Ok that’s it. End of the month which equals out to Mortgage sucking away that last paycheck so here is the deal….
I am challenging myself this week. I am going to see if I can feed this family of 5 dinner for the next 5 days for under $50 bucks.
Can I do it? I have no clue…but I am going to try. Figured you guys may like to follow along with what dinner is looking like each night and the cost per meal. Heck I would be happy to keep it under $100….these people like to eat!
So here is meal number one:
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Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumpling recipe
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- 3 quarts water
1 3-4 pound whole
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion sliced
1 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dumpling ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons of salt
2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
Directions:
- Before you head out the door in the morning throw all the above in the crockpot…set that puppy on high and walk away.
- When you get home from work/school/crazy day pull the chicken out of the pot and place it to the side.
- Now strain the broth out of the crockpot and into a large stove pot. I personally like to drain off the chunky veggies and only leave the seasoning and broth in the new pot.
- Together in a bowl combine the dumpling ingredients. I then slap this on my counter and roll it out and cut them into my dumplings (I like them about 1/2 thick and 2-3 inches across)
- Bring the broth to a rolling boil and start dropping in your dumplings. Let them boil for 20-30 minutes.
- You can then add back in the chicken pieces that have fallen off of your crockpot chicken. I you need additional water simply add it to the pot.
- You will need to let them all cook together for at least that 20-30 minutes to get that creamy texture and yummy taste you get at Cracker Barrel. Often I will turn them down and let them sit even longer and they are even better
- Enjoy!
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costs: Chicken $5.99
Already had the flour but estimating probably use about $2 worth
Veggies maybe $1 between the onion and the celery
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Grand total: $9
Now to figure out what I am going to make tomorrow? hmmmm
Show Hide 7 comments
I love chicken and dumplings! My mom makes the best…. it’s what we ask for as our holiday dinner! I’ll have to try this method, though… sounds yummy!
This stuff is such fantastic comfort food! Perfect for a freezing cold winter day
I think chicken and dumplings are alot like lasagna….there are eight different ways and they are all yummy!
That does sound delicious! I haven’t had dumplings in a long time. Funny….I was like, “Where’s the cheese?” I hear Cracker Barrel….I just expect cheese. But I know there is a restaurant under the same name/(ownership?). We don’t have one around here. But I’ve always wanted to go….thinking there was lots of cheese there too. Yes..I love cheese. : )
This looks yummy!
Laura~ HAHA!! Ok I couldn’t imagine a world without Cracker Barrel restaurants! They are a staple for us if we have been away from home for a longtime and want “homecooked” type of food…think “country cooking” type of stuff. Their breakfast foods are fantastic to…total comfort food. And yep…they probably have cheese stuff too…lol
Shannon~ Oh it is!!! Even better with mashed potatoes and corn
Nothing like going over board on the carbs…hahaha!
Talk about a challenge. I am amazed by those moms that can feed their family and plan budgeted menus weeks at a time. Oh the organization and planning! Good luck with this. It’s an admirable goal and one I’ve considered myself, but never put into action on a consistent basis. Inevitably something will change our schedules, or my food mood will change, then suddenly all my meal-budgeting intentions go out the door!
Sandie~ LOL! I hear ya! This week I have gave up last night and just went and brought home Taco Bell….oh the horror! But tonight we were back to spaghetti and tomorrow crockpot roast/ veggies so I am trying to redeem myself
I think in today’s busy world I would never be able to pull off half the meals I do if I hadn’t spent a great deal of my summer canning and freezing veggies and fruit. Definitely has helped with the “fast, healthy” meal stuff.