It can be done! We dared small victories moms to make 5 hot, homemade dinners for a family of 4 for an average of $10 or less per meal—and yet another mom has risen to the challenge!  Check out her mouthwatering, money-saving 5-day menu. Then take the 5/$50 challenge yourself!

my $50 bag by Katie J.

* (As you might imagine it took some bargain hunting to get ingredients for all five meals for less than fifty dollars. I put a star next to all the things I got on sale.)  

Monday: Tilapia Teriyaki

4 tilapia fillets*

1 cup teriyaki marinade

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms*

1 sweet onion - sliced

2 boil in bag brown rice packets

1/2 to 1 cup white wine (optional)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

(This is such a yummy, easy recipe, and you can make it with whatever firm white fish is on sale.)
Just put your tilapia fillets in a plastic bag and add the marinade, then let it sit for 15 minutes. While it's sitting, slice the onion and start cooking your rice according to the instructions on the package. Now heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet and gently sauté the onions and mushrooms. Once they're tender crisp, move them to one side of the pan and raise the heat slightly. Take the tilapia out of the bag and gently sear it on one side. Turn it. Pour on the remaining marinade and bring it to  a boil. Add wine until the sauce is the desired consistency.

Tuesday: Baked Chicken Marinara with Broccoli

4 chicken breasts*    

1 jar tomato sauce*

1 8 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 box of whole-wheat pasta

1 bag of frozen broccoli spears

Toothpicks

(Perdue breasts were buy one, get one free, so I made it two nights...first Italian style, then Asian.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a foil-lined cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Place each piece of chicken on a hard surface and pound to flatten. (I usually put plastic wrap over the breasts and give them a few whacks with a heavy skillet.) Put the flattened breasts on the cookie sheet and sprinkle a handful of cheese on top, then carefully roll chicken to create a roulade and stick a toothpick through each roulade to hold it in place. Pour a quarter of a cup of sauce on top of each piece, reserving the rest. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Steam or microwave the broccoli and serve on the side.

 

Wednesday: St Patty's Day Slow Cooker Corn Beef

4 pounds of point cut or flat cut corned beef brisket* (keep the seasoning mix that comes with it)

6 potatoes (quartered)*  

1 cup of baby carrots*

1 cup of frozen chopped onions

1 large head of cabbage, cut into small wedges*

 1 cup of water

¼ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of yellow mustard

 

(We'll be going to the local St. Patrick's Day Parade, so a slow cooker recipe seemed like the perfect way to go.)

Line a 4-6 quart slow cooker with a slow cooker bag. Put in the carrots and onions. Rinse the corned beef under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Place it in the slow cooker and add the potatoes all around the corn beef. Spread the mustard on the beef, then sprinkle on the contents of the seasoning. Mix the brown sugar and water in a small bowl and pour over beef. Put on the cover and cook on high for the first hour, then on low for the next 6 hours. (7 hours total).

Remove the corned beef from the pot and cover it with foil to keep it warm. Add the cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in pot. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 more minutes or until the cabbage is crisp tender.

To serve, cut the corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove the vegetables from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and serve with the corned beef. Serve cooking juices on top, if desired. Offer additional mustard on the side. Save leftover meat for Thursday's dinner.

 

Thursday: Asian Chicken Stir Fry

4 chicken breasts*    

2 boil in bag brown rice packets

1 bag of frozen Asian style stir fry veggies

4 tablespoons of teriyaki marinade

Olive oil

 

(This is a quick and tasty dish for nights when you're on the go.)

Slice the chicken into thin strips. Heat oil in a skillet or wok on medium heat and cook the chicken in batches until it's cooked through. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Put the frozen vegetables in the skillet and sauté them for 7 or 8 minutes. While they're cooking, prepare your rice according to the package instructions. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add chicken along with the teriyaki marinade. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 4 or 5 more minutes.

 

Friday: Grilled Corned Beef Sandwiches on Rye with Homemade Chips

Left over corned beef slices

1 loaf rye bread*

Mustard

½ pound of sliced Swiss cheese

1 sweet onion

4 potatoes (or however many you have left over)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic or 1 clove of garlic

 

(You can use store-bought chips, but the homemade kind have so much flavor, they're definitely worth the extra trouble.)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Thinly slice whatever potatoes you didn't use Wednesday (no need to peel them first unless your family prefers them that way.) Put the sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss them with olive oil, garlic and salt. Set the potato slices in a single layer on a roasting pan or cookie sheet and roast them for 15 to 20 minutes, turning them once so they brown on all sides.

About 10 minutes before they're done, start building your sandwiches. On dark rye bread, arrange a layer of Swiss cheese, a few slices of corned beef, and sweet onion. Spread on mustard and top with another slice of dark rye. As soon as the chips come out of the oven, put in the sandwiches and broil them until the cheese is melted.

 

Katie's $50 Grocery Bag:

4 tilapia fillets*

2 packs of Perdue boneless chicken breasts (4 pieces each)*

4 pounds of point cut or flat cut corned beef brisket*

8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms*

2 sweet onions

1 5lb. bag of all-purpose potatoes*

1 16 oz. bag of carrots*

1 large head of cabbage

1 box of boil in bag brown rice (4 packages)

1 24 oz.jar of Prego tomato sauce*

1 box of whole-wheat pasta

1 bottle of yellow mustard

1 16 oz. container of teriyaki marinade

1 small package of brown sugar

Olive oil

Toothpicks

1 loaf of rye bread*

* Sale items

 

Tell us what’s in your $50 bag!