What is your favorite $5-7 dinner?

[TwoMisfits]

Where do you find lamb so cheap? My DH loves lamb stew, but the very cheapest I ever find it is about $6 a pound.

I don't buy the expensive cuts...these are those crappy cuts, like lamb rib, lamb shoulder, lamb neck, etc...the kind people don't know what to do with...my store is always marking them down 1/2 off, so I've gotten them as low as $1.75/lb (rib/neck - Safeway) to $2.75/lb (shoulder chop/loin chop). Thing is, the stew is best with a bony, crappy cut and becomes so lamby and deep in flavor...I'm never buying the pretty lamb chops or racks of lamb...

Heck, even the leftovers of a lamb leg (with the bone as the main part and chucking in the cooked meat 30 minutes before it's finished) would probably work, but I haven't done it that way yet...and you can find lamb legs marked down around the major holidays...

 

[DisneyHardin]

I don't buy the expensive cuts...these are those crappy cuts, like lamb rib, lamb shoulder, lamb neck, etc...the kind people don't know what to do with...my store is always marking them down 1/2 off, so I've gotten them as low as $1.75/lb (rib/neck - Safeway) to $2.75/lb (shoulder chop/loin chop). Thing is, the stew is best with a bony, crappy cut and becomes so lamby and deep in flavor...I'm never buying the pretty lamb chops or racks of lamb...

Heck, even the leftovers of a lamb leg (with the bone as the main part and chucking in the cooked meat 30 minutes before it's finished) would probably work, but I haven't done it that way yet...and you can find lamb legs marked down around the major holidays...

That's great. Here, my regular grocery (Kroger) doesn't even carry lamb, so I have to buy it at a more specialty grocery. Lucky's Market charges $7.99/lb for shoulder, it will sometimes put it on sale for $4.99. I would fill my freezer if I ever found it for $2.75!!!!!

 

[TwoMisfits]

That's great. Here, my regular grocery (Kroger) doesn't even carry lamb, so I have to buy it at a more specialty grocery. Lucky's Market charges $7.99/lb for shoulder, it will sometimes put it on sale for $4.99. I would fill my freezer if I ever found it for $2.75!!!!!

I stop in a few groceries over a month - the discounts here don't sell it (like Aldi's), but I can find it at both Giant and Safeway...when I see 50% off packages, I usually buy 3-4 packages to freeze since it is a loved item. My chest freezer gets a lot of use, b/c I only buy meal proteins when I see prices and products I love...so this weekend, turkeys are 49 cents/lb, so I'll probably grab 2 - one for next week meals and 1 for Thanksgiving...and with turkey on sale and everyone buying, I expect some of the beef/lamb/veal proteins to get discounted from non-purchase, so I'll look for those, too...

 

[Liberty Belle]

Some of my favorite cheap meals:

Bean burritos
Breakfast burritos (or omelets, etc)
Kielbasa, sauerkraut, with mashed potatoes
Baked potato and tossed salad
Pizza boats
Pasta with chicken, olive oil, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, and a little shredded Italian cheese

 

[TwoMisfits]

I stop in a few groceries over a month - the discounts here don't sell it (like Aldi's), but I can find it at both Giant and Safeway...when I see 50% off packages, I usually buy 3-4 packages to freeze since it is a loved item. My chest freezer gets a lot of use, b/c I only buy meal proteins when I see prices and products I love...so this weekend, turkeys are 49 cents/lb, so I'll probably grab 2 - one for next week meals and 1 for Thanksgiving...and with turkey on sale and everyone buying, I expect some of the beef/lamb/veal proteins to get discounted from non-purchase, so I'll look for those, too...

