Chicken Helper

I was inspired by KAJ's post for Hamburger Helper, so we decided to dive right in. After all, sometimes we all need a little* sodium in our diets (*the definition of little is a personal one).

So here it is:

Chicken Helper - jumbalaya style (1.50)
Chicken breasts - 1 lb (2.99)

DH had a salad, but I didn't, so I'm ignoring that cost.

Total: $4.49 (plus lunch the next day)

Not exactly the most nutritious option, but there really are affordable foods out there.

Red Beans and Rice

What could be more economical then beans and rice, am I right?



Found this recipe on epicurious. I was planning on doing something more cajun, but this seemed interesting. I love those one pot meals.

Red Beans and Rice

3 bacon slices, chopped - $0.50
1 cup chopped onion - $0.30
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper - $1.00
4 garlic cloves, minced $0.10
3 cups long-grain white rice - $0.50
3 bay leaves - who knows
2 tablespoons tomato paste - $0.10
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon hot Spanish smoked paprika (Pimentón de la Vera) (I used mild and a few dashes of chipolte powder_
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water
1 15- to 151/2-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed, drained (I used 3 cups cooked dried beans) - $0.50

Total - $3.00...is that right? I am estimating, but we did get 2 meals out of this. I need to check some of these figures.

PreparationSauté chopped bacon in heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon is brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated, about 1 minute. Stir in bay leaves, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, and salt. Add 4 cups water and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Remove bay leaves. Transfer rice to bowl and serve.




I paired my meal with coleslaw with a homemade cider vinagrette - about $1.00

Ravioli with Peas and Tomatoes

The recipe I found, Tortellini with Peas, sound good and cheap. I couldn't find any frozen pasta like the recipe called for, but they sound good to have on hand for a quick meal. I do also always have peas in the freezer.

Basically, my recipe looked like this

$ 3.50 Ravioli

$ 0. 10 2tbsp butter

$ 0. 10 1tsp jarred garlic

$ 0. 75 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

$ 0. 50 1/3 cup peas

$ 1. 33 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

salt and pepper

Total $6.28 WOOHOO!! Now, this was only for B and I, but another package of ravioli would only bring me to $9.78 :) Pretty good though...depending on the ravioli you buy !!

Baked Ziti

Oh wait, what challenge is this? :)



I used to be really enamored with this recipe, but it is never as good as I think it should be and maybe I od'ed on it a little bit. I still make it because it is easy, the kids like it, and it freezes well. I am guesstimating on the price of the ingredients.



Baked Ziti

1 160z box barilla penne pasta, cooked - $1.25
~3 cups homemade marinara sauce - $2.00
1 32 oz tub ricotta cheese - $3.99
1 "ball" of fresh mozzerella cheese - $3.99
1 12 oz pack organic chicken sausage, sliced BOGO@$4.99 - $2.50
= $13.73 / 2 = $6.87 (this will be 2 dinners for us)

Combine cooked pasta, ricotta cheese, about 1/2 cup cubed mozerrella, 1 1/2 cup sauce in large bowl (or pot you cooked the pasta in). Spread some sauce in bottom of 2 2-qt baking dishes. Spoon in pasta mixture. Top with more sauce and mix in a little. Sprinkle sauce over top. Top with sliced mozerrella. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Add lettuce salad ~ .75 + dressing ~.25

Baked Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables

This isn't a gourmet meal, but it makes a little meat go a long way and is kid friendly.

1/2 lb cooked and drained 90/10 ground beef - $1.50

1 box WW Rotini - $1.25

1 jar spaghetti sauce - $1.00

1 c diced carrot - $0.25

1/2 c diced onion - $0.25

1 diced red bell pepper - $0.50

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese - $0.75

1 small loaf french bread from Costco - $1.00

1. Saute carrot, onion and bell pepper in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add ground beef and jar of spaghetti sauce, bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or more.

2. Cook pasta.

3. Combine pasta and sauce in large casserole dish.

4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

5. Top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Total: $6.50 (and we got two nights worth of meals out of it)

Don't want to peak to early!!

My husband has been wanting to cook this for the blog for as long as I can remember!

$ 2.00 Hamburger Helper... Then he always says, "Doesn't need any help to me!"
$ 0.39 1 1/3cup milk a gallon of organic milk cost me $6.29
$ 3.56 1 lb 90/10 beef

$ 5.99 for corn! WHAT! is that right?!? Did I pay that much?!? Crap, this challenge is tough.
TOTAL!! $11.94

April's Challenge - State of the Economy Challenge

I apologize for being late on April's challenge. The change over to the new month slipped my mind. This month's challenge is to post recipes that can be made for roughly $10 or under. I'm not going to stipulate a number of servings but try to post things that at least serve 2 adults. I've stewed over how to tally things like herbs and dabs of things but in order to keep it simple here is a generic list of Freebie ingredients:

standard dried pantry herbs including salt/pepper
anything you pick from your own garden (yep, if you went to all that work ... you don't have to count it in your total)
pats of butter or swigs of oil for cooking
a slice of anything ... (like a slice of bread from a whole loaf)

etc.

You get the idea I think ... use your best judgement and your best cost estimate. Or share things you do to cut your grocery costs since this seems to be a hot topic lately.

For extra points: Go to your local library and check out a new cookbook for your $10 inspirations!