Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Today’s recipe is so easy you won’t know what to do with your extra time. Here are some ideas: take a nap, take a shower, paint your nails, play tag with your kiddos, get dressed, put on some make up, twirl around in circles etc. etc. etc. The possibilities are endless. If you can make macaroni and cheese and open a few cans, you can make this dinner!!!

Step one: Make a box of macaroni and cheese according to package directions.

Step two: Add a can of cream of chicken soup, a can of tuna, and some frozen corn or peas. We used a can of corn because that’s what we had in the pantry.

Done. Easy shmeasy. I will now show you the picture of it completed, but please, please, please don’t make fun of my picture taking skills.

Okay, you can make fun of the picture a little bit. It’s sooooo blurry. Just pretend a certain child of mine bumped me right as I took the picture and then lost my camera temporarily so I couldn’t take any more pictures. Don’t assume that I had no idea the picture was so blurry until I downloaded it onto my computer days later. That’s not what happened at all…….

But at least I used up my free time well. Look at my pretty fingernails.

Thank you Pinterest for fingernail inspiration. I have to say, I was a little worried that this would turn out  tasting a lot like macaroni and cheese. While this was a childhood favorite of mine, my palate has since become more sophisticated. Meaning, I now hate boxed macaroni and cheese. 🙂 I was happily surprised by this meal, however. It turned out delicious and didn’t taste at all like boxed macaroni and cheese. Not only did my kiddos love it, but so did I!!! Now, here is your written recipe (although I’m sure you don’t need it.)

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, $3.45

1 box macaroni and cheese and ingredients needed to make  it ($1.50)

1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup ($ .75)

1 can drained tuna ($ .60)

1 can corn or 1 C frozen vegetables ($.60)

Directions: Make the box of macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Add the soup, tuna, and vegetable to the macaroni and cheese and cook on stove until heated through. Serve and enjoy.

Tips to make this healthier: Use homemade macaroni and cheese rather than the boxed variety. Also, make your own cream of chicken soup. You could probably add twice as many vegetables as well and still have a delicious dinner.

Veggie Stir Fry over Rice

Hello blogging world! After a short recess, I am back with a vengeance. And by vengeance, I mean I am ready to give you some rocking $5 dinners. When I first started doing this blog I had a goal of only spending $40 a week on groceries. The $3o I spent on fruits and vegetables from the food co-op would not be included in the $40. This way, I would fit comfortably into my goal of $200 a month on food and I would even have a $10 leeway.

Well, I’ve only been grocery shopping about 3 times since I started  this plan and I must say, the results have been great! The first week I spent about $45. I spent a little extra because I found boneless skinless chicken breast at such a great price. I knew I only went over my budget because of the chicken, but I was still pretty worried about maintaining this budget. I figured I just had to keep trying. After all, I had some cheap meals to work with.

The second week was a little better. I spent about $32. I was at a $38.50 average for both weeks, which is pretty good and within my budget. Well, my real success came this week. My grocery shopping for the week was less than $20!!! I’m realizing that the more I do this budget, the easier it is to save. I know which ingredients to buy and where to buy them. I know what foods I still have leftover and use them in my meal planning for the next week. If all goes well with shopping next week, I should be well under budget for the month! I may just have to go looking for a good deal on something we use often (pasta, rice, peanut butter, or something) to use up the extra money in my budget. If not, I guess we’ll just roll the money over into next month. Saving money is great! Without further ado, here is your recipe.

Veggie Stir Fry over Rice, $4.75

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen stir fry veggies ($1.25)

1 C chopped, cooked meat – you can use chicken, ham, shrimp, whatever you want ($1.50)

2 C cooked rice ($ .75)

1/2 C teriyaki sauce ($ .75)

1/4 C soy sauce ($ .50)

Directions: Stir fry the frozen stir fry veggies with the teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. Add the meat and continue stir frying until everything is heated through. Serve over the cooked rice.

Tips to Make this Healthier: The unhealthiest thing about this meal is the amount of sodium that is included in pre-made teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. You could make your own teriyaki sauce, and use soy sauce that has reduced sodium. You can also serve this with another vegetable or a fruit. I would suggest using fresh vegetables instead of frozen vegetables, but fresh vegetables aren’t really that much better. If you have some fresh veggies on hand though, feel free to use them. They are better than frozen, just not by a lot. You could also use brown rice instead of white rice. Delicious.