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Dutch Oven Pulled Beef with Onions – $5 Dinner Challenge

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000

This is one of those “oops…I forgot to start the slow cooker” meals! I had the roast, I had planned to slow cook the roast. (This is the meal I was intending to make!)

But I forgot to put my slow cooker on the counter the night before…so I completely forgot to get our dinner started.

I’ve learned that about myself over the past few years…if I can have a “clue” out on the counter about dinner, then it’s much easier for me to fit dinner prep into my afternoon, early evening schedule. As I dance in and out of the kitchen throughout the day, I spot the “clue” and that helps me formulate my plan for when to start (and usually photograph) our meal. This has really helped me avoid the whole “open-the-fridge-at-5pm-and-wonder-what’s-for-dinner” thing!

Sometimes the “clue” is a can of tomatoes and spices. Other times it’s a box or package of pasta. Occasionally the bread machine (yay for homemade pizza dough!). And this time it was supposed to be the slow cooker. So I’d remember to start dinner, right after breakfast. Doh.

Thankfully, the Dutch oven works as a wonderful backup to the slow cooker.

Braise the roast, toss it into the Dutch oven with a bunch of onions and let it cook over low heat for 2 hours. Instead of 8!

We enjoyed this beef with some Sister Schubert’s rolls and frozen vegetables! (Sister Schubert’s $.50/1 coupon, and other Sister Schubert’s coupons!)

Note: My never pay more than price for a chuck roast is $2.49/lb.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Dutch Oven Beef Roast with Onions
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 2 hours
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1 ~1.25 lb. beef chuck roast ($3.26)
4 small white onions ($.80)
2 Tbsp brown sugar ($.03)
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.05)
1 tsp basil leaves ($.05)
Salt and pepper to taste
Frozen vegetables ($.80)
Half bag Sister Schubert’s rolls ($.75)
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Directions
Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven and brown all sides of the beef roast. Then add the sliced onions, sugar, balsamic and all the seasonings.
Turn the heat to medium low and cover tightly. Let cook for about 2 hours, or until meat is cooked through and pulls apart easily.
Prepare vegetables and bread.
Serve Pulled Beef with Onions, along with veggies and bread, or other favorite side dish!
Cost $5.84 (with enough meat leftover for 1 lunch sandwich!)

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Dutch Oven Pulled Beef with Onions – $5 Dinner Challenge was first posted on February 6, 2012 at 5:30 pm.

Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:51:29 +0000

I have distinct memories of blue cheese lingering on my taste buds. The flavor has been lingering for a few weeks…every since the Spicy Chicken Chili.

In clearing out the freezer, I found 2 baggies of chicken breasts that I had frozen with Frank’s red sauce as a marinade. Trying to figure out how to use it up in a fun, clever way wasn’t too hard. These blue cheese memories were lingering in the forefront of my brain. And with all the buffalo chicken dip talk with the Super Bowl happening this weekend…these enchiladas seemed to be in order.

I had corn tortillas leftover in the freezer from the last enchiladas I made, as well as the shredded cheese. I had the canned tomato sauce in my stockpile, so the only ingredient I needed to purchase for this meal was the blue cheese. I managed to squeeze that into this past week’s very small grocery budget.

And even though our green couch is in the dining room, our (we cleared out our playroom to do some painting and deep cleaning…then rearranging before we list the house) dinig table is covered with toys, an Ikea trofast shelf and more. But we needed a night in, after a few meals out earlier in the week…so I made these enchiladas for my husband and I…and I made the kids some “cheeseless” buffalo chicken wraps, using the last of the flour tortillas that we had.

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce Coupon

So here’s how it went down…

I dropped the partially thawed chicken and Frank’s hot sauce marinade into the slow cooker, high for 6 hours. Once finished, I shredded it with 2 forks.

Drop a couple forkfuls of shredded chicken into a corn tortilla, then sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top.

Roll, seam side down…and stuff the pan full. I got 12 enchiladas into a 9×13 comfortably…probably could have squished in 2 or 3 more.

Mix taco seasoning into the tomato sauce (like I did here)…this is not lazy, it’s efficient!

