I recently happened upon a different item at my local Grocery Outlet store and I knew instantly that I had to bring it home for a fun dinner creation.....

 

 

Organic Sprouted Mung Beans for $2.99. Now I'm definitely familiar with bean sprouts, but not sprouted mung beans. I flipped over the package and it read:

These tiny fresh-tasting beans have a rich creamy texture and nutty-sweet taste.

Suggested uses included salads, pilafs, soups, purees, and sandwiches. Turns out, these are quite nutritious too! One serving (1/4 cup dry) contains 7 grams of dietary fiber and a whopping 10 grams of protein. It's also high in iron and vitamin C and low in fat. I'm thinking this would be a wonderful superfood for vegetarians to explore!

 

 

I decided to try these sprouted mung beans for the first time in an Asian-inspired salad. Today's recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! It's enough for 2 large servings, or 4 sides.

Ingredients:

Salad
1 cup dry mung beans
2 cups mixed salad greens
couple sprigs cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

Dressing (from Once Upon a Chef's Asian Slaw recipe)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
small piece of ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
dash sea salt

Start by prepping your mung beans. Add 1 cup of dry beans to 3 cups of boiling water. Let boil for 5 minutes before removing from heat, covering, and allow to set 4-8 minutes.

 

 

While my mung beans were rehydrating, I got to work on the rest of the salad. I found some lovely salad ingredients at my Grocery Outlet store yesterday - organic baby kale, organic mixed Romaine, a big bag of sweet mini baby peppers for just $3.99, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

 

 

Have you ever tried these peppers? If not, I recommend them! They are perfect for dipping in hummus, slicing on sandwiches, or great when your recipe just calls for a little bit of pepper.

 

 

Prepare your dressing by mixing all the ingredients listed above and stirring. This is one of my very favorite Asian dressings I've come across on the web, and I make it often. Incidentally, I found a 1 lb bag of ginger at my Grocery Outlet for $1.99 and the garlic for $0.33 each. If you can't use up all the ginger before it goes bad? Consider chopping and freezing leftover portions or making ginger tea!

 

 

By now, your mung beans should be cooked and your salad ready to assemble! Toss the greens in the dressing, top with the peppers, scoop on some mung beans and sprinkle on the cilantro. I did have a decent amount of the prepped mung beans leftover, so I will refrigerate them to use in another recipe in the next day or so.

 

 

The warm mung beans added a nice touch to this salad - and they had such a mild, pleasing flavor! I could see how well they'd work on any number of recipes. While researching their use for this post, I also learned that some people even enjoy turning them into a cake! Now how would that be for a nutritious alternative for your kids?

If you're looking for new, fun ingredients to make cooking fun again without breaking the bank? You need to visit Grocery Outlet!

For more ideas, check out my other posts for this series:

• Cactus Tacos
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti
• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

I always find unusual and inspiring ingredients at my Grocery Outlet. This helps me avoid the much-dreaded "dinner rut" and keeps my meals fresh and fun. Recently, I found this item on my Grocery Outlet store shelf:

 

Hmmmm. Jarred tender cactus.

I can't say that has ever graced my dinner table and I think it was just the ticket to keeping my menu creative this week. At $1.79 for a large jar, it would hardly break the bank to give it a go! That's another thing I adore about Grocery Outlet - I get to try new ingredients, but without having to spend a small fortune!

I did a little research, and it turns out this can be a pretty versatile ingredient. You can serve it as is, use it on salads, incorporate it into Tex-Mex dishes, or toss it with beans and rice for a side dish. I decided to try it a couple different ways. But first, I was super curious about the smell and taste...

 

Time to pop the lid!

The smell was totally pleasant. It reminded me of a cross between jarred chilis and green beans. I was excited to give it a try! I decided to do a spin on tacos with the cactus. You could use chicken or pork, but I opted for a pound of thinly cut ribeye steak that I picked up at Grocery Outlet for $7.

 

Here are the ingredients you'll need to complete this recipe:

• 1 lb thin steak, such as ribeye or flank steak
• 1 tbsp cumin
• ground pepper
• 1 cup prepared salsa (your choice)
• 1 cup jarred cactus
• cilantro, to taste
• corn tortillas

Start by rubbing the steak with the cumin and ground pepper. Then top with the salsa. I had a verde salsa on hand, so that's what I used. Cover and allow to marinate in your refrigerator for an hour (or more!).

