I have also been back comparison shopping for groceries. This week, with Sawyer and his handy dandy iphone calculator, I was able to get a week's worth of meals for --- ready??? $108! (I have to confess, I had a handful of shrimp, some hot Italian sausage and chicken breasts in the freezer) But I still needed quite a bit of food, especially produce. Albertson's had steaks "buy one, get TWO free." They also had a coupon for $10 off if you spent $100. No brainer -- I went to Albertson's for the first time in forever.
The kids have been great lately about helping with meal planning and preparation! Here is the menu we came up with:
Wednesday (4th of July turned out to be a drizzly day - wonderful for us since we don't see these EVER) - I had a crock pot of beef stew cooking all day, then topped it with homemade dumplings.
Thursday - out to Babbo's for Sawyer's fifteenth (!) birthday
Friday - I had girls' night out to Postino, my hubby was working late, so the kids went to Chino Bandito's for jade red and whatever (Do NOT be too jealous, Tara!)
Saturday - I grilled pannini's for lunch - crispy multigrain bread brushed with basil infused olive oil, with layers of Parmesan cheese, turkey and thinly sliced granny smith apples. Yum!
For dinner, I was inspired by a wonderful meal at Old Ebbitt's grill. I created a similar creamy, cheesy grits topped with shrimp and spicy sausage. (recipe below) Ebbitt's had a tomato-based sauce, but I kept to a creamy roux since I didn't have any fresh tomatoes.
Sunday - lunch will be leftover grits & sausage or protein shakes and fresh fruit. Dinner will be garlic marinated steak and roasted potatoes with fresh berries in cream. (Moriah is cooking! We will only use half of the steaks I got this week and will save the other half for next week)
Monday - I will parboil some chicken breasts and make chimichangas with homemade guacamole. I admit to planning this meal around the avocados on sale and the freezer with a LOT of chicken.
Tuesday - The house will be invaded by gaggle of teenagers who are all going to see Spiderman - so I am assuming we'll to pizzas and hit the pool or video games, etc.
Wednesday - Sawyer is cooking spaghetti and meatballs (homemade meatballs that I froze a few weeks ago) and a salad.
Thursday - Moriah's turn again - to make golden chicken with grilled peaches and green beans.
Friday - mini steamed pork buns with chicken lettuce wraps.
Saturday - Chicken breasts stuffed with bacon, cheese and asparagus.
Creamy Grits with Shrimp and Sausage. I adapted it from Food Network based on what I had on hand. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smothered-andouille-sausage-and-shrimp-over-creamy-stone-ground-grits-recipe/index.html
(It would have been prettier with red bell peppers and/or a chopped tomato, but it tasted GREAT!)
Shrimp & Sausage: create a roux of equal amounts of melted butter and flour (I used about 3 TBS) - cook until it is the golden brown. Add 1 cup of each chopped onion, celery and bell pepper. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper or Tabasco and cook until the veggies are tender crisp. Add the sausage. (I had hot Italian sausage on hand instead of andouille). Cook and crumble. Add the shrimp and cook until almost pink. Add about 1 c of chicken stock, a splash of half and half and a chopped tomato. Heat through (shrimp will finish cooking as you heat and thicken the sauce). The roux will create a creamy, yummy gravy. Serve over a portion of the grits and enjoy!
Now, here's the test to see how many of you read to the end of the blog. I am looking to recreate two other delightful delicacies I ate in D.C. Does anyone have a lobster bisque recipe? (I will top it with puff pastry.) Or how about a crab and corn chowder recipe? (I have a good corn chowder one, but am always looking for something new.)
