Six Healthy Meals for less than $20

Yep, you read the title correctly. In this edition of Dinner on a Dime I am giving you recipes to make Six HEALTHY meals for less than $20.

I am putting together six days of recipes for you (treat yourself to an evening out for meal # 7!) All of these meals are using items I have purchased over the last month. So, many of you probably already have everything you need to make dinner all week and don’t even know it. Please note that I am making this even better for you because you will really only be cooking THREE TIMES! Watch the recipes closely because you will need to save half the meat from some meals and save it for a day later in the week.

All of these recipes are things I have made in the past and I am actually making this week, so email me or leave a comment if you have any questions. They are for a family of 5 (me, hubby and 3 small children). Enjoy!


Day 1: Grilled Chicken & Veggies
Day 2: Pasta with grilled chicken
Day 3: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Day 4: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Day 5: Mango Peach Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
Day 6: Taco Salads with Pork
Day 7: Treat yourself to dinner out!


Day 1: Grilled Chicken & Veggies
2 lbs chicken
1 bottle Kraft sun dried tomato vinaigrette salad dressing (or another flavor you like)
1 bunch asparagus
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste


In the morning, place 2 pounds of chicken in a ziploc bag with a jar of kraft salad dressing. Allow to marinade all day.

30 minutes before dinner toss the asparagus with the olive oil, garlic and salt to taste. Grill the chicken on the lower rack of your BBQ and grill the asparagus on the upper rack, turning occasionally.

I am serving cherries and a spinach salad with this meal for my family.

Serve HALF of the chicken for dinner and SAVE THE OTHER HALF FOR DAY 2!!!

Price Breakdown Day 1:
$1.59- 1 lb chicken (the other lb is reserved for day 2) I bought chicken from Fred Meyer about a month ago at this price.
FREE- Kraft Salad Dressing (this is from a few weeks back, Wishbone Salad dressing was also free last week using coupons and doubles, etc)
$1.99- Asparagus
$0.10- Olive oil and garlic (from my staples)
$0.25- Cherries ($1.99/lb at Albies about a week ago and I still have some nice ones left!)
FREE- Salad- the spinach in my garden is beautiful!
TOTAL: $3.93


Day 2: Pasta with grilled chicken

1 lb marinated and grilled chicken left over from day 1
1 box penne pasta
1 jar bertolli pasta sauce
¼ cup Grated Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the sauce in a saucepan.

Thinly slice the chicken and set aside.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and pour onto a large platter. Pour the sauce over the top.

Put the chicken into the empty pot you used to cook the pasta and quickly toss over high heat just to heat through. Add the chicken to the pasta platter on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with your favorite cheese (I used a Kraft Italian blend).

Serve with a salad.

Price Breakdown Day 2:
$1.59- 1 lb chicken (the other lb is reserved for day 2) I bought chicken from Fred Meyer about a month ago at this price.
$0.88- Penne pasta from Walmart
$0.20- Bertolli pasta sauce last week from Albies after double coupons
FREE- 2% Kraft Cheese (a few weeks back from Albies using double coupons)
TOTAL: $2.67


Day 3: BBQ Chicken Pizza
I know I have posted this before, but it is one of my family’s favorites, so I am serving it again this week.
Dough

1 3/8 cups water
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Combine all ingredients in a mixer. Pour into a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size. (If you have a bread maker, place all ingredients in the machine and select the dough setting.)

Divide the dough in half and roll out on greased baking pans into 2 pizzas.

Toppings

2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green peppers, sliced
1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
BBQ sauce
1-2 pounds mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown chicken in olive oil with garlic. Season with salt to taste. Add green peppers and mushrooms and cook until green peppers begin to get tender.

Divide the BBQ sauce between the two pizzas. Top with cheese and chicken mixture. SAVE HALF OF THE CHICKEN/PEPPER/MUSHROOM MIXTURE FOR DINNER TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!

Cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Price Breakdown Day 3:
$1.59- 1 lb chicken (the other lb is reserved for day 2) I bought chicken from Fred Meyer about a month ago at this price.
$1- Dough (Since all of the ingredients for the dough come from my pantry and it is hard to break them down I am just estimating $1 for all the ingredients)
$0.05- garlic cloves

$0.68- 1 Green Pepper (On sale at Albies for 68 cents each)

$0.50 - MushroomsFREE- BBQ Sauce (Do I really need to explain free BBQ sauce?

