Bargain Meals: Veggie Burger & Homemade Fries

This is a pretty simple budget-friendly meal that's super fun because who doesn't love a burger and fries.  While we were eating it, Dan said, "How much did this meal cost? Could this be a bargain meal?" To which I replied, "Yeah!  Well, it's cheaper than eating out!".  So, I grabbed my camera and took a couple shots.  The key to turning a burger and fries into a budget-friendly (and healthy) family dinner is to A) buy things on sale and B) to eat veggie patties.  I buy Veggie/Boca/Garden burgers when they are on sale for $3 for 4.  This works great for us because Dan will eat 2 patties while BB and I will eat 1.  They're super fast to make (8 minutes in a pan or 2 minutes in the microwave).  Hamburger buns are super cheap but I opted for ciabatta "take and bake" rolls that we found at Target, 6 for about $2.  Then, a couple of russet potatoes, a couple slices of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and a dollop of ranch dressing and we fed ourselves for under $6!  It was tasty!

Some tips for homemade fries:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Wash the potatoes and then cut them in strips lengthwise. (Note:  You can peel the potatoes first but you dont have to. We left the peels on.) 
3. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with olive oil.
4. Toss your potatoes in and then sprinkle them with oil, a dash of sea salt and season to taste. We use Johnny's Seasoning Salt because it's GOOD and it's from Tacoma! But, you can use garlic salt, onion powder, whatever you like.
5. Pop them in the oven, turning them over every 10 minutes until they're done. Ours took about 30 minutes.
6. Optional:  salt them again (I like salt)
7. Enjoy with ketchup or ranch dressing!