Are you ever hungry for steak but don't have much time to prepare it or the money to buy tenderloin, porterhouse or New York strip?

Try ribeye or sirloin tri tips, especially if they happen to be on sale.

For not much more than you pay for a hamburger out, you can have a grilled or pan seared, flavorful, juicy and tender home cooked meal complete with fresh vegetables.

Grab some seasonal fresh fruit from the produce isle for dessert and you have a healthy, nutritious and reasonably priced meal with all the comforts of home.

Not only is it inexpensive, but it is something you can throw together in half an hour for the whole gang.

Going out to dinner, even for hamburgers and fries takes longer and costs far more, not to mention the fact that it is also not as healthy.

If you make it a family activity, you are even teaching your kids how to do worthwhile, wholesome, lifelong, fun tasks that they will one day use with their kids.

I always start with a plan. Make a shopping list - and stick to it; try to avoid buying anything but what's on your list unless you have time to do your weekly or by-weekly shopping.

If you start buying impulse items, treats for the kids, bargains you don't need and other temptations, you will add a lot of dollars to your bill. Cut and use coupons.

So, once you have your shopping list finished, taking into consideration everything that you already have in the house, figure out how many are eating (for quantities) and who is going to do what.

The kids will love helping out if you teach them as soon as they are old enough to learn. For example, by age 5 you can teach them how to set the table, and if they come to the store, how to have the discipline of sticking to your shopping list - well OK, one treat for each if they are well behaved during your visit.

Or give them a $1 or $2 to spend on anything they like, but it can't go over the amount you give them.

Make these simple family activities fun and you will be teaching them simple life skills early. Our mother taught us in this way and we loved helping her.

Now I thank her every day as I use those same skills she taught us early on as I live my life much more efficiently than if I had to acquire these abilities on my own after I became an adult.

The menu for this month's column was so delicious to research; I have made it frequently since trying it a couple of months ago.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It has been kind of Americanized for those who may not wish to cook Italian all the time.

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years.

Ribeye or Sirloin Tri Tips Steak

1 1/2 pounds about 1-inch thick ribeye steak

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/4 cup diced Spanish onions Measure all ingredients. Clean and dice onion.

Cut steaks into four portions.

Sprinkle both sides with seasoned pepper and garlic salt. Wash hands.

Pre-heat large saute pan on medium-high for a couple of minutes.

Place butter in pan and swirl to coat bottom and at least half an inch up the sides of the pan.

Add steaks and cook 5 minutes on one side.

Turn steaks, add onions around steaks and cook 4 to 5 minutes more or until they are done to your desired taste - less for rare - a little longer for medium rare, more for medium and so on.

Stir onions frequently but do not turn steaks again.

Serve onions over steaks when done.

Mixed Fresh Vegetables

1 cup water

Mixed 12-ounce bag broccoli, carrots and cauliflower

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon Morton's Nature's Seasons

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon iodized salt

Place steamer basket and water in medium saucepan.

Water level should be below bottom of basket.

Place vegetables in steamer basket.

Cover and bring to a boil on high.

Steam 4 or 5 minutes or until crisp tender.

Turn off burner. Remove steamer basket with vegetables being very careful not to burn yourself in the process and reserve water.

Place remaining ingredients in same saucepan and stir until butter melts with residual heat only.

Put vegetables back in pan and stir to coat.

Taste and add a little water if desired to make sauce a little lighter.