5 dollar dinners

With the economy the way it is going, and has been, many folks are looking for cheaper dinner alternatives, especially if you have a lot of mouths to feed! SharpMoms has a few $5 dinners that you and your family will be sure to love. Try them out and let us know what you think!

Do you have a $5 dinner or your own? Leave a comment and share it with the SharpMoms community!

Mexican Rice Casserole

What you need:

1. 1 package ground beef (1-2 lbs.)
2. 1 package taco seasoning
3. 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
4. 2 cups rice
5. 1 bar cheese, shredded- blocked cheese tends to be cheaper than pre-shredded or pre-cubed!
6. 6 ears corn

Make it fast:

1. Cook 2 cups rice according to package.
2. Brown ground beef. Drain. Return to skillet, add 3/4 cup water, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Stir thoroughly.
3. Add ground beef to rice. Put into 9×13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts.
5. Boil or grill ears of corn and serve on the side.

Pizza Wraps

What you need:

1. 6 Tortillas
2. 1/2 jar pizza sauce
3. Pepperoni
4. 1/2 Green Pepper, thinly sliced
5. 2 cups shredded mozerella cheese

Make it fast:

1. Preheat oven 350. Lay tortillas flat. Spread on pizza sauce. Layer 1-2 rows of pepperoni and sliced green peppers. Sprinkle with cheese, leaving room to roll.
2. Roll up tortillas and place snugly into 8×8 dish. Cook about 10 minutes so cheese melts.

Southwestern Mac N Cheese

What you need:

1. 8oz. package of elbow maccaroni
2. 1 cup salsa
3. 1 1/2 cups milk
4. 1 15 0z can cream-style corn
5. one can mexi-kernal corn with red and green peppers (Green Giant makes a corn variety similar to this)
6. 8 oz cheddar cheese, cubed

Make it fast:

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.
2. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender.
3. Stir in cheese until melted.

Super Cook = Super Mom!

Like most Moms, I find myself trying to plan a weekly menu of meals for my family. In reality, one or two meals actually get cooked and I find myself staring at a pantry of canned vegetables, fruits, tuna and an empty fridge, wondering what I can conjure up for dinner out of tomatoes, celery and some ketchup. Whether you choose to admit it or not, this has probably happened to you too (and perhaps even more than once!). Fear no more! SharpMoms has found a website that is going to bail you out of your dinner dilemma. Super Cook has a recipe search that is based on the ingredients you have in YOUR very own kitchen.  All you do is insert your ingredients into the search box and VOILA!, recipes appear at your fingertips.