5 Meals That Feed 5 For Under $10

For financial survival in this tight economy, this is what I am proposing: let’s go back to basics and keep it simple to stay within your budget. Let’s begin with looking at our weekly Jungle Jim’s grocery ad and utilizing this week's low prices.

Now, travel back in time in your mind to when you were a kid --- any meals come to mind? With the exception of holiday meals and special occasions, I bet these were pretty simple meals, but meals that you would all sit down and enjoy together.

This is exactly what I propose, so I am giving you five easy, yummy meals for a family of five all under $10 per meal! That's five for five under $10!

It’s a whole week of meals diverse enough for everyone’s tastes, and each meal lends itself to your own individual variations. Let’s get started:

Meal #1 for 5 under $10: Grandma’s Pot Roast, but not quite –

My grandmother used to bake a beef roast surrounded by potatoes, carrots and onions in her old gas stove.  Since I’m a working mom, I’ve made adjustments and am using a slow cooker to cook my beef roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions, but with a little bit of a twist.

Tanya O’Rourke first showed me this method to cook a beef roast a couple of years ago – she adds a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup to the pot to make a delicious gravy.  But I am always eager to try something new and, since Coke products are on sale this week, I think I’ll try this recipe with the can of coke in lieu of the can of French onion soup I was going to try, or the original cream of mushroom soup. Something tells me it’s going to be surprisingly good!

You can try any of these variations, but what makes this so special is that it is so scrumptious and easy, and the beef rump roast is on special this week (saving $2 per pound)!

Slow Cooker Beef Roast and Veggies

1 3 lb. Boneless Beef Rump Roast
1 lb. Baby Carrots
2- 21/2 lbs. Potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1 Onion, cut into quarters
1 packet Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can Coke cola***
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the roast in the slow cooker with the vegetables – you can place on top of vegetables if you prefer – you can also brown the roast in a skillet before placing in the slow cooker if you prefer - whatever you want.

Sprinkle the packet of dry onion soup mix over all and top with the can of Coke (do not use diet) ***here is where you can be creative: in lieu of the cola, you can add cream of mushroom soup or French onion soup or beer or even 1 cup of water – the roast and vegetables will cook to a wonderful tenderness and flavor – the sauce or gravy will differ according to your preference.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Put roast on a platter and surround with the vegetables. (If you want, you can also serve with steamed green peas, which are on sale for $1 a bag – a favorite addition of my husband’s – and I always have fresh parsley on hand which I like to add.) You can serve with the au jus or gravy on the side. Delish --- and doesn’t your house just smell like Grandma’s, too?!

Meal #2 for 5 under $10 --- We just can’t wait for summer grillin’!!

Grilled Brats and Mettwurst on Buns
Homestyle Baked Beans
Wedges of Fresh Watermelon

With the weather warming up, we just can’t wait to start grilling. With Jungle Jim’s brats and metts on sale, why wait???

Brats and Metts are on sale this week along with Klosterman’s buns and Bush’s baked beans. Sound like a cook out? You bet!!

No recipe really --- it’s easy to grill the brats and metts as they are packaged fully cooked – just heat them through with nice grill marks – then add your favorite toppings. The baked beans are delicious and a great source of fiber and you can spice it up with a little minced chipotle peppers if you like. I’m serving my brats and metts and beans with nice wedges of fresh watermelon. Yum!

Meal #3 for 5 under $10 --- Italian Supper

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Green Salad
Bread

There are quite a few ways you can make this Italian Supper, the first being the type of spaghetti: thin spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, rotini --- make your favorite!

The second is the spaghetti sauce: You can make it from the diced tomatoes on sale, adding garlic, onion, basil and salt and pepper; you can even add carrots if you like.  Simmer it all for an hour until all the veggies are nice and tender, then puree in a blender (to hide the veggies from the kids!) Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and possibly a few red pepper flakes or maybe some fresh parsley or basil and simmer until your spaghetti is ready. You can make the sauce with or without meat, as ground chuck and ground round are both on sale at Jungle Jim’s.

Simply brown the ground meat and drain. Add to your homemade tomato sauce or to one of the prepared brands on sale this week.  The Robusto Ragu sauce on sale caught my eye as it boasts “more than a full serving of Veggies in every ½ cup of pasta sauce.”  It brought to mind just how nutritious pasta sauce can be. Spaghetti sauce can be as simple as tomatoes, garlic and basil, or as elaborate as you want to make it, by adding everything from mushrooms and peppers to sliced olives and artichokes. You know what your family likes. Kids love spaghetti and it is an easy way to get them to eat more vegetables.

Toss the lettuce on sale with your favorite vinaigrette or salad dressing and serve with bread or garlic bread if you like. This is always a great fun family meal and you can personalize it for your family’s tastes.

