My goal is to provide dinner for my family for an average of $5 except on special occasions. We don’t have to eat beans and rice to accomplish this goal! We typically only cook a main dish 4 or 5 times a week, so each main dish cooked will be for 4-6 servings, and the leftovers will be for easy dinners on the weekend, or to freeze for another week. This cuts down on cleaning, cooking, and meal planning- saving us lots of time!
Taco Salad and Peaches
ground beef @ free (cooked, counted and frozen in Nov.)
taco seasoning @ free
1/2 a tomato @ .46
tortilla chips @ .66
cheese and rotel for dip @ 1.31
lettuce @ .11
1/2 can corn @ .06 (super sale with a Q at Albertson’s in Oct)
1 can of sliced peaches @free (used $1 off Q at Brookshire’s)
Total Cost: $2.60
Raspberry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Cheese Toast
1 lb. flavored pork @ 4.87
2 potatoes @ .40
1 can green beans @ .25
3 slices toast @ .18
3 slices of cheese @ .18
Total Cost: $5.84
Baked Ziti (my crockpot variation) with pineapples
1 box ziti pasta @ 1.00
1 pound Italian sausage @ 3.50
garlic, minced onion, basil, italian seasoning
32 oz tomato sauce @ 1.33
1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese@ 1.00
1 cup grated romano cheese @ 1.00
3/4 cup parmesan cheese @ .95
1 can pineapples @ .76
Total Cost: $9.54
Breakfast for Dinner (Hubby got a new electric griddle for Christmas and wanted to experiment)
5 scrambled eggs @ .42
3 slices of cheese @ .18
pancake mix @.33
syrup @ .25
milk @ .07
orange juice @ .64
6 slices of ham @ .40
1 box of brownies @ .50
2 eggs @ .16
veggie oil
Total cost: $2.96
Tortilla Soup (variation from a recipe by my friend who blogs at Simple Purpose)
1 lb. chicken pulled @ 1.68
1 can rotel @ $.77
1 cup mild salsa @ $.94
3/4 can black beans @ .46
garlic & cumin
1 cup sour cream@ .13 (Brookshire’s $1 Q again!)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar @ .25
1/2 red onion diced@ .20?
Total Cost: $4.43
Average cost for the meals we’re cooking this week: $5.05
If you wonder how I get food items for free or for next to nothing, keep reading my blog. Every week I post the best grocery deals in the East Texas area so you’ll know when and where to buy food products, what coupons to use and where to find them. I’m always looking for new $5 dinners to try. If you have any recipes, please send me an e-mail (link on my sidebar)