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$5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

Deck the Freezer in 2025!

Pasta with Tomato & Zucchini Sauce

February 24, 2021 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

pasta with zucchini tomato sauce

Dinner on the Table in 15 Minutes or Less?! Totally Possible with This Meal...If You Follow This Order! This Tomato & Zucchini Sauce is delightful over any type of pasta noodles. You can have this on the table in 15-20 minutes if you follow this order... Boil the water. Chop the zucchini and start sauteing. Add pasta to water. Add tomatoes to … [Read more...]

Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Recipe

October 1, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Your favorite flavors of fall blended with steel cut oats, cooked to perfection in this Instant Pot Oatmeal recipe! Around our house, we made a.l.o.t. of oatmeal in the Instant Pot. It's our preferred "breakfast" cooked in the Instant Pot, except it's not usually eaten for breakfast. It's usually the "2nd dinner" option for the boys. You see, I can start the Instant Pot … [Read more...]

Slow Cooker Black Bean Posole

April 24, 2019 by Seema Leave a Comment

Slow Cooker Black Bean Posole - A Vegetarian Twist on a Favorite Mexican Soup!

Y'all! It's a vegetarian version of a traditional Mexican soup, made with spices like chili powder and oregano, poblano peppers, and hominy corn. And it's SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!  I adore 'cheap and filling meals' like this one.  I'm often asked "how are you planning on feeding 4 teenage boys on a budget" - and the answer generally involves something along … [Read more...]

How to Cook Brown Rice in the Instant Pot

March 27, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Learn to Cook PERFECT Brown Rice in the Instant Pot Brown rice can be a bear to cook on the stovetop. It doesn't always cook evenly, it takes a full hour, and it sometimes leaves a "crusted" layer on the bottom of the pot. Well - you don't have to worry about any of those things anymore. Enter "Instant Pot Brown Rice." It cooks and fluffs perfectly - in a fraction of the … [Read more...]

Vegetable Ragu with Pasta

February 18, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

A veggie packed ragu sauce to go with your favorite pasta! To freeze this, you're going to chop up all the veggies and mix with the crushed tomatoes and seasoning. Then let it simmer together in a skillet or saucepan, and serve with cooked pasta and a side salad. Enjoy! Vegetable Ragu with Pasta You're going to love the savory flavor in this veggie … [Read more...]

Slow Cooker Spinach-Mushroom Tortellini

February 11, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

I think if I had to decide on one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be tortellini. AH - I just love it so much...and sometimes I wonder if I have more Italian in my blood that I do. (I have not done one of those DNA kits and pretty sure there's very little Italian in my blood, despite what my pasta-cheese loving taste buds might say!) Good luck not licking … [Read more...]

The BEST & EASIEST Taco Dip!

February 6, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Oh, we love chips and dips around here. It usually doesn't take long for a bowl of salsa or queso or guacamole to get polished off by my voracious crew! The next favorite on the list is this Taco Dip! It's hearty, it's simple, and it's super affordable too! Add this to the list for your next potluck...or Taco Tuesday night at your house :) Here's what we need to make … [Read more...]

White Bean Tortellini Soup

January 25, 2019 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

I adore tortellini. Because pasta + cheese = you can't go wrong. I adore it so much that I have to make it not that often. Because I just want a bowl of seconds....and thirds... For real. The boys have taken a liking to it as well, so it's an easy (and fast!) and filling dinner for our family! This is just the recipe you need to help you survive the cold, chilly … [Read more...]

Slow Cooker Indian Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry

November 2, 2018 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 1 Comment

I spent several years overseas and fell in love with cooking different meals from other cultures and cuisines. It's remarkable how different combos of spices, herbs and simple ingredients can make for such a phenomenal meal. This Indian-inspired dish with lentils, butternut squash and a tomato based curry sauce is to-die-for. We served it with flatbread, almost using the … [Read more...]

Chocolate Almond Smoothie Bowls

April 23, 2018 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 1 Comment

Chocolate for breakfast....sure, why not?! This protein packed smoothie bowl is a fantastic way to start the day! Loaded with coconut, almonds (protein) with just the right about of cocoa and sweetener, and your day is off to a great start! This also makes a fantastic "need something to hold me until dinner" afternoon snack, or even dessert. You can add/subtract the … [Read more...]

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