Price Chopper Budget Meals 3/18 - 3/24

Click the image above to see everything that's on sale this week.

I am so wrapped up in my Four Ingredient Cookbooks that I pulled this week's recipes from there - what better way to save money than to combine sales with just four ingredients? I definitely intend to try these recipes and I'll let you know my thoughts when I do. I have one more fish recipe slated for tomorrow night, then unfortunately I'll probably have to move on to another book before I spill all the secrets in this one! But I definitely recommend that you purchase a copy of your own!

For coupon matches to these deals check out Little People Wealth and Cutting Coupons in KC. Note that these deals pertain only to the Price Chopper stores in Kansas and Missouri.

Recipes:

Barbecued Spareribs
4 lbs spareribs (Country Style Ribs $1.48/lb)
2 medium onions, sliced (Sweet Yellow Onions $.039/lb, 3/19-3/21 only)
1 (18 oz) bottle barbecue sauce (KC Masterpiece 4/$5)
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in roaster. Add onions and brown sugar (optional). Pour sauce over ribs and cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Serves 4.

Pork Potato Casserole
4-6 pork chops (Lean Pork Loin Chops $1.48/lb)
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices (Large Baking Potatoes $.039/lb, 3/19-3/21 only)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 can milk

Place two layers of potatoes in bottom of a greased casserole dish. Place pork chops on top. Combine soup and milk. Pour over chops. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour; uncovered at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour. Serves 4-6.

Mushroom Chicken
6 chicken breasts, thighs or legs (Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $1.49/lb)
3 Tbsp oil
2 (4 oz) cans button mushrooms
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Brown chicken in oil in frying pan. Remove and arrange chicken in casserole. Combine soup and mushrooms and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4-6.

Broccoli Tuna Casserole
1 (6 1/2 oz) can tuna, drained (Best Choice Chunk Light Tuna $0.69)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained (Westpac Classic Vegetables $0.69 3/19-3/21 only)
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup crushed seasoned potato chips (Lay's Potato Chips $1.79 3/19-3/21 only)

Layer tuna, broccoli and mushroom soup in small baking dish. Cover with crushed potato chips. Bake, uncovered, ta 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Fish Delight
4 fish fillets (Tilapia Fillets $3.99/lb)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar or ginger (optional)

Place fillets in greased casserole dish. Mix soy sauce and lemon juice with sugar or ginger if desired. Pour over fish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Place under broiler for 10 minutes. Serves 2-4.

BBQ Cups
1 lb lean ground beef (Certified Lean Ground Chuck $1.49/lb 3/19-3/21 only)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (KC Masterpiece 4/$5)
1 can refrigerator biscuits Best Choice Jumbos Biscuits 4/$5)
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown meat, drain. Add barbecue sauce and set aside. Place biscuits in ungreased muffin cups, pressing dough up sides of edge of cup. Spoon meat mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Serves 4-5.

Scalloped Corn
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 (16 oz) cans corn, drained (Best Choice Vegetables $0.48)

Blend all ingredients together. Bake in lightly greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

3/18 - 3/24 Deals:
Fresh Lean Pork Loin Chops or Country Style Ribs - $1.48/lb
Best Choice Canned Vegetables - $0.48
Rice-a-Roni or Pasta Roni - $0.78
Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs - $1.49/lb
Tilapia Fillets - $3.99/lb
Price Chopper Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns - $0.99
KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce - 4/$5
Deli Fratelli Tomatoes - 4/$5
Libby's Canned Fruit - 4/$5
Best Choice Chunk Light Tuna - $0.69
Best Choice Jumbo Biscuits - 4/$5
Red Delicious Apples - $0.99/lb
Hot House Tomatoes - $0.99/lb
Argentine Bartlett Pears - $0.99/lb

3/19 - 3/21 Deals
Oscar Mayer Meat Weiners - $0.99
Certified Lean Ground Chuck - $1.49/lb
Lay's Potato Chips - $1.79
Westpac Classic Vegetables - $0.69
Dannon Yogurts - $0.29
Large Baking Potatoes - $0.39/lb
Sweet Yellow Onions - $0.39/lb

Soy Sauce Chicken

This recipe sums up why I love The Four Ingredient Cookbooks so gosh darned much. It uses only four ingredients (whose names I can pronounce and generally have on hand), which is a huge plus! Also the ingredients are inexpensive and often on sale, so it's a great budget meal. And it takes just four simple steps (though I still managed to mess one up - GO ME! I forgot to read the little part about bake COVERED, so for the first 20 minutes my poor little chicken breasts baked without the protection of foil). Also, if you prepare with light sour cream and low sodium soy sauce, this would be a great healthy meal!



