Dinner: Thursday, January 15

Chinese Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Total Cost: $3

This salad/meal can go together in minutes--and make no mistake, there's nothing Chinese about it. Thinly slice a half head of cabbage, cook a chicken breast in the microwave and dice it, mix red wine vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Toast some almonds and chop them up. Throw in a handful of raisins. Shred two carrots. Crush a couple bags of Top Ramen (I promise, this is the only recipe we make that calls for Top Ramen) and add the noodles and MSG seasoning packets. Toss it all together, set the table, leave your family and run out the door to a dinner hosted at the church for Sunday school teachers.

Bye!

Dinner: Monday, January 12

Chicken Pot Pie with Butter Biscuit Topping
Side Salad
Total Cost: $4.75

This is a meal I can make in my sleep. Nudge me if I dose off during this post: two cans of cream of fill-in-the-blank soup, a bag of frozen vegetables, 2 cups diced chicken (cooked), a batch of homemade biscuit dough--I know the canned biscuits are cheaper, but I'm telling you--LISTEN!-- poverty doesn't mean nasty food. (Oh boy, here she goes...)

Poverty eats well in America! Poverty doesn't choke down little microwaved TV dinners with a spork. Poverty doesn't serve Spaghettios on weeknights and Vienna Sausage for Sunday dinner. Poverty doesn't clip stupid coupons for a six pack of overpriced, overprocessed, kid-targeted snacks. Poverty thinks smart. Poverty plans ahead and shops the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and grains. Poverty plans meals around sales. Poverty sees that beef is cheaper than chicken this week, and poverty buys beef.

Now, make a simple side salad to accompany tonight's meal of comfort food bliss. Then, place your homemade biscuit dough on top of the soup, veggies, and chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If you have cheese in the freezer, sprinkle that on top.

Poverty does that, too.

Dinner: Wednesday, January 7

Bacon and Spinach Quiche with Baked Potato Crust
Romaine Salad with Roma Tomatoes and Asiago
Total Cost: $3.65

For the quiche, slice up a half pound of bacon and cook it. If you're an onion-lover, then dice up a half onion and throw it in after the bacon is mostly cooked. Defrost half a 10 oz package of frozen spinach and squeeze out the liquid. In a bowl, mix 8 eggs, a cup of milk, the drained bacon, and spinach. Pour it into the--whoops! You make the crust by shredding a couple baked potatoes (quick nuke them in the 'wave) then shred them with a cheese grater, add a little bacon grease, a few Tbs. of flour and a bit of salt, then mix lightly and press into tart pan. Phew! Now you can pour the filling into the crust and bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350.

This salad is a quick classic. Cut up some lettuce. Cut up some tomatoes. Grate some mighty powerful cheese on top (Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano--these cheeses were meant to me used in small quantities). Microbrew a batch of vinaigrette and baptize your salad.

What are you having for dinner tonight? How much did it cost?