$10 Dinners: Chicken Pinwheel Pot Pie

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a LOOONG while and I have finally gotten around to doing it.



This recipe came from my mom and was originally meant as a hot tuna dish but my dad doesn't like hot tuna so we substituted chicken for tuna and I have been modifing it from there.

My ingredients as I use them:



6 Tablespoons Crisco
2 1/2 cups Bisquick (divided)
3 cups milk
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Veg-Al
1 cup or more of Chicken (cut-up into bite-size pieces)
1/2 cup (4 oz) of shredded cheese: Mexican or Cheddar will do
1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 425

Step 1: Melt Crisco in Large Pan



Step 2: Add 1/2 cup Bisquick and mix well

Step 3: Slowly pour milk, stirring as you pour - stir occasionally till it boils - the more you stir the thicker it will get so it will be up to you how thick you want your mixture to be - I like mine a little thinner so I don't stir as much - you can also add less milk if you like it thicker - more if you like it thinner - play with it to see how you like it



Step 4: Add 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup and stir - you could also use 1 large family can if that's easier



Step 5: Add can of drained Veg-Al and chicken - you can use a few chicken breasts cooked and cut-up or dark chicken that you picked off the bone - this is a recipe that you can make cheaper by adding less chicken - so add however much or little meat you want!



This is your base mixture - keep it warm on the stove while you move on to the topping.

This is the fun part!

Step 6: Mix 2 cups of Bisquick with a 1/2 cup of water to form a dough



Step 7: Flour your counter or a large cutting board



Step 8: Roll out your dough so it's as flat as you can make it



Step 9: Add cheese to the center of the dough



Step 10: Roll dough carefully around the cheese to make a tube





Step 11: Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan



Step 12: Slice your dough into pinwheels



Step 13: Place on chicken mixture in rows



Bake at 425 for 20 to 22 minutes or until pinwheels are golden brown and the cheese bubbles.

Serve and enjoy!

With just a few ingredients you can see how inexpensive this dinner can be. Most of them I usually have on hand so it's often a meal that costs me a few dollars for the chicken.

$10 Dinners - White Bean Chicken Chili

2 Tablespoons oil ($0.15)
1 onion, chopped ($0.85)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.35)
1 lb. cooked chicken, diced ($2.50)
2 14 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes ($1.50/both cans)
16 oz can Great northern beans, drained and rinsed ($0.67)
10 oz can tomatoes with chilies ($1.00)
1 1/2 cup water
2 cubes chicken bullion ($0.50)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt/pepper to taste
Garnish: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced black olives, diced avocado, tortilla chips.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until soft. Place in slow cooker with remaining ingredients except garnish. Cover and cook on low setting for about 4 hours. Garnish portions as desired. Makes 8 - 10 servings.

Recipe comes from Cracker Barrel Slow-Cooker recipes.

Total cost for this meal - about $7.50 plus garnish - under $10! And for this meal I only had to purchase 1 can of Great Northern beans and chicken bullion because I already had everything else on hand - just another example of how stocking up really works!

Stay tuned for a great giveaway from Swanson chicken! We have much to share. Stick around and see if you can enjoy this meal using a free can of Swanson chicken :)

$10 Dinners

This week has been about what I have in my cupboards to throw together a decent meal. Normally this would be difficult but I find that Kraft Foods makes my life so much simpler. Tonight I just searched under beef and found a recipe that looked quick and easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand:



VELVEETA Cheesy Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef ($1.49 - still frozen from my last great deal at Giant)
2 cups water
3 cups medium egg noodles, uncooked ($.05 - still using the noodles I got really cheap at HT a few months ago)
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes ($2.00 - did get it using a coupon but not on sale)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup ($0.75)
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Total cost: $4.29 (though really free since I had everything on hand and purchased nothing this week)

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain.

STIR in water; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 8 min. or until noodles are tender.

ADD VELVEETA, soup and pepper; cook until VELVEETA is melted, stirring frequently.

And thanks to Kraft Foods rating system I knew before I made it that over 200 people enjoyed this recipe. Makes trying something new a lot less scary!

$10 Dinners - A Favorite

Layered Enchilada Bake

(I apologize that I have no picture but you can go here for a video tutorial and picture on how to make it)

1 lb ground beef ($1.98)
1 large onion (I left this out - we're not huge onion people and I never miss it)
2 cups salsa ($2.00)
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed ($0.67)
1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing (I left this out)
2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix ($0.15)
6 flour tortillas ($1.20)
1 cup sour cream ($0.30)
1 pkg. (8 oz) mexican style shredded cheese ($1.50)

Total Cost: $7.80

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

BROWN meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix.

ARRANGE 3 tortillas on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil.

BAKE 40 min.or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted, removing foil after 30 min. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Serving Suggestion

Top with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cilantro.