 

Preheat your broiler when you're ready to assemble the tacos.

How long you will cook the steak depends on two things: 1) the thickness, and 2) your preferred "done-ness" level. I personally have come to enjoy mine just slightly pink, so the meat remains tender. This steak was pretty thin, so I found broiling for 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total) was perfect. I would encourage you to start with less time on the timer versus more. You can always cook a steak more (but not the other way around).

While your steak is cooking, drain and rinse your cactus.

I then warmed my cactus in a skillet. I didn't add any extra oil or seasoning, but I suppose you could do that if you wanted to. I wanted to enjoy the flavor on its own this time. If you are feeling creative, you might add garlic, peppers, beans, onion, or jalapenos at this point, too.

Here is my steak resting after being broiled. I let it sit on this cutting board for about 5 minutes before cutting it in thin strips across the grain. These two things will help keep your steak nice and tender. (Just like the sliced tender cactus, right?)

Assembling the taco is pretty easy: add some steak strips to the middle of a warmed corn tortilla and layer on the cactus. I topped with plenty of cilantro.

 

This recipe was delicious! (Yes, I did manage to down BOTH of the tacos pictured above for dinner.) Except for the time spent marinating your steak, it takes relatively short time to cook and put together too.

If you feel you always make the same tacos with plain old ground beef, sour cream, and flour tortillas, try this cactus version instead! And here's a bonus idea for you:

Quesadillas!

The next time you find yourself in a dinner rut, explore the shelves of your local Grocery Outlet store. You might just find some unusual, fun, or inspiring ingredient to get you excited about creating meals again. In case you missed them, you might want to check out the meals I've previously shared for this series:

• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

 

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

It can be so easy to grab for the same ingredients to make the same recipes over and over, can't it? That's why I love hunting for interesting foods at Grocery Outlet. They can help keep me from getting in those dinner ruts! Last month, you might recall how I discovered these pasilla peppers at my local Grocery Outlet store and used them to put a spin on traditional stuffed peppers. This month, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful new Maple Valley store in Washington and did I ever find some delicious treats!

 

They had beautiful organic pasta for just $1.50. I rarely venture beyond plain old spaghetti (and maybe penne when I'm in a mood!), largely due to the cost. Sure, it would be fun to try some new pasta - but who wants to spend $4 or $5 a bag? Not this gal! But $1.50? Now I'm game to change things up at the dinner table a bit! I decided to poke around and see what else I could find to put together a fun new pasta creation.

 

 

Check out these beautiful pesto varieties: garlic galore; basil, garlic & sundried tomatoes; and bail & garlic. I decided to pick up the basil, garlic & dried tomatoes. After that, I decided to see what I could find in the cheese section to complete my meal.

 

 

If you like cheese of any kind, you really need to make Grocery Outlet your stop. Check out these tubs of shredded Asiago, Romano and Parmesan cheese - all for just $1.99 each. I've seen similar tubs for $4 or more at other stores! It's all good quality stuff, too.

Taking my Grocery Outlet ingredients, I decided to do a spin on this beautiful Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe I discovered a couple weeks ago. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients: 1 package manicotti
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional: plus more for garnish)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed and cooked
1 package cream cheese (I opted for fat free)
1/2 cup sundried tomato pesto (OR other pesto of your choosing)
Fresh ground pepper & salt, to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1-tsp fresh chopped Italian parsley (optional: plus more for garnish)
One batch Bechamel Sauce

Start by making your filling. Place the cream cheese in a bottom of a mixing bowl and add the garlic.

Next: the pesto! I was really excited to give this a whirl. You can mix it to your taste, and I wanted a really pesto-y taste, so I ended up adding about 1/2 of this container.

Add the cooked, cubed chicken. Make sure the pieces are not too large, because you are going to be stuffing your pasta. If you would prefer, you could omit the chicken for a vegetarian take on this recipe. OR, you could swap Italian sausage for the chicken for a different flavor combination.

Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly ground pepper, salt, and a good measure of fresh chopped parsley. If you wish, you could add some other Grocery Outlet cheeses into the mix! I think a little mozzarella would be rather tasty.

Mix it all together. This might not look pretty, but trust me - take one whiff and you'll be wanting to just spoon it right out of the bowl like this! Heavenly!

