I’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting…to try this pasta!  I l-o-n-g time ago, I made some Spinach Pesto from the garden.  And it’s been patiently waiting in the freezer for me.  To eat it!

*I wish I had not waited until now!*

The  reason I’ve been waiting…I didn’t think the boys would go for “green pasta” for dinner.  They like green foods. Broccoli, peas, green beans…they love those.  But green “stuff” on pasta.  I’d rather not “waste” it on a dinner they wouldn’t eat or enjoy.

The boys are spending the night with grandma (while I work on some projects), so tonight is perfect!

Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed this dinner!!!

(We each had 2 bowls and still had enough for lunch leftovers!)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts ($1.75)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
1 box penne pasta ($.50) Sale + coupon!
About 1/2 cup homemade pesto from the garden ($.75)
2 cups frozen carrots ($.80)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in shallow dish and drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through. Dice.

2. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain and rinse.

3. Toss pasta with pesto and grilled chicken.
4. Cook carrots as directed on package.
5. Serve Grilled Chicken Spinach Pesto Pasta with Carrots.

Cost $3.83

Pour some of the juices from the pan over the chicken after you serve it on each plate.  And YUM!

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil ($.50)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ($.35)
Salt and pepper
3 medium or 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.3 pounds ($2.58)
1 yellow onion, sliced ($.30)
1 cup white rice ($.20)
2 large broccoli heads ($.79)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
1. In small plastic container, add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Shake in a few dashes of salt and pepper. Close the container and shake vigorously, until well combined.
2. In 8×8 baking dish, place the chicken breasts snuggly into the dish. Add the sliced onions on top. Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over the chicken and the onions.
3. Bake at 350, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of the chicken breast.
4. In a small saucepan, cook 1 cup of rice according to package directions.
5. Steam broccoli in stovetop steamer or in a microwavable dish with 1/4 cup of water, covered in plastic wrap for 4-5 minutes.
6. Serve Balsamic Chicken with Onions, Steamed Rice and Broccoli.

Cost $4.72
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Have you PRE-ORDERED yet?!?!?

Would make great holiday gifts for EVERYONE!!! {wink, wink}

This recipe is from the fabulous Stephanie O’Dea’s Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Cookbook. I just can’t get enough of her recipes!  If you don’t own this book, you should!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1 beaten egg ($.10)
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($2.31)
1/2 cup bread crumbs ($.20)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese ($.25)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($.02)
Couple shakes of salt and pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ($.75) Bought this week with store mailer coupon
1 26 oz. can favorite marinara sauce ($1) On sale for $1
1/2 pound spaghetti noodles ($.25) Bought recently with $1/2 coupon when on sale for $1, only used half the package!
1 box frozen spinach (free) Used free item coupon this week

Directions
1. Place olive oil in the base of the slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, whisk the egg. In another small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese (omit if dairy free!), Italian seasonings and salt and pepper.
3. Dip each chicken breast into the egg, then coat with the bread crumbs mixture. Then place into the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. Pour marinara sauce over the top.
4. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
5. Just before dinner, prepare your favorite pasta according to package instructions. I choose whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
6. Cook frozen spinach as directed on package.
7. Serve Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan over Pasta with Spinach.

Cost $4.98
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

I found a jar of apricot preserves in my pantry.  And there’s not a better way to use it up than this!

I used the Apricot Chicken recipe from the Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Cookbook!

Hello, delicious.

Ingredients
3 large or 4 small chicken breasts ($2.57)
About 2/3 cup apricot preserves ($.75)
1 tsp dried minced onion flakes ($.05)
1 Tbsp dijon mustard ($.05)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($.05)
1/4 tsp ginger ($.02)
1 cup white rice ($.20)
1 small spaghetti squash (about 2 lbs.) ($1.03)
Butter and brown sugar/honey ($.20)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in the base of the slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, stir together the apricot preserves, onion flakes, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and ginger. Pour over the chicken. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.
3. About an hour before dinner, bake the spaghetti squash, just as you would bake a butternut squash. Scrape out the flesh and combine with butter and brown sugar or honey.
4. In small saucepan, add 2 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup white rice, and return water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
5. Serve Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken with Sweet Spaghetti Squash and Rice.

Cost $4.92

I use olive oil.  A lot of it.

It’s my preferred choice of “oil” for cooking.  So it’s a definite BONUS when there are extra savings available for olive oil. 

Filippio Berio is offering a $1 off coupon…Register for the Filippio Berio newsletter and you can print a $1 off coupon! Filippio Berio is also a member of the Upromise team, so they will automatically deposit a percentage of your Filippo Berio purchases into your Upromise account. 

SWEET!!!

