We bought our chest freezer before we even had kids! I wanted more room to store meats -- I buy most of my meats at Costco, or on sale from my grocery store in the larger packs and break them into smaller packs when I get home.

We actually got our chest freezer at Costco too. We paid $179 for it. It's not huge -- I couldn't tell you how many cubic feet it is, but it's about 4 feet long and 2.5 feet wide maybe. Not huge, but good for what we use it for. In hindsight, I would have gotten an upright freezer instead of a chest freezer because they are easier to keep organized. I have to dig for things sometimes when they fall down to the bottom.

Not gourmet, but Sprouts makes both chicken and pork sausages in-house. They have different flavors everyday.

I think for meat and fish, the product is priced based on the meat before trimming. If you want it trimmed a particular way, then you are responsible for paying for the product pre-trimming.

For produce, if it's an item sold by the pound, in bulk (like where you bag it yourself), then you can choose how many of the item you want, but you shouldn't alter the item to get the choicest parts, such as whole broccoli versus broccoli crowns. If you want just the crowns, then you should buy the higher priced crowns, not the cheaper whole broccoli with stems and then snap the stems off. That's a bit unethical IMO. Tomatoes by the pound can be bought per tomato -- you don't have to buy the whole "group" on the vine. but tomatoes in a clamshell should be left as-is, which also means you can't open 2-3 packages to rearrange the tomatoes so you get the all the best ones.

Your freezer is your friend. I have a small chest freezer, and buy meats when they are on sale and freeze them. I bring the big packs home and break them down into small freezer bags. Saves a lot of money on meat -- why pay $4.99/lb for pork chops when I can buy them for $1.99/lb on sale and freeze them? I do the same for chicken, and ground turkey. Steaks and seafood are always bought fresh -- we don't freeze those.

Shop sales. Plan your meals around what's fresh and in season so you pay less. right now, asparagus is in season, as is corn. Incorporate those into your meals instead of out of season veggies. Same with other items -- don't pay $3.99 for a jar of pasta sauce when you can find it on sale for $2. then buy 2-3 bottles and keep them on hand. That way, you spend $6 for 3 jars instead of $12.

Recipe wise, you can do a lot of inexpensive things. For an easy crockpot recipe, buy a pork butt (on sale!) and put that into your crockpot. Cover with a bottle of BBQ sauce and cook on low all day. Remove the meat, shred it with 2 forks (it should fall apart!) and put it back in the crockpot for another 30 minutes or so. Serve on buns for BBQ pork sandwiches. I also do this with chicken sometimes too. Chili and stews are always easy to do in a crockpot too.

My kids love fajitas and tacos. I use sliced chicken breast for fajitas and ground turkey for tacos (we aren't big ground beef eaters). I always have frozen bonesless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer, so I defrost partially, then slice into thin slices (it's easier to slice when partially frozen). Slice up onions and peppers, and heat up a big pan over high heat (I use a wok). Add your onions and peppers, with no oil, and cook for a few minutes until they develop some charred spots. Remove from the pan, then add some oil, and your chicken. Cook until the chicken is done and the water has dried up. Then add your seasonings -- I do taco seasoning from Costco, with extra red chili flakes, cumin, and a squeeze of lime. Mix the veggies back in, heat through. Serve in flour tortillas with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. (Leftovers can be made into quesadillas for school lunchboxes too!)

I like it on toast with cottage cheese and a healthy grind of fresh black pepper.

There's also a dish in Malaysia called Marmite Chicken, which is fried pieces of chicken, tossed in a Marmite based sauce. It's very good, and very savory. I make it maybe once a year with a side of rice to offset the sauce.

Lum Ka Naad on Reseda blvd... Excellent food.

It's 101 degrees in my part of SoCal right now. I'll be eating inside, in my air conditioned dining room. ;)

^ this.

I like the texture of the Kerrygold butter compared to regular butter. Much smoother and creamier.

Just put the extra into freezer bags and freeze. I do it all the time.

I use a potato masher to mash the meat while it's cooking. I start it cooking, and start mashing after a couple minutes.

Yep - just saw them there on Tuesday evening.

I just bought 2 tubes this past weekend. Definitely not discontinued.

I pack my kids bento lunch lunches for school everyday, but I also pack them an icepack every day too. When we do day trips (zoo, picnic, etc), I pack bento style snacks in disposable containers (like takeout bento boxes). I freeze juiceboxes and/or freeze grapes to keep the food cold instead of taking reusable ice packs.