Pour the tomato sauce over top. Then the cheese. Then the bake. Then cool a bit. Then let the taste bud explosion begin.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas
Yield – 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Cooking Time – 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, or 2 cups shredded chicken ($2)
Frank’s hot sauce, as marinade (free) from a sale and coupon long ago!
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles ($3.89)
12 corn tortillas ($.50) Aldi sale!
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce ($.25) Last week’s Kroger sale!
2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.05)
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese ($1.25)
Side of veggies…we had frozen green beans ($.80)
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Directions
Marinate the chicken breasts in the Frank’s hot sauce. (I used 1 jar to marinate 4 chicken breasts, in 2 bags for 2 meals.) Or if using already cooked shredded chicken, add 1/2 cup-ish of sauce to the chicken. Combine in a bowl.
Slow cook the uncooked chicken and sauce. Shred with forks when cooked through.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spoon shredded chicken and red sauce into the corn tortillas. Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over top. Roll and place in baking dish seam side down.
Stir the taco seasoning into the tomato sauce.
Once the pan is full, pour the tomato sauce over top of the enchiladas. Then top with the shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling. Let cool slightly before slicing and devouring.
Cost $8.74 Definitely worth the splurge!

Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas was first posted on February 3, 2012 at 5:51 pm.

Convenient Cinnamon Rolls

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Mom on a Mission’s sharing some great tips for making convenient cinnamon rolls that are easily portable…and giftable!

(Is ‘giftable’ a word?)

Enjoy!

Convenient Cinnamon Rolls was first posted on February 2, 2012 at 5:00 pm.

Slow Cooker Slopp-Beany Joes – Hurst Beans

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Y’all know me. Always stretching our food as far as I can, with as little fuss as possible.

I love adding beans to recipes…to stretch the protein and the fill up the bottomless pits that I have been tasked with feeding. My boys love beans…love them! As young toddlers, they would snack on beans. Straight up beans…no nothing. Ryan went through a “no thank you” phase with beans, but he’s pulling out of that. I think adding them into meals with other favorite flavors of his (like this one with the sloppy joe sauce!) has helped him rediscover that beans aren’t so terrible.”

For these “Slopp-Beany Joes,” I used the Hurst Navy Beans with ham flavor (they have a great recipe on their site that uses the 15 Bean Soup mix). And I also decided to “slow cooker-ify” the recipe. Because I’ve been totally dependent on my slow cooker as of late. Because it’s winter. And because my weekday afternoon schedule has been erratic (swim lessons, business calls, new project, etc.), and I need to know that I don’t have to worry about fixing dinner coming 5 pm. *sigh*

and. And. AND.

This made at least 2 meals for us…so that’s another dinner I don’t have to worry about in the next few weeks. I just added the extra meat-bean sauce into a plastic freezer baggie and froze it flat. Perfect meal for the next time I’m having one of “those” afternoons!

Also, we’ve got more great giveaways from Hurst Beans and new bean recipes coming up in February too!

And now for the Slopp-Beany Joes…

(Note: You will need to soak these beans before hand. If you don’t, then you need to add some more water to the recipe. I’m not going to tell you how much, because I haven’t experimented with using un-soaked beans.)

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Slow Cooker Slopp-Beany Joes
Adapted from 15 Bean Soup Sloppy Joes
Yield – 8 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 8 hours in slow cooker
Ingredients
1 pkg Hurst’s® Navy Beans (1 lb.)
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 15 oz. cans sloppy joe sauce (or make your own sauce)
1 cans worth of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Wheat Buns
Side of fresh fruit, carrot sticks, small salad
Directions
Soak the beans overnight, or for at least 2 hours in HOT water.
Brown the ground beef if necessary.
To the slow cooker, add the dried beans, browned ground beef, sloppy joe sauce, water and a little salt and pepper. Set on low and cook for 8 hours.
To serve, spoon the meat-bean sauce onto buns, and then enjoy the mess.
Freeze leftovers once they are cooled, in a plastic freezer bag or plastic container. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight, or place in a bowl of hot water. Then reheat in the microwave or stovetop.
Serve Slopp-Beany Joes with side salad or fresh fruit or veggies.

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Hurst beans. Recipe was created in my kitchen, using Hurst Beans products. Opinions are my own. My love of dried beans is deep and abiding.

Slow Cooker Slopp-Beany Joes – Hurst Beans was first posted on February 1, 2012 at 6:00 pm.

