EASY Dinner recipe for 2
 
Ingredients
1 salmon filet cut in ½ at a diagonal
2 tilapia filets, each cut in ½ at a diagonal
3 tbsp. of Olive Oil (Use 1 ½ tbsp. to marinate the fish and 1 ½ tbsp. to sauté it in the pan).
Angie’s seasoning to taste (go to my Blog’s Family Life page for the recipe)
1 bag of Mixed Greens or Spinach
 
Directions
Clean and pat dry your tilapia and salmon filets
Cut the fish on a diagonal as I indicated above.
In a glass container, add the fish, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with my seasoning.
Let the flavors work in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
In a cooking pan, sauté the fish pieces at medium high, ensuring that you do not overcook them.
Prepare 2 deep dishes by adding the greens in the center.
Drip some of the pan oil on top of the greens and place the fish alternating one tilapia at the bottom, one salmon in the middle and another tilapia on top.
Serve it with couscous, rice or roasted potatoes.
Enjoy!

Lunch for 4 under $10.00

 Ingredients

1 Pork tenderloin ($7.80) you will need to use 4 medallions but it renders about 8. (Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary and garlic powder to taste) ($7.80 cost of tenderloin, divided by 8= $.98 ea. serving)
2 tbsp. canola oil to sauté the pork (you have any vegetable oil at home)
1 bag of pre-washed mixed greens or lettuce of your choice ($1.50)
2 Roma Tomatoes, washed and cut across and then at an angle ($1.00)
½ cup crumbled feta cheese ($1.50)

For the Vinaigrette: mix the following ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake well

1 medium shallot or ½ a small onion (minced) (you have this at home)
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar (you have this at home)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (you have this at home)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (you have this at home)

Directions

Cut the tenderloins into 2-inch-thick medallions. Flip each medallion and press down with your hand slightly to flatten.

Season the meat as I indicated above.

Heat the canola oil in a large sauté pan over med. high heat. When hot, add the medallions and sear until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Flip and cook the other side until the pork is browned and slightly firm to the touch, about another 2 min. To ensure doneness, a cook thermometer should read 160 degrees.

Transfer to a plate and let the meat rest for a couple of minutes before cutting each medallion at an angle.

 To assemble your plates: Mix your greens and vinaigrette in a bowl, toss well, and divide into 4 portions. Transfer each portion to the center of your plates. Cut your tomatoes, first in half and then diagonal. Place on top of your greens. Sprinkle feta cheese and add your meat on top.

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry with Greens and Carrot Salad

Serve: 4 People +
Time: 30 minutes or less
Cost: Under $15.00 (or $3.75/pp for pasta and salad, depending on where you purchase your groceries)
 
Ingredients and Approximate Cost of your Grocery Shopping List:

1 bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets (This is the quick option, I prefer to use fresh) ($1.50)

2 boneless chicken breasts (cut into strips) ($3.50)

5 cloves of Garlic (minced)

¼ c. peanut oil or canola oil (use less if you prefer)

½ c. Light Soy Sauce (use less if you prefer)

1 box of Multigrain Angel Hair pasta (you can substitute with pastas of your choice) ($1.25)

4 tbsp. of Chopped Parsley ($1.00)

2 carrots (.50)

1 Onions ($.50)

1 head of Romaine lettuce, mixed greens or Kale ($2.00)

 (You probably have the following ingredients at home: Peanut/Canola or olive Oil, garlic cloves, Onion, salt, pepper, salad dressing and Soy Sauce)

 Method:

1)    In a bowl, add the chicken tenders cut in strips and ¼ c. soy sauce, toss and set aside.

2)    Microwave the frozen broccoli following the bag instructions to keep the green color.

3)    Peel and cut the onion in 1” cubes and set aside.

4)    Cook the pasta according to the directions given in the box.

5)    While your pasta is cooking, in a wok or a large skillet, on med. high, add less than ¼ c. oil.

6)    Drain the chicken from the marinade and carefully, add it to the wok.

7)    Cook it for few minutes until the pink is gone, remove from the wok and set aside.

8)    Add a couple of teaspoons of oil to the wok, then the onions, the broccoli and last the garlic and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes until your veggies are cooked but crunchy.  

9)    Add the cooked chicken and stir for a minute.

10) Drain your pasta, but do not discard the water. Also, keep about 2 cups of pasta with enough water to cover it in a separate container and freeze it to use later in the week with a jar of Marinara Sauce.  

11) Add the pasta to your skillet and mix all the ingredients well.

12) Finally, add about ¼ c. of soy sauce and about ½ cup of the boiling water you saved. The point is to keep the pasta moist. Therefore, eyeball it carefully to your like.

13) When serving, sprinkle the dishes with chopped parsley.

14) Serve with your carrots and greens salad and dressing.

Tip: To make a simple salad dressing mix 2 tbsp. of red Wine Vinegar, 6 tbsps. of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small container with lid. Shake it real well before serving. 

Tip: You will get 3 separate meals out of this chicken if you have a family of 4 people.

Cost: The approximate cost for the ingredients needed for these 3 meals is under $20 depending on where you purchase your groceries. Therefore, my calculation is that the approximate cost = $6.67/per each complete meal for 4 people.  

Ingredients

1-Rotisserie Chicken ($5.99)
1-Bag Frozen Corn ($1.00)
1-Bunch of Kale ($1.00)
1-Bag of Potatoes ($2.00)
1# bag regular carrots ($.80)
Celery ($1.50)
1-Bag of Onions ($1.25)
1 Head of Garlic ($.50)
1-Bunch of Cilantro ($1.20)
1 Avocado ($1.00)
1- Bag of whole wheat or multi-grain burger buns ($1.00)
Olive Oil or light mayonnaise (You may have this in your pantry)
Salt, Pepper, Paprika and any other spices (You may have this in your pantry)

Directions

Meal #1-Chicken, Corn and Potato Salad for 4 people:
Separate the legs, the wings and thighs. Cut the chicken drums, wings and tights at the joint. That will give you 8 pieces. (Save the wings for the last meal recipe.) Cook 1 bag of frozen corn by following bag instructions and boil 4 medium large potatoes for a quick potato salad.

Potato Salad: Dice and boil your potatoes until tender. Drain. Add olive oil to taste, 1 chopped onion, 3 stalks of celery, include the tops, salt, pepper and any other spices to taste. Finally add ¼ cup of mayonnaise if you prefer and mix well.

Meal #3: Chicken Broth or light soup to serve with your Sandwiches for 4 people: 

The carcass left after you divided your chicken for meals #1 and 2 is going now into a medium large pot. Add a tbsp. of oil to the pot and stir fry the carcass until golden. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic cut in half.  (No need to peel these ingredients), 3 bay leaves, if you have in your pantry, spices, salt and pepper to taste and a washed bunch of Cilantro or herbs of your choice.

Carefully, add 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil then bring the temp down to med low and simmer for 45 minutes. Wait until cools down and pour the stock through a strainer. You will get the most beautiful and tasty broth that you see in the container. You can serve a bowl of this broth with your sandwiches. However, if you prefer, add some cooked chopped potatoes, sliced celery and cilantro and the wings that you saved for this meal. You will have now a delicious light soup.