As for mayo -- I only do mayo/deli meat IF we are going to eat the food within 2-3 hours and I have the food chilled with the frozen juice/grapes. Otherwise, I pack non-refrigeration foods. But I don't pack things like potato salad, or yogurt, ie. things that contain quite a bit of dairy/egg. A smear of mayo on a sandwich that's kept cold doesn't worry me.

Singapore.

Hummus and pita
Smoothies in a sippy or straw cup
Snack box with assorted raisins, pretzels, pirate's booty. Throw a couple M&Ms in for fun too
Those ready to serve tuna/chicken salad with cracker kits

I used to freeze grapes in a ziplock and use that for an ice pack, then we'd eat the grapes for our afternoon snack. Saved me from carrying a reusable ice pack for the entire day. That way I was able to take along string cheese and keep cut up fruit cold too.

I just saw the conversion kit at Lowes a couple days ago. I think it was $80?

I urge you to reconsider heating up a shrimp based dish at work. Seafood and workplace microwaves are not compatible. Fish and shellfish have pretty distinct odors - I can always tell when someone has nuked some seafood in our work microwaves as the smell lingers in the break room for quite a while, and not in a pleasant way. And this is coming from a shrimp lover.

There is an traditional Malay (I think Nyonya?) fried chicken recipe in which you marinade the chicken with grated fresh turmeric and then fry it in sesame oil.

Caviar is one thing I've never cared for. I don't mind roe as a sushi roll accompaniment, but I don't under the whole mother-of-pearl spoon, tiny little scoops thing. People make such a big deal about fish eggs.

Put me down for another Filet Mignon non-fan. I'll take a nice ribeye or even a strip steak instead.

I love it on pineapple, cucumbers, jicama and mango. I like putting a squeeze of lime, then shake on the Tajin along with a touch of cayenne.

I buy it from Homegoods, of all places!

CHICKEN SALAD
CRAB CAKES

I pack mine and my kids lunches as bentos. We do all sorts of things - leftovers, sandwiches, salads, etc. I tend to do dry items in their lunches as their lunch boxes get tilted and liquids items can leak. I also use bento supplies like small shaped cutters, food dividers (waxed cupcake liner type things) to put several items in a compartment, mini fruit forks etc. I don't bother with the cutesy stuff for my lunches.

Some typical lunches in our house:
1/2 Sandwich, wheat thins, grapes, babybel cheese
Pita crackers with hummus, grape tomatoes and cucumber chunks, cheese cut into shapes, fruit salad
Mini meatballs in BBQ or marinara sauce, cucumbers with ranch, pasta salad
Mini tacos (from Trader Joes), salsa for dipping, baby carrots, mini granola bar
Rice, orange chicken, stirfried broccoli and carrots, sliced strawberries
Sandwich sushi - i.e. tortilla or bread spread with Laughing Cow cheese, ham/turkey and cheese, rolled tight and sliced into small pieces, wheat thins, fruit salad, grape tomatoes
Pasta salad with veggies and sliced ham or chicken, babybel cheese,

Hubby is out of town this weekend so it's just me and the kids. When he's gone, we always eat stuff he doesn't like. :)

Last night I made a baked chicken spaghetti - kids request. I cooked the pasta, and tossed it with a cream of chicken/sour cream/milk mix. Then I added some leftover grilled chicken tenders that were wrapped in bacon (sliced those up), and some chopped onion and red bell pepper. Put that in a baking dish and topped with a little cheddar cheese and crushed crackersand baked until bubbly and browned. Kids pronounced it a hit.

Tonight we're having fried pork chops, mashed potatoes with pork gravy, green beans and sliced cucumbers. Also kids' request.

Hubby's cousins from London always stock up on See's candies and Ghirardelli chocolate. I always have them bring me the European Cadbury chocolate. It's a good trade for both of us.

I do a combination, depending on what's being served. If it's something big like lasagna or enchiladas, we serve from the stovetop/counter, so the tray doesn't take up a bunch of room on the table. If we make rice in our rice cooker, I leave the cooker on the counter and serve the rice from there.

Most other items are put into Pyrex serving dishes and kept on the table. I try to use serving dishes that I can store the leftovers in (I always cook a little extra for lunch or to eat the next day).

We run our dishwasher almost every night, between breakfast dishes, a hubby that works from home, and dinner, plus the kids' lunch containers. I just throw the Pyrex containers in the dishwasher when we clean up, unless they are going into the fridge.

Galleria on Devonshire/Reseda sometimes has it. I have also seen it at Sprouts in Granada Hills a couple times.

Go's Mart
CUT
Urasawa

+1 to what Rasam said.

I like the thing chewy naan at Jasmine Market. I'm not a fan f the soft puffy ones we tend to find in most Indian restaurants. The Jasmine version is similar to the kind I've had in Punjab.