Favorite Meal $5 or less - Page 8

I was looking through this thread this morning trying to think of something for DH and I to eat for supper. Then my mom told me she wanted cabbage and noodles. When I went to buy the stuff, I realized how cheap it was so I thought I would add it here!

Cabbage and Noodles
1 head cabbage approx 2-3 lbs ($.59/lb)
1 bag wide noodles (store brand $1)
1 box beef stock/broth (store brand $3)

Cook cabbage down in a stock pot (add a little water so it doest dry out). Warning, a head of cabbage really does go a long way! When its soft, boil noodles in a seperate pot. Combine noodles and cabbage. Add stock. Let simmer for a few minutes to warm the broth and enjoy!

I typically let this cook all afternoon but you can start it whenever. THe cabbage is what takes the longest.

I'm a little over my $5 depending on the weight of the cabbage, but its worth it. And leftovers are extra yumy!

This is also really good with a pound of browned ground beef in place of the hot dogs. I usually throw in a little brown sugar and a squirt or two of ketchup. Yum!!

I'm new to these boards but LOVE this thread! Lots of great ideas out there Mommies!!

I thought i'd add a couple of my own quickie recipes. I'm not sure of the cost of them or if they are even $5 or less to make, but they are quick and make my family of ALL boys happy. My boys include DH Wade almost 37, Dakota 14-1/2, Jeb almost 9, and Jack soon to be 3.

Chicken Curry
In a large baking pan, I begin by layering pre-cooked, bite-sized pieces of chicken. I either buy the chicken pre-made and pre-cut, or I take a pkg of chicken breasts and boil them until white throughout, then cut up the breasts in small pieces.
Second layer, I cover the chicken with about a half bag of broccoli florets (I prefer those but you can use any type of frozen broccoli).
Next, in a bowl, combine 2-3 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of mayo (i use Miracle Whip), one tablespoon of curry powder, and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly all together with a spoon. Pour this mixture over the broccoli and chicken in baking dish. I top with cheese. Lately I prefer Colby Jack cheese or Cheddar Jack cheese. I have also used regular cheddar or sharp cheddar. I cover the baking dish with foil so the cheese doesn't burn. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 mins or until bubbling. I take off the foil to brown the cheese a bit...maybe 5-10 mins. That's it! I hope I didn't forget anything as this recipe is just in my head

Tater Tot Casserole

I brown 2 pounds of hamburger and crumble it at the same time. When finished, I add 3 cans of cream of mushroom soup and mix together with the beef thoroughly. I then pour this mixture into a large baking dish. Cover this first layer with cheese as above. It really doesn't matter what kind....just use your own taste. Thirdly, I add tater tots to the top. I prefer to use mini tater tots but you can use any size. I then cover this with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 mins to 1 hour. Its done when bubbling and tater tots are golden brown. Again, I remove the foil cover for the last 5-10 mins of cooking to crisp the top

Chicken Kiev
This is my 8yo's favorite dinner.

I buy frozen Chicken Kiev from the freezer cases at my local store. Some can be bought in single pkgs and some come in packs of 2 or 4. I generally make 4 at a time. In a smaller baking dish, I place all 4 chicken kiev and arrange them so they fit. I cover the dish with foil so the oven doesn't make the outside too crunchy. I bake according to the directions which are usually 375 for 30 minutes. Because the chicken is uncooked, cooking time usually takes about 45 mins to an hour when I check the chicken temp. Again, for the last 5-10 mins, I remove the foil cover to complete the baking. Careful when taking it out as chicken kiev has an inner "stuffing" of butter and sometimes, while cooking, one or more chicken kiev will spring a leak and your baking dish will come out of the oven with a butter bottom. I use this to pour over who wants extra butter on top.

While chicken is cooking, I prepare Minute Rice, servings according to the package. I don't use water to cook the rice. Instead, I use pure and only chicken broth. I time it to be sure both the kiev and rice are done at about the same time.


MommyPrincessQueen -- Mom of ALL Boys!!

Dakota, 14-Freshman, honor roll student, 6' tall & still growing, my *hockey star*, loves the family/friends Paintball days, enjoys deer hunting in Michigan & Wisconsin. Dakota bought a new golden lab the summer of 2007 who is Dakota's faithful tag-along (but she's mom's girl when Ko isn't home!) & he plans to train Nilla (or Wafer) to hunt with him. Dakota loves to create wooden things in the garage & best of all he is the best BIG bro to his younger brothers.

Jeb, 8-1/2, 3rd grader, Loves school, Spelling Champ, Pokemon Expert, Computer Pro, loving, caring, & sensitive but loves Jack a bit too much. Our Million Dollar son was born with cCMV, he's a walking miracle beating the odds. Has ADHD & an autism spectrum disorder but as happy as can be, especially when he gets mail in the mailbox! He recognizes facial expressions and often will ask if you're okay or need a hug.

Jack, 2-1/2, new Preschooler 2x/wk, still mom’s ‘lil Cuddle-Bug, but also a little toughy, always on-the-go, exploring the world around him. He runs so fast, he gets lost in the woods in the blink of an eye. Our home has so many gates for Jack's protection, I can't count them all!! Jack runs faster than Mom. It's important to Jack to keep up with his big brothers, and his favorite saying lately is "Hi, Ko!" (ko stands for dakota).