My other big advice for this thread is while you don't have to shop everywhere every week, look at 4-5 grocery ads (if you have that many around) and see what works best and has the best sales this week. A store I haven't gone to in awhile, Shoppers, is running an insane produce sale for the weekend, probably competing with Aldi's - they also have a $10 off $50 coupon. So, I'll pick up grapes (88 cents/lb), mangos (50 cents each), cucumbers (50 cents each), blackberries (99 cents/lb), asparagus ($1.29/lb), 5 lbs white potatoes ($.99) and then maybe the BOGO salad bags...I'll hit their deli section, meat section, breakfast section (cereal/oatmeal), and drinks section to bring me to $50. Then, I'll hit Aldi's for raspberries ($1.19), 3 lbs onions ($.79), 3 packs green peppers ($.99), baby carrots 1lb (49 cents), squashes (39 cents/lb), my dairy products, my bread products, and my paper products and be done. I'll do one today and one Sunday to spread the produce out...since it's a split trip, both shouldn't be too heavy. And somewhere, I will get apples and bananas to round out the week - I pay under $.40/lb bananas and at or under 99 cents/lb for apples (since it's fall and some apple is always discounted and I buy in 3-5lb quantities - during the year, I'll pay up to $1.33/lb, since my fam loves apples), so whichever store I hit 1st that gives me those prices, I'll buy...

Once I have all that produce, with the herbs already in my garden, the world just opens up tons of $5-7 meal planning options...and yet, you feel they are more expensive b/c of all the nice produce...and that nice produce stretches the more expensive meats well...

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Cereal for dinner. This probably only works if your kids never get cereal. I don't have time to cook the day before our monthly DL trips so we order pizza but my husband suggested cereal last trip because it's even easier than getting pizza and the kids decided it's a tradition now. Maybe $3 with organic milk and junk food cereal (always on sale here) and between the three of them they eat more than a box.

 

[krysenchips]

That's great. Here, my regular grocery (Kroger) doesn't even carry lamb, so I have to buy it at a more specialty grocery. Lucky's Market charges $7.99/lb for shoulder, it will sometimes put it on sale for $4.99. I would fill my freezer if I ever found it for $2.75!!!!!

I grew up in Louisville, and have found that the Meijer's over in Springhurst has lamb regularly. I don't know what the prices have been lately (I moved away in 2010) but they usually have it.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I grew up in Louisville, and have found that the Meijer's over in Springhurst has lamb regularly. I don't know what the prices have been lately (I moved away in 2010) but they usually have it.

Thanks. I hardly ever go to Meier. I'll have to check it out.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

This is a REALLY great budget recipe book. This woman did it as a masters thesis! Meals for $4 a day
it has a lot of fresh ingredients and she tries to keep things simple and as healthy as possible
https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

OHMYGOODNESS! This is the BEST cookbook ever! Thank you for posting this. I had never seen it. The food is simple, filling and looks amazingly delicious. I'm printing off a copy to put in a binder in my kitchen and then putting her cookbooks on my wishlist (I'm forbidden from buying randoms until after Christmas. . ."how else are we going to find anything you want". . .well, I desperately want a weather station. Everyone give me gift cards and I'll buy a really fancy one. . .but I digress.). Thank you so much!

 

[neatokimmo]

This is a REALLY great budget recipe book. This woman did it as a masters thesis! Meals for $4 a day
it has a lot of fresh ingredients and she tries to keep things simple and as healthy as possible
https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

Thank you, I saved it

 

[Dakota731]

Aldis supreme take and bake pizzas are out of this world for $5! They weigh about five pounds and are packed with veggies!

 

[Minnesota!]

Great thread- but you've lost me already. Im assuming Aldi's is a regional store because Ive never heard of it here in MA. But a gallon of milk is a dollar?? And eggs are 60 cents??

I love the prices at Aldi, but I will say at my Target, I get stuff even cheaper. Milk is under $2 a gallon, eggs WERE .52/18, but now they are 1.01/18. Butter is $1.99/lb.

We eat cheap and healthy. Egg bakes STRETCH and are so cheap.

I just bake a few sweet potatoes, cube small, toss with a little melted butter, and put in a 9x13. In a big bowl, scramble up 10 or so eggs. Add in any leftover veg (or fresh...) you have. Anything works. Add in any leftover meat, too. And the scraps of cheese you have floating around your fridge. Pour over the potatoes, bake till set in middle. I serve with a green salad.

a REALLY cheap meal is - 2 cups white rice, 1.5# hamburger, 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 1 bag frozen peas. Make rice, brown burger, heat up the veg. Layer on your plate: rice, hamburger, veg. Top with lemon pepper. Comfort food at its finest.

