$5.00 Menu

I always aim for $5.00 a meal, sometimes I'm a little over. I calculate the main ingredients prices and round up for smaller ingredients such as spices. I am able to make most dinners for $5.00 or less because of my coupon shopping and stockpiling.

Sunday --Spaghetti and garlic bread $1.50

Monday -- Black bean tacos $3.00

Tuesday -- Broccoli & Rice Casserole from the Crockpot $4.00

Wednesday -- Baked Ziti in Crockpot $4.50 (I will delete the meat and probably add some red/green bell peppers to the mix)

Thursday -- Green beans, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies $2.50

Friday -- Dance Class! Grilled Cheese and soup $3.00

Saturday -- Homemade pizza (I'll add some veggies and brush the crust with garlic butter to give more flavor)

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$5.00 Menu

Better late than never....

I always aim for $5.00 a meal, sometimes I'm a little over. I calculate the main ingredients prices and round up for smaller ingredients such as spices. I am able to make most dinners for $5.00 or less because of my coupon shopping and stockpiling.

This is a very uncreative week as far as dinner menus. Hubs and I are sick with colds, and things a very hectic at work. So, I'm not putting alot of thought into dinner right now.

Sunday -- Take out -- Waaay more than $5.00!

Monday -- Veggie Helper $1.50

Tuesday -- Breakfast for Dinner! Breakfast burritos, french toast. $3.50

Wednesday -- Pizza (frozen kind) $2.00

Thursday -- Veggie Burgers & Fries $4.00

Friday -- Vegetable Soup (from a can) and Grilled Cheese $2.00

Saturday -- Baked potatoes and salad or leftover soup $4.00


Check out Org Junkie for other great menus.

$5.00 Menu

I aim for each dinner to cost $5.00 total. I am able to do this with the great deals I get on food with sales and coupons. I figure in the price of my main ingredients. I usually round up to accomodate smaller ingredients such as spices.

Here is my $5.00 Menu plan for the week:

Sunday - Veggie Helper, crescent rolls $2.50

Monday - Black Bean Tacos and rice $4.00

Tuesday - Bakeless Ziti $3.00

Wednesday - Pizza $2.00

Thursday - Eggplant Parmasan $5.50 (I'm going to try this in the crockpot instead of oven - save some energy)

Friday - Italian Vegetable and Asiago Bow-ties $6.00 (we all like this dish alot last time, but it was a little dry - I found that adding pasta sauce made it great!)

Saturday - Baked potatoes, salad and soup(for the kid who won't eat salad) $3.00

Form more menu ideas visit OrgJunkie.com

$5.00 Menu

Here is this week's menu. As usual I am trying to hit my target price of $5.00 per meal. I don't always make it, but it keeps me from going overboard too much. I calculate the cost of the main ingredients. I am able to get these ingredients at lower costs by shopping for items on sale and using coupons with the sale price. I usually round up the cost of my meal to compensate for the price of smaller ingredients such as spices.

Sunday -- Italian Vegetable and Asiago Bowties $4.00

Monday -- Red Beans and Rice with Homemade Tortillas (yes! I'm going to try making my own tortillas!) $2.00

Tuesday -- Broiled Salmon, green beans, scalloped potatoes $5.00

Wednesday -- Teriyaki Veggies with Rice $3.00

Thursday -- Black Bean Tacos $4.00

Friday -- Salad & Baked Potatoes $4.00

Saturday -- Pizza $2.00

$5.00 Menu

Better late than never!
I try to spend no more than $5.00 on my nightly dinners. I do this by purchasing the ingredients with sales and coupons. I do not figure in the cost of smaller ingredients such as spices. I do usually round up in order to offset the costs of those smaller ingredients.

Monday -- Special night out for daughter - Chic Fi-la -- definetly more than $5.00!

