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An Easy, Tasty Way to Brown Bag It On A Budget

March 13, 2009 by dailygnome Leave a Comment


The past few months our family has really made an effort to reduce our grocery bill. It was getting a bit ridiculous. We’ve been pretty successful in cutting it nearly in half without sacrificing the things we like. The key has been meal planning, buying large quantities of the foods we use a lot of (like feta cheese and kalamata olives), and making good use of our freezer. Jason loves to cook so that’s a big help. And we’ve saved a ton of time by not grocery shopping so often. One big trip a month, then to the market once a week for fresh produce, eggs and milk. I must admit the challenge has actually been kind of fun. Who knew budgeting could make me so happy.

We’ve also been brown bagging it for lunches. We usually try to make enough at dinner for leftovers the following day (including Carson for school). It usually works out but there’s always days when we’re scrambling to put a lunch together in the morning. Here’s an economical and tasty solution found in this month’s Real Simple along with my own modifications. The only catch is you must like pasta. But c’mon, who doesn’t like a big tasty bowl of carbs?

Cook up a big pot of pasta on Sunday night. I’m partial to penne but any short noodle will do. Rinse with cold water after cooking, toss with a touch of olive oil and refrigerate. When ready to use, mix up 1 1/2 cups of the cooked pasta with one of the following variations and season with salt, pepper, fresh chopped basil or whatever you like.

Meditirranean Pasta
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup arugula
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Asian Pasta
1 sliced carrot
1/4 diced English cucumber
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Artichoke, Almond & Parmesan Pasta
6 chopped artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons roasted almonds
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Bacon, Parmesan & Asparagas Pasta
2 strips of cooked bacon, diced (make a little extra at your Sunday morning breakfast and refrigerate)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
4 asparagas spears, chopped

Chicken & Pesto Pasta
1/2 cup grilled chicken, chopped (grill up a couple of extra breasts at dinner the night before)
1/4 cup pesto

Tomato & Kalamata Olive Pasta
1/2 cup roasted pear tomatoes
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1/4 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Albacore Tuna Pasta
1 can drained albacore tuna
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 asparagas spears, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice

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Filed Under: In The Kitchen

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