feeding the family for cheap

Okay, living in a remote area or small town limits the options and variety of cuisine available. However, there are 2 grocery stores that offer a variety of ingredients. With a little creativity, one can enjoy some interesting and flavorful food. It’s on the inexpensive side, too, especially when one shops the manager specials, deals, and uses coupons/club cards.

I crave spices, savory, and variety. It’s a palate adventure. Traveling to other towns is costly, especially to just dine out. Cheyenne is over an hour away, and I don’t want to spend a fortune in gas. So, I get creative and make my own rendition at home!

Ingredients:

A splash of oil for the skillet

4 Chicken tenders (or 2 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless)

1 bag of frozen fajita mix vegetables (store brand is just fine!)

6 tortillas (warmed in the oven)

Fajita seasoning mix (the shaker kind)

Splash of lemon or lime juice

Sour Cream (optional)

Fully cook the chicken in the oil in a skillet, lightly salt and pepper. Cook fully and shred chicken, returning to skillet on low/med heat.

Add the bag of frozen fajita veggies and shake over the spices as little or liberally as desire with the lemon/lime juice. Simmer until veggies are hot but not mushy or overly cooked.

Dole out mix evenly onto the 6 warm tortillas, dollop with sour cream if desired or top with hot sauce/salsa.
Serve’s 3-4 people.

The ingredients were all already in my house (I grocery shop only twice a month) and are all affordably priced from my local Aldi’s grocery store (except the spice jars, which I got at the local Dollar Tree or at Aldi’s)

1 pound ground turkey, frozen

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 can each of chili beans, great nothern beans, black beans (don’t drain)

1 tablespoon each of cumin, chili powder, parsley

Salt and Pepper

2 small purple onions, chopped up

2 jalepenos, chopped up

1 medium green bell pepper, small chunked chopped

Brown the turkey in the pot, add all the fresh vegetables to simmer while the meat finishes to cook.

Add all the spices and canned goods, simmer for 45 minutes to let it all “melt” together.

Can be topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar or my favorite, served with homemade cinnamon rolls