At this point, I set aside my filling mix to chill while I worked on cooking my pasta and prepping the Bechamel Sauce. Here's one more look at the beautiful organic pasta I ended up with:

I cooked the entire package until al dente in salted water. While the pasta cooked, I made the sauce. Now, I'd never made a Bechamel sauce, but I figured - why not? The whole idea is to get out of a rut, try something new!

To make the sauce, I followed this recipe at Epicurious. Turns out, I had everything I needed in my fridge already and it took mere minutes. Easy peasy!

You can get the full details at Epicurious, but it basically involves melting butter, adding a little flour and watching it bubble, adding hot milk, waiting for it to thicken and seasoning with salt and pepper. Really, really easy.

At this point, you should have the filling, the pasta, and the sauce done. It's time to assemble! I started by adding a small portion of Bechamel to the bottom of a baking pan, to prevent sticking. My manicotti was a "mini" version, so I found roughly 2 tablespoons of the filling did the trick. I worked to get two pieces of chicken into every noodle.

Here are all my manicotti noodles nearly ready for the oven!

I topped with the Bechamel, making sure to cover each noodle evenly and topped with a little more Parmesan for good measure. Then I popped this dish into a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.

The finished product! Yes, this dinner took a little more time, but I promise, it's worth the effort! Delicious!

Serve with plenty of fresh green salad and maybe a loaf of crusty Italian bread or garlic breadsticks. This recipe should serve 4-6, depending on appetites.

If you've been in a dinner rut, can I recommend paying a stop to your local Grocery Outlet? I guarantee you'll find some new ingredients to jazz up your meal plan this week without breaking the bank. Make sure to come back next month and see what new creation I've come up with. If you missed it, check out my Stuffed Pasilla Peppers recipe from last month, too.

With thanks to What's Cookin, Chicago? and Epicurious for today's recipe inspiration.

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

Hi, I’m Mark, the Marketing Director for Grocery Outlet at our home office in Berkeley, CA.   I’m going to share with you my experience this week in eating on only $4 a day, which is going to be interesting since I can occasionally blow $20 on just one lunch!  My wife told me I was on my own this week, so I’m having a “bachelor” menu.

Eating in Berkeley isn’t cheap, unless you shop at Grocery Outlet.  I’ll be doing all my shopping there, so I’ll be paying about half price for my food which will put me at a big advantage versus people who shop at regular grocery stores.

So here’s my story, hope you enjoy it, I’m sure I’m going to learn a few things!

Monday
I had planned it all out, I would do my shopping on Sunday and have everything ready to fix during the week. Then family came in from out of town and we had to travel on Sunday and all of a sudden it was Monday morning and I hadn’t shopped. Now what do I do? I looked at my “rough” meal plan and went downstairs to our store to strategize. I had planned eggs ($1.49/dz) and hash browns (only $2.49 for ten Lindens hash brown patties!) for a couple of breakfasts, then I saw some Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage sandwiches for only $5.99 for a 20ct box (only 30 cents a serving!). Sounds good! However, as I picked up the box and looked at the ingredients, it struck me that I was making some less than healthy choices. Hmmmm….


So I started my Monday with oatmeal and frozen blueberries mixed together which was very tasty. Lunch was two yogurts (3 for $1 at GO) and a “Nimble” peanut butter nutrition bar. Ok, Nimble is supposed to be for women, but the price was right ($ .33/bar) and it has 5g of fiber, 10g of protein plus Calcium, Iron, Vitamins C, D, E & B6, Lutein and Beta-Carotene! Dinner was my one vice with a salad with two pieces of Red Baron 4 meat pizza (only $ .50 a slice!). I normally drink water for most meals and the savings will help me save up for some wine with dinner later in the week!
Final tally for Monday; $3.35
$16.65 left for the week

Tuesday
I scrambled three eggs and added some fresh fruit for a nice breakfast that only penciled out to $.62. I started to adjust my plan for the week and observed that healthier choices (salad, fruit, etc,) were actually bringing my costs down! Lunch was a nice green salad with a Nimble bar. You can get a lot of salads out of a head of lettuce! In fact I got a little “heady” and decided I could have a glass of wine for dinner the last four nights with a $3.99 bottle of Newman’s Own Merlot, a great wine that sells for up to $9 elsewhere. With Newman’s Own, I’m also benefiting the charities that they donate their proceeds to so it’s a “win-win”. A 750ml bottle is 25.4oz which translates to four 6oz glasses. Cheers!
I’ve got this figured out!
Final tally for Tuesday ; $3.45
$13.20 left for the week

Wednesday
Felt a little hungry this morning so I grabbed for breakfast one of my yogurts I was originally going to have for lunch.
When I got to lunch, I found to my dismay that my lettuce was going bad! Rats! I had pre-washed it and put it in an airtight ziplock, but I hadn’t dried it properly and didn’t put it in the “crisper” drawer in the fridge (yes honey, I know!). So, I had some slightly rusty salad for lunch along with a Nimble bar and some “humble pie” (cost: “priceless”). Then for dinner, with my 2 slices of pizza I had to substitute fruit for the salad (in addition to the grapes from the wine of course!
With my lettuce gone, I need to start re-strategizing the rest of the week now.
Final tally for Wednesday; $4.11
$9.09 left for the week

Thursday
Take a look at a very nutritious breakfast bowl! This is oatmeal ($ .28), with frozen blueberries ($.83) , plus a light showering of an anti-oxidant trail mix ($ .25). I usually get off to a good start with breakfast, then it’s all downhill the rest of the day! Lunch was yogurt ($ .66) and a Nimble bar ($ .33).

My wife and I have our bocce ball league tonight and I’m meeting her there, so I’ll have to grab something before I leave. A two pack of mini burritos ($ .79, $1.49 elsewhere) looked good (remember what I said above about going downhill the rest of the day?) so I had those along with a banana ($ .20) for some extra potassium.

While looking through our NOSH (Natural-Organic Specialty-Healthy) section I noticed Clif Mojo bars for only $ .50! With all the “Nimble” bars I’ve had this week I figured I could use a little extra “Mojo”!
Final tally for Thursday: $3.84
$5.25 left for Friday!

 

CHEATER ALERT!!!
When I ventured into Melissa Porter’s (VP of Marketing and my boss!) office I caught her eating a full size salad bowl! We sell these pre-packaged salad bowls (complete with proteins, cheese, veggies, etc., even a fork!) for only $2.99, but that still would bust a $4-A-Day budget. I think there’s something fishy going on here!




Friday
I’m in the home stretch and have a whopping $5.25 left for today! My only question left was, “what would Lois Prices do?”. I went to my old standby, 3 scrambled eggs with fruit for breakfast ($ .62). Lunch was yogurt, a Nimble bar and a banana ($1.20). So, $3.43 left for dinner… let’s see, what would I like?
Friday is always pizza night at our house, so I went for 2 slices of pizza ($1), some salad (ok, I had to borrow it!) for $.25 which left me with $2.18 for...hm, I guess that means I can have an extra glass of wine! Cheers!

Total tally: $19.82
$3.96/day
Not bad!

Looking back on the week, I was surprised at how cheaply you can eat with careful planning, preparing and of course, shopping at Grocery Outlet for the best prices! I do have a new found respect for those who face a tight food budget every day as it does require considerable thought up front as well as planning and preparation for a family. I look forward to using the things I’ve learned this week to eat for less money as well as eat healthier (and store my lettuce properly!).

What about you? What have you learned on your $4-A-Day Challenge? Leave us a comment on Facebook and let us know!

Grocery Outlet loves Thanksgiving because it's a holiday focused on family and food.  All year long, we are helping families save money so they can prepare bountiful meals for their families.  And we can't think of a more bountiful meal than Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas to help you save time and money as you prepare.

Tips to Simplify Your Thanksgiving and Save Your Sanity:

• Share a slice of the pie! Ask your guests to bring the dessert. Sometimes the cost of the desserts winds up being more expensive than the main event!
• Ask visiting relatives to prepare breakfast that morning, so you can focus on the turkey.
• Plan your menu and stick to your list. You’ll save money.
• Quality over quantity. You don’t need seven vegetable sides and six pies. Really, you don't. Keep it simple.
• Dice your fruits, vegetables and herbs for cooking the day before and place them in plastic bags or storage containers. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Fake it. Not everything needs to be made from scratch. Delicious cookies, desserts and candy can be bought pre-made.
• Organize your grocery list by department to save time at the store. Shop your own cup- boards first to see what you already have.

Then sit down and enjoy the American tradition of gathering your favorite people and sharing your gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Grocery Outlet!

We've got less than a week to Thanksgiving and we're here to help you Simplify the Season with our $3 Thanksgiving Menu. Check out the latest Bargain TV to help you save your money and your sanity!

