Price Chopper Budget Meals 3/18 - 3/24

Click the image above to see everything that's on sale this week.

I am so wrapped up in my Four Ingredient Cookbooks that I pulled this week's recipes from there - what better way to save money than to combine sales with just four ingredients? I definitely intend to try these recipes and I'll let you know my thoughts when I do. I have one more fish recipe slated for tomorrow night, then unfortunately I'll probably have to move on to another book before I spill all the secrets in this one! But I definitely recommend that you purchase a copy of your own!

For coupon matches to these deals check out Little People Wealth and Cutting Coupons in KC. Note that these deals pertain only to the Price Chopper stores in Kansas and Missouri.

Recipes:

Barbecued Spareribs
4 lbs spareribs (Country Style Ribs $1.48/lb)
2 medium onions, sliced (Sweet Yellow Onions $.039/lb, 3/19-3/21 only)
1 (18 oz) bottle barbecue sauce (KC Masterpiece 4/$5)
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in roaster. Add onions and brown sugar (optional). Pour sauce over ribs and cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Serves 4.

Pork Potato Casserole
4-6 pork chops (Lean Pork Loin Chops $1.48/lb)
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices (Large Baking Potatoes $.039/lb, 3/19-3/21 only)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 can milk

Place two layers of potatoes in bottom of a greased casserole dish. Place pork chops on top. Combine soup and milk. Pour over chops. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour; uncovered at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour. Serves 4-6.

Mushroom Chicken
6 chicken breasts, thighs or legs (Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $1.49/lb)
3 Tbsp oil
2 (4 oz) cans button mushrooms
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Brown chicken in oil in frying pan. Remove and arrange chicken in casserole. Combine soup and mushrooms and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4-6.

Broccoli Tuna Casserole
1 (6 1/2 oz) can tuna, drained (Best Choice Chunk Light Tuna $0.69)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained (Westpac Classic Vegetables $0.69 3/19-3/21 only)
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup crushed seasoned potato chips (Lay's Potato Chips $1.79 3/19-3/21 only)

Layer tuna, broccoli and mushroom soup in small baking dish. Cover with crushed potato chips. Bake, uncovered, ta 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Fish Delight
4 fish fillets (Tilapia Fillets $3.99/lb)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar or ginger (optional)

Place fillets in greased casserole dish. Mix soy sauce and lemon juice with sugar or ginger if desired. Pour over fish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Place under broiler for 10 minutes. Serves 2-4.

BBQ Cups
1 lb lean ground beef (Certified Lean Ground Chuck $1.49/lb 3/19-3/21 only)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (KC Masterpiece 4/$5)
1 can refrigerator biscuits Best Choice Jumbos Biscuits 4/$5)
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown meat, drain. Add barbecue sauce and set aside. Place biscuits in ungreased muffin cups, pressing dough up sides of edge of cup. Spoon meat mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Serves 4-5.

Scalloped Corn
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 (16 oz) cans corn, drained (Best Choice Vegetables $0.48)

Blend all ingredients together. Bake in lightly greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

3/18 - 3/24 Deals:
Fresh Lean Pork Loin Chops or Country Style Ribs - $1.48/lb
Best Choice Canned Vegetables - $0.48
Rice-a-Roni or Pasta Roni - $0.78
Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs - $1.49/lb
Tilapia Fillets - $3.99/lb
Price Chopper Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns - $0.99
KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce - 4/$5
Deli Fratelli Tomatoes - 4/$5
Libby's Canned Fruit - 4/$5
Best Choice Chunk Light Tuna - $0.69
Best Choice Jumbo Biscuits - 4/$5
Red Delicious Apples - $0.99/lb
Hot House Tomatoes - $0.99/lb
Argentine Bartlett Pears - $0.99/lb

3/19 - 3/21 Deals
Oscar Mayer Meat Weiners - $0.99
Certified Lean Ground Chuck - $1.49/lb
Lay's Potato Chips - $1.79
Westpac Classic Vegetables - $0.69
Dannon Yogurts - $0.29
Large Baking Potatoes - $0.39/lb
Sweet Yellow Onions - $0.39/lb

pecan-coated roughy

Yum-O! (umm... did I just say that?)

I have to admit that I have never really been a fan of fish. I LOVE fish sticks. And (thanks to my husband), I love sushi (tuna and salmon only, and only the kind without seaweed... none of those ucky rolls for me!). But otherwise I don't eat much fish, and I can honestly say I've never cooked it before. The hubby has grilled tuna steaks and made tilapia once, but that's it.

So this was a fishy experiment for me! I bought the orange roughy fillets frozen because they were cheaper that way (and living in the Midwest, the fish in my grocer's "fresh" case is all previously frozen anyway). I grabbed a small bag of pecans because I didn't want to have a lot of excess left over. That was my biggest mistake - after I chopped them up in my food processor (score!) I started breading the fish without measuring. I didn't even have a quarter of the pecans needed to coat those puppies! Thankfully I had a can of cashews in the pantry, so I improvised and we had Pecan/Cashew-Coated Roughy!

I am horrible at timing multiple recipes to be done at the same time. So unfortunately the sauce was finished shortly after I put the fish in the oven, and thickened a bit more than I would have liked. But it was still yummy! My other big mistake was failing to realize that fish isn't that filling. My husband and I are big eaters, and need a plate full of food to fill us up. Even eating two fillets each, we still needed more substance. So at the last minute we threw a bag of beer battered french fries in the oven to round the meal out (such a great compliment to fish, lol!).

Again, a learning experience! Next time I will buy a BIG bag of pecans and plan to cook up some broccoli on the side. Otherwise, I have to say that I will try this one again! The taste was great - not a super-fishy fish (which is good for me). The sauce was also really good. The orange flavor was reminiscent of orange marmalade without the weird texture, and not so sweet. I will say that the sauce is great spread over the top, but the fish is too flaky to pick it up and dip. Another lesson learned! Finally, after my harrowing experience with honey Dijon mustard with Pretzel-Crusted Chicken, I opted for honey mustard instead.



Pecan-Coated Roughy

1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 orange roughy fillets (6 oz each)
1 tbsp chopped shallot
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Place egg and pecans in separate bowls. Dip fillets into egg, then coat with pecans. Place in greased 15-inch x 10 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute shallot in butter until tender. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice and mustard until smooth; stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with orange roughy.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook