Stretching Your Dollars: Shopping

You'd be amazed at how much you can buy for less than $20.  I made a trip to one of my favorite grocers, Aldi, and headed to the discounted and sales items.

On this trip, I got among other things Romaine lettuce (.99 cents), three cans of sardines (.89 cents each), two containers (6 oz) of blackberries (.69 cents each), 1 bag of Italian salad mix (.69 cents), Greek yogurt and a large container of plain yogurt all in the box. Total cost" $16 with taxes.

I have two weeks of meals in this one box. Yes, two weeks! The yogurt alone will serve multiple purposes, including coating chicken strips I'll bake. Sardines will be either lunch or deal.

The first place I head to when grocery shopping is the seasonal and clearance section where items are marked down 50 to 90 percent.

Pasta That Packs a Satisfying Punch -- Really It Does

Midnight Pasta

I normally cook on the weekends a variety of dishes to store and devour throughout the week. Doing so fills my need to "create" while saving me food preparation and cooking during the week. I appreciate quick but tasty meals like Midnight Spaghetti, which I got from a segment of Barefoot Contessa with Food Network Chef Ina Garten.
I followed her recipe here with some modifications. I used basil-infused olive oil (Aldi's) and whole wheat pasta the first time I cooked it. The basil-infused olive oil is a seasonal special, but you may be able to buy it somewhere else.



The second time, I added scallops to the dish. I sprinkled it with freshly shaved Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheeses from my new favorite store Trader Joe's.

Give it a try and tell me how your dish turns out.