 

You can download the Thanksgiving menu that Christopher mentions in the video by clicking here: Download Thanksgiving Menu.

What's your favorite holiday movie? Leave a comment below.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a fast-paced society. It's especially tough for those of us with families, but we're doing our best to keep up. At Grocery Outlet, we can provide fast, easy and nutritious meals for families on the go. Check out this week's Bargain TV and let Chris show you just some of the quick and easy meals that you can save big money on at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.

Fall is full of bold, intense flavorful foods!  No matter whom you are cooking for or what type of dinner party you happen to throw, you should always be prepared to amaze your food critics.  We have a recipe for a rustic home dinner, a game day side dish, and an adorable fall dessert.  Enjoy!

Sausage Ratatouille
The classic French ratatouille is made by simmering eggplant with other vegetables and herbs. It's often served as a side or appetizer with bread, but our addition of Italian sausage turns it into a hearty meal for cooler months.

Ingredients
3 to 4 links (about 3/4 pound) Italian sausage
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and cut into a 3/4-inch dice
2 small zucchini, halved and sliced
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium-size green bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions
1. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Puncture the sausage links in several places, then cook them at a low boil until they're no longer pink in the center, about 14 minutes. Transfer the links to a plate to cool, then slice them into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
2. Over medium-high heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the eggplant and zucchini and sauté them, stirring often, until they are lightly browned but not soft, about 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté them for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sliced sausage and sauté, stirring often, for 3 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini.
Partially cover the skillet and gently simmer the ratatouille for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, along with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer 5 minutes more. Stir in the parsley and half of the basil. Serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining basil. Serves 6.

Mini Football Subs
You can expect a high number of interceptions when you pass these individual-size meatball sandwiches during halftime festivities.


Ingredients
Meatballs
Spaghetti sauce
Shredded Cheese
Individual-size rolls

Instructions
1. To make a batch, first prepare your favorite meatball recipe, shaping each meatball into a mini football before cooking. Once they're cooked, add the meatballs to a skillet of spaghetti sauce and warm them through.
2. For each sub, cut a V-shaped notch from the top of an individual-size roll, place a meatball in the roll, and top with cheese shred laces. Finally, get the sandwiches in a huddle on a cookie sheet and place them in a warm oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

The Apple of Our Eye
A cute cupcake dessert to bring to fall birthdays or grace the table at autumn parties.

Ingredients
Cupcake batter
Red frosting
Red sugar sprinkles
Tootsie Roll Midges
Green Tootsie Fruit Roll
White frosting

Instructions
1. Mix your favorite cupcake batter and divide it evenly among cupcake wells lined with red paper or silicone cups, filling each one about three-quarters full. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions and let them cool.
2. Carve a shallow, dime-size well in the top of each cupcake, then cover the tops with red frosting and coat them with red sugar sprinkles. Mold a small piece of a Tootsie Roll Midge into a stem shape. Form a leaf from a small piece of green Tootsie Fruit Roll, pinch it against the stem, then insert the stem into the cupcake.
3. To make a bitten apple, spoon a small well from the side of the cupcake and line it with white frosting. Press tiny bits of Tootsie Roll Midge in place for seeds.

 

All recipes courtesy of Disney's Family Fun website.

Check out our latest vlog on grilling at Grocery Outlet!  We're just in time for Father's Day.

 

Got any great grilling ideas? Share them with us in the comments.

Several fans have requested Crock-Pot recipes for cold winter months.  Crock-Pots (and all slow cookers) are fantastic—you just pop everything in there and set it, and when you get home, you've got a hot meal all ready to go.  For those of us strapped for time, it's a real lifesaver.

 

Sure, it took months and months to prepare the very first Thanksgiving feast.  But even with our modern day conveniences of grocery stores and cooking tools, holiday menus may result in more time spent over the stove than at the table sharing memories.  With these easy techniques, you can spare some time and spice up your holiday feast with a much needed makeover, and for less money than you’d expect.
- Don't let that turkey gobble up your quality time with family and friends.  Cut your conventional cooking time by a third by butterflying and grilling the turkey.  See our video on how to do this:

 

 

Click here to go to YouTube and see the rest of our how-to videos!
- Give the traditional a twist with our Sugar and Spice Holiday Menu.  You can feed a family of six for about $20, which works out to about $3 per person.

