Beating the Prices of Eating Out - One Meal at a Time Series 1 - 1 Sushi-ish Rolls and a few other quick hacks for sushi feasting at home and not take out

 

Sushi-ish Rolls and a few other quick hacks for sushi feasting at home; without the price of take out. 

Been finding out that everything at the store is starting to cost, nearly as much as eating out, and eating out has taken a decline in quality and taste and upwards in prices. A family of five that we are, we really feel the pinch.

One of our favorite meals is sushi - well more towards the California rolls and using imitation crab and tuna in the can. The fresher stuff is okay, but not to our tastes. Feel free to substitute where you like. 

At our local Publix Store, they roll their own sushi rolls (cut into 10 dials) that is usually for 7.95-9.95 depending on if you get the one with the crunchy topping. They also use brown rice for the same types and it is a dollar more for the brown rice.

Today, I took 2 1/2 Cups of brown rice, rinsed and put in my rice cooker with around 4 cups of water. When it was done, I spread it out on a large sheet pan and carefully lay it all out, to cool. While cooling taking about 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar and pour all over the top, sprinkle lightly with you favorite sweetner and then slowly with a spatula toss gently until all coated and spread out again on the sheet pan. Letting the entire batch cool. When cool, you can use or I put into the refrigerator for use later in the day. 

Then comes the hunt for your filling.

Tuna fish in the can - drained and mixed with mayo and sirachi

Imitation crab - pull apart 

Crusted Coated Shrimp - From Aldis and made in airfryer. - If you would like that crispy crunch.

Cream cheese - I pre-cut in long strips 

Carrots -shredded (pre cut at publix0

Cucumber - thin slices. (for the fold up type, I made thin dials)

Green Onion - thin strips

Nori Sheets for the traditional roll up.

Nori snack sheets just for a little finger food size. 

Be sure to get some wasabi (it just gives you a little kick )

and always pick up some sweet pickled ginger it is the best little palate cleanser. 

These can work like the ones at Aldi's also for that crunch. 

The traditional way to roll it is to get a sushi mat and cover with seran wrap and then lay the nori sheet down and fill and roll. I am usually making so many that I kinda forget that part. It does however make a tighter roll. SO you can google that and watch on youtube.

I did this time three different ways, a traditional roll/ a fold up/ and using the nori snackers.

The nori snackers were actually my favorite way to eat it. The snackers gave you more of a crispy seaweed snack. 

The traditional way. 

Then this one is the crispy shrimp one.

 

This is the fold up one. Cut a up the middle of the bottom quarter. Then fold up. 

This is the spicy tuna roll.

These are the small nori snack ones. This was my all time fav this time. 

So to sum up the stats of this sushi rolls. 

I used 2 1/2 cups of brown rice  (est 1.00)

1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar   (est .25)

1/4 cup of sprinkled truvia    (est .25)

crunchy shrimp (4.99 pkt 10)

Imitation crab 1/2 pk (they sell a 1.25 pkt at Walmart that would have been plenty)

2 cans of tuna in water (est 3.00)

Siracha (?)

Lite Mayo(?)

Shredded Carrot (est .50)

3 small cucumbers (est .50)

1/4 of cream cheese (est 1.00)

I made atleast 9-10 rolls.

Publix sells theirs for 10 crunchy rolls

and the reg California for 8. 

and for brown rice a dollar more

So if I had bought them in the store that would have been over 100 dollars. At home - 12.00 give or take.

I made them so I know what the ingredients were. I also could make them any style and have sushi in hot second if we wanted it.

I wanted to share ways that we are beating the prices, here at my house. Yes, cooking and making from scratch is a lot of time, planning and work, but in reality the food is of a better quality and fresher. If you ever need to save money first take a look at your food budget.

I will coming back hopefully every week to share a new thing we are doing at our house, to beat that dollar.

Thanks for coming and reading. Be a part of my community and subscribe to my blog. You are welcome here any time. 

Living your best life and doing what feels good for you is the secret.

Keep it simple, Stay well and safe.

Welcome to my Journey

Feel free to leave a comment

Peace

Louise

Double Stack Pot in Instant Pot Experiment - Creamy Spinach Chicken and Brown Rice

I tried out the Double Stack Pot today. I made a Creamy Spinach Chicken and Brown Rice. Sides were a small vinegar salad, a canelli bean salsa and some roast squash bits ( I have a new cutter and it cuts bits and they were just so good, and a change up on the texture. My family ate it all.

The Dinner was Creamy Spinach Chicken/Brown Rice Healthy Bowls. 

Okay here's the deal on the pot in pot. I bought one of the silver double stack pots. I also have a 3 qt pot also to use down in the 6qt.

But today I tried the double stack.

Creamy Spinach Chicken / Brown Rice - Healthy Bowls

The players:

3 chicken breasts split in half

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/2 diced onion

1 clove garlic

_______

Sauce / you will wait until the chicken and rice are finished.

1/2 block cream cheese

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

____

2 Cup of Brown Rice (rinsed)

The game

I took the bottom one and put in 1/2 cup of chicken broth , and layered in the chicken breasts, and on top I put diced onions and garlic. Put on bottom of the picker upper/ clip that closes it all, and you can lift up and put in. There is no lid the top pot sits on top of it and it has a lid.

In the second on I put 1:1.5 of brown rice (rinse twice and then put in) and add the water. I did 2 cups of rice. I added chicken bouillon and parsley, and shut it up.

Pour in 1 cup of water in the instant pot and then Put lid on top and lower down the double pot. It only fits the 6qt and larger. Clip the closer on the double pot closed.

The recipe said 25 minutes and 10 release. When I pulled them out and opened them up the bottom with the chicken was perfect. I put it to the side.

I opened the rice and as from the picture you could see it was still swimming. So I closed it back up and put into the instant pot. Set for 5 min/ with a 10 minutes release and came out perfect.

(oops not ready)

ready

For the chicken , you are to remove and then add in the broth the cream cheese, parmesan , mozzarella and spinach; and put back in and let it heat up and melt, then put the chicken back in.

I however just removed the chicken to a serving dish and waited for the spinach mixture to melt and then poured over the top.

Canelli Bean Salsa

Roasted Squash cut into bites

As you can see from the pictures I put the rice on the bottom, a little spot for the chicken and sauce, a little spot for a canella beans and corn salsa, a little spot for a lettuce/oil and vinegar/ and lastly a little spot for roasted vegetables.

Needless to say my husband thought it was a hit. The boy, ate his and liked it. I would think seconds constitute that.

So that is my first lesson with the pot stack in the instant pot.

I wanted share.

Please subscribe above if you like to see more of my hacks and recipes. And now experiments. 

Living your best life and doing what feels good for you is the secret.

Keep it simple, Stay well and safe. 

welcome to my journey

Louise