7 Meals for $7 or Less – The Breakdown, Part 1

Several days ago, I posted my list of 7 meals I could feed my family of 5 for $7 or less per meal. And by meal, I don’t mean each individual serving. I mean the entire MEAL. For all of us. I promised you the breakdown showing the cost of each meal with recipes and in the meantime got caught up in blogging about presidential debates and foreclosures and all that other stuff that really makes learning how to make meals for under $7 important.

So – on to the stuff that WE can do to help save our families and our country; being frugal.

To view the original list and read my ground rules, click here. I’ll split the list into two posts to avoid information overload.

1. Gebratene Nudeln with Salad – This is a new family favorite my German husband convinced us to try. Super easy, super cheap. Basically, it is German for Fried Noodles (loosely translated). Because I have 4 male homosapiens in the house, I have to make more than your family might need. Adjust to suit your family’s appetites. View the recipe. Cost Analysis:
   1. Two boxes of Penne Noodles (We use Ronzoni Smart Taste or Barilla Plus) – $3
   2. 6 eggs. 1 dozen eggs is 2.79 at a cost of 23 cents per egg – $1.40
   3. Olive oil – don’t consider it because it is a pantry item
   4. Salt – also a pantry item
   5. Salad is very basic mix of lettuce of your choice($1.49), 1 tomato and 1 cucumber. This salad will last us two meals so I divide the cost of the entire salad($3.28) by 2 to get the final price of $1.64 per meal. This brings the entire cost of the meal to $6.04. We rarely have leftovers.
2. Potato, Bacon & Onion Hotpot with Broiled Chicken
   1. 2 large russet potatoes at about 60 cents each (estimated from my 5 lb bag I purchased for $2.99) – $1.20
   2. Bacon. I bought a medium priced package for $3.99 and estimate that I will used half of the package. – $2
   3. Half an onion I bought for 66 cents – 33 cents
   4. Chicken I bought in a frozen bag of chicken breasts for 2.50 a lb. I estimate that I will use 1 lb for this meal – $2.50. The total cost for this meal is $6.03. View the recipe.
3. French Toast
   1. I estimate I will use half a loaf of bread that cost $2.99, for a cost of $1.50
   2. Two eggs as 23 cents per egg – 46 cents
   3. I don’t count the milk, cinnamon, sugar, butter and/or syrup. You have to buy it, but they count as pantry items. Total cost to make: $1.96. Honestly, the syrup you use will not be consequential enough for one meal, however, $1.96 sounds super cheap. So, my syrup is sugar free and costs $4.99. I can get about 5 meals of waffles,pancakes or french toast out of it, so I estimate we use $1 of syrup at each meal. Ok, $2.96 – final total. Still very cheap. View the recipe.
4. Black Bean Quesadillas with Rice
   1. Bell Pepper – $1
   2. One onion – 66 cents
   3. Cheese – My block of cheese cost me 22 cents per ounce. I assume I will use 8 oz. – $1.76
   4. Fresh Cilantro – A splurge and sometimes I use dried cilantro, but this splurge is only $1.29
   5. Tortillas – 1 Package is 1.99 for a 20 count. I assume I will use 10, making the cost of tortillas for this meal $1.
   6. Black Beans, 1 can for $1
   7. Rice – I use brown rice. I do not use instant. One package costs $1.13 and I usually get 4 meals out of it. Cost of rice for this meal, 28 centsTotal Cost for this meal – $7.99 with fresh cilantro. Without fresh cilantro, it is $6.70. View the recipe.

 Come back later to see more meals for $7 or less! I’ll be posting it within the next few days.