Menu Item / Per Serving Cost
Grilled Butterfly Turkey $1.24
Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing $ .38
Smashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes $ .34
Southwest Roasted Green Beans $ .53
Cranberry Sauce $ .20
Rolls $ .11
Pumpkin Pie $ .37
Total $3.17

- Dice your fruits, vegetables and herbs for cooking the day before and place them in plastic baggies or storage containers. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Think quality over quantity and downsize the number of side dishes.
- Share a slice of the pie!  Ask your guests to bring the dessert.  Sometimes the cost of the desserts winds up being more expensive than the meal itself!

You can find the complete Sugar and Spice Holiday Menu, recipes and shopping list by clicking here.

This holiday season, make it a priority to spoil your friends and family with the gift of time together.

The days are crisp and the nights are chilly. Our idea of a perfect fall dinner is a tender pork roast and oven roasted garlic potatoes. Try this recipe with Tyson Fresh Pork Sirloin Roast (2-pack) at only $1.89 per lb. (You save $1.10 per lb.)

 

 

Pork Roast
Serves 6

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds boneless pork loin roast

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large, resealable plastic bag, mix rosemary, garlic salt, thyme, and pepper.
Place pork roast in the bag, seal, and toss until thoroughly coated with the garlic salt mixture. Transfer to a medium baking dish.
3. Cook pork roast 1 hour in the preheated oven, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F

 

The perfect accompaniment is these potatoes—and they're super easy too! A 5 lb bag of potatoes is only $0.99 at Grocery Outlet right now. You save up to $2.

 

Oven Roasted Potatoes
Serves 6

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
6 medium russet potatoes, quartered
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 1/2 tsp. rosemary, dried or fresh
1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a square roasting pan combine oil and butter. Heat in oven 3 minutes to melt butter.
3. Add potatoes and garlic.
Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper over potatoes. Shake pan to coat potatoes evenly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, shaking pan occasionally so potatoes will brown on all sides.

Happy frugal fall!  Oh, and stay tuned for news of our upcoming wine sale!

Victor was our most prepared, even-keeled chef.  He came in early to scope out Grocery Outlet and see what our product offering was before he crafted his dish.  Victor is from Puerto Rico, and wanted to pull together a classic dish with tastes of his home.  His dish, Mojito Mofongo, is a dish of mashed plantains with rice.  He paired it with shrimp cooked in salsa.  The dish impressed our judges with its flavor, elegance, and presentation. It was closest to the caliber one would expect from a fine restaurant.  Just goes to show that good preparation and planning pay off!

 

Victor scopes out the Crown Hill Grocery Outlet.

 

 

Victor's ingredients.

 

 

Victor zesting a lemon while STAR 101.5's Jill Taylor interviews him.

 

Alex was outgoing, funny, and had some fantastic culinary ideas.  The judges liked his concept of Chicken Thighs with Beurre Blanc (a sauce made from butter and white wine) and thought his dish was refined, but he got points knocked off for execution.  The judges wanted the rice to be a little more cooked, so when you make his recipe, be sure to check the rice.

 

Though Alex didn't win first place, he made a delicious dish that was inexpensive and paired well with wine.  He's also the only chef who used wine to cook with in his dish. 

Click here to view Alex's recipes.

Click here to see his receipt.

Josh Schimmel-Bristow was our 3rd place winner with his Lemon Chicken with Parslied Rice Pilaf.  Josh was an engaging, personable chef with admirable knife skills.  I was impressed with his talent in the kitchen and his take on classic comfort food.  Of all the recipes, I think his meal would appeal most to our customers with families—it's the most kid-friendly and would make a fantastic fall or winter dinner.

 

 

Josh comes in just under his $20 budget, even with wine and half and half!

 

Prepping the chicken and vegetables.

 

 

 Lemon Chicken with Parslied Rice Pilaf

Click to download a PDF of Josh's recipes.
To see Josh's receipt, click here.

While all of the dishes scored very well, there can only be one winner.  Stay tuned for Alex and Victor's dishes!

Canned food sometimes gets a bad rap.  There’s a misunderstanding about the freshness and nutritional value of canned fruits and vegetables, but much of this bad press simply isn’t true.  Canned fruits and vegetables are comparable in nutrition to those that are cooked fresh or frozen.  In fact, just like frozen food, canned fruits and vegetables are picked and processed at their peak, which seals in nutrients.

Also, canned foods are convenient: since the food inside is usually already cooked, it lessens your cooking time, allowing you to get food on the table faster.

