$5 Dinner Cabbage Soup

When you are on a budget, a delicious dinner for $5, really hits the spot. We tried this recipe for the first time over the summer when the boys were visiting grandparents. Now we crave it all the time. We just told our picky eater that the cabbage was lettuce.

Cabbage Soup

1 lb ground beef  $2.50

1 Cabbage, chopped  $0.69

2 cans diced tomatoes with basil and oregano $0.69 each

1 tsp Beef bouillon $3.69 for 38 servings equals $0.10 per tsp

6 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste
any other veggies laying around
 

Total cost $4.67

optional ingredients

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain meat. Return meat to pot and add other ingredients. Leave on medium heat for 45 minutes. Serves a family of four with left overs. 
 

Ground Beef Casserole

I was first driven to this recipe because the ingredients are all staples at my house.  This is a great dish to keep the ingredients in the freezer and pantry. But, it turned out to be a great recipe for us. It originally called for salsa, but all the salsa was gone. I used seasoned tomatoes and it was a hit.

Adapted from http://mommyofamonster.com/2014/01/dinner-idea-ground-beef-casserole.html#_a5y_p=1208993

Ground Beef Casserole

• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey                                                 
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, drained                                               
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained                                         
• 1 can of tomatoes with seasoning                                                      
• 1 cup cheese, shredded                                                                           

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375.
2. Cook the beef or turkey in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it's fully cooked through (about 10 minutes.) Drain any remaining fat.
3. In a 8x8 baking dish, mix the meat, beans, and tomatoes together.
4. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Stir, and then top with the cheese. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Grammi's Lasanga

My moms lasagna is the best and I certainly wanted to include her recipes in this blog. Pinterest is alive with lasagna roll ups, but I think they are to much work. Traditional lasagna is so much easier. I usually eat one and freeze one. I buy the 8x8 square pans at garage sales.  They freeze well, fit in the freezer well, and take meals to others.

Grammi's Lasagna

2 lbs ground beef

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 package of ricotta cheese (mom used cottage cheese)

1 package cream cheese

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 box lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef, drain and allow to cool. Cook noodles according to package directions. While the meat and noodles are cooking, mix ricotta, cream cheese, green onions, and garlic powder. Mix meat with spaghetti sauce. Layer starting with meat sauce, then noodles, then cheese mixture. I only use one layer, but you can do one or two. For the top, after the last noodle layer top with more meat mixture. Make sure all of the noodles are covered or the will become dry in the oven.  Top lasagna with mozzarella. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

If your family is anything like mine, include a couple loaves of Italian Bread and ENJOY! 

Chicken Corn Chowder

 

 

Chicken Corn Chowder

1 onion, chopped
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 butternut squash, chopped
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of milk
2 bags of frozen corn
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned and cut into pieces




Fry bacon in a Dutch oven. Remove bacon and let drain on paper towels. Sauté onion in bacon fat until soft. Add squash, broth, milk, corn and chicken. Cook on medium heat until squash is soft, about 45 minutes. Add chopped bacon back to the pot and eat!!!

Quiche for Mommy's Lunch

I am always looking for lunches to take to work. I need them to taste good, last all week in the fridge and be healthy.  I tried a new recipe for this week and it was good so I thought I would share.

It is from Mom on a Time Out. Below is the link to the original recipe.

http://www.momontimeout.com/2012/08/zucchini-green-chile-quiche-recipe/

I reduced the cheese and chiles, left out the cottage cheese and changed the shallots to green onion. Next time I might make it without a crust. It will have significantly less calories without a crust. Half a can of green chiles created a mild flavor. Mild was perfect for me, but if you want more spice add more.

1 pie crust

1 medium zucchini

1 Tbls olive oil

2 green onions 

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

 Dash of pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

Directions:

First prebake the crust for 7 minutes at 375 degrees.

Then grate the zucchini, I used a paper towel to soak up the extra moisture.

Cook the zucchini and green onions in a skillet about five minutes. While the zucchini mixture is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to fluff the eggs and combine. Add zucchini mixture.

Place mixture in the pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.