London Broil and Steak Sandwiches

We don't have meat very often.  It's better for our budget and our waistlines to limit it.  However, sometimes we both get the craving for STEAK.  You know how it is, some days you just need some red meat.  For a long while I only used my Carnitas Steak Marinade, but the other day I remembered London Broil, a delicious cut that my mother made when I was young.

The best thing about London Broil is that it is a relatively inexpensive and large cut.  When it's just my Dear Hubby and I, one usually provides enough meat for dinner and steak sandwiches for lunch and dinner the next day.

This is a rollover meal which means that the second day, you use components of the first day's meal to make a second.  A great way to save money.  I do this with many cuts of meat and have even stretched roasted veggies into two days of meals.  These are wonderful in the meal planning process!

London Broil 

To make a great, flavorful, London Broil, marinades are the way to go!  They can be as simple as covering the meat in Italian dressing over night.  This is the marinade I have used the past few time I have made London Broil.

London Broil Marinade

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp Soy sauce (I used reduced sodium, more flavor, less sodium, healthier you!)
• 1 Tbsp Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano

1. Mix together and pour over the meat in a bowl or Ziplock bag.  
2. Place in fridge overnight or for 5-6 hours.  If it is in a bowl, turn the meat a few times to ensure an even coating.

Cooking the London Broil

There are a few different methods for cooking the London Broil.  My mother used to grill it wrapped in aluminum foil.  I, however, do not own a grill at this time, so I broiled my meat.  I am looking for a crockpot recipe for this, if I don't find one, I may just have to experiment.  I think it would work well.

Broiling your meat.

Some tools I think are especially helpful in this process are: a meat thermometer, tongs or a meat fork for turning the meat, foil, a little extra time before dinner, and some snacks to keep the restless family at bay if it takes longer than you expect!

If you didn't catch what I was getting at there, cook times for this dish vary, it's not a quick one for a rushed evening.  Although with thinner cuts this process can simply take 7-8 minutes per side, thicker cuts can take upwards of an hour.  

1. Preheat the oven on the broil setting.
2. While the oven is preheating, lay out foil on your broil pan and envelope the meat in it.  This will provide more moisture, prevents charring for longer cook times, and makes for easier clean up.  This is not a mandatory step however, if you do not have foil it will turn out well simply placed on the broiling pan.
3. Put meat in the center of the preheated oven.  Remember to leave the oven ajar while broiling!  Check it in about 7 minutes and flip the meat over.  After 7 more minutes, check it with your meat thermometer.
4. Your meat thermometer should read at least 150 in the center for rare, 165 for medium, and 170 for well done.  I like my meat more well done than my husband, the beauty of this dish is that the outer edges of the meat will be cooked further than the inside.  I get my perfect medium well, and he can have his rare from the center.
5. If the meat is not at this temperature, continue to turn it every 7-10 minutes until it is.  Like I said, a thicker cut will take longer!
6. After it is finished, let the meat rest a moment so that the juices will settle (and it will cool enough that you don't burn yourself!) and cut it against the grain in thin strips.  
7. This is great paired with corn on the cob, brussel sprouts, potatoes, a salad, and could even be tossed in pasta.  Enjoy!

Day 2: Steak Sandwiches

These are a delicious way to use up any meat left over and can be made with sauteed mushrooms or caramelized onions as a special treat!

Warm up the steak in the oven on hoagies.  You may want to add mayo or other toppings according to taste.

One delicious option is chipotle mayo.

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Combine and use as a delicious addition to sandwiches!

We enjoy our steak sandwiches with sauteed mushrooms and/or caramelized onions.  Both are simple to make, and taste amazing! (My first thought as I bit into my steak sandwich was, yum, I would enjoy a sauteed mushroom sandwich without the steak just as much!)

Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 Tbsp margarine
• A package of slice mushrooms (you can slice your own, but come on, you are too busy!)
• salt to taste (roasted garlic salt can be really delicious!)

1. Melt the margarine in a large pan over medium high.  
2. Add the mushrooms stirring around to coat them in butter, sprinkle with a little salt.
3. Cook until they are soft and brown.
4. Serve on top of sandwiches or by themselves.
5. Enjoy!

Caramelized Onions

• 1 Tbsp Margarine
• An Onion sliced in thin strips (like you would for fajitas)

Follow the same instructions as for the mushrooms.  It will take a big longer but wait until the onions haver a nice golden color and are soft.  

Good Eating and God Bless!

Meal Planning

As I have posted already, I am a grad student.  This means that my dear hubby and I are on a limited budget.  Yeah, that can be a pain sometimes, but we've actually come to enjoy the budgeting process.  One of the biggest ways we save money is on food.  Every week I make a meal plan for the dinners we will have that week.  Then we go out and get what we need for those meals, and a couple of staples (bread, milk, cereal, eggs...) for the week.  Voila, a few minutes planning and shopping and we are finished!  My hubby likes to know what he is having any given night, so I also write up the menu and post it on our fridge.  I can't believe how much stress, time, and money this has saved!
We have been able to keep our meal budget down quite low ($15 one week but usually around $50), and yet we still eat really well.  (We even have money for treats most weeks!)  Here are the biggest tips I have learned for keeping the budget down and deciding on meal choices.

Meal Planning Checklist:

• Shop your cupboards! - This means going through your fridge and pantry every week at the beginning of  your planning session.  See what you have, and try to use it!  Chicken?  Try some fajitas.  Rice, fried is good!  Odd grains, lentils, and barley, make a soup!  
• Limit meats.  - No we are not vegetarians.  My dear husband and I like our meat, but we also realize we don't need it for every meal or every day.  Meat expensive!  The average American gets almost twice as much protein as they need for a healthy diet.  We have switched to alternative protein sources for the majority of out meals.  Sure we still have steak or chicken or sometime meaty a few times a week, but we also make meals composed around beans, quinoa, eggs, and other protein sources.  Try a good frittata for dinner!
• Rollover meals- These are dishes that have components that carry over to future meals.  This might be a roast that is pulled apart for tacos the next day or a chicken used for pot pie, soup, or another dish.  
• Love your leftovers! - I don't plan lunches when I am meal planning past the stage of having PBJ ingredients on hand and some healthy snacks (fruits and veggies).  What's for lunch then?  Leftovers!  When we finish a meal, I pack the leftover foods into tupperwares just the right size for a lunch.  It makes taking meals to work a snap.  My husband still usually brings a sandwich or two with his leftovers, but he has a hollow leg.  : )  
• Pasta - Pasta, the great diet buster.  Or not.  We eat pasta about once a week, sometimes more often. It is inexpensive, even the whole wheat varieties, it fills you up, and it can be made quickly.  The biggest problem with pasta is portion size and toppings.  A portion of pasta is about a cup of cooked noodles, or 2oz dry.  Get out of the marinara rut, add tuna, lemon, stir fried veggies, last nights leftovers.  Almost anything can be eaten over pasta.  Try out a pasta carbonara for a tasty treat.  I even tried edamame, soy sauce, and onion on my pasta today.  
• Get creative- Have breakfast for dinner, at the end of the week throw your leftovers together in a soup, try baking your own desserts and breads (not half as hard as you think!), change up your meats, try new veggies.

Make this a habit and you will be saving money and eating healthier.  (I get really proud when my cart is mostly fresh veggies.)  Have fun and come up with interesting ideas- use pintrest- I love it!

Enjoy!