Grocery Outlet has long promoted the benefits of canned food items, and we’re here to show that you can create gourmet-style meals in your kitchen that are healthy, cheap and easy to make.  Here's our first recipe, an easy asparagus soup that you can make in minutes.

 

 

 

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can asparagus
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Blend the asparagus, with liquid, in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
2. Heat asparagus and chicken broth together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in milk, and bring to a low simmer. Stir in butter to finish, and season to taste with, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

 

For more delicious recipes, click here to download our Cooking from Cans recipes.  We've even included a dessert! 

Remember: just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean it's any less delicious.  Enjoy!

 

Thanksgiving is the foundation of autumn's traditions and a very important celebration.  With rising prices however, it can be difficult to provide a traditional Thanksgiving dinner without breaking the bank.  At Grocery Outlet, we've put together a menu for Thanksgiving dinner, complete with side dishes and dessert, that works out to $3 per plate.  Now you can be the hero of your Thanksgiving table.

To download our $3-A-Person Thanksgiving menu, please click here.

Who doesn’t love a good appetizer?  When you’re hungry and waiting for dinner, a delicious starter can really hit the spot.  At Grocery Outlet, you can satisfy your guests and not empty your wallet.  Here is a brief selection of our favorite cheap and easy appetizer recipes to surprise and delight friends and family.

 

Pistachio Goat Cheese Balls
1/2 cup shelled salted pistachios 
6 ounces goat cheese, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Toast nuts in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes; chop finely.  Combine goat cheese and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoons onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate 15 minutes.  Roll into balls, and then roll in chopped nuts.  Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to 1 day.  Serves 10, makes 30 balls.


BLT Bites
48 whole cherry tomatoes
1 lb bacon (cooked and crumbled)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions (chopped)
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (snipped)

Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato.  Scoop out and discard the pulp (I use the handle end of a small teaspoon, or use a melon-baller).  Invert tomatoes on paper towels to drain.  In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spoon into tomatoes.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serves 12, makes 48.


Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
6 roma tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
8 slices Italian bread, cut about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Whisk together chopped garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil.  When combined, slowly drizzle in oil.  Add tomatoes and let sit for 20 minutes at room temp.  Toast the bread.  This can be done either in the toaster (if it's got really wide slots) or under the broiler (if using this method watch closely so it doesn't become a brick).  When the bread is toasted rub each piece, on one side, with the whole garlic pieces.  Place the bread on a cookie sheet and top with tomato mixture.  Sprinkle on a little cheese and broil until the cheese melts.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4.


Nearly all the ingredients in these recipes can be bought at Grocery Outlet at a significant value.  Other ideas for appetizers would be chopped vegetables with guacamole and hummus, chunks of fruit with sweet yogurt dip, nuts, crackers and cheese.  We’ve got a significant selection of all of those items, so shop your local Grocery Outlet to save while you stock up for holiday parties!

As the weather chills and the leaves start to fall, come back inside for family dinners.  A warm, satisfying meal together is the perfect way to celebrate the change of seasons and transition to cooler temperatures.  We’ve put together some delicious recipes and ideas for this time of year that will fill up your soul without emptying your wallet.

Ham with Cheesy Shells
You can make this in your slow-cooker or Crock-Pot!

Ingredients:
12 oz. diced ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
Black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen vegetables, cut broccoli or mixed vegetables
3 cups cooked small pasta shells or macaroni
1/4 cup of low-fat evaporated milk

In a 3 ½ - 5 quart Crock-Pot or slow cooker, combine ham, soup, cheese, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Add frozen vegetables 30 minutes before serving. Add milk to thin; add hot cooked pasta then serve.  

Serves 4.


Other frugal fall meal ideas:
- Host a taco bar!  Set out plates of tortillas, cooked chicken or ground beef, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce and tomato, and let everyone make their own tacos.
- Baked potato bar—same idea, different spin.  Bake up a  potato for each family member and load it up with cheese, sour cream, chopped chives, cooked veggies, chili—whatever they like.  Hearty and filling, and the vegetables give it extra nutritional value too.
- Get your kids in on the action.  Help them brainstorm a 5 ingredient-or-less meal, shop for it with you, and then make it together.  Kids like being included and if you keep the ingredients and prep low, it should be pretty easy going.  Ideas we have: spaghetti with meat sauce, mac ‘n cheese with a side of steamed veggies, English muffin pizzas.  Have fun!