This week did not go as planned. I developed a summer cold on Friday and my meal plan for the weekend flew out the window. But if you maintain a healthy budget friendly meal plan, it is not horrible to splurge on take out once in a while. I tend to “travel” around the world some weeks with my cooking. What can I say? I like variety. Mexican, Korean, Indian, American! Yum! This is my weekly meal plan on $60 or less! (my average prices do not include spices, butter, oil, etc)
Monday
Chicken Enchiladas (@$11.00)
- Chicken Breast $4.28 (2.99 lb, Fresh
Market) - Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese $1.99
- Sour Cream $0.89 (½ container, Trader Joe’s)
- Poblano $0.49
- Diced Green Chiles $0.89 (can, Trader Joe’s)
- Rice $1.25 (Zatarain’s Cilantro Lime)
- Tortillas $1.24 (½ package)
I love this recipe. As my usual, I had to change something. I diced a poblano pepper and mix it into the chicken and cheese mixture. If you like food spicier, feel free to add a hotter pepper or use more green chiles. There is usually leftovers and the recipe is also easy to double for dinner guests. I tend to use baked shredded chicken breast or you can use a chicken rotisserie chicken.
Tuesday
Korean Beef Noodles (@$6.75)
- Ground Beef $3.48 (2.99 lb, Fresh Market)
- Onion $0.47 (Vidalia, Trader Joe’s)
- Scallions $0.12 (¼ , $0.49 bunch)
- Korean BBQ Sauce $1.89 (½ jar)
- Ramen Noodles $0.60 (3 packages, any flavor)
I make this often as it is a husband and toddler favorite. (recipe) If there happens to be leftovers, my husband puts the meat and kimchi in tortillas for Korean tacos.
Wednesday
Curried Chicken and Chickpeas (@$9.25)
- Chicken Breast $4.65 (2.99 lb, Fresh Market)
- Chickpeas $1.98 (2 cans, Trader Joe’s)
- Slaw Mix $0.98 (½ package, Trader Joe’s)
- Naan $1.49 (½ package, Trader Joe’s)
- Cilantro $0.12 (¼, $0.49 bunch)
This is a new Food Network recipe. My husband doesn’t like chicken thighs for some reason, so I used breast instead. I diced the chicken into 1 inch cubes and reduced the first 8 minute cooking time to about 5 minutes. I love to substitute broccoli slaw mix instead of cabbage slaw, a lot more flavor and a crunchier texture.
Friday
Pizza Takeout (@$14.50)
Today I was sick and did not have the energy to cook. Lucky me, Domino’s had a 50% off all pizzas coupon online. One of the roommates picked it upon the way home to avoid delivery charge.
Saturday
Chicken and Bacon Sliders (@$10)
- Chicken Breast $4.69 (2.99 lb, Fresh Market)
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese $0.98 (½ bag)
- Slider Buns $0.59 (Manager’s Special, Kroger)
- Bacon $1.49 (½ package, 2.99 sale, Kroger)
- Ranch $0.25 (⅛ bottle, Trader Joe’s)
- Fries $1.99 (frozen, Trader Joe’s)
Aside from cooking the chicken (which I did yesterday), the longest cooking involved with this meal was the frozen fries. I placed slider buns on rimmed baking sheet, layered shredded chicken, shredded mozzarella, bacon and a little bit of ranch dressing. Half way through the cooking time for the fries (425 for 14 minutes) I placed the sandwiches on the bottom oven rack, without the tops to melt the cheese. I added the tops during the last minute or two of cooking.
5 meals for around $55, even with a delivery pizza night.
**Bonus**
My bonus for you this week Oven Cooked Ribs. We wanted ribs for the Fourth but since we do not have a grill, we had to improvise. I was really impressed with how they turned out and wanted to share what we did with you.
The ribs were rubbed down with a cinnamon chipotle rub but you can use any flavor you choose. Each half rack was wrapped tightly in foil and lined up in a glass casserole dish. We cooked the ribs for 3 hours at 275. Then the foil was unwrapped and the ribs were slathered with sauce and cooked for an additional 10 minutes or so, just long enough to caramelize the bbq sauce.
