~$5 Meal Ideas~

[jelynn]

Originally Posted by leobaby04 I looooove this one! 1 box Zatarain's Dirty Rice mix 1 lb sausage or ground beef (I like to buy italian sausages and take them out of the casings, but you could use cut up smoked sausages too.) cook as directed on the box. Delish!

I'm going to try this today! I happen to have everything on hand!

[Trishalynn]

Peach chicken

boneless/skinless chicken breasts, how ever many you need
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1-2 cans of peach halve or quarters
rice

cut the chicken breasts in half and line a pan with it sprinkle with half the brown sugar, then put peaches in and pour juice in too then sprinkle with remainder of brown sugar, bake at what you normally bake chicken at and serve with rice (we use what ever the quick stuff is lol) it tastes really good!

[ewebabymama]

Originally Posted by FitMommyOf2 Here's one I've actually learned from watching the Duggar family on tv Tatar tots casserole 1 pack of tatar tots 1-2 cans of cream of mushroom 1 pack of ground beef Seasoning to taste Cheese Brown the ground beef, put frozen tatars into a large baking pan, pour 1-2 cans of cream of mushroom over, top w/ground beef. Bake in oven @ 400F for about 35-40 mins, add sprinkles of cheese for the last 5 mins.

We have this a lot!! Except I make it a bit different... (we do this for several meals, or I freeze half for later)

Brown 2 lbs of ground beef then add
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of mushroom
1 package french onion soup mix

Place in baking dish, top with tots bake on 375 till bubbly. Last 10 minutes add cheese.

White chicken chili

1lb cooked chicken breast
2 cans chicken broth
2cans northen beans
1 can chopped green chilis
cumin to taste

Put all in pot and heat through. I like to thicken mine a little though. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn muffins.

[milniks7]

Another my kids adore..Chicken in cream of celery soup


1 lb chicken cut up small..1 lb feeds all of us including dh because of the way it is served..they eat less of the chicken.

2(or 3, we use 3 now that the bigger kids seem to eat more!) cans of cream of celery soup...place soup and 1 can water for each can soup in pan...mix and add chicken pieces...simmer for about a half hour..make rice(however much you need)

then we pour the chicken mix over the rice and serve with corn on the side(some of them mix the corn in as well)

gee...think we eat a lot of chicken? i buy it whenever it is 1.69 a lb and stock up!

they also like it when i cut the chicken up into bigger pieces, soak it in italian dressing for a bit and then pour it on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes..served with a veg and sometimes a rice mix....


some good recipes here for me to try!


Nikki
mom to Shea,Anya,Molly,Luke,Noah,Aedan and Lachlan

[Samantha]

Tuna noodle cass.

can of tuna
2cans of cream of mush soup (or use big can which is what we do)
pasta of your choice
cheese
salt+pepper to taste

cook pasta. Mix in soup and tuna and simmer for a while. Put in baking dish add shredded cheese to top and put in oven until cheese is melted. Can also be eaten without the cheese if you prefer I didnt put measurements in because you can make this recipe as small or large as you want.

Pork chops

pork chops
2cans of cream of mush soup(or 1 lg can)
WHITE onion
salt+pepper to taste

Brown pork chops WITH the chopped up white onion. I cover it for 1/2 the time (to help cook the onions, if the onions brown a little its SUPER yummy!) and 1/2 the time without the lid. Add soup and simmer for a while. Serve over rice. (you can use above recipe for chicken that is really good too, but I dont add the onions)

Those are 2 cheap ones I can think of off the top of my head. I have a BIG OL' list of cheap recipies (I took a SUPER frugal cooking class a couple years ago) but, I cant find them..I lost them in the move

Something else that is cheap and good is the chicken pot pie recipe on the side of a bisquick box. I use a bag of california veggies and bake a potato or two and chop them up.

[littleways]

A new favourite of mine at the moment:

Crust Free Quiche

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups of soya, rice or cows milk
brocilli
red pepper
mushrooms
grate some cheese

pop in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes

add some salad on the side and your good to go.

[KnottyLDSMama]

Around my house, this was always called "Chilli Rice and Cheese Sh*t". Haha. It's a new spin on chilli rice & corn tortillas.

1 bag of Fritos (I like to use the bbq fritos)
2 cans chilli
bag of rice
shredded cheese

Cook the chilli and rice. Pour some fritos in the bottom of the bowl. Top with chilli, cheese, then rice. It's absolutely delicious, and quite filling, too.

[dirtdartwife]

Here's two... humor me with the first one as it's an old Polish recipe for Bash (I don't know how to spell it in Polish, but that's how it sounds)

BASH
1) boil a Keilbasa ring in water
2) hard boil 6 eggs
3) boil 5 medium potatoes (or enough for mashed potatoes for your family)

*take the kielbasa out of water and slice to bite sized pieces
*add about 1-2 tbsp corn starch (or flour.. whatever you wish) to thicken boiled water-- not to gravy consitence, but just to thicken it a bit
* bring water to boil again and allow it to thicken. add salt, pepper and a dash of white vinegar

* mash up potatoes and cut up eggs to bite sized pieces
* toss eggs and kielbasa back into water and let it simmer for about 10 minutes
* put mashed potatoes into bowls and pour soup over mashed potatoes.

Cheaters version of tacos or enchiladas
Buy the Hamburger helper taco or enchilada version when it's on sale
Make according to directions
throw over frito chips or tortilla's
add lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and whatever else you like on tacos.

And talk to my kids about the popcorn for meals!

We also have "Fend for yourself nights" or "salad nights". The first is when I'm too dang lazy to have started dinner at a decent hour so everyone has to find a can of soup they want. The other is when I make a huge salad and that's dinner.

[quixb]

This may be $5 depending on sales, brands ect....but its close.

Tater Tot Casserol ~ a little different than above

1 lb hamburger($2)
1 can cream of mushroom (or cream of anything)($1)
bag of tater tots ($2)

Take hamburger (uncooked) and pat down in an 8x10 or 9x13 pan (depending on thickness you preffer of meat)
Spread soup over top of meat
Cover with tots and cook according to tots direcetions (sometimes a little longer until your meat is done)

Thats it....cover with ketchup and we like to add shredded cheese yummy

[clothdiapermom]

I do a lot of sale shopping so I can make this for less than $5 but it will vary if you have to pay full price for everything.

Hobo Stew (This is what my mom always called it)

1lb Ground Beef
2 cans vegetarian vegetable soup
2-3 medium potatoes
2-3 carrots
a little garlic (you can use fresh, or garlic salt, or even garlic chips)

All you do is brown the ground beef and drain the grease, add the two cans of soup and two cans of water. Peal and cube the potatoes and peal and slice the carrots and add those as well. I sprikle some garlic salt in as well, you can do as much or as little as you like. Let the whole thing simmer on low for a while until the potatoes and carrots are cooked.

I know it isn't much but my DH and I love this and it is so easy to make. You can add some sort of muffins, cornbread, or really any type of bread if you like. We serve it in bowls because it is a thinner soup.