Make Ahead

Line 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of dish. Assemble recipe in prepared dish as directed. Cover with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to serve, heat oven to 400ºF. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake an additional 15 to 20 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve. To decrease the baking time, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then bake, uncovered, 45 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Cheap Meals

This week we've had some really good new meals that we've never had before and they were all very good - some quite surprising in the taste department :) All of our meals were under $10 - one was just $2.50!!

I figured I'd share the recipes so you can see for yourself:

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl


1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips ($1.68)
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing ($0.50)
1/4 cup orange juice ($0.50)
3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables ($2.00)
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice ($0.50)
1/4 cup chopped Planters Cocktail Peanuts (optional - I didn't use these)

Total Cost: $5.18

- Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, stir-fry 5 to 7 min. or until done
- Stir in dressing and juice. Bring to boil. Add vegetables; cook 5 to 7 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve over rice. Sprinkle with nuts.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss (sorry no picture)

1 lb lean ground beef ($1.98)
2 green peppers, chopped (I felt this was too much and used half of one) ($0.50)
3 cloves garlic (again less is fine - use one - I didn't use any)
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce ($1.50)
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing (I didn't use it)
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters ($1.50)
1 cup Kraft shredded mozzarella cheese ($1.00)

Total Cost: $6.48 (I added Ricotta: $2.29 = $8.77)

- Brown meat in large saucepan; drain.
- Stir in peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Add noodles; stir. Cover.
- Cook on medium-love heat 10 to 15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Special Extras: Stir in 1/2 cup ricotta cheese into noodle mixture before sprinkling with mozzarella.

Substitute: Substitute 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces, for the oven-ready noodles. Increase water to 2 cups and cook 30 min., stirring occasionally.

Mac Chicken Cacciatore

(this was surprisingly good)


1 pkg. Macaroni & Cheese Dinner ($0.45)
1/2 to 1 lb cooked chicken breast, diced ($1.26)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained ($0.69)
1/2 cup chopped green peppers ($0.50)

Total Cost: $2.90 (wow! so cheap and the kids loved it!!)

- Prepare dinner in large saucepan as directed on package.
- Stir in remaining ingredients; cook on low heat 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

$10 Dinners

Tonight I made a quick and cheap meal for the family. We had a meeting to go to and since we have decided against fast food (like we would usually do) and just ate out last week we were committed to staying in tonight. Enter the easiest meal ever! Okay, besides spaghetti but close :)

Chicken 'N Peppers Pasta Skillet from Kraft Halloween Cookbook



Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes plus standing

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped ($2.34)
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips (or chopped) ($1.49)
1 jar (14 ou) spaghetti sauce ($1.01)
2 cups (4 ou) rotini pasta cooked, drained ($1.00)
2 cup Kraft Italian Cheese, divided ($2.37)

Total: $8.21

Spray large skillet with no stick cooking spray. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add green pepper; cook and stir until chicken is cooked through and green pepper is tender.

Stir in suace, rotini and 1 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese; cover. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tip: To minimize last-minute prep work cook the pasta ahead, rinse it in cold water and refrigerate it until ready to prepare.

Want more cheap dinners?

$5 Dinners is now hosting a Bargain Meal of the Week

The idea is that different people around the country will make meals solely on with the stuff on sale at the store that week. No coupons just what's on sale. As of now there's no Harris Teeter. I've sort of considered volunteering but I'm just not that good at coming up with my own meals!! But there are tons of other stores listed so check it out and see if yours is there.

$10 Dinners

Another great and very cheap meal to share! This is one of my favorites that I've been making for a LONG time - even the kids love it.

Mini Meat Loaves

1 pound lean (90%) ground beef ($1.98 a pound)
1/2 cup quick or old-fashioned oats ($0.15)
3/4 cup chili sauce or ketchup, divided ($0.75)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion ($0.25)
1 egg ($0.10)
1 garlic clove, pressed ($0.50)
1 tsp oregano ($0.10)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.05)
1/8 tsp pepper ($0.05)

Total Cost: $3.93 - how's that for cheap??

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine ground beef, oats, 1/3 cup of the chili sauce (ketchup), onion, egg, pressed garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper; mix lightly but thoroughly. Using large scoop, divide mixture evenly into cups of muffin/cupcake pan. Bake 15 minutes.

2. Remove pan from oven. Spoon remaining chili sauce (ketchup) evenly over top of loaves (you can't have too much ketchup so usually I use more then stated). Return to oven; bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove loaves from pan.

Here's what I add to make it great: mashed potatoes. I used real potatoes - bought 8 pounds for $3.47 - add butter and milk for about $4.15 total. Or you could buy potato flakes - they were on sale for $0.97.