 

[PollyannaMom]

This is a REALLY great budget recipe book. This woman did it as a masters thesis! Meals for $4 a day
it has a lot of fresh ingredients and she tries to keep things simple and as healthy as possible
https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

Another thank-you for this link! I already wrote down six things to try.

 

[lily88]

We buy shaved steak for 3.99 a pound, a six pack of sub rolls, a package of sliced cheese and tater tots. We spend about $10 and get two meals out of it. Steak and cheese paninis with tater tots

 

[kymom99]

Another thank-you for this link! I already wrote down six things to try.

I'm trying the pulled pork right now. I'm using the crock pit instead of the oven though. I'll let you all know how it comes out

 

[Callie]

I have a chicken chili type recipe for the crockpot.
1 lb chicken breast (or less) $2
1 can black beans 50 cents at Aldi
1 can corn 50 cents
1 can stewed tomatoes .75
1 packet dry ranch seasoning - $1 or less
1 packet taco seasoning - $1
1 bar cream cheese - 1.50

Just over $7 but will likely be enough for two meals or more!

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot, mix in everything else and place cream cheese on top. (Don't mix yet). Cook for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred, mix all together and serve.

 

[kymom99]

I'm trying the pulled pork right now. I'm using the crock pit instead of the oven though. I'll let you all know how it comes out

Well, I put it in the crockpot overnight. I tried a small piece this morning and it came out good. The rub is different. Not as spicy as I am used to and I didn't buy smoked paprika. I also couldn't find sweet paprika. I added some ground mustard and a little cayenne pepper. I was worried about the coffee but it didn't hurt anything. I usually don't cook a pork shoulder 12 hours but this turned out really nice I think. The roast was 99 cents a lb. and it was 8 lbs. So plenty of leftovers.

 

[chescat]

Some of our favorites:

• Buffalo Crack Slaw (usually with steamed potatoes): http://www.atkinsdietgeek.com/2012/04/atkins-diet-recipes-low-carb-buffalo-crack-slaw-if/
• Sausage, Pepper, Potato Bake (usually with something like broccoli): http://smarttereachday.com/sausage-pepper-potato-bake-a-k-a-easiest-dinner-ever/
• Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Flatbread (with tomato soup): https://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/02/caramelized-onion-artichoke-flatbread/
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/10/slow-cooker-chicken-dumplings/

That last site in particular, Budget Bytes, is all about meals on a budget. She lists the prices with all of her recipes, including the cost of individual ingredients. I don't always find prices quite as good as hers, but it can give you an idea of what a meal might cost.

 

[snowwite]

I tried a new calzone recipe over the weekend.
Pizza dough on sale .99 cent
Flattened and placed on pizza stone
Filled with marinated red peppers $1.29
Bag grated mozzarella $2.69
1/4 lb Genoa salami 1.80
( you could use whatever filling you like)
Folded up brushed with olive oil and baked 20 mins 375
We had it one meal and had half leftover.
It could be stretched serving with a cheap salad or cut small as an appetizer for party.
I think next time I'll heat some marinara to dip it

 

[Minnesota!]

At Aldi this weekend I got a 9.74# ham for $9. So, yesterday I studded with with cloves and threw in the crockpot with a mix of brown sugar and leftover black coffee. Cooked all day.
Also threw some potatoes in the oven to bake then threw them in the fridge.

When ham was done, I took it out, sliced up what we needed for dinner and put it back in the gravy to keep warm. I sliced up 3 of the baked potatoes and fried them in some ham fat. Then made some fresh green beans. That was dinner one.

Today, I have a bag of dry split peas, the ham bone/attached meat/other assorted chunks, 1 onion and 1 cup of carrots, chopped, in the crockpot. Also, spices, chicken broth/water. Cook all day - split pea soup that will get us dinner tonight and then 2 lunches.

And THEN I am taking the rest of the potatoes and another chunk of the ham and making ham/pea/potato curry on Thursday.

And, finally, the REST of the ham becomes stuffing for omlettes for my kids in the AM the rest of the week. So, 1 $9 ham got us 3 dinners for 4 people, 4 lunches (DH and I will have the soup for 2 days, each), and 8 breakfasts (2 kids, 4 breakfasts). Not bad!!