FREE- Kraft 2% Mozzarella Cheese (from my freezer from a few weeks back where I used doubles coupons in a kraft promo)

FREE- Green Onions (from my garden)

TOTAL FOR 2 PIZZAS: $3.82!

Day 4: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken Mixture left over from yesterday
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup Catalina Salad dressing
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup yellow mustard
1 can pineapple chuncks or tidbits. drained
2 Tablespoons soy sauce


Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low about 3 hours. Serve over rice.

Price Breakdown Day 4:
$1.59- 1 lb chicken left over from day 3 (the other lb is reserved for day 2) I bought chicken from Fred Meyer about a month ago at this price.
$0.05- garlic cloves left over from day 3

$0.68- 1 Green Pepper left over from day 3 (On sale at Albies for 68 cents each)

$0.50 – Mushrooms left over from day 3
$0.20- onion
FREE- Kraft Catalnia Salad Dressing (this is from a few weeks back, Wishbone Salad dressing was also free last week using coupons and doubles, etc)
$0.25- Brown sugar (estimate)
FREE- French’s Mustard (Using double coupons a few weeks back)
$0.50- Canned Pineapple (estimate)
$0.25- Soy sauce (estimate)
$0.50- Rice (estimate)
TOTAL: $4.52


Day 5: Mango Peach Pork Chops and Roasted Potatoes & Carrots

2 lbs pork chops (I like boneless)
1 jar mango peach salsa
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
4 cups baby carrots and potatoes, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs


Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet. Add the pork chops and brown quickly on both sides. Pour in the salsa and cook on low until meat is fully cooked.

Meanwhile, toss the potatoes with the additional oil, garlic and the herbs. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Stir occasionally.

Serve with fresh fruit and a salad for a complete meal.

RESERVE HALF OF THE PORK FOR DAY SIX!!!

Price Breakdown Day 5:
$1.03- 1 lb pork chops (these were in the clearance meat section with a Manager’s $3 off coupon attached. I also used a $1 off Hormel coupon and an Albertson’s double. Wahoo!)
FREE- Mango Peach Salsa (From Target last week with a promotion where you got free salsa if you bought 2 bags of chips. You could really use any salsa, or even some salad dressing or a can of jam….)
$0.50 Potatoes & Carrots (estimate)
$0.50 Oil & Garlic (estimate)
FREE- Fresh Herbs (from my garden- if you don’t have fresh herbs you can use dried)
FREE- Salad (from my garden)
$0.50- Seasonal Fruit
TOTAL: $2.53


Day 6: Taco Salads with Pork
Pork saved from day 5
Tortillas
1 can black beans, drained
Lettuce
Cheese
Salsa or “Simply Santa Fe” Wishbone Bountifuls Salad Dressing
Sour cream

Finely chop the pork and add to a small skillet. Add the black beans and heat thoroughly.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray both sides of 6 tortillas with cooking spry and shape into a “bowl shapes” in a muffin tin. Bake until crispy and starting to brown.

Fill the tortilla bowls with the meat mixture, lettuce, cheese, salsa/dressing sour cream and any other favorite taco toppings.

Price Breakdown Day 5:
$1.03- 1 lb pork chops (these were in the clearance meat section with a Manager’s $3 off coupon attached. I also used a $1 off Hormel coupon and an Albertson’s double. Wahoo!)
FREE- Tortillas (I bought these a couple of months ago at Albies with double coupons and I have been stockpiling them in my freezer)
$1.00- Black Beans
Free- Lettuce (from my garden)
FREE- Kraft 2% Cheese (from my freezer from a few weeks back where I used doubles coupons in a kraft promo)
$0.20- Simply Santa Fe Wishbone Bountifuls Salad Dressing (From a promo and double coupons)
TOTAL: $2.23

GRAND TOTAL FOR 6 DAYS OF HEALTHY FOOD FOR MY FAMILY: $19.70!!!

This is why I coupon. We are eating yummy HEALTHY food for an amazing price.

Many of you may not have some of these items, but I bet that even if you shopped for the items you need, with this six-day menu you can serve your family for a week at a pretty great price.

If anyone does this, leave me a comment to let me know what your final total is.