Right now everyone is thinking of ways to cut costs and save money.  However, we are all busy and to most of us time is money.  So I pose the question, Does Convient have to equal expensive.  I will answer no, at this in the case of Dream Dinners.  I know many of you have been driving home from a long day at work and thought how easy it would be to stop and get take out or run into the local grocery store and pick up dinner ready to go and then decided not to just because it is cheaper to make something at home.  Thats why I love that on my busiest days I can still have a convient dinner ready in less than a half hour and still save money.

Today’s Special Dinner is the Lemon Chicken Piccata.  It takes 23 min from fridge to table and when you make it ahead of time at Dream Dinners you save  $2.25 on dinner for 3, not to mention the ammount you would have to spend because you can’t buy just one tablespoon of red peppers or 1/4 teaspoon of thyme at the grocery store.

Column One is the cost for the ammount used in the recipe

Column Two is the cost for the ammount you have to buy at the store

Lemon Chicken Picatta 

                             One        Two

Chicken                 6.64        14.59

Thyme                   .10          3.99

Chives                   .37          .99

Capers                   1.50        2.99

Artichokes             1.80        3.59

Garlic                     .53          4.49

Chicken Broth         .89          .89

Red Peppers         .33          5.29

Lemon Juice          .30          1.29

Olive Oil                 .25          6.99

Pepper                  .02          2.59

Salt                         .01          ?

                           $12.74     $47.69

On sale – Chives, Chicken Broth, and Olive Oil – 2 different stores

Can save 8 cents by using a fresh red pepper,                                                                 but won’t have the same roasted marinated flavor

Dream Dinners price $10.49 ($2.25 difference)

Excess grocery – 34.95