Orzo Stuffed Tomato with a cup of soup and a breadstick

     I know it won’t be long till the chill of fall is upon us, so while it is still warm I’m celebrating summer tonight with a cool orzo salad served in a fresh tomato, with a side of pear zucchini soup and a bread stick.

I chose a couple of the biggest most fragrant tomatoes I could find and I’m stuffing them with a flavorful & colorful whole-wheat orzo salad

Tomato (2) tops sliced off seeds & liquid removed  $1.38

Whole-wheat orzo a little over ½ cup  $.90

I paid $6.99 for about 4 cups dry orzo 32oz. (regular white  orzo is less money but we like whole wheat and it lasts a long time for us) 

Feta cheese $1.00

Cucumbers a few slices seeded diced small   $.50

Basil from the garden (dried herbs are fine too)

Lemon  $.25 but I only need about a tablespoon of lemon juice & save the rest for a cup of tea

Garlic 1 clove diced & smashed into a paste with a bit of salt  $.10

Red & green Pepper $.60 ¼ of each small dice (pepper leftover from fajita night)

I added black beans ¼ cup  $ .45  (because I had them on hand and thought it would add a nice bit of protein to the mix)

Served with a little cup of Leftover pear zucchini soup  $0 (already accounted for)

Bread from Thursdays dough  $0 (pilfered from Thursdays dinner check back to see.. )

Total $ 5.18

TIP OF THE DAY: Sometimes the leftovers from a previous meal can be a really nice addition to a meal later on in the week. Today my pear zucchini soup will be the perfect compliment to this fragrant summer salad. My bread stick is a small piece of dough borrowed from the meal I plan to make Thursday.Plan your menus to allow some leftovers for lunches or side dishes, doing so can save  you time and money