Bas-ghetti

*I know this is a classic meal but it's so good you can't help but love it! This is Cambri's favorite meal as well as mine; hence the name "bas-ghetti." This is another cheapo meal. Plus it uses the leftover ground beef and salad from last night!

YOU'LL NEED:

-1/2 lb. spaghetti ($1)

-1 jar spaghetti sauce ($1.68) you could use homemade sauce it would be cheaper.

-1/2 lb. ground beef ($.00) left from last night, price included in last nights meal.

-leftover salad from night before

-1/2 loaf french bread ($.45) on sale at Wal-Mart for $.90!!

-3 tbs. butter ($.05)

-1 tbs. garlic salt

TOTAL: $3.18

DIRECTIONS:

-Boil spaghetti noodles till desired doneness.

-Drain noodles. Add leftover hamburger and sauce in with noodles. Heat through.

-Cut slices off of half of loaf of french bread. Put rest in freezer or fridge for later meal.

-Butter slices and season with garlic salt.

-Bake bread at 350 for 4 min.

-Serve spaghetti and bread with leftover salad! Enjoy!

Taco Salad

*This is a quick go-to meal that actually helps with a meal later on in the week and an extra side-dish as well for later on. It's a great cool and fresh summer recipe that I love! Since I have found this $5 dinner blog, I have thought that this lady has had a really good idea in posting how much your meal will cost you. So I'm going to steal her idea and try and post how much each meal will cost you. I'm not as good at it as her but I'll try my hardest. Hopefully I can show you that it doesn't cost a lot to fix nice meals for not a lot of buck! Please leave me a comment and let me know if you like this new addition to the blog!
And also please go check out this blog for more money saving meals! She's awesome!
http://5dollardinners.blogspot.com

You'll Need:
-Bag of doritos chips ($2) bought them 2/4 on sale
-1 lb of ground beef ($0) we did a beef last winter and froze all of it, it was a gift from the in-laws (this will probably cost you around $2)
-1/2 onion or minced whatever you like ($.50)
-1 can red kidney beans ($.50)
-1 cup shredded cheese ($.50) again bought on sale and froze bags of it)
-taco seasoning ($.10) I only use 1/4 packet and save rest for later)
-head of lettuce ($1)
-1 roma tomato ($.24)
-2 stalks celery (around $.10)
-1 long carrot ($.10)
-1 cup ranch dressing ($1)

TOTAL: $7.54 (including the beef price)
**remember you have already prepared cooked meat for another meal so cut that out of the cost for your next meal! And also you have the rest of your salad for your side dish the next night!!

DIRECTIONS:
-Dice onion and put in with ground beef to brown. When done cooking put 1/2 of hamburger in a container and you can put it in your fridge for a later meal. I have found it lasts about 3-5 days to stay really fresh.
-Add just about 1/4 packet of taco seasoning to the meat you left out.
-Make a salad with the lettuce, celery, carrots and tomato.
-Layer chips, salad, meat, beans, cheese and dressing on a plate.
-Dig in!!

*This is a fast, healthy meal to prepare when you are running late or just don't feel like cooking!

Chicken Pot Pie Bowls

I can't take credit for this recipe because I found it off of http://5dollardinners.com it really is the best site! You really have to go check it out! This lady does every single meal for her family UNDER $5!! How insane is that! She makes all of them nutritious. Anyway, I saw this recipe and had to try it. It was great! I'm definitely making it again! This serves about 4-6 people.

You'll Need:
-2 chicken breasts ($1.77) about 1 lb.
-2-3 tsp. evoo (olive oil) ($.10)
-1 tsp. garlic powder ($.01)
-Salt/Pepper
-1-2 tbs. mustard ($.05)
-1.5-2 lbs. of white potatoes ($1.19)
-1/2-1 cup of milk ($.08)
-1 tbs. butter or olive oil ($.15)
-Salt/Pepper
1- 16 oz. bag frozen mixed veggies ($.99)

Total: $4.34

DIRECTIONS:
-Place chicken breasts in 8x8 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. **I actually sped things up way faster and just sauteed it in a skillet in olive oil. Tasted great and made it faster!
-Thaw frozen veggies.
-After chicken is done cooking , cut into 1/2 inch-1 inch cubes.
-Combine cubed chicken with frozen veggies. Add 1 tbs. mustard and stir through.
-Make mashed potatoes. Peel potatoes, cut into quarters. Boil until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and place in bowl. Add butter (olive oil), milk and salt and pepper. The consistency of the mashed potatoes should be thick so add milk carefully!
-Place mashed potatoes in a bowl or on a plate. Make a "nest" to fill in with the chicken and veggies.
-Enjoy!!
**this could stand on it's own, and it's quick! But I served a salad along side it. And it was great to! This is very filling and healthy!! Let me know what you thought of it!