Noshtopia

Fancy Dinner From a Box and a Bag: Wild Alaskan Salmon in Miso Butter and Risotto with Petite Peas, Porcini, and Portobello Mushrooms

I'm on a tight budget like many people. But still, now and then I want to enjoy dishes that remind me of eating out at fine restaurants. I just need to find creative ways to achieve that desire...and indeed it can be done!

Yesterday, I was craving salmon really badly. Guess the bod wanted some fish goodness in a big way. But fresh fish can get pricey, and I'm picky about seafood because I've gotten sick a couple times in the past from eating bad seafood.

I really do believe that you can eat well and healthy on a tight budget...it just takes some work and creativity. Oh, and some open mindedness. I say that because there are those who'd shy away from eating food from a box, bag, or can. I'm not especially since you can find many organic and all natural foods in a box, bag, or can.

Like last week, I made this mostly organic pumpkin soup from organic pumpkin puree in a can. I'm a lazy cook, so I don't feel the need to do everything from scratch. Organic in a can works for me!

So, last night I made this pan seared Wild Alaskan salmon in miso butter coupled with risotto with petite peas, Porcini and Portobello mushrooms.

The Salmon was from a frozen bag of Whole Foods Whole Catch brand Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Fillets which was $9.99. This may seem pricey to some, but this bag of salmon had two large fillets which actually can be cut into halves, and is good to serve four people.

The bag says it has three servings of 4oz. The fillets I got looked pretty big and if I cut the fish into fours, each serving would be about the size of the palm of my hand which is a good standard for portion control. And better yet, this salmon was raised according to Marine Council Stewardship standards which means it's certified sustainable seafood. This is a big deal to me because I care about the fish and the environment.

For the miso butter, I used Earth Balance Soy-Free natural spread which is vegan, and I have to say I'm really liking this buttery spread. To me, it's like margarine but better. Food fries up pretty nice with this spread, and it tastes good. I had some miso paste, so I just mixed a little of that in with some melted spread and oregano. I dipped the salmon fillet in the miso butter with a little garlic salt and then seared the fish in a pan.

The risotto was made from a box of $2.99 Lundberg Organic Wild Porcini Musroom Risotto. Instead of all water, I used 1-1/2 cups of rice milk and 1 cup of water. I also bought a large fresh portobello for less than $1 and cut it up and threw it in the risotto with yellow onions and organic petite peas from a frozen bag of Whole Foods 365 brand peas. I'm amazed how long that bag of peas under $3 lasts me.

This salmon and risotto meal which had some organic foods in it was enough to feed four people and it came to under $20...at Whole Foods. At other supermarkets and using natural but not organic ingredients, I bet I could get the price down even lower.

I'd pay almost that $20 or more for just one salmon dish at a fancy restaurant. I only cooked one fillet, and ate half. I'll have the other half of the salmon for lunch tomorrow over a bed of mixed greens which comes from a $1.99 bag of salad.

See, there are ways to eat like you're in a fancy restaurant at home...but for cheap!

10 Wedding Crashers-like Ways to Eat For Next to Nothing

I think a funny sequel to the Wedding Crashers movie would be for the guys to go broke because of the financial crisis, so then they have to come up with ways to eat for free or next to nothing. Can you imagine what Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson would do to get some grub for nada? Here's what I would guess, and ya know, one might have done some of these for real {wink}.

• Besides crashing weddings and funerals, there's crashing events at your local community center, company functions that are held in big back rooms of restaurants, tradeshow after parties, or buffet picnics in the park. Crash a fashion show as you can eat what the fashionistas won't. There is a micro-brewery near my house that has a big back room with pool tables and it is often booked for company events. One time I walked in a private party, acted like I belonged there, and hung out by the buffet. No one questioned my being there.

• Ask for food gift cards for your next birthday.

50 food items at Whole Foods under $1.50

For those of us pinching on the food dollars, did you know that there are actually a whole bunch of food items at Whole Foods that you can get under $1.50. Oh yeah! That's cheaper than a tall coffee at Starbucks. And, we're talking not just regular items, but organic stuff too.

I picked the $1.50 price point because I thought that was an aggressively low number yet cool enough to dispel some of the Whole paycheck stigma. Plus, Whole Foods has many items marked at $1.49

And to note, WF 365 = Whole Foods 365 Brand. Item selection can vary from store to store, so check yours. The prices I list are based in San Mateo county, CA as of December 6, 2008, and all items are regular priced. Whole Foods has been upping their sale items and offering coupons galore, so definitely check those out. One great deal at my store this weekend was 10 mangoes for $10 total. Nice!

So, here we go:

7 ways to get better deals on organic groceries

The common gripe about buying organics is the cost; it's too expensive or pricey. Some of you may want to buy organics but would like to save money. If you are living on a tight budget, there are ways to find better pricing on organic foods. Here are some tips:

• Look for organic produce at your local farmer's markets as the pricing is typically lower than at a supermarket because you are buying direct from the farmer. Supermarkets add markup to the pricing.

• Because organics is growing in popularity, chain stores like Whole Foods, Wild  Oats, and Trader Joes now have their own private label organic brands. Because they can manufacture in bulk to stock all their stores, the pricing for their own organic products is cheaper than brand names. For example, Whole Foods has their 365 brand and many of those products are either the same price or only pennies more expensive than a name brand. Check out every day foods like ketchup, pasta sauce, soup, and even pet food. You may be surprised that some of these store brand organic products are much cheaper than you imagined.

• At independent stores or grocers, try shopping near closing time. Because organic products do not have preservatives, they will spoil much faster. Some of the smaller independent shops might have 1/2 prices or price reductions towards the end of the day as they would rather sell products for cheaper than throw them away for a loss.