Buying in bulk from your local members-only warehouse can save you money. Here are items we buy repeatedly because the savings tend to be significant:

• Fresh meat and seafood.

• Individually quick-frozen boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves

• Cheese: block, shredded and crumbled

• Dried fruit, especially raisins, and nuts

• Peanut butter

• Chocolate, especially baking cocoa and morsels

• Bagged, prewashed salad mixes, fruit and "classically expensive" veggies, such as fresh asparagus

• Frozen and/or refrigerated stuffed pastas

Take advantage of your finds with this quick recipe.

Pan-Seared Sirloin Salad With Potatoes and Asparagus

Yield: 4 servings

1 small bag (24 ounces) mini red potatoes

8 ounces fresh asparagus

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 well-marbled sirloin steaks (about 12 ounces, each)

8 cups (loosely packed) torn romaine lettuce

4 ounces creamy "lite" dressing of choice

• Place about 4 cups of water in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and place it over high heat.

• While the water comes to a boil, rinse and quarter the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the boiling water and cook just until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside.

• Meanwhile, rinse the asparagus and snap off the tough ends. Cut the spears into about 2-inch pieces.

• Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from the microwave, and set aside to cool.

• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Trim the steaks of any excess fat, and cut each in half lengthwise, making 4 small steaks total.

• Place the steaks in the hot skillet and sear on the first side until slightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the steaks and sear on the opposite side for about 5 minutes more for medium rare (or longer as desired). Remove the steaks from the heat. Slice the steaks into ¼-inch slices, and set aside.

• Place an equal amount of the salad greens on each dinner plate. Top each plate with one-quarter of the potatoes, asparagus and steak.

• Drizzle with salad dressing and serve.

Nutritional information per serving: 636 cal., 33 g fat (12 g sat.), 125 mg chol., 40 g carb., 395 mg sodium, 5 g fiber, 43 g pro.

Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are the authors of "Desperation Dinners!" (Workman, 1997) and "Desperation Entertaining!" (Workman, 2002)

Back to Top