2016 Cheap$kate Food Finds

The Cheap$kate Forager has a grab bag  full of the best 2016 deals from Dollar Tree and 99c only Stores.

Los Angeles is the epicenter for cheap food finds. And, while not all 99 cent or dollar stores are created equal, this Chintzy Cuisineste knows were to get the goods for the most economical deals.

 Some of my cheap$kate finds are healthy and some are not - that's what happens when you cruise the aisles. What you find today may not be there tomorrow, so I have learned to get it while you can.

This year I've found everything from grass-fed cow yogurt to Star Wars themed SpaghettiOs.

I tried the delish yogurt but only took a photo of the SpaghettiOs - I'm no fool.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Freeze-dried fruit, like grapes and pear, are "in" this year. There is not much to them really - they are all air and lightness, with none of the heft and concentrated sweetness that regular dried fruit carries. I can't say I'm a big fan....yet.

This year my local Dollar Tree store has really kicked it up a few notches. While the selection is no where near what my fave budget 99c only Stores stock, they are getting better.

 Single servings of frozen, seafood, pork, beef and poultry are well represented.

 

I've even found enough dollar ingredients to create tasty individual pizzas (click here to see my recipe for Sausage and Black Olive Pizza.)

I always discover fantastic eatable finds at my local 99c only Stores. Again, if you see it today, it may not be there tomorrow, so I advise impulsive purchasing.

Click on any photos to see larger.

Not every 99c only Store sells beer and wine, but I have found the ones that do, and boy do they ever! Twelve to sixteen ounce bottles or cans of Pumpkin Ale, Thai lager or The Hobbit Smaug Stout, anyone?

Deli meats make frequent appearances, everything from sliced Roast Beef to Blackened Chicken Breast. Those are the kind of finds that vanish from the store shelves very quickly.

I picked up a couple of containers of Oyster Mushrooms last week, to simply saute in butter.

Living in Louisiana during my high school daze, the Southern product brand of Zatarain's was everywhere to be found -- and here in Los Angeles it's a great treat to get it at such cheap prices. 

So major props to the 99c only Store and Dollar Tree for keeping my stockings stuffed all through the new year! And be sure to check back next week for my Top 9 Recipes of 2016.

Fresh Strawberries in Oatmeal - Deal of the Day

Oatmeal is boring and flavorless. Fresh fruit adds color and a light citrus pop to your boring breakfast of oatmeal. It's as fast as scrambling a couple of eggs, but without all the cholesterol. Oatmeal is a great vehicle for fresh fruit including peaches, blueberries and half a chopped apple (with a sprinkle of cinnamon). The Chef picked up a large one-pound crate of fresh strawberries at this 99c only Store yesterday. Strawberries are back! You will not use up all the stawberries with oatmeal, so trim and slice a few for a smoothie the next day. My smoothie recipe is here. Fresh strawberries in oatmeal is a great Deal of the Day.

Instructions (1-2 servings)
About 4 whole strawberries
1 cup oatmeal (if instant follow directions)
1 and 3/4 cups water
Finish with butter, milk and honey (optional)

Directions
Add sliced strawberries and water to oatmeal. Cook at low heat for 5 minutes covered. Serve with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey & milk.

Deal of the Day - Dried Fruit

When is pineapple not pineapple? When it is bright orange, not yellow; sliced into ovals, not rings, and most of all: when it's flavored like a mango. Don't be thrown-off by the description, this dried fruit confection is quite tasty. On the way home after hitting the 99c only Store, the Chef often rewards himself with a 5 oz. package of Champion Mango Flavored Pineapple from the National Raisin Company.
It's real dried fruit and has a dried pineapple texture, although a little on the sweet side; you just need to get over the silly concept of re-flavoring and recoloring a perfectly good dried pineapple - that's one reason 99c only Stores are so dear to the Chef: tasty food presented slightly off-kilter.

The Chef has purchased a cornucopia of dried fruits from 99c only Stores: black and golden raisins, apricots, dates, figs and the aggressively digestive prune. The simplest servings are mixed into hot oatmeal or over your favorite breakfast cereal; they also jazz up the stuffing in a baked bird, and the Chef has a delicious Stuffed Poblano Chile recipe with raisins, click here.



So keep a lookout for dried fruit, and wait until you get home before you eat these prunes!


Coming soon, a new video.
The 99 Cent Chef's years of British Pub research yields a delicious recipe:
99 Cent Fish & Chips!