Now on to the sweet caramelized onions…

Ingredients
1 package chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs) ($2.33)
1/3 cup olive oil ($.40)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar ($.20) I used a balsamic white wine vinegar…which explains why my chicken isn’t dark in the photo. A dark balsamic vinegar will turn the chicken brown!
Salt and pepper
1 medium butternut squash ($1.03) STILL on sale for $.49/lb!
2 Tbsp maple syrup (free)
1 medium onion ($.30)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
1 tsp sugar ($.01)
1/2 bag romaine lettuce ($.25) Bought on sale with store mailer coupon for $.50!
1 small apple ($.25)
Salad dressing ($.25)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts into glass baking dish. In small bowl, whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken breasts. Cover with plastic wrap. Marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. I started these guys marinating right after breakfast…and mmm! The longer the marinating time, the better!
2. Remove plastic wrap and bake chicken at 350 for 45-55 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center.
3. Bake butternut squash. When finished, scrape out flesh into bowl and stir in 2 Tbsp maple syrup for some extra sweetness!
4. Caramelize the onions.

Add onion slices to skillet with 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sugar.  Cook over medium high heat for 20-25 minutes, or until turn golden brown.  Stir often! I did not do this, but thought of it while eating.  I should have/suggest that you add a dash of balsamic vinegar as the onions are nearing the end of their caramelization!
5. Chop apples and toss over lettuce with dressing.
6. Serve Balsamic Chicken with Caramelized Onions, Maple Sweetened Squash and Salad.

Cost $5.05

I had every intention of serving this over brown rice. But I got a little distracted by the Balloon Boy story this afternoon (so glad he was found…but boy I wasted a bunch of “what if that was my kid” emotional energy because of the whole ordeal). By the time I realized that the dinner hour was fast approaching, it was too late to get the brown rice going! So white rice it is.

I also had good intentions of doubling it to freeze, but since we are still without a deep freezer, I opted to not double this meal up.

Tonight’s meal comes from Carrie over at Carrie’s Cooking.  I also made her Pumpkin Soft Pretzels this afternoon…perfect after school snack!

Ingredients
1.38 lb chicken breast, diced ($2.06) On sale this week at Dots for $1.49/lb!
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil ($.10)
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (free from the garden…this was the last of my peppers from the garden!)
1 clove garlic, minced ($.05)
1 tablespoon corn starch ($.05)
1/4 cup soy sauce ($.25) (GF meal if soy sauce is GF!)
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice ($.79)
1 Tbsp vinegar ($.05)
1 Tbsp brown sugar ($.05)
1/2 tsp ground ginger ($.05)
1 cup rice ($.20)
1 12 oz. bag frozen corn ($.49) On sale this week, plus promotion and used $1 coupon!

**Buy generic/store brand soy sauce since there are rarely soy sauce coupons!

Directions
1. In large skillet over medium high heat, brown the diced chicken pieces in oil.
2. Add diced green bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. In small bowl, whisk together corn starch and soy sauce, then pour the mixture into skillet along with the pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger. Stir together and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency/thickness.
4. In medium saucepan, cook 1 cup of rice with 2 1/2 cups of water.  Bring water to a boil.  Add rice, stir and return to boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Fluff the rice with fork before serving.
5. Cook frozen corn as directed on package instructions.
6. Serve Sweet and Sour Chicken over Rice with Corn.

Cost $4.14

In honor of the release of Stephanie’s Make it Fast Cook it Slow Cookbook, I thought it only fitting to make a recipe from her site tonight!  I found this recipe in the book…and knew the boys would love it.  So I made it.

And they loved it. Not only did they ask for more  chicken, they asked for more squash too!  Even had 3rds on the squash!!!

Oh.  And I try to make meals that have some “color” in them…doesn’t always happen.  And I don’t usually notice until I go to take a photograph.  Tonight’s meal might not be terribly colorful, but it does contain something from each of the 4 food groups and is quite “balanced”. My high school nutrition teacher would be proud! 

Applesauce (natural). Acorn Sqush. Brown Rice. Chicken.

This was delicious. Thanks Steph!!!

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.) ($2.28) On sale for $1.49/lb at a local grocer this week!!!
Salt and pepper, sprinkled over chicken
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 1/2 cup applesauce ($.50)
1 Tbsp apple cidar vinegar ($.05)
1 tsp cinnamon ($.05)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 medium acorn squash (about 2 lbs.) ($1.02) Unadvertised sale of $.49/lb!
Butter or margarine ($.20)
3-4 Tbsp brown sugar, maple syrup or honey ($.25)
1 cup brown rice ($.40)
1/2 cup apple juice ($.20)

**Note: Use split breast chicken, chicken thighs or drumsticks to make this meal even cheaper!!!

Directions
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts into base of slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
2. In small bowl, combine applesauce, cidar vinegar and cinnamon. Pour over the chicken breasts. Set slow cooker on high and cook for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.
3. Cook acorn squash, same method as you cook butternut squash. Takes about 45 minutes to bake, so start at the same time as you start the rice to get them both on the table at the same time!
4. In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add 1 cup of brown rice and 1/2 cup of apple juice.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for 45-50 minutes, or until brown rice is fluffy.
5. Serve Slow Cooker Applesauce Chicken with Sweetened Acorn Sqaush and Brown Rice

Cost $5.00

Thanks to those of you who sent your recipe ideas last week!  And it’s not too late…for more information on how to get your recipe featured on the $5 Dinner Challenge, click here.