I definitely recommend this recipe for any family on a budget or anyone just learning how to cook. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner and delicious enough to serve to company. The chicken was probably more moist than any other chicken I've ever prepared (though it was a tiny bit tough - I think because it baked naked for 20 minutes by mistake! OOPS). The leftovers are also fabulous, though they don't look nearly as appetizing as they taste after sitting in the fridge overnight (but I promise they are still delish)!




Soy Sauce Chicken

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned (I used 5; there was still PLENTY of sauce)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)

Place chicken in greased casserole dish. Mix sour cream, soy sauce and black pepper (optional) together. Spread over chicken. Bake covered [at 350 degrees for 1 hour].

Yield: 4 servings

Source: The Four Ingredient Cookbooks

garlic chicken 'n' gravy

Unfortunately I can't tell any quirky stories about this recipe. Why? Because my dear husband decided to cook this meal for me! It was so nice after a long day at work to have someone else do the work. He even plated it up and took a picture for me - what a sweetheart! I asked him afterwards how the cooking went and if he had any interesting stories to tell - he just said it's a good recipe.

Well, from what I ate, I would have to agree with him! The garlic flavor seemed really strong (but we love garlic) on first bite. I am not sure if he spooned in more than the recipe called for (we always use bottled minced garlic rather than the 'real' stuff, so who knows how much he added!) or if the recipe might need to be scaled back for a non-garlic-lover. Other than that, all comments are positive!



Garlic Chicken 'n' Gravy

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup white wine OR additional broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Add 1/2 cup broth, wine or additional broth, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining broth until smooth; stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook

leftover chicken tortilla soup

I have been redeemed! I found this recipe to reuse the chicken from last week's Cola Chicken disaster experiment. This soup was super-simple, quick and tasted amazing. My daughter and my husband both lapped it up, which doesn't happen very often!

This was also a great way to get the little princess involved in the kitchen. She helped me get each can out of the pantry and the stock pot out of the cabinet. She arranged each on the kitchen floor and could barely contain herself as she sat waiting for me to arrive with the can opener. I opened each can and then she poured its contents into the pot. Her favorite was the refried beans - I opened both ends of the can and let her push the bottom lid down as the contents squeezed into the pot. Such fun for an almost-three-year-old! After I squished the beans down a bit she stirred the whole concoction with fervor, then ran off to play while I finished the cooking.

I will definitely use this recipe again, and honestly I don't think I would make any changes. I used a can of "diced tomatoes with green chilies" rather than Rotel because the latter is just too hot for my tastes. If you like your food on the hot side you might try it that way. We crushed up some stale tortilla chips that I would have otherwise thrown away - this recipe was chock full of recycled foods! I actually found it on a blog called Making Do with the Not So New... what a perfect fit! MJ also suggests that you can freeze the leftovers, but after lunch today there won't be any! Next time I think I'll make a double batch, though, because this seems like a recipe that would freeze very well.



Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can refried beans
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup corn (I used frozen)
1 lb leftover cooked chicken, shredded
Shredded cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

Stir tomatoes, beans, broth and corn in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add meat until heated through. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Yield: 6-8 servings (this is my guestimate - the original recipe didn't state a yield)

Source: MJ at Making Do with the Not So New

pretzel-crusted chicken with honey mustard sauce

One word: FABULOUS!

This simple little recipe only requires five ingredients, but it is honestly one of the best meals I have ever cooked! I will definitely tweak it a bit the next time around, but it will become a forerunner in our little book of family favorites!

