don’t typically buy extra food when I’m getting food for news segments, but I couldn’t pass these up!

(Gonna have to change the menu plan to incorporate some of the marked down goodies I found this morning!)

This is simple.

• Stew beef.
• Whole mushrooms.
• Green peppers.
• Steak seasoning.

That’s it!

Simple…but oh, so yummy!

Ingredients

About 1 lb. stew beef ($2.48) Manager’s Special
1 box whole mushrooms ($.99) Manager’s Special
2 green peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces ($.60) Part of the loot from the farmer’s market
Steak seasoning (free) Used $1 coupon with $1 sale price
1 large yellow squash ($.50) From the farmer’s market the other week
1 cup rice ($.20)

Directions

1. Wash and dry the mushrooms.

2. Cut the green peppers.

3. Skewer the meat, mushrooms and peppers. Sprinkle with steak seasoning. (Or marinate with a favorite beef marinade.) Grill for a few minutes on each side, or until beef is cooked to your liking.

4. Steam-saute the yellow squash.

5. Cook the rice as directed while the kebabs are chilling on the grill.

6. Serve Beef and Mushroom Kebabs over Rice with Steam Sauteed Yellow Squash.

Cost $4.77

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So grateful for a stocked freezer when coming home from a trip.  I grabbed some ground meat, cooked black and pinto beans, and set to work in the kitchen.  After thawing it all, I browned the ground meat, then added the beans and some BBQ sauce.

So. So. Simple.

I also had some drop biscuits in the freezer…so I thawed those and poured the cowboy beans over top. Served with a side of frozen corn…a delicious, well balanced manly meal from the freezer.

And the added bonus…plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Ingredients

1.3 lb ground beef ($1.93)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked pinto beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup BBQ sauce ($.75)
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained ($.29)
Drop biscuits ($.75)
1/2 bag frozen corn ($.44)

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef with the crushed garlic cloves. Drain and return to skillet. Add the black and pinto beans, as well as the BBQ sauce, diced tomatoes…and stir through. Let simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes.

2. Make drop biscuits.

3. Prepare the corn as directed on package.

4. Serve BBQ Cowboy Beans over Drop Biscuits with Corn.

Cost $5.06

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(Sorry about the funny photos this week…I posted them from our desktop and it does weird things to them?!)

Here’s what I love about this recipe. You can make a ton of the “filling” and use it so many different ways! The recipe for the filling that I will post below will easily stretch into 3 meals! You could…

• Stuff the filling into green peppers, or other bell peppers
• Eat the filling for lunch with chips
• Add the filling to some nachos with lots of melt-ey cheese
• Add it to some taco shells or tortillas with lettuce and tomatoes from the garden
• Eat it straight up

You could also freeze the unused portion and make any of the above items at a later time!

Versatility. At it’s best!!!

Ingredients

1 1/3 lb. ground beef or chuck ($1.93)
1 1/2 cup rice ($.60)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained ($.19) Sale, store promotion and coupon
1 6 oz can tomato paste ($.19) Used $1/1 coupon
1 cup frozen corn ($.40) Sale price of $.88/bag
3-4 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10) Depending on how much kick you want!
Salt and pepper to taste

2 poblano peppers, seeded and halved ($1) (4 if making for 4 adults…I know the kids wouldn’t go for the spice.)
1-2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese ($1.50)

Side salad with lettuce from the garden and homemade dressing ($.25)

Directions

1. Prepare filling: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, drain and return to skillet. Stir in the rice with 3 1/2 cups of water. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and frozen corn. Stir together and bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rise is done. Continue cooking to let any extra liquid cook off. Once it reaches the desired consistency, spoon into open peppers.

2. Top the stuffed peppers with some shredded Mexican cheese and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until cheese has melted and peppers begin to soften.

3. Serve Stuffed Poblano Peppers with side salad.

4. Save or freeze leftovers for a “repurposed meal” a few days later.

Cost $6.56 (including the filling for 2 other meals!)

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So I’m just not that into plain burgers these days.

After buying up all sorts of spices and making myself several cups of homemade taco seasoning, I figured the least I could do was use some to make taco burgers!  This is not an exact recipe…so I shall give you how much you should use per pound of meat.

And don’t forget…You can still enter my Weber One Touch Charcoal Grill Giveaway!  If you’d like an additional entry for today, head on over there and leave a comment with your favorite way to eat a burger!!!

Here’s one of my new favorite burgers…

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef or chuck ($1.79)
2 Tbsp taco seasoning ($.10)
1/2 onion, grated ($.15)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup salsa ($.25)
4 slices pepper jack cheese ($.75) I omitted to keep the meal dairy-free.

