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

Ever had one of those moments when you open the fridge and look around…and decide to try a little experiment?

That’s what happened tonight.  I had an easy Friday night meal of Waffles on the menu plan, BUT with the freezer crisis and having “breakfast for dinner” on Wednesday night, I opted for a little experiment instead of going with the plan.

A little of this. A little of that. 

And Voila!

And the best part. This is a “one dish” dinner!  Here ya go…

Ingredients
1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 lbs.) ($1.01) Found some on an unadvertised sale for $.49/lb!!!
2 broccoli heads ($.79)
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped ($.30) I used some of the baby carrots that I bought for $.67 this week!
1 red pepper (from a friend’s garden, and totally optional)
1-2 tsp olive oil ($.05)
2 cups shredded chicken, cooked ($1.50)
1 tsp Italian seasonings ($.05)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each

*Note: Serve this with some garlic French bread and still be under $5!  We had a late afternoon snack, so this was plenty for us tonight…on any other night I’d have served some bread!

**Note #2: Toss in 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to give this a little more flavor!

***Note #3: Use 2 boiled or baked chicken breasts in place of the 2 cups of shredded chicken.

****Note #4: OK, enough with the notes already!!!

Directions
1. Bake spaghetti squash in 9×13-inch glass baking dish, as you would bake a butternut squash. (Leave oven on…as you will bake this again for a few minutes after mixing it all together!)  This takes about an hour, so plan accordingly. You can poke holes in the squash and microwave it for about 15-20 minutes if you are in a time crunch, but I don’t think the “spaghetti” part turns out as well when cooked in the microwave. My opinion!
2. In the mean time, chop broccoli heads, carrots and red pepper. Place in microwavable dish with 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove squash (carefully) from baking dish and rinse out the baking dish.

4. Add 1-2 tsp olive oil to the clean baking dish. Add steamed broccoli, carrots, red peppers, and shredded chicken. Toss around in the baking dish.

5. Scoop out spaghetti squash seeds and then use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” strands from the squash. Add to the baking dish and toss with the other ingredients.
6. Season with Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.  Return to oven and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. 
7. Serve Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Medley.

Cost $3.75

P.S. And I’m sharing 2 brand new recipes over on Everyday Cheapskate today…Gingered Butternut Squash Soup and Zesty Beef and Rice Casserole…be sure to check ‘em out!

This recipe can now be found exclusively in The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook.