Fried Rice with Chicken and Veggies -- $1.10 per serving

Yummy, nutritious and made with leftover rice, the delicious recipe helps eliminate waste in your refrigerator. Use leftover chicken and fresh vegetables you might otherwise throw away.

By Anne Coleman

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 10
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

4 cups cold cooked rice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (optional)
2 cups cooked veggies (optional)
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola

Directions

1. Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat.
2. When oil starts to "shimmer", turn the heat to medium-high.
3. If using garlic and/or green onions add to oil now and stir.
4. Add chicken and vegetables if using and mix well.
5. Quickly add rice and continue to stir until rice is separated and coated with oil or mixed evenly with chicken and veggies.
6. Sprinkle soy sauce over rice and stir until distributed well throughout rice.

*Ingredient Tips
Almost any veggie can be used -- we like frozen green peas or snow peas and julienned carrots. Beef, pork or shrimp are all good protein ideas. Make sure they are bite sized pieces and are cooked well before adding. Garlic is optional because it is not the norm for fried rice. I find it lends a delicious depth to the finished dish. Freshly grated ginger and a bit of sesame oil added with the neutral oil are nice additions. Leftovers are boring, blah and take up too much refrigerator space, right? I don't think so. I often make extras just for the sake of having leftovers for other dishes. Rice is one of those leftovers I look forward to morphing into a whole new dish. Leftover rice is a great and frugal filler, delicious with gravy, yummy under chili and perfect in my very favorite leftover rice dish: fried rice.

While there are versions of fried rice made with just-cooked rice, I find that I get the best results from rice that has been cooked and left to chill overnight. This recipe is the most basic, with optionals and notes added on ways to make it even more delicious.

Turkey Waldorf Salad -- $1.50 per serving

Roasting a turkey and using it all week is a trick for both saving time and cutting costs. Substitute leftovers in your favorite chicken dish -- and dice some into a quick and easy salad like this one.

By Anne Coleman

Leftover turkey is already cooked, so it couldn't be easier to add to soups, stews and sandwiches. Salads are great with cooked turkey and something lighter is nice after a heavy turkey dinner. Cooked and cubed turkey is a quick add to many salads -- including my favorite, Turkey Waldorf Salad.
Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

2 c diced apples
2 c diced cooked turkey
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c diced celery
1/2 c dried cranberries
Mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Combine apples, turkey, celery, nuts, cranberries and salt.
2. Bind with mayonnaise to taste. Mix well.

Easiest Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches Ever -- $1.40 per serving

This economical dish is tasty enough to be served at a weekend gathering. Serve them as sliders, splurge on store-bought coleslaw and ask guests to bring dessert for a cost-conscious gathering.
By EatingWell.com


Toss leftover cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and crunchy carrots for a quick and healthy lunch.

Prep Time:	10 minutes
Ready in:	10 minutes
Yield:	1 serving
Ease of Prep:	Easy

Recipe Ingredients
	1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
	1/4 cup shredded carrots
	2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
	2 teaspoons light ranch dressing
	1 small whole-wheat sandwich bun
	1 leaf romaine lettuce

Recipe Directions

1. Combine chicken, carrots and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Spread ranch dressing on the bun. Top with the chicken mixture and lettuce

Chicken Lettuce Wraps -- $1.35 per serving

If you want to round out the flavorful meal, steam up some brown or white rice for only pennies more. Leftover filling served over rice noodles or angel hair pasta makes for an quick, inexpensive meal later in the week.

By Anne Coleman

Here's another great way to use one of those rotisserie chickens sold at the deli in your favorite grocery. Lettuce wraps are like egg rolls without all the extra fat and calories. Serve with a refreshing side of sesame slaw.
Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 20 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients

1 teriyaki-flavored rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup red pepper, diced small
1/4 cup water chestnuts, diced small
1/4 cup bamboo shoots, diced small*
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic - minced
8-12 lettuce leaves, depending on size*

Directions

1. Remove meat only from rotisserie chicken and dice small. This should give you about 2 cups of diced chicken.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and remaining ingredients.
3. Cook until heated through -- about 5 minutes.
4. Serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping.

*Ingredient Tips
Tender bamboo shoots can be found canned in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. Soft, round-leafed lettuce like butter or bib works best, but will iceberg also do

Chicken and Pepper Egg Rolls -- $1.35 per serving

Chockfull of meat and veggies, the dish is a meal in itself. If you want to add a quick, bargain side dish, shred a head of Napa cabbage and stir fry it with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

By Anne