Angie’s Baked Reuben Casserole

Angie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:06:27 +0000

We love reubens. I’m always looking for a way to make them easier so I don’t have to stand at the stove flipping for hours. By george, I think I’ve found it! With this recipe, you can just throw everything into a casserole dish and then scoop out sandwich portion onto bread!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Baked Reuben Casserole
Yield - 7 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 40 minutes
Ingredients
1.5 pounds deli corned beef, crumbled
1 2 can sauerkraut (28 ounces), rinsed and drained
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing (almost free with coupons and sales)
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded (it’s cheaper to shred your own, but there is pre-cut out there, if you just don’t have the time)
Rye bread (I found mine on the “must go today” racks at Wal-mart for 40% off.)
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Directions
Place corned beef in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
Layer sauerkraut on top of the corned beef.
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and Thousand Island dressing. Then layer the dressing on top of the sauerkraut.
Layer the shredded Swiss cheese on top of the dressing.
Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees
Scoop onto your bread, however much or little you want.
Cost $9.68

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Angie’s Baked Reuben Casserole was first posted on January 31, 2012 at 5:06 pm.

Three Cheese Spaghetti Bake – $5 Dinner Challenge

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:51:00 +0000

This is a classic example of being creative with ingredients you have on hand.

I made this for us early last week…using up the tomatoes from Aldi from the week before, and the feta cheese from Monday’s shopping trip. Also, this is another example of a meal that uses an “expensive ingredient,” that is paired with a few other inexpensive ingredients and pantry staples to keep the overall cost of the meal down.

(Feta = expensive…pasta/tomatoes/egg = inexpensive.)

This meal ended up being dinner for just Steve and I (the kids had leftovers since they can’t have dairy) and after his first bite, Steve began staking claims on the leftovers. He took what was left for lunch to work the next day…and the “euchre lunch club” was insanely jealous of his “gourmet lunch.” Amazing how a few simple ingredients can be cooked up in a way that is “gourmet” but still very inexpensive to put together!

Enjoy…

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Three Cheese Spaghetti Bake
Adapted from Three Cheese Spaghetti Pie
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Cooking Time – 10 minutes
Ingredients
9-10 oz. whole grain spaghetti noodles ($.30) One pounds for $.50 with sale and coupon
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.05) Coupon available here
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.10)
1 pint grape tomatoes ($.69) Aldi sale
1 small onion, chopped ($.20)
6 oz. package Feta cheese ($3.99)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ($.50)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup milk ($.10)
2 eggs ($.20)
Salt and pepper
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Directions
Preheat to 350.
Cook the pasta noodles as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. (If you don’t rinse, the heat from the pasta can cook the eggs in the cheese mixture…so get them nice and cool before combining.)
Meanwhile, in a large, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and saute the tomatoes and chopped onion, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until most of the tomatoes have “popped.”
In a mixing bowl, combine the Feta, Parmesan, mozzarella, milk and eggs. Once the pasta is rinsed and cooled, fold it into the cheese mixture.
Then combine the cheese-pasta mixture with the sauteed onions and tomatoes. Spread flat in the skillet.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until eggs have set in the middle. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Serve Three Cheese Spaghetti Pie with side salad, fresh fruit or vegetables (whatever you have on hand!).
Cost $6.13

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Three Cheese Spaghetti Bake – $5 Dinner Challenge was first posted on January 30, 2012 at 5:51 pm.

Chili with Cheddar Biscuits {Smitten Kitchen}

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Genius photo. Genius concept. Genius recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Beef Chili with Cheddar Biscuits

Chili with Cheddar Biscuits {Smitten Kitchen} was first posted on January 27, 2012 at 3:00 pm.

Sweet Potato Chili {Perry’s Plate}

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Perry’s Plate

Our family would l.o.v.e. this chili. We love all the ingredients…and combined it would be perfect! And easy, vegetarian one dish dinner

Sweet Potato Chili

Sweet Potato Chili {Perry’s Plate} was first posted on January 27, 2012 at 12:20 pm.

Baked Chili-Cheese Dogs {On the Woodside}

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Photo Credit: On the Woodside

I don’t eat hot dogs very often, but when I do…it’s like this…

Baked Chili-Cheese Dogs

Baked Chili-Cheese Dogs {On the Woodside} was first posted on January 26, 2012 at 2:00 pm.

Quinoa Chili {Feed Your Family}

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Feed Your Family

What a great idea to add quinoa to your chili…for a little extra protein and some texture too!

Quinoa Chili

Quinoa Chili {Feed Your Family} was first posted on January 26, 2012 at 12:12 pm.