Saturday, January 31, 2009

Cheap, Quick, & Easy...

And no, I'm not describing myself - I'm describing my dinner!

Tonight, I made a quick Asian dinner that Katie Anne just loved, and I thought some of you moms of little people might want to try it. It was totally quick and easy, and best of all - it was super-cheap and we've got lots of leftovers! I just made it up as I went, but this is what I did...

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
2 packages Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chopped onion, celery, and green peppers
Soy sauce
Vegetable oil

1. I cut up the chicken breast and started sauteing it in just a little veg oil in a nonstick pan. After a few minutes, I added chopped veggies... I just bought a bag of pre-chopped onion, celery, and green peppers already mixed together, so this was SO simple.
2. Cook ramen noodles in boiling water (do add seasoning pack to water) for 2 minutes.
3. Add ramen noodles to chicken saute once chicken is lightly browned/cooked through.
4. Add lots of soy sauce and saute for a few minutes to marry flavors.
5. Serve to little people! (I did cut up noodles smaller for KA.)

We had this with a side of Asian steamed vegetables (PictSweet brand Asian veggies are so good... I like their Asian version better than the SteamFresh one. So that took all of 6 minutes in the microwave!) and mandarin oranges - KA's favorite! A picture would make this post a lot better, but I didn't think about it until it was too late.

This meal literally took 15 minutes to get on the table, and Katie Anne and Saunders thought it was a gourmet Asian dinner. They both had seconds! :) I'm estimating the cost of this meal at $7.63...

Here's the breakdown:
Chicken breast: $1.75 ($5.25 for 3 pack)
Ramen: $0.20 (can't beat that!)
Veggies: $1.99 (and I still have 2/3 of bag left, so I shouldn't count that whole amount)
Soy Sauce: already had it
PictSweet Veggies: $2.89
Mandarin oranges: $0.80 (we buy these at Costco)

That's only $1.53 per person (I divided by 5 because we've got two helpings of chicken stir fry and veggies in the fridge)!
You cannot beat that with a stick.

3 comments:

Jillian said...

MMmmm....sounds yummy!

Carrie Beth said...

I'll have to try this! Sounds really good. :-)

Anonymous said...

love it that you broke down the cost of the meal. that is so KATIE. i can not wait to make this. thank! i love new recipes.