English Muffin Pizzas

Pizza sauce on top of english muffins, sprinkle with mozz cheese and top with your favorite toppings bake 350 about 10 mins. Easy and quick great for those busy nights.

Hot dog bun pizzas (day old buns)
eggs in a basket: cut out a hole in a pc of bread using a glass or biscuit cutter, melt some butter or oil in a skillet, fry the bread and the hole, crack an egg and drop into the hole of the bread. Cook it on one side and then flip. The kids like it all the way cooked through but dh likes the yolk left soft to dip the circle into it.
Ramen on mashed potatoes
Anything thrown together with some white sauce, cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, or spag. sauce. If you have a starch (pasta, hash browns,tater tots etc...) a veggie and a protein you can dump it into a dish and call it a casserole. I use whatever I can find and make up all different varieties for next to nothing. Get some cookbooks from the library or go to Allrecipes.com for your inspiration. I rarely use recipes except for baking.

SEAFOOD PASTA

spaghetti or favorite noodles
can of chunky new england clam chowder soup
seafood seasoning

*puree soup with seafood seasoning heat and then toss it with cooked noodles.

I really like this thread too. Our family strategy is to leverage left overs, without feeling like we are eating left overs-- This is a sample of one of plans:

We soak a full pot of beans and prep stuff that we can on Sunday for the Mon, Tues, and Wed. (i.e. shred lettuce, grade a whole block of cheese, cut up an onion, etc.) We cook the beans on low in the crock pot that evening and the entire next day. (for seasoning, I use a couple of strips of uncooked bacon that I pulled from cooking Sunday morning, and half a package of taco seasoning.) When I get home Monday night, I either make homemade bread (I have a note below on bread) or cornbread. Cornbread makes a great way to use up left over bell peppers or ground beef, if you have any. I also like to put in an extra 1/4 cup of cream corn or regular corn, to give an extra snap. The cheese is already grated--- so.. Monday is cornbread and beans night. You will have left over beans.

On Tuesday, I place the left over beans in a medium to large pot on the stove. If your "bean juice" is more that an inch over your beans, drain off the excess liquid. Warm the beans on a medium heat. They are easier to mash when they are warm. I mash with a potato masher. Then stir and gently boil--- after 10-15 minutes, you will have refried beans. (If it gets to thick, just add a little water to thin, and if it's too thin, just crank the heat a bit to cook off more liquid). While that is boiling, I cook a pound of ground beef. Sometimes we season with just salt and pepper, but if we want to feel like we are "eating out", I use the Taco Bell seasoning, which you can get at the grocery store now for around .69. Our cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are already chopped... so mexican fiesta night. Just add taco shells, tostadas, or tortillas. (I make my own tortillas, but there are some nice store brands that are not too expensive.) Invariably, you'll have a bit of hamburger, onions, lettuce left over...so save it... and...

Wednesday is Pizza Night!!!. I make my own crust for pennies... see my note below about breads. I take four clove of garlies and 1/4 cup of the onions and sautee until clear in olive oil. I then add a can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato sauce, one can of tomatoe paste, a teaspoon of oregano and basil, and a bit of wine if we have any on hand. We then use the left over meat as toppings. We make side salads out of the leftover tomatoes and lettuce. If we did bread Monday, we will make crutons out of the left overs.

Bottom line, is we'll make three very different dishes, without feeling like we were stuck in the "leftover rut".

My note on bread. I recently bought Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a day.... and it has opened up a lot of cheap possibilities for leftovers. I have always been distressed about the labor and time needed to make homemade bread, but this book has some really simple strategies to make enough bread for the week. I mix the dough on Sunday, put it in the fridge per the directions in the book-- then I used the same dough for bread on Monday, and I still have enough for two good size pizzas on Wednesday. If you get the book, be generous with the cornmeal. I didn't have a "Pizza peel", so I just turned over to the smooth side of a cutting board and it's worked great. I also get my yeast and dough enhancer from an online site called Emergency Essentials. The yeast they send me will fill up an old ragu pasta sauce jar-- and the price for both items is about the same as a tiny jar of yeast at the grocery store-- so you get a lot more for less. I also buy my flour in bulk to save money and store it in a large lidded containers.

grilled cheese and tomato soup

hot dogs and baked beans

english muffin pizzas my kids favorite w/ fruit or soup

WOW!!! You are all wonderful. I love the recipes and will be using them with my family. With the cost of groceries these days, any way we can cut back helps. You gave me some new ideas to get out of making the same old same old. And reminded me of some childhood fave comfort foods, that I have forgotten. Thanks for all the ideas/recipes. Bookmarking this thread.

Brown 1 lb of ground turkey in skillet, drain. Add 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 2 cups hot water and 8 oz spaghetti noodles. Heat til boiling. Reduce heat to simmer, put lid on and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. This is a weekly staple. I figure it costs a little over $3 and we always have leftovers - it makes quite a bit. My DH and DD1 love it!