Two Meals for $10 (I)
Candance Gabel
Human Environmental Sciences Assistant Program Director
…and there's more! They're…
- Easy to fix
- Great tasting
- Good for your family
Chicken noodle soup
This is a good soup to make on the weekend. Save time on weeknights and use boneless chicken, which cooks in about 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
What you'll need:
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 pound chicken pieces, thawed
- 3 large carrots thinly sliced
- 4 cups (6 oz.) dry noodles
How to fix it:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pot. Add onion, celery and carrots. Stir until onion softens, about 3 minutes.
- Add chicken pieces and 10 cups water. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 2 hours. You can boost the flavor by adding a can of chicken broth or a couple of chicken bouillon cubes to the water. (This will add to the cost slightly, and will also increase the calories, fat and sodium content.)
- With soap and water, wash hands, counter surfaces and equipment that came into contact with raw chicken.
- Use tongs or slotted spoon to remove cooked chicken pieces from broth. Cool. Pull meat from chicken and return to broth.
- Use a spoon to skim fat from surface of broth (fat will rise to surface).
- Add pasta. Bring to boil and cook, uncovered, about 6 minutes.
- Ladle into soup bowls.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. If refrigerated, use within 2 days. To reheat, bring to a boil.
Each of the six servings contains:
- Calories: 290
- Fat: 8 g
- Sodium: 300 g
- Fiber: 2 g
My shopping list:
- 1 medium onion, chopped $.24
- 3 stalks celery, chopped .38
- 1 pound chicken pieces, thawed 1.98
- 3 large carrots, thinly sliced .36
- 4 cups (6 oz.) dry noodles .38
- Total cost: $3.34 or 56 cents per serving
*Prices are meant to serve as a guideline. They may vary by location, store and season.
Broccoli, bam, potato brunch casserole
8 servings
What you'll need:
- 16 oz. frozen broccoli
- 4 oz. lean precooked ham, diced
- 24 oz. frozen hash browns
- 1 10 ½- ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1 soup can skim milk
- 4 oz. reduced-fat cheese, shredded
How to fix it:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together broccoli, ham and hash browns in a large, shallow casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, stir together condensed cheddar cheese soup and milk.
- Pour the soup mixture over the broccoli, ham and hash browns. Mix well.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake until cheese is brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes.
Each one-cup serving contains:
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 11 g
- Sodium: 740 mg
- Fiber: 2 g
- Excellent source of vitamins A, C; and calcium
My shopping list:
- 16 oz. frozen broccoli $1.59
- 4 oz. lean precooked ham, diced 1.25
- 24 oz. frozen hash browns 1.64
- 1 10.5-oz. can condensed cheddar cheese soup 1.25
- 1 soup can full of skim milk .24
- 4 oz. reduced-fat cheese, shredded .90
- Total cost: $6.87 or 86 cents per serving
*Prices are meant to serve as a guideline. They may vary by location, store and season.
Fruits and veggies are healthy AND affordable!
- Celery $1.89
- 2 lb. bag of carrots 1.19
- Raw broccoli 1.50
- Leaf lettuce 1.19
- Green onions .69
- 1 lb. tomatoes 1.35
- 2 lb. pears 1.98
- 1 lb. apples 1.50
- 1 lb. grapes 1.69
- 3 lb. bananas 1.77
These shopping tips can help you SAVE!
- Make a shopping list and stick to it!
- Check newspaper ads before you shop.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry.
- Check the unit price and compare the price of sale items, store vs. name brands.
- Avoid convenience foods.
- Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.
- Fresh is often cheaper.
- Choose wisely! Use MyPyramid to guide your food choices.
For more information
- Contact your local MU Extension center.
- If you have questions about nutrition, call MU Extension's Show-Me Nutrition Line: 1-888-515-0016
- Running out of money for food? Contact your local Food Stamp Office or go to: www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/fstamp
Recipes and nutritional analyses are used with permission from University of Minnesota Extension Service. This material was funded in part by USDA's SNAP.
N987, reviewed March 2008