Meal #4 for 5 under $10 --- Brunch for Dinner -- Simple Strata

This is always a favorite at my house and the variations are endless. It is made ahead of time and ready to pop in the oven when dinner time rolls around. The recipe below is for Sausage Cheese Strata, but you can substitute other meats and other cheeses and add vegetables if you like. Some favorites at our house are the sausage with the cheddar cheese strata recipe below, Italian sausage with sun-dried tomato feta cheese and mozzarella cheese, cooked crisp bacon pieces with Swiss cheese and chives, and lastly, pepper jack cheese with canned mild, chopped green chilies – no meat required! Make the substitutes you like! 

Sausage Cheese Strata

8-10 slices White Bread, crusts removed
1 lb. Pork Sausage, browned and drained
2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
6 Large Eggs, beaten
2 Cups Milk
½ tsp. Ground Dry Mustard or 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. Freshly ground pepper


Place bread in the bottom of a buttered 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan. Top with the browned and drained sausage, then topped with the shredded cheese. In a blender or a bowl, mix the beaten eggs with the milk, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over the cheese. Cover the pan and refrigerate 8 hours during day or overnight (if baking for brunch.)

Remove strata from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the strata, uncovered, in the preheated oven 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to stand 8-10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Serve with seasonal fruit --- divine!


Meal #5 for 5 under $10 ---- Taco Bar!!

Here’s another crowd pleaser --- taco bar! You set out the ingredients and allow your family to create wonderful crunchy tacos, soft tacos or taco salad --- yummy!

You can create taco meat with more vegetables by sautéing the meat with onion and garlic; drain off grease. Add taco seasoning and water along with a can of tomatoes and peppers – it not only is healthier, it also stretches the meat. Top with fresh tomatoes, green onions, lettuce and cheese and even sour cream if you have it. My family craves fresh salsa on theirs, so I am sharing this simple recipe below.

Fresh Simple Salsa

2 Cups Fresh tomatoes, diced
½ Cup Green onion, sliced thinly
1 Fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
¼-1/2 Cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp. Ground Cumin
Salt and Seasoned Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until serving time.

Remember you can make tacos, tostados, and taco salads. Enjoy!


Drum roll, please!!

It's time to share our tally of all of these five simple yet scrumptious family meals for a family of five all under $10 each meal.

I hope these dinner ideas stimulate a few of your own from days gone by.

Tally of 5 Meals for a Family of 5 Under $10 Each:

Meal #1: Pot Roast Supper

3 lb. USDA Choice Boneless Beef Rump Roast $5.97
2 ½ lbs. of Idaho Russet Potatoes $.74
1 lb. of Baby Carrots $1.25
1 sweet onion $.57
1 packet of onion soup mix $.84
1 can of Coke (see variations) $.25

Total: $9.62

Meal #2: Summer Grillin’

6 pack of Jungle’s Metts & Bratts $2.50
Pack of Klosterman’s Hot Dog Buns $.99
Bush’s 28 oz. Homestyle Baked Beans $1.69
5 Wedges Fresh Watermelon $2.67

Total: $7.85
You have extra money to spend on chips, Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese ($.50 box) or sauerkraut to top the dogs!

Meal #3: Italian Spaghetti Dinner

1 box of spaghetti – your choice $1.29
Ragu Robusto Spaghetti Sauce $1.87
1 lb. Ground Chuck $1.79
1 bag of Romaine Lettuce $1.50
½ bottle of Salad Dressing $.84
Small loaf of Italian Bread $.75

Total: $8.04

You have extra money to top your spaghetti dinner with cheese or add ingredients to your salad. With diced tomatoes and tomato sauce on sale, you could easily create your own signature sauce within budget as well.

Meal #4: Sausage Cheese Strata – Brunch for Lunch

6 Eggs $.65
½ loaf of white bread $.49
2 cups milk $.50Save money and time with these five delicious meals for a family of five, all under $10 each.
2 cups cheese $1.67
1 lb. Jungle Jim’s Sausage $1.50
Total for Strata $4.81
Approximately $4.00 of assorted fresh fruit $4.00

Total of Strata plus fresh fruit $8.81


Meal #5: Taco Bar

1 lb. Ground Chuck $1.79
Taco Seasoning (free with shells purchase)
El Paso Taco Shells $2.29
½ head iceberg lettuce – shredded $.49
Tomatoes (also for salsa) $1.67
Green onion – 1 bunch (also for salsa) $.33
½ bunch of fresh cilantro (salsa) $.30
1 jalapeno pepper $.28
1 package shredded Mexican cheese $1.67

Total: $8.82

You have extra money to add toppings like sour cream or olives, or to add onion or a can of tomatoes with chilies to the taco meat mixture.Save money and time with these five delicious meals for a family of five, all under $10 each.

We did it!!! Five simple, delicious meals for a family of five all under $10 each!!!

Happy Eating!

Jungle Jim’s Margie Potts