Sometimes it is hard to balance quick and easy with cheap when it comes to meals. The kids are really starting to get into their activities, and with all of the driving around (although I know we are probably better than most in that regard), there is little time for doing a lot of cooking from scratch.
But home made meals don’t need to be elaborate to be healthy, warm, filling and delicious. Made with lower cost ingredients or even leftovers, you can have some great dinners without a lot of time or cost. Here we come $5 dinners!
One of my favorite cheap dinner ideas for this time of year, the fall, the the baked potato bar. Potatoes are one of the more inexpensive foods, and in the month of November, they can get even less expensive. You’ll often find five pound bags of potatoes on buy one get one free sales or discounted as much as 40 percent, in order to get shoppers in the grocery store. Everyone wants their mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, right?
Take advantage of this to plan out one night for a potato bar. Simply bake enough potatoes for your family, and then lay out all sorts of toppings that can go on the potatoes. Each family member can build his or her own custom dinner. Just use whatever you have on hand plus one or two of your family’s favorite ingredients.
Here are some of the items that I usually have out for our potato bar (which by the way is nothing more than the dishes and bowls laid out on the kitchen counter).
Leftover vegetables, such as broccoli
Various shredded cheese, such as cheddar, Mexican blend, mozzarella
Leftover meat, such as shredded chicken, sloppy joe mix, bacon
Alfredo sauce (goes great with the chicken)
Sour cream and butter
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How to Save on Groceries without Coupons
How to Make Budget-Friendly Lunches
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