After reviewing the results of the recent survey we did on the $7 Dinner Challenge (thanks for joining in!), Cate and I decided to make a few modifications to the rules … to make it a little more user-friendly and hopefully encourage more participation.  Although we know the $7 challenge is definitely doable, we thought expanding the scope a bit might make it better for all. And, if you liked the recipes before, you are going to love what we come up with now with just a little more money.

The challenge will resume next Monday, but in the meantime, here’s the plan:

The Ground Rules:

• You have $10 to create a complete dinner for four, to include the main course and a serving of vegetables for each person.
• Cost of items (i.e., bread) can be prorated (total cost of loaf/slices used).
• Salt, pepper, 1/4 cup oil and 1 tablespoon of herbs are free — no need to count these into the cost total. Every other ingredient must count toward your $10 total.
• No frozen meals. You actually have to make something (however it can have premade components).
• You must state where you get your pricing info from, and it must be current to the date posted (as in, if the sale is over, the current price is the one that counts).

I am already dreaming up new ideas for next week’s menu.  Hope to see you here!

The post The $7 Dinner Challenge, Version 2.0 appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

We’ve decided to take a week off of the challenge and to ask everyone to fill out a special survey, which will help us decide whether to continue to the challenge and/or tweak it. I hope you will take a few minutes to answer the brief questionnaire.

(And if you posted a challenge post today, leave the link in the comments! No Mister Linky this week.)

Thanks!

Click here to take survey

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Shawn just caught on that every Monday we’ve been eating dinner for just $7. And he was kind of dreading tonight’s meal as a result. I certainly don’t blame him. It is breathtaking to think about putting a full meal on the table for four people for just $7. Your mind jumps eight steps down the line, making all kinds of assumptions about what can be made for that small sum. Fresh? Nah, can’t be. Tasty? No way. When I think cheap meals, I think of Hamburger Helper, ramen noodles and frozen dinners — the $1 ones I used to eat.

But if I have learned one thing since Cate and I launched The $7 Dinner Challenge, it’s that eating cheap doesn’t have to mean eating poorly. Sure, if you never paid attention to sales or coupons or store discount cards, you would end up paying more for food. But the thing is that those small things — the $0.35 cent  coupons, sale meat and all — really add up in the long and short run.

This week, chicken is on sale at a local grocery story for just $1.49 a pound for a bulk package. (So yes, while I do know that this is the third time chicken has been my star protein for the challenge, I am using it again. Good thing all of these recipes were different.) When you see huge sales like this, you simply have to stock up. And I do know that for a person living on a shoestring, spending $6 for a bulk package of chicken can be scary. I’ve been there. But really you are saving loads in the long run.

Another important way to save money on your groceries is to clip coupons. I’ve gotten in the habit of picking up the New York Daily News and the New York Post on Sundays. Each cost $1, and save me loads with the coupons inside (the two papers have different advertisement packages). Many grocery stores also double coupons that are under $1 at checkout, so you save even more that way.

And are you planning ahead? You should be. Careful, thoughtful meal planning will help you devise recipes within a budget.

So, what did I make for The $7 Dinner Challenge this week?

We started off with crusty bread with gorgonzola butter (yes! an appetizer for a change!). This used:

1 small loaf of bread (sometimes called a demi-loaf), 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp gorgonzola. Total cost: $1.75.

• Demi-loaves can be purchased for about $1 at many grocery stores in the bakery section. For me, it’s a pantry staple — I have at least half a dozen in my deep freezer. Buy them when they go on sale for $0.75 and stock up!
• To freeze a demi-loaf: wrap in aluminum foil and seal in a resealable bag.
• To defrost a demi-loaf: When you are ready to eat, remove from the freezer and bake for about 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. So easy.
• To make gorgonzola butter: Simply melt 2 tbsp salted butter and stir together with 1 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Butters 1 demi-loaf.
• To make Crusty Bread with Gorgonzola Butter: Heat the bread in an oven unwrapped until heated through. Once it’s warm and toasty, cut it open (as if you are making a sandwich) and spread the gorgonzola butter down the length of it. Flip it upside down for a minute or so to let the butter melt into both sides.

For our entree, we had Lighter Chicken Enchiladas from the November 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I served this with a side of corn. This used:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, canned chipotles in adobo, chicken broth, corn tortillas and Monterey Jack cheese, 1 box frozen corn (on sale). Plus pantry items: canola oil, garlic, flour, cumin. Total cost: $4.98

• I used sale items from ShopRite and Caraluzzi’s to make this menu.
• For the enchiladas recipe, just pick up a copy of Everyday Food that’s on the newsstands now.
• My total cost was $6.73. For pennies more, I could have added a side of rice as well. However, we really didn’t need it.
• Unfortunately, Will and Paige didn’t give this meal the kid seal of approval. But Shawn and I liked it.

Remember how I said that Shawn was dreading this meal? When we were finished, he admitted that it wasn’t so bad — and it certainly didn’t feel like a cheap meal. He even helped me start brainstorming for next week’s $7 Dinner Challenge.

The post The $7 Dinner Challenge: Week 3 appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

As it would have it, there is a great sale at Shop Rite this week: boneless, skinless chicken is just $1.99 a pack. It’s the bulk package so stock up and separate it to freeze. A FoodSaver is good for chores like this, unless of course yours is broken like mine.

