Showing posts with label $7 Dinner Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $7 Dinner Series. Show all posts

The Perfect Dish for Summer Sauteed Corn and Squash

Sauteed corn and squash makes for the perfect addition to any summer meal. It is delicious enough to make a meal on its own! Made with fresh and simple ingredients, this dish comes together in a matter of moments and is going to get rave reviews from anyone that samples it!



Summer is here you guys! I have never been so happy to hit the farmers market! After a long winter with access to a sad selection of fresh veggies, to see food grown with care and pride inspired my stomach and my menu planning.



I made the easiest dish for dinner last Sunday. It was a lazy summer day. The kids had been playing outside most of the day and I turned to my farmers market finds to create dinner. This recipe is so easy you guys it makes only 3 ingredients and the prep time is minimal, so you can spend more time making summer memories.



Chefs notes:
Use real butter. Butter is something that should not be sacrificed in any kitchen. I firmly believe that using butter to cook is healthier than turning to some scientifically created food like substance. Butter- just do it guys. 

At the last moment, I tossed roughly chopped fresh parsley into the veggie mix to add a splash of green and a little extra flavor. This is optional


This post contains affiliate links
Ingredients

1 yellow squash
2 ears of corn on the cob
2 tablespoons of real butter
parsley to taste (optional)


Directions

Shuck your ears of corn 
Cut the corn from the cob
Chop the squash into chunks
Heat a skillet at a a medium heat setting
Add butter
Add corn and squash
Add parsley if desired
Sautee for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. When your squash is tender you can remove from the heat and serve.



I served this along with garlic roasted asparagus for a delicious dinner that was extremely delicious and healthy. It offered a colorful plate packed with summer veggies! This is one of the many ways we love to enjoy summer squash.




 I would love to hear how you enjoy summer squash!


This dinner was so economical. It is one of the many examples of the reality that you can eat wholesome and healthy foods even on the tightest of budgets.  I always hear people claim that it costs too much to eat healthy. Recipes like this dispel that myth. While I didn't add meat to the meal- you could easily do so if you desired.



You might also like this Easy Berry Parfait Recipe for a quick and scrumptious dessert!


Peanut Butter Chicken {$7 Dinner Series}

Summer is creeping up on us. For my family, that means all 4 of us are home for 3 months.  Sounds fun right?! It is, if you can take the increased cost of living out of the equation. My water and electric bills sky rocket over the summer, we spend about 3 times more on gasoline in the summer. My grocery bill makes me want to cry. With my husband and son eating all 3 meals at home for 3 months it more than doubles every week. We haven't even got on the subject of entertaining the family, the sports and so on.

This summer, I am going to reign in our spending. I am taking that depression inducing grocery bill on first. I have made it my mission to discover the recipes that taste amazing and are economical too. I am giving them a bonus star if they can be prepared without use of the oven.

This has led me to start a little series over here called the $7 Dinner Series. I will be featuring recipes that you can make for your family for under $7 that will earn cheers instead of jeers for budget cooking!

I love peanut chicken from the Chinese Restaraunt, but taking the family out for dinner every time I crave Peanut Chicken is definitely not budget friendly! Luckily, I came up with an incredibly easy and delicious alternative.

Before you groan at the thought of eating peanut butter coated chicken, let me tell you, this is incredible. It is such a scrumptious combination. If you try it, you are going to like it. I promise!



This meal features fresh veggies and chicken. To give you a run down on the cost

I purchased a 2.5 pound bag of store brand chicken tenders for $5.47 I used 1/2 of the bag for this recipe to feed 4 people. That made the cost of chicken for this recipe $2.74.

I had peanut oil on hand.

I used about 1/3 of a cup of peanut butter this would add about 45 cents to the price of dinner.

Asparagus was on sale for 99 cents a pound.

Sliced mushrooms were on sale for $1.09

I used about 1/3 of a stick of butter which would add about 30 cents to the price of dinner.

That brings this meal for 4 to $5.57.

My husband says it is even better than take out, and seriously I couldn't go out for Peanut Chicken solo for $5.57!


Ingredients Needed for Peanut Butter Chicken With Asparagus and Sauteed Mushrooms


1 1/4 pound of frozen chicken tenders
1/3 cup of smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons or so of peanut oil {you can use vegetable oil if that is what you have on hand!}

1 pound of asparagus, fresh with trimmed ends
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of sliced mushrooms
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

Salt and Pepper as desired


Directions 


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place mushrooms in a frying pan with butter over medium heat. Allow to cook, stirring as needed until the mushrooms have a lovely golden brown color to them.

Place your trimmed asparagus on a baking dish. Add butter to the top of the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish. Place this in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes.

Begin to fry your chicken tenders in peanut oil at a temperature of about 300 degrees. {I use a wok}

As the chicken has fried and reached the recommended temperature of 165-170 degrees remove it from the pan or wok and cut it into smaller chunks.

 Discard oil remaining in wok/pan after it has cooled down a touch.

Return chicken chunks to the pan/wok, turn to a medium heat setting.

Add the peanut butter to the wok.

Stir as it melts, make sure the chicken is coated.

Remove mushrooms and asparagus from heat and serve with the  Peanut Butter Chicken!


This is such a great recipe. It is delicious, it cooks easily and quickly and it is economical. You really can't beat it!

Do you have a favorite economical dinner that you often make for your family? I would love to hear about it!


You might also enjoy this cute cupcake decorating idea!

You won't want to miss this collection of Lo Mein recipes.



Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos {$7 Dinner Series}

My favorite meals to prepare for my family are easy, economical and packed full of veggies. The less time I spend cooking and cleaning up the better. I would much rather play with my kids or read them a story after dinner than spend an hour cleaning up! I would also prefer to have time to listen to my son talk about his school day over cooking!

This recipe for Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos meets all of my criteria for a great meal! This is so easy to make and you can create this recipe for about $7 with smart shopping!

To begin here is a run down of what I purchased to create this dinner for my family and how much each ingredient cost.

Tyson 2/5 pound bag of frozen chicken breast, sale price of $4.99. I used 1/2 of the package  for a total of $2.49
1 jar of Meijer brand salsa, sale price of $1.00
1 pacakge of Meijer brand soft flour tortillas $1.49
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1.00
2 ounces of cream cheese .33 (a 6 oz package was .99)
1/2 an onion  ( sale price of 67 cents for a small sweet onion) .33
1/2 a green pepper .50



For a total of $7.14



Ingredients
1 1/4 cup of cooked chicken breast
1 jar of salsa
1 package of tortillas
1/2 cup of shredded  cheese
1/3 package of cream cheese
1/2 an onion
1/2 a green pepper


Directions 
Cook your chicken in a pan of boiling water when it has reached the recommended internal temperature, remove it from heat, allow to cool to a temperature you can work with and cut it into small chunks.

Cut your onion and green pepper into small chunks

Add salsa, cream cheese, shredded cheese, chicken and chopped veggies to a medium size pan, over medium heat, allow the cream cheese and shredded cheese to melt, stirring several times. Once the cheese is melted you can serve this on soft tortillas for an easy meal your family will love.

Garnish with Sour cream or hot sauce if desired.

I often serve this with a side of Spanish Rice, or a light salad. The best part is this is one meal my entire family loves!


You might also enjoy this Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe from my $7 Dinner Series.




Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich

A few weeks ago, I realized that my grocery budget needed a major overhaul. Summer is here and my expenses always double in the summer. From utilities to entertainment; gasoline and groceries. You name it, with my entire family home for 3 months, it is going to cost more!

Thanks to BFree for sending product to use in this recipe! Be Free offers wheat and gluten free options ranging from pita to bagels, breads and rolls.

This year, I want to enjoy having my son and husband home with Harper and I. Sometimes, money stress really hampers our summer fun. So, I began examining our expenses and finding ways to cut them where possible without sacrificing any standard of living... well lets be honest, standard of eating!

I made it my mission to uncover great meals for a family of 2 adults and 2 preschool-ish age kids that would cost us less than $7 total.

$7 seems like a cheap meal right? Originally I thought about doing $5 meals, but I doubted I could produce delicious and nutritious meals on such a tight budget. We are not big beans and rice eaters. The possibilities have been promising so far on this inexpensive gourmet mission. I incorporate sale items into my menu to maximize my savings and to get the best use of fresh ingredients.


Sandwiches are a great option for any meal. They are fun to eat and they tie so many good flavors together! There is no shortage of sandwiches you can make! If you can dream it, make it and eat it! This is another one of those incredibly yummy and easy recipes that you can create for under $7. I loved that it created minimal dirty dishes in the preparation process and that the sandwich was substantial enough to make a meal on its own.





Ingredients
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast sliced thin or diced into small chunks.
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of shredded cheese
8 slices of your choice sandwich bread, I used BFree Brown Seeded Sandwich Bread
Spicy Brown Mustard

Directions
 Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a frying pan. Cook thinly sliced chicken breast thoroughly.

As your chicken is browning, saute sliced mushrooms until they are a golden color.

When your chicken is ready add the cheese and allow to melt.

Add spicy brown mustard to the bread. Add cheesy chicken to the bread and top with mushrooms.
Serve while hot.


Do you ever serve hot sandwiches for dinner? What is your favorite kind to prepare?



You might also like my Elvis Sandwich Recipe or My Peanut Butter Chicken recipe. 


Throw Together Chili Recipe with Farmer's Pantry Cornbread Crisps

Throw Together Chili with Farmer's Pantry Cornbread Crisps
This post was sponsored.

It is May.... my furnace is still kicking on in the mornings and again throughout the evening! One day last week I felt that a pot of chili was in order, but I was ill prepared to make it. I had very limited ingredients. I didn't let that stop me and I made a quick pot of Throw Together Chili. This was an economical and delicious dinner- and it was easy! Best of all, this made 2 dinners!




Before we get to the recipe for Throw Together Chili let me tell you a little more about Farmer's Pantry Cornbread Crisps.

Farmer’s Pantry Cornbread Crisps, available in Original and Jalapeno flavors, are a crispy, savory snack that tastes as mouth-wateringly delicious as the first bite of a slice of corn bread or corn muffin. Made from fresh corn and other whole grains grown on American farms, these crisps are sure to appeal to discriminating snackers across the country.


Throw Together Chili
A quick chili made with simple ingredients.

Ingredients
  • 4 cans Condensed Tomato Soup
  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 bag Farmer's Pantry Cornbread Crisps
Instructions

Cook lean ground beef until browned and cooked thoroughly. 
Drain any fat.
Break beef into small pieces.
Place beef into a soup pot.
Add onion and saute.
Add 4 cans of tomato soup to the beef and onion mix.
Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the soup. 
Add the chili powder and ground red pepper.
Stir well.
Heat on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
Serve topped with shredded cheese and Farmer's Pantry Cornbread Crisps.

Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 servings

You might also enjoy this Hungry Girl's Sweet and Spicy Tuna Taco Recipe.