Tuesday -- Veggie Helper $2.00 ( I use a box of Tuna Helper and replace the meat with a bage of frozen veggies)

Wednesday -- Pizza $2.50

Thursday -- Pasta and Bean Skillet $4.00

Friday -- Veggie Burgers & french fries $4.50

Saturday -- TBA

Weekly $5.00 Dinner Menu

I try to keep my dinners at $5.00 or less. I can do this buy purchasing food on sale and with coupons. I calculate the prices of the main ingredients but not the smaller ingredients such as spices. I usually round up to try to figure in those costs.

Sunday -- Broiled Catfish, rice pilaf, green beans $4.00

Monday -- Bakeless Ziti $3.00

Tuesday -- Cheesy California Veggie Casserole w/ Rice $3.00

Wednesday -- Pizza $2.50

Thursday -- Vegetable Stew with herb dumplings $4.00

Friday -- Skillet Nachos $3.50

Saturday -- Spaghetti w/ marinara sauce , Garlic bread $3.00

5.00 Dinner Menu

Sunday -- Birthday Party at friends

Monday -- Veggie Burgers, baked potatoes $3.00

Tues -- Teriyaki Veggies & Rice

Wed -- Pasta Salad w/ Eggplant, Zucchini and Squash $1.00 (almost all veggies were free to me)

Thursday -- BBQ Salmon w/ couscous 4.50

Friday -- Homemade Pizza $4.00 (will add veggies and brush crust with garlic butter)

Saturday -- Dinner out

Saturday --

$5 Dollar Dinner Menu

It's going to be a busy week at our house. Not alot of time for cooking. I think the crock pot will be used heavily.

When figuring the cost of my meals, I figure in the prices of the main ingredients that I paid, using sales and coupons. If you make these recipes from ingredients purchased at regular price, the cost can be significantly higher. I don't calculate out smaller ingredients such as spices. I usually round up my numbers to try to include the nominal costs of these small ingredients.

Sunday --- Birthday Party at friend's house

Monday -- Crockpot Ravioli Casserole $4.00

Tuesday -- Quick Bean Quesadilla $3.00

Wednesday -- Tomato Basil Salad w/ cut up veggies $3.00

Thursday -- Paula Deens Squash Casserole $3.00 ( I can make this cheaper than last time b/c my squash and zucchini were free!)

Friday -- Lentil Rice Casserole served in tortillas - $4.00

Saturday --- Mama's tired! Let's go out!

$5.00 Menu Plan for June 21 - 27

I aim for $5.00 a meal using food and ingredients that I purchase on sale and with coupons. When calculating my costs I do not figure in the price of smaller ingredients such as spices. I usually round up in my figures. I don't always hit the $5.00 mark, but it's more of a guideline anyway.

Sunday: Veggie burgers and frenchfries $2.00

Monday: Tomato Basil Salad w/ fresh cut up veggies $3.00

Tuesday: Black bean tacos (recycled from last week b/c we ended up having something else) $2.50

Wednesday: Mac n cheese from box, mixed veggies, garlic bread $2.00

Thursday: Veggie Pizza $2.00

Friday: Broccoli Spaghetti Bake $3.00

Saturday: Tamale Lentil Casserole $5.00

This Week's $5.00 Dinner Menu

$5.00 a meal is my goal. Sometimes I don't make it. But, I usually only go over by a dollar or two. I only calculate the costs of the main ingredients, I don't include smaller ingredients like spices. The only reason I can make any of these dinners for $5.00 or less is because I buy the ingredients when they are on sale and I use coupons. And then, I stock up. For instance: I never pay more than .80 cents for pasta. Lately it's been more like .35 cents a box after sales and coupons, and I bought 14 boxes of various types of pasta. Usually my most expensive food items are fruits and vegetables, but with the summer season upon us, I expect those prices to go down.


Monday Mac n Cheese from a box, mixed Italian veggies, garlic bread $2.00

Tuesday Teriyaki Veggies and Rice $2.50

Wednesday Paula Deen's Squash Casserole $6.50 (this recipe is higher because I'm using veggies I bought from the Farmer's Market, if I had bought these on sale a the grocery store, it probably would have come in at $5.00)

Thursday Homemade Pizza $3.00 (I will add some veggies to this recipe, and brush the crust with a little garlic butter to add some flavor)

Friday Black bean tacos $2.50

Saturday Lentils, garlic and tomatoes served in tortillas $2.25

$5.00 Dinner Menu

This week's menu is a little heavy with Mexican food and a few meals are over my goal of $5.00, but it's okay. The point of $5 dollar dinners to me is to set a target so that you don't end up making $25 dollar dinners all the time! I calculate how much I spent on the main ingredients of the meal, I do not calculate smaller ingredients like spices. How much does a teaspoon of ground cumin cost anyway??

Sunday -- South of the Border Enchiladas $5.50

Monday -- Spaghetti Broccoli Bake with Corn on the Cob $3.85

Tuesday -- Quick Bean Quesadillas $3.25

Wednesday -- Veggies, mac n cheese from a box, baked beans, canned biscuits $2.50

Thursday --- Mexican Lasagna $6.00

Friday -- Crock Pot Falafel $3.00

Saturday -- Mexican Pasta Shells $5.25

$5.00 Menu

I try to stay as close to $5.00 a meal as possible. I figure in the amounts of the main ingredients.


Sunday: Black Bean Tacos and corn $3.00

Monday: Veggie Pasta Alfredo $1.50

Tuesday: Veggies, Baked Beans, Hushpuppies $2.70

Wednesday: Deep Dish Pizza Casserole $3.00

Thursday: Lentil Rice Casserole $3.00

Friday: Leftovers $00

Saturday: Spaghetti w/ Garlic Bread $2.00

$5.00 Menu for this week

Again, late, but.... what do you do???

Monday: Baked potatoes, baked beans, corn $2.01

Tuesday: Pizza, french fries $4.50

Wednesday: Chili Mac, corn muffins $3.50

Thursday: Stir fry Veggies and rice $2.00

Friday: Garlic Penne with veggies $2.00

Saturday Roasted potatoes, cous cous, veggies $3.00

May 18 Menu

Monday Red Beans & Rice, Veggies, Biscuits

$4.00

Tuesday Scalloped Potatoes, Veggies, corn muffins

$2.75

Wednesday Veggie Helper

$2.00

Thursday Dinner out!

??

Friday Baked Ziti

$5.50

Saturday Crock Pot Falafel (click for link to recipe)

$4.75

Sunday Spaghetti with marinera , garlic bread

$2.00

$5.00 Dinner Menu

So, I've been planning our dinner menus for a couple of months now. Let me tell you, it is great! It does take a little time, discipline (which I'm NOT known for) and effort, but it pays off!

When I have a menu already planned, and written out, it makes my evenings a little less stressful. Especially on the evenings that I've worked all day. It also helps prevent last minute runs at the drive thru out of desperation or exhaustion. So, that way we are eating healthier, even if I'm making french fries or pizza, I believe home made french fries and pizza are better than fast food.

Another big plus, it's cheaper! I've discovered that I can make most meals for $5 or less when I use ingredients that I bought at the grocery store on sale and with coupons.

Here is our menu for this week the (total cost of the meal is listed below the day):

Monday Veggie Helper (this is Tuna Helper minus the tuna mixed with frozen veggies)

$2.50

Tuesday Homemade Macoroni and cheese, green beans

$2.00

Wednesday Teriyaki Stir Fried veggies

$2.50

Thursday Rice and Lentil casserole with tortillas & salsa

$3.00

Friday Cuban Black bean patties with Spanish rice (new recipe, we'll see how it turns out)

$3.50

Saturday Tamale Lentil Casserole

$4.50

Note: part of the reason our total meal costs are lower than average is because we are pursuing a vegetarian life style. When you eliminate meat from you daily meals, your costs are visibly reduced. So, think about a vegetarian meal some time, if not for the sake of the animal, your health or other reasons, just think of the $$ you can save!