So, anyway, I created this whole dinner for about $6.87. Go me.

Full disclosure: For dessert, I copped out and used a box of Strawberry Gelatin from Jell-O. But it was for a good cause: Jell-O is donating $250,000 or more to Susan G. Komen For the Cure to benefit researchers who are searching for a cure for breast cancer. That is something that I am willing to support.

Menu:

10-Minute Salsa Chicken with Avocado Cream and Rice

Think Pink Strawberry Jello

The Breakdown:

Chicken – 1 lb – $1.99

Salsa – 6 tbsp – $0.30

Cheese – 6 tbsp – $0.50

Avocados – 2 – $1.29 x 2

Rice – $0.50

Jello – $1/box

Total: $6.87

Did you join in the challenge? Add your link below using the Mr. Linky.

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What can you make for a dinner for four people, including a vegetable and dessert for under $7? That’s what Cate and I wanted to find out when we challenged each other to The $7 Dinner Challenge. Good thing we didn’t push to go any lower, because $7 is very challenging.

The first thing that came to mind, for me, was pasta. Pasta is one of those inexpensive fillers — 2 ounces, or 3/4 cup, dried pasta is one serving and most boxes have 16 ounces, so I would only need half a box. So I built from there, using the sales at my local ShopRite. Boneless chicken, some broccoli, lightly roasted . . . the ideas came together slowly but surely. When I was a preteen, just about the only dish I made was roasted broccoli in marinara over pasta. It delicious then and still is today.

But dessert, it was dessert that scared me. What could I possibly make for less than $2? Fortunately, I caught sight of the watermelon on the ShopRite flier. A watermelon ice idea floated through my head and I jumped at it. It was cool and refreshing, light but not too sweet.

The Menu:

Broccoli and Chicken Ragu
Watermelon Granita

Here’s how I did (some prices are prorated to amount used):

• 1/2 lime, $0.13
• 1 yellow onion, $0.25
• 1 bunch broccoli, $0.99
• 1/2 lb San Giorgio Penne Rigate, $0.40
• 1 lb Shop Rite brand boneless, skinless chicken breast, $2.31
• 1 can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes, $0.99
• about 1.5 lbs seedless watermelon, $0.99
• 1 tbsp olive oil, $0.20 (est — pantry staple)
• 2 cloves garlic, $0.05 (est — pantry staple)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning, $0.05 (est — pantry staple)
• 1/4 cup sugar, $0.05 (est — pantry staple)
• salt and pepper, freebies

Total: $6.41 — PASS!!!

We’ve decided that allowing certain pantry staples to slide in the pricing is okay — within reason. After all, different people may keep different things in the fridge and some may not be as accessible as others. No off the wall or unusual ingredients without counting them. So, we’ll be tweaking the rules a bit to reflect that before next week.

Did you join in the challenge? Add your link below using the Mr. Linky.

The post The $7 Dinner Challenge: Week 1 appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

This photo doesn’t do the dish justice. I love mixing a tomato sauce with broccoli. And when it’s lightly roasted broccoli like you find in this recipe, it’s all the better. Roasting broccoli brings out a great, lightly sweet flavor in it.

Will and Paige gobbled this up.

(This is part of The $7 Dinner Challenge.)

Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli Ragu
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
salt and pepper, to taste
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/2 lb pasta (I like ziti)

Add the oil to a large skillet and swirl around. Heat over a medium burner.

In a food processor, process together the onion and garlic until finely minced. Pour into the skillet and add the chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes. (You want the chicken to be opaque on all sides.)

Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Start a pot of water on the burner over high heat.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees and spread the broccoli onto a baking sheet. Spray lightly with olive oil spray and salt and pepper generously. Place the pan in the oven and cook for five minutes. Using a spatula, flip the broccoli lightly. Return to oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the broccoli to the sauce and uncover. Cook for 5-8 minutes, to thicken a bit. Stir frequently.

Is your water boiling? It should be. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.

Finally, drain the pasta. Divide it between four plates. Top with sauce. Enjoy!

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With the economy in question, it’s no surprise that families everywhere are looking for ways to save on everything from electricity to food. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a great meal on a budget. That’s what The $7 Dinner Challenge is all about.

The $7 Dinner Challenge, besides challenging ourselves (that would be Cate and I), we want to make sure that what we’re making is accessible, so readers can actually make these meals for $7 as well.

Have a food blog and want to join in the fun? When we post on Monday nights, feel free to leave us a link with your post — the more the merrier.

The Ground Rules:

• You have $7 to create a complete dinner for four, to include the main course and either an appetizer or dessert.
• Your meal must include a serving of vegetables for each person.
• Items such as bread can be prorated (total cost of loaf/slices used).
• Salt and pepper are free — no need to count these into the cost total.
• No frozen meals. You actually have to make something (however it can have premade components).
• You must state where you get your pricing info from, and it must be current to the date posted (as in, if the sale is over, the current price is the one that counts).

So if you’re looking for delicious food without breaking the bank, be sure to tune in every Monday night and see what we’re all cooking up … with just $7.

Photo: Sweetnicks

The post Are You Up for The $7 Dinner Challenge? appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.