Directions

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl, then shape into 4 patties.  Grill until cooked as you like them. As they are finishing up their grilling time, add a spoonful or two of salsa and top with the cheese.  Move the burgers to a spot on the grill that is not directly over the fire and let cook until cheese melts over the salsa and the burger.

Serve on a bun (or bread) with some yummy side dishes!

Cost $3.14 per 4 patties

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A few notes about this lovely meal.

• These were SO GOOD, but they were super crumbly…from the beans…so I would add an egg to hold the burgers together.
• The cilantro and lettuce are from the garden.
• The bread…because I had no buns in the house. And ran out of time to make them from scratch.
• The salsa is homemade from last year’s garden. (Canned, of course.)
• The salad dressing is homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing – 1/4 cup canola oil, 3 Tbsp lime juice, 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Used a few spoonfuls.
• The boys ate these with ketchup, not salsa. They eat ketchup with just about everything.  If this continues on into adulthood, they might need to attend a Ketchups Anonymous meeting.

And now I leave you with the burger recipe.  Including the egg that I did not use, but the recipe needs.

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion ($.15)
2 garlic cloves ($.10)
1.4 lb ground beef ($2.07)
2 cups cooked pinto beans, mashed ($.40) Substitute 15 ounce can, drained
2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
(1 egg ($.10))
Few spoonfuls homemade or store bought salsa ($.25)
8 slices bread, or 4 buns ($.60)
Lettuce from garden
Cilantro from garden
Cherry tomatoes, halved ($.75)
Cilantro Lime Dressing ($.25)

Directions

Cut an onion in half and pull off 2 garlic cloves.

Peel back the flaky onion layer.  I like to use the “root” end to hold onto while grating the onion.

Place the ground beef into a large mixing bowl.  Add the crushed garlic and grate the onion.

Add the mashed pinto beans and taco seasoning mix. (Add the egg here.) Combine and form into 6 patties.

Grill the patties, until cooked through.  Serve on buns with a spoonful or two of salsa on top.

Prepare dressing and salad.

Serve Taco Burgers, topped with salsa, with Garden Salad and Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Cost 4.77

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Grilled Mushrooms and Onions atop a Grilled Burger.

Yes, please!

Drizzle a little steak sauce over the top.

Scrumdidily-umptious!

Ingredients

1.5 lb ground beef ($2.23)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($.05)
1 small white onion ($.40)
1 pint mushrooms, sliced ($.99) Bought on Manager’s Special
3 Tbsp Marsala cooking wine ($.25)
Few dashes of salt and pepper
Drizzles of steak sauce ($.10)
Grilled Garlic Bread ($.60)
Box frozen spinach ($.50) Bought on sale for $1 with coupon

Directions

Prepare the burger patties by mixing together the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce.  Add a little salt and pepper and then press into patties.

Wash and slice the mushrooms.

Slice the onions into half ring strips.

Place the mushrooms and onion slices into a mixing bowl and toss with Marsala cooking wine and some salt and pepper.

Place the mushrooms and onions into the grill basket and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, or until onions turn opaque and mushrooms begin to turn golden/brown.

Grill the burgers alongside the mushrooms.

Prepare the Grilled Garlic Bread.

Cook the spinach as directed on the box.

Serve Grilled Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Garlic Bread and Spinach.

Cost $5.02

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Remember the Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Balsamic Onions?!?

Well, you should just bookmark it now and make it next time you have a beef roast on hand.  Or better yet, toss it with some pasta and might I say you won’t regret it!

I used up a BOGO beef roast from the freezer, a yellow onion and some $.50/box pasta.  Along with half of a $1 green pepper and a $.99 Romaine lettuce head with a homemade salad dressing for the salad.

Yum.

That is all I have to say.

Yum. Yum.

Ingredients
Few drizzles of olive oil ($.05)
1.3 lb beef roast ($3.88)
1 yellow onion, sliced ($.30)
3-4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.15)
Salt and pepper
1 pound penne pasta ($.50), use rice pasta for GF meal
1/2 head Romaine lettuce ($.50)
1/2 green pepper ($.50)
Homemade salad dressing ($.25)
1 cup frozen peas (for the boys) ($.50)

*Soon we will be eating lettuce and peppers from the garden!

Directions
1. Drizzle some olive oil into the slow cooker and add the beef roast. Add the sliced onions and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Set on low and cook for 8 hours. Once cooked, pull/shred into bite size pieces.
2. As the cooking time on the beef roast nears its end, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to a large bowl. Toss the pasta with the beef pieces and onions. Add about 1/4 cup of the beef-balsamic broth from the slow cooker and toss with the pasta and beef.
3. Prepare salad and dressing.
4. Serve Balsamic Beef and Onions Pasta with side salad.

Cost $6.63…with LOTS of leftovers!

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