Bruschetta Burgers (and Ditching that Meal Plan!)
It’s no secret that grocery costs are running wild these days. We all still want delicious meals, but meal planning can sometimes cost more than you mean for it to. For instance, your meal plan calls for tacos al pastor, and the pork tenderloin is up to $8 a pound, or pineapple is out of season but they’re $6/7 each. Do you stick to the meal plan buying things that are out-of-season and not on sale? Or do you pivot and buy the petite sirloin steaks for $4.99 per pound and grab a peach that’s in season for .99 per pound? Well, I say have a loose plan and let the perimeter of the grocery store do the heavy lifting. Save money by ditching the meal plan and shopping for what’s in-season and on sale!
Right when you first walk into any store, you will see the deals! All deeply in season or discounted produce will be right up front. I’ll write “fruit” on my list instead of “apples and strawberries” because I know I want to see what’s on sale. I try to stay away from out-of-season produce because it’s expensive and doesn’t taste incredible.
Next, I walk back to the meat department. I survey what’s on sale and think about how I can use it. Today I happened to find an incredible deal on beef at $2.77 a pound. I bought three pounds. Perfect! My family is averaging 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of meat per dinner because my boys are growing! I also found a great deal on petite sirloins: buy one get one free! And I will enjoy those on the grill later in the week.
I notice there is generally one cut per protein on sale per week. I’ll see hamburger on sale this week, then ribeyes the following week. Just keep an eye out for what looks good.
Final tip: I try to get organic produce whenever I can. Find your organic section and check out the pricing. Last week at WinCo, broccoli crowns were $2.79 a pound. In the organic section they were on sale for $1.99 a pound.
If you can apply some of these shopping techniques and pay close attention at the store, you may not have to cut your favorite items from the menu to save on cost, and that’s just smart! Good luck!
Bruschetta Burgers
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground 80/20 beef
4 thick slices of artisan bread
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping
1 16-ounce container of assorted cherry tomatoes (roughly 2 cups)
1 large clove of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup gently packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
- Preheat your grill to 350 degrees. Form the beef into 4-6 oval patties. I try to make the them a bit larger than the bread slice to fully cover it. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl add the sliced tomatoes, garlic, basil, and seasoning. Mix gently.
- Cover the tomatoes in olive oil, then get the patties on the grill.
- Slice the bread and cover it with a light brushing of olive oil. Lay the bread on the grill about 1 minute before the patties are ready to flip.
- Flip the bread after about 3 minutes, then add a couple tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella.
- Flip the burger patties once juices begin to pool on the top side of the burger. Remove the burgers once they are fully cooked, then allow the cheese to fully melt on the bread. Remove from the grill taking care to be sure they don’t burn.
- To assemble the bruschetta burgers, place a patty on top of the grilled cheesy bread, then top with a few healthy tablespoons of the bruschetta tomatoes.
