goat cheese log

Goat cheese makes everything delicious and these Goat Cheese and Herb Portabellas are no exception. I could do a write up of how amazing they are, etc. but I’m not even going to go there. These are beyond amazing.. end of story! I could have eaten 10 more if I wouldn’t have been thinking in the back of my mind that I needed to save some for my family (plus there is a lot of cheese in them!)   What I would like to address is how to make these on a budget. Believe me, I have 3 kids and I don’t have a day job! I know how important it is to pinch every penny and when I create a recipe like this one, money is in the back of my mind. I never want to provide recipes to people that cost a ton of money to make, and that can be eaten in a matter of a minute. Goat cheese, pine nuts, portabella caps…. all grocery store items that do cost a bit more money. However, my family has found Aldi, the grocery store where you can buy real food on a budget (some even organic) and not spend a fortune! I got the goat cheese for $1.99, as opposed to $5.00 at Giant. I got a whole bag of pine nuts for $2.00, and the portabella caps for $2.50, which are $4.99 at Giant. I was able to make this delicious recipe for less money by shopping smart. Believe me, there is a lot of junk food at Aldi too, just like any other grocery store. However, their produce prices are ridiculously cheap and we have found some great stuff there that helps us save money on groceries. We even found the same organic carrots there that they sell at a pricey “health food” store in my area for $5.00 cheaper. How stupid did I feel when I saw the same exact product at Aldi for so much less! This isn’t in any way endorsed by them, I’m actually just a real mom with a family and know all too well how expensive it is to eat good food. Just wanted to let everyone know, check it out! Speaking of discounts I found these cute little appetizer dishes at TJ MAXX. I need to remind myself NEVER to go in that place because they have so much kitchen stuff it is just too much for me to handle, I want everything! Even broken things in the clearance isle appeal to me because I can still photograph an item that is chipped or cracked without it being seen. If I buy one more prop my husband might disown me so I need to stay far, far away from TJ MAXX.  But seriously how cute are these little appetizer dishes? One last note, the breadcrumbs. Please, I beg of you, do not use standard store bought breadcrumbs! They are one of the worst products I have ever seen on grocery store shelves, and if you haven’t noticed you can keep them for YEARS without them going bad. Instead, I would suggest just making your own with a piece of whole grain bread (real whole grain bread, not Sara Lee’s crap with 30 ingredients), salt, pepper, and whatever spices you’d like to throw in. I have a step by step guide on my Whole Grain Breadcrumb recipe so check that out. If you are completely scared by that idea I would suggest looking for an organic product because the Progresso-type brands all contain trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and MSG.