$10 buck dinners!

Let’s start first with the Greens. My oldest daughter loves and I mean LOVES collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, just about any green leafy veggie you can think of. I love them too, but preparing them isn’t all that easy. At least not from scratch. Cleaning is the part that just about makes me crazy!

So, what do I do instead? I cheat. Here’s my cheater pants way to make greens. Perfect with white fish of any kind. For this meal, I happened to get whiting on sale. 8 filets for only $4.99. Probably wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t bad either. In the future, Talapia or Catfish might make a better pairing. Still, for a $10 buck dinner, you can’t go wrong!

Cheater Greens:

2 cans green (collard, mustard, whatever you like) – $1.18
4 slices bacon, diced/sliced – $1.00
1/2 onion, diced – $.15
1 Tbsp powdered chicken broth – pantry
1 tsp Soul Seasoning – pantry
1/2 tsp pepper – pantry
water

COST: $2.33

Render bacon in a large pot. When cooked, toss in onion and saute till translucent in color. Add 2 cans greens, with liquid. Fill empty cans with water and pour into pot, about 4-5 cans. Add seasonings and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and let cook for 30-40 mins.

Pan Fried Whiting (White Fish):

8 frozen Whiting filets, thawed – $4.99
1 lemon – $.25
2 Tbsp Canola or Olive Oil – pantry
1 tsp salt – pantry
1 tsp pepper – pantry
1 tsp paprika – pantry

COST: $5.24

Now for the fish. Season with salt, pepper and paprika, skin and flesh side. Heat oil and saute skin side down first. Cook for 5 mins or so, depending on thickness and flip, cooking on flesh side for a few more minutes. While flesh side is cooking, you can peel away skin if you choose.

Serve hot, skin side down. Squeeze some fresh lemon over fish or plate with a wedge. A little butter and fresh herbs quickly sauted makes a great addition. You can just pour right over plated fish. Delicious!

I had a simple box of stove top stuffing sitting in the cabinet, so I quickly prepared. You don’t need it, but I had it, so I used it. Funny thing is, hardly any got eaten as everyone was going back for seconds on the greens! Therefore, I’d leave it off next time and just have a loaf of french bread or beer bread to go with the meal instead.

GRAND TOTAL: $7.57 (with Stove Top or Bread, add $1.50=$9.07)

On my drive through Escondido, after picking up my daughter from Wild Animal Park camp, I spotted one of those deals that requires the squeal of the brakes! ERRRRT!!! Avocado, 15 for $2 bucks! Of course they weren’t ready yet, but 3 days later, the Bacon, Chicken, Avocado Club, came to life. It didn’t live long. We killed it! Every last morsel. And it was good! Very, very good.

Bacon, Chicken, Avocado Club:

1/2 loaf sliced bread – $.75
1/2 lb bacon ends – $1.50
8 chicken tenders (2 lbs) – $5.24
1/2 head romaine or iceberg lettuce, cleaned and leafed – $.49
2 medium tomato, sliced – $.60
2 large ripe avocado or 3 small, peeled and sliced – $.40 (on sale)
1/2 lemon, juiced – $.30
1 tsp salt – pantry
Pepper to taste – pantry
1 tsp garlic powder – pantry
2 tsp dried parsley – pantry
*optional: mayo or chili sauce as your condiment – it’s your choice!!!

COST: $9.28

In a small amount of oil, heat pan and season chicken tenders with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon and parsley. Once pan is medium temp, add chicken and fry for 4-5 minutes per side. Be careful to not over cook or tenders get dry. While you’re chicken is cooking, you can also start your bacon.

In a separate pan, cook bacon to desired crispness. Bacon ends are cheap, but thicker than regular bacon, so allow time and cooking love to get it right. You want crispy, not burned.

While bacon and chicken are cooking, you can prepare your lettuce and tomato. Do NOT cut your avocado till the last minute.

When meats are done, place on paper towel to drain oil and begin toasting your bread and peel and slice your avocado.

Now for assembly. The order doesn’t really matter. I like my chicken on bottom, then avo, then bacon and topped with tomato. Oh, that brings me to the tomato. Please season the tomato. Nothing like bland tomato on a sandwich.

So there you go. A Bacon, chicken, avocado club. Awesome!

GRAND TOTAL: $9.28