I use a Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator (which is a fancy icing decorator) to pipe the potatoes onto the mini meat loaves. I also pipe fun faces on the kids plates and they love that! It is easier to pipe the "fake" potatoes because there aren't any lumps.

Add green beans (I got a bag free at Wegman's so no extra cost) and you have a well rounded meal on the cheap!

$10 Dinners

We've been eating pretty well for the past two evenings and we've been eating pretty cheaply too.

Just thought I'd share these 2 recipes because we really love them (and by we I mean the older 4 in the family - the triplets don't eat anything yet anyway!)

Chicken Parmigiana:

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (2 lbs at $1.83/lb = $3.66)
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs ($.50)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ($.50)
1 large egg, lightly beaten ($.10)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine ($.10)
1 (14-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce ($1.01)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese ($2.00)

Total cost: $7.87 (fed 7 for dinner and a large lunch for Kirk later this week)

Place chicken between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken in beaten egg; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Melt butter in a large skillet; add chicken, and brown on each side over medium-high heat. Arrange chicken in a lightly greased 11-x7-x1 1/2- inch baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

From: Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites

Layered Enchilada Bake:

1 lb lean ground beef ($1.98)
1 large onion ($.23)
2 cups salsa ($1.50)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed ($.67)
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix ($.20)
6 flour tortillas ($1.44)
1 cup sour cream ($.35)
1 pkg (8 oz) mexican style shredded cheese ($3.39)

Total cost: $9.76 (and it could be cheaper when cheese is on sale - I can't remember what I paid for it but this week at HT it's buy one get one free or 50% off each pack) This also fed all of us and left plenty of leftovers.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans and seasoning mix; mix well.

Arrange 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

I just LOVE this recipe - it is so good and very easy to make. It comes from one of my favorite places: Kraft Foods - it's a free site that even sends out a free magazine full of recipes - if you haven't checked it out DO - you won't be sorry!

But the best part about this recipe? If you want to make it ahead and freeze you can!!

Make Ahead Directions:

Line 13x9 baking dish with foil, with ends extending over sides of dish. Assemble recipe in prepared dish as directed. Cover with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve. To decrease the baking time, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Enjoy these cheap meals - check back for more and please feel free to share some of your recipes! I am always on the look-out for great family recipes on the cheap :) Try to keep it under $10 or if you have a smaller family try for $5. Of course, larger families may be at $15 but even that beats eating out by far.

It's not so bad on the cheap side...

$10 Dinners

One of my resolutions was to provide meals for my family at $10 and under. Two days in and I've already gone over! Sort of.

Yesterday's meal was Cream Cheese with broccoli and it was VERY good. As a further testament to what Cherie and I have in common we both highly recommend this book though I bought it seperately and not because she told me about it :) Anyway, this is a great book - check it out - it's on sale for just $12.98 at Amazon.com - very worth it:



Back to the cost:

Chicken was $1.83 a pound (HT buy 1 pack get 2 free) - used 1.83 lbs: $3.35
Oil: $.10
1 Package Italian Seasoning Mix: $1.75
Onion: $.23
1 can cream of chicken soup: $.64
Broccoli: $.50 a box - used 2 (I'd recommend a bag next time): $1.00
1 package cream cheese, cubed: $1.66
Spaghetti: $1.00

Total Cost: $9.73

(On a seperate note: the recipe also calls for 2 cups sliced mushrooms which we do NOT like so I left those out - also calls for 4 pounds of chicken but seriously that would have been WAY too much chicken so I only used 1 pack - also called for dry sherry but I'm not much of a gourmet chef and I have no idea what that is :) - so maybe I cheated a little but it turned out great. Oh, I didn't have olive oil either so I used vegetable which is way cheaper.)

Recipe:

1. Toss cubed chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian salad dressing mix. Place in 5-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 3 hours.

2. Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onions; cook 5 minutes over medium heat or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese and sherry to skillet; cook until hot. Transfer to Crock-Pot slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 1 hour. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Yummy!!

I'd like to say tonights menu was as frugal but it wasn't exactly. Truthfully it was because I used all the pork chops which 2 packages totaled just shy of $10 themselves. However, we did not eat all the pork chops and they will feed my husband for lunch and a leftover meal later this week. I also had to buy olive oil at Target along with the frozen lemonade I use for the marinade. The sides I had on hand - carrots, scalloped potatoes (purchased for less then $1.00 at HT) and biscuits. So, it was slightly over $10 but still at home and cheaper then going out!

If you are interested in more cheap meals check out this blog: $5 Dinners I think it's a great website except that she's feeding a family of 4 and we have 7. I also can't imagine that she has many leftovers. To feed my family I could've done 3 pork chops since my 5 kids don't yet eat much but that would have left us with nothing and I like to have leftovers making a free meal later. But if your family is smaller it's a great site!