Last week I stashed the chicken breasts that I bought for $1.79/lb into the freezer in different baggies with different marinades.  For tonight’s dinner, I just took the chicken out of the freezer and let it marinate while it thawed in the fridge.

Quick and simple!

Sorry no photo…camera fail…Err…operator fail…forgot to recharge the battery in time!

Ingredients
3 large or 4 small chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb.) ($2.24)
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning (free) Bought with $1 coupon when on sale for $1!
1 lb. green beans ($.99)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
Homemade Rolls ($.50) Used this recipe with half white flour and half wheat flour. Baked them in regular size muffin tin.

Directions
1. Marinate the chicken breasts in the olive oil and lemon pepper seasonings for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Grill or saute for 5-6 minutes per side, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of the chicken breast.
3. In medium or large skillet, add the olive oil and turn on medium-high heat.  Add the green beans and saute for 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Prepare dough and bake homemade rolls.
5. Serve Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with Green Beans and “Hot out of the oven” Rolls.

Cost $3.86

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This dish sorta turned into an experiment.  I started with a plan in mind.  And it kept changing as I found new things in the fridge to add to the dish! 

I needed to use the eggplant and Cubanelle peppers I picked from the garden this week.  And I had 2 green tomatoes in the fridge (more on the green tomato situation in the next garden update!).  Why not throw those in too?

So this is what we got! 

Ingredients
12 oz. spaghetti noodles ($.65)
2 tsp olive oil ($.06)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped ($.30)
2 green tomatoes, diced (from the garden)
1 Cubanelle (aka Italian frying) pepper, seeded and diced (from the garden)
1 small eggplant, diced (from the garden)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp Italian seasonings ($.05)
Salt and pepper
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained ($.65)
2 small chicken breasts, diced ($1.79) About 1 lb.
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ($.62-$1.25)
About 1/2 lb. green beans (from the garden)

Directions
1. In medium saucepan, cook spaghetti noodles as indicated on the package. Drain and place into greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. In large skillet, add olive oil, onion, pepper, eggplant, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper.

3. Saute over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes, or until green tomatoes soften and onions become opaque.

4. Stir in diced tomatoes and diced chicken breasts.  Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until chicken pieces have cooked through.

5. Combine the spaghetti noodles and the chicken and veggie sauce in the baking dish.

6. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  As you can see below, I only used cheese on half the dish so the boys have have a dairy-free version of the meal!  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted and begun to golden.

7. Steam green beans in stovetop steamer for 4-5 minutes.
8. Serve Baked Chicken Spaghetti with Green Beans. 

Cost $4.80

I love chicken salad on the sweeter side. Perhaps with some fruit like grapes, apples or my favorite, pineapple.  I’ve had a small can of mandarin oranges glaring at my from the cupboard…as if it says, what are you going to do with me?

Put you into an asian chicken salad, of course!

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, or 2 cups of shredded chicken ($1.78)
1/2 cup mayonaisse ($.20)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($.05)
1 Tbsp juice from mandarin oranges
1/2 tsp garlic powder ($.02)
1/2 tsp ground ginger ($.02)
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped ($.50)
1/2 cup celery, chopped ($.10)
1 8 oz. can of mandarin oranges ($.59) Bought on sale from Walgreens!
Salt and pepper
1 loaf sweet Italian bread ($.60) Bought for reduced price…retrieved it from the freezer this afternoon!
1 bag Ruby Red lettuce ($.59) Bought on clearance this week
Cherry tomatoes (from the garden)
Store bought salad dressing ($.25)

Directions
1. Boil chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Shred.
2. Make asian dressing by whisking together mayonaisse, soy sauce, juice from mandarin oranges, garlic powder and ground ginger.

3. In large mixing bowl, toss shredded chicken, mandarin oranges, chopped peanuts, chopped celery with the asian dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate if necessary!
4. Prepare salad.
5. Serve Sweet Asian Chicken Salad on Bread with Garden Salad.

Cost $4.70

P.S. Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker Giveaway Winner has been announced! Congrats Joann!