It's a new week and my meal ideas are coming your way! Today I'm feeling a little cheap, so I'm going to share six meals that cost less than two dollars per serving. I think it's a good idea to have a few inexpensive meals in the planner for weeks when you need to trim from the food budget. So here they are:
Meal 1
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked
medium egg noodles
1 tablespoon olive
oil
1 (1-pound)
pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 12 (1-inch-thick) slices
1/2 teaspoon black
pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry
white wine
3 tablespoons whole-grain
Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
Cook noodles
according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
While the
noodles cook, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle the pork with pepper and salt. Place pork in pan; cook 5 minutes,
turning once.
Combine the
wine and mustard; pour into pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Remove pork from pan; keep warm.
Combine water
and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into pan; bring to a
boil, and cook 1 minute or until thick. Serve pork with sauce and noodles.
Meal 2
6 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
3/4 cup jarred red salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar (about 2 1/2 oz.)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons sour cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mist every other cup of a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Press a tortilla into each sprayed cup, flattening out edges, and bake until golden, about 8 minutes.
Divide beans among tostadas, top with salsa and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake until warmed through, 7 to 10 minutes.
Place each tostada on a plate and sprinkle with cilantro. Top with some lettuce and a small dollop of sour cream. Serve with extra salsa, if desired.
Meal 3
Meal 3
Ingredients
1
pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1
cup frozen peas
3
tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2
cup heavy cream
Salt
and pepper
1/2
cup grated Parmesan
1/4
pound ham, chopped
Preparation
Bring
a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook tortellini until just al dente (do
not overcook), as package label directs. Add peas to pot for last 30 seconds of
cooking time.
Drain
tortellini and peas and return to pot. Stir in butter, cream, salt, pepper,
Parmesan and ham. Turn stove on to medium heat and cook, stirring, until
ingredients are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Meal 4
1 1/2 pounds boneless,
skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds boneless,
skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive
oil
1 tablespoon curry
powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 onions,
thinly sliced
4 cloves
garlic, finely chopped
1 28-oz.
can diced tomatoes with juice
2 15-oz.
cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Preparation
Combine
chicken, olive oil, curry powder and salt in slow cooker and toss to coat.
Sprinkle
onions and garlic on top of chicken. Pour tomatoes on top. Cover and cook on
low for 6 to 8 hours.
During
last hour of cooking, stir in chickpeas. Serve hot.
Meal 5
Ingredients
1 7-oz.
can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 15-oz.
can crushed tomatoes
1
tablespoon lime juice
1 onion,
chopped
3 cloves
garlic, minced
1 2-lb.
beef chuck pot roast, fat trimmed
Salt
and pepper
Corn
tortillas, shredded lettuce and Jack cheese, sliced avocado and sour cream, all
optional
Preparation
In a blender or food processor, puree chipotle chiles with adobo sauce until
smooth. Spoon 2 1/2 Tbsp. into slow cooker; reserve remainder for other uses.
Add tomatoes, lime juice, onion and garlic; stir to combine. Season beef with
salt and pepper and add to slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high until beef is tender enough to shred easily with a fork,
about 6 hours. Using two forks, shred meat; spoon into a serving bowl with
sauce. Serve beef with warmed corn tortillas, shredded lettuce and cheese,
sliced avocado and sour cream, if desired.
Meal 6
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for
serving
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
one 15 oz (1 liter) white kidney
(cannellini) beans
2 carrots, sliced
9 oz (250 g) spinach
1 leek, white and pale green parts only,
sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 slices Italian bread
1 quart (1 liter) chicken stock
2 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional), for serving
one 14.5 oz (411 g) chopped tomatoes
Directions
Heat the oil in a soup pot over
medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrots, and leek and cook until softened but
not colored. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock, tomatoes and
their juices, and tomato paste.
In a bowl, mash half the beans with
a fork and stir into the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Return the heat
to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the remaining beans and spinach
and simmer for 30 minutes more.
Place a slice of bread in each soup
bowl. Ladle in the soup, and, if you like, top with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
