Southwest Chicken

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts ($2.50)
1 can cream of chicken soup ($.50)
1 jar SALSA (my hubby cannot stand the spice of salsa, so I usually mild it down with homemade chili sauce and we love it - maybe a bit sweeter than the salsa but yummy!) ($.50)


Mix soup & salsa together. Pour over chicken breasts in greased slow cooker and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese (if desired). Cook 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

$4.00 (or more without the deals I got on the foods above!)

Leftover Chicken Casserole

Leftover Chicken Casserole

2-4 breasts cooked chicken (we used fried - unhealthy, but mmm....mmmm....good) ($2-4)
1 can cream of mushroom soup ($.38)
1-2 cups stuffing mix ($.50)
1 can milk ($.25)
2 Tbsp oil ($.25)

Break up chicken into bite-size pieces and put in bottom of 9x13 casserole. Top with stuffing. Sprinkle some oil on dressing. Mix soup and milk together and pour on top.

*Can top with grated cheese - we used about 2-4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese - it wasn't pretty, but it was delicious!

Serves 6

Total Cost $5.38 (at top dollar chicken) - today it was $1.38 because the chicken was free from a family party!

Chicken with Basil Recipe

Chicken with Basil (Serves 4)

This only requires 15 minutes cooking time with just 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil ($.10)

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ($2-4)

1/2 -1 onion (red) ($.50)

1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice or substitute mango juice ($.25)

1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil leaves ($.01)

1 tsp (5mL) ground cumin ($.01)

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt ($.01)

1/2 lime ($.05)

1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped basil -Garden

2 green onions, thinly sliced ($.20)

Directions

Oil a large frying pan and over medium heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until slightly browned approx. 4-5 minutes per side. Thinly slice the red onion. Once the chicken is cooked, add the onion to the meat. Add the orange or mango juice. Coat lightly with the dried basil, cumin and salt to taste. With a large wooden spoon, stir in any of the ingredients that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow to boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, halfway through, turn the chicken, until chicken is spongy when touched, approx. 7 to 9 minutes. Squeeze lime juice on top of the chicken. Remove chicken from the pan and place on serving platter. Increase heat to high. Boil remaining juices, stirring constantly, until thickened, aprox.1- 2 minutes. Add in the fresh basil. Pour juice over the chicken. Serve with rice and orange or mango slices.

Per serving • 22.6 g protein • 7.2 g fat • 7.3 g carbohydrates • 0.8 g fibre • 1.7 mg iron • 30 mg calcium • 388 mg sodium • 187 calories

TOTAL COST = $3.50

Chinese Chicken Salad

4 chicken breast halves ($1.50)
2 Tbsp slivered almonds ($.30)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds ($.15)
1 head cabbage finely chopped ($.50)
2 green onions, eliced ($.10)
2 pkg Ramen noddles/chicken flavor ($.50)
2 Tbsp sugar ($.01)
1/2 cup vegetable oil ($.40)
1 tsp salt ($.01)
1/4 tsp pepper ($.01)
3 Tbsp vinegar ($.01)

Cook chicken in small amount of water, covred until tender about 20-30 minutes; skin, de-bone, and dice chicken. Combine with toasted almonds & sesame seeds, cabbage, green onions, and uncooked noodles (crumbled). Set aside.

In a glass jar combine rest of ingredients; shake until well blended. Pour over salad and toss. Cover and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. (Some people use the seasoning in the dressing, some don't - I don't)

*Toasted Sesame Seeds and Almonds
To toast, spread almonds in shallow pan in single layer; bake at 350 degreesF for 2-3 minutes; add sesame seeds and bake another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with fresh fruits and vegetables and bread or muffins

SERVES: 8-10 (it served 6 adults and 4 children easily!)

TOTAL COST $3.50

White Chicken Chili

2 lb White Beans, rinsed, & soaked ($1)

12 cups chicken broth (or 12 cubes + 12 cups water) ($.50)

2 tsp chicken chicken bouillon (.10)

1-2 onions, chopped (.50-$1)

1-2 Tbsp oil (.10)

1-4 cloves garlic, minced (.10)

2-3 tsp cumin (.10)

1 can diced green chilies (.50)

3 Tbsp lime juice (.25)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (.01)

*Can also add 2 tsp oregano & 1-2 tsp lemon pepper (.02)

2-4 cups cooked & diced chicken or turkey ($2-3)

Combine beans, brother, bouillon, lemon pepper, & cumin. Bring to boil and cook (simmer) for about 1 1/2 hours. Then saute onions and garlic in oil. Add these to soup, plus spices, green chilies and meat. Simmer another 30 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, green chilies sliced, salsa, or green taco sauce.

Serves 10-12

Total Cost = $4.50 + toppings, so about $6-7; freeze half and you spend about $3.50 per meal

Cafe Rio Chicken and Dressing - two recipes

The One I've Used:

1 large pork roast or loin ($5)
1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (.10)
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce (1.00)
1 can caffeine free coke or Dr. Pepper (.33)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (.25)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (.01)

Combine ingredients and cook in crock pot on high 4-5 hours or on low 7-8 hours. Serve in burritos, enchiladas or in a salad with beans, rice, tomatoes, guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips, cilantro, a lime wedge and creamy cilantro dressing. (Freezes really well - I usually freeze it in a Ziploc Bag and can use the leftovers 3-6 times to feed our family).

Total Cost = $6.75/5 meals = about 1.35 per meal

Dressing from same recipe:
1 pkg Ranch Buttermilk Dressing ($1)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (.10)
1-2 jalapenos (or 1/2 can green chiles) (.25)

Make Ranch Dressing according to directions or just use a bottle of ranch already made up. Add the cilantro and chiles in a blender. Keeps for up to 3 weeks in fridge (or longer in freezer)

Total Cost = $1.35 (can last for 5 meals too)

Other Recipes To Try:

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing ($1)
1 Tbsp chili powder (.10)
1 Tbsp cumin (.01)
3 cloves garlic - minced (.03)
5 lbs chicken breast ($7.50)

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Total Cost = $8.75, but can last for 4-5 meals as well, equalling out to about $2.20/meal

The Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe) ($1)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them) ($2)
1/2 bunch of cilantro (.20)
1 clove garlic (.01)
Juice of 1 lime (.10)
1 jalapeno (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno) (.25)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Total Cost = $3.56

Vinagrette (I made this one up from other recipes and what I had on hand)
1/2 cup oil (.40)
1/4 cup vinegar (.10)
3 Tbsp lime juice (.15)
1/2 bunch cilantro (.20)
2 tomatoes or tomatillos ($1)

Mix in blender. Refrigerate.

Total Cost = $1.85. Can last even longer because there is not the creamy base