Before we get into the recipe, let me explain what I would change:

1. So this is more an issue with my inexperience in cooking than with the recipe itself. You need 4 cups of crushed pretzels - so I got out a zip top baggie and a bottle of salad dressing and pounded away! That first sad little baggie was pulverized into bits (sending pretzel dust all over my counters), so for the next batch I used a heavy-duty bag from our FoodSaver vacuum system. After three more batches even this tough cookie had seen its better days! I also managed to dent the bottom of a brand new bottle of salad dressing. The recipe claimed 10 minutes prep time, and this step alone took me closer to a half hour! Then as I breaded the chicken tenders, a light bulb went off in my head! "Hey sweetie! Next time I make this, I can use the food processor to crush the pretzels!" So that's what that thing is for - I just thought it was supposed to collect dust in the farthest depths of my kitchen cabinet!
2. The recipe calls for unsalted pretzels. I like salt. I used regular salted pretzels and loved every bit of it - heck I would have even been happy with more salt! I would not recommend unsalted pretzels.
3. The recipe also calls for chicken breasts cut into strips. I used chicken tenders. However, I did learn (the hard way) that you should cut off that little tough white thing that hangs off of one end of the tender - otherwise you'll get a bite of not-so-appetizing-plasticy-hardness at the end of each otherwise-delicious piece.
4. I scoured the shelves for honey Dijon mustard. Lots of people make honey mustard or Dijon mustard. The only honey Dijon mustard I could find was French's (as the recipe suggests). I've used this product in the past and remember that it was way too spicy for my tastes. Nothing's changed - still much too spicy. Next time around I will just buy a store brand honey mustard. For the dipping sauce, I may even substitute Kraft's fat-free honey Dijon dressing (I LOVE to dip chicken in this stuff).
5. The recipe says to cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Even with thin chicken tenders it took 20 minutes.
6. The recipe also says to line your baking sheet with foil. I'll stick with my Pampered Chef stoneware, no foil.
7. Eat all of these delectable morsels the minute they come out of the oven (or at least during the same meal)! The pretzels become soggy in the fridge, so the leftovers are less-than-appetizing.
   

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce

4 cups unsalted tiny pretzels, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each), cut into 1-inch-thick strips
3/4 c honey Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Put crushed pretzels in a pie plate; set aside.
2. Brush both sides of chicken pieces with 1/4 cup of the honey mustard. Press chicken into crushed pretzels to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 c honey mustard, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning. Microwave on high setting (100% power) for 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking Made Light

cola chicken

This recipe was a disappointment - but I can't really blame it on the recipe.

This star-crossed recipe just wasn't meant to be for me. First, I had to run an errand after work that kept us out past dinner time. As usual, we stopped at a burger joint and filled up on junk (yummy junk; the first I've had since starting my new healthy eating kick late last month... but junk nonetheless).

I was determined to make my Cola Chicken though. So, when we got home I pulled out my camera and the ingredients:



I took a shot of each step as I added the ingredients (after all, this was going to be a masterpiece - I had to document it for posterity and to share with all the world!)... After I put the liquid on to boil my toddler had a meltdown, and by the time I made it back to the kitchen the pan was smoking. Fail one.

I pulled the smoking pan off the burner while I opened the package of chicken - still mid-meltdown. In a horrible mommy moment I shooed my daughter out of the kitchen with what I am sure was a salmonella-ridden hand (probably not, but I am paranoid about chicken - I wash and Germ-X my hands every step of the way). Fail two.

Somewhere along the way I realized that I made an eerily similar recipe during my last stint on Weight Watchers (though I think the last round called for Root Beer rather than Cola). I hated it. When you mix soda with ketchup the result is a strange, tangy-sweet concoction similar to barbecue sauce or sweet and sour sauce. Did I mention I am not a huge fan of barbecue sauce? And that I hate sweet and sour sauce? Epic fail.

But I forged on so that I would have something to show you - and so that my husband would have dinner when he returns from work tonight; after all, I've already eaten, so I guess it doesn't matter if I don't like the chicken (until lunch tomorrow, that is)!

For those of you who enjoy strangely-sweet-and-sour-barbecue-sauce-concoctions, I will include the recipe below. Be sure to share any thoughts or suggestions that you might have to improve. I deviated a bit from the recipe instructions, so I'll note the changes too. Please also note that this experience hasn't soured my overall impression of the Dinner on a Dime cookbook - in fact, I am still smitten (just really glad that I tried the Stovetop Beef 'n' Shells recipe first - much love for that one)!



Cola Chicken

1 can (12 oz) diet cola
1/2 c ketchup
2-4 tbsp minced onion (I used chopped dried onion)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 chicken pieces, skin removed (I used a package of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders)

In a large skillet, combine first five ingredients. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Add chicken; stir to coat. Redce heat to meduim; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home Dinner on a Dime