5 Recipes From $5 Dinner Mom Erin Chase
Erin Chase share a few of her favorite budget-friendly family meals.
May 6, 2014— -- intro: Erin Chase, the founder of 5DollarDinners.com and author of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook series, has made it her mission to help families cook delicious dinners for as little money as possible.
In an segment for "Nightline," Chase spent the day with a family in Eastchester, N.Y., to give them a food makeover, showing them how to get all of their groceries for five days’ worth of family dinners in one shopping trip for as little as a few bucks per person.
READ: 5 Money-Saving Tips From $5 Dinner Mom
Chase also shared some of her favorite recipes that are only easy to make, but easy on the wallet. Click through the slides to see a few of Chase' "$5 Dollar Dinner" recipes.
quicklist: 1title: Pizza Penne Bakemedia:23606307text: Ingredients:
1 lb. pasta noodles, such as penne, ziti, mostachioli or other “medium” shaped noodle
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
About 30 pepperonis, cut in half
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
About 1 cup pizza blend shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook the pasta as directed on the package in an ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven. Save 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain.
To the same saucepan or Dutch oven, add the reserved cooking liquid and the pizza sauce and whisk together. Then stir in the chopped peppers and halved pepperonis. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the drained pasta noodles. Toss together.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta and then sprinkle the pizza blend shredded cheese over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve Pizza Penne Bake and kill that pizza craving!
quicklist: 2title: Grilled Citrus Salmon Packetsmedia:23606757text: Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets, 1/4 lb. each
Dill weed
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 orange, thinly sliced
Directions:
Place each salmon fillet in a piece of foil that is about 10 to 12 inches long or large enough to wrap around the salmon and make a “packet.”
Generously season the salmon with dill weed, salt and pepper. Top each fillet with a slice of lemon, lime and orange. Wrap the foil, creating a packet, and place on the grill.
Grill for 12 to 15 minutes or until salmon has cooked through. Cooking time will vary on thickness of the fillet and heat of the grill.
Serve Citrus Salmon Fillets with a side dish, such as fresh veggies, brown rice or grilled garlic bread.
quicklist: 3title: Salsa Verde Beef Street Tacos, with Cilantro Slaw media:23606177text: Ingredients:
2-ish lb. chuck roast
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups salsa verde
12 oz. bag shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
Small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
3-4 Tbsp homemade or store bought vinaigrette
Goat cheese or cotija cheese, for topping
Other topping idea: sliced or diced avocado
Directions:
Place the beef in the base of the slow cooker and season with the ground cumin, salt and pepper. Pour the salsa verde over the beef.
Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.
Before serving, prepare the slaw in a mixing bowl by tossing together the slaw mix, chopped cilantro and vinaigrette.
Assemble tacos by placing some shredded beef in the middle of the tortilla, and top with the slaw and some cheese.
Serve Salsa Verde Beef Street Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and side of fresh fruit or veggies.
quicklist: 4title: Grilled Chicken Spinach Pesto Pastamedia:23606478text: Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 box penne pasta
About 1/2 cup homemade spinach pesto from the garden
2 cups frozen carrots or other veggie side dish.
Directions
Place chicken breasts in shallow dish and drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Let sit for 30 minutes.
Grill until cooked through. Dice.
Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain and rinse.
Toss pasta with pesto and grilled chicken.
Cook carrots as directed on package.
Serve Grilled Chicken Spinach Pesto Pasta with Carrots.
quicklist: 5title: Seven Layer Tostadasmedia:23607030text:Ingredients:
8 tostada shells
1 can refried beans (or 2 cups homemade refried beans)
1 chicken breast, shredded, or about 2 cups
2 avocados, mashed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Chopped peppers
Canned, or cooked black beans, about 1 cup
About 1/2 cup salsa
8 pinchfuls of shredded cheese
Directions:
Prepare the chicken if need be. Or pull it from the freezer.
Spread the refried beans on the tostada shells.
Prepare guacamole by mashing avocado with the ground cumin and lime juice, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Continue to add toppings, as you wish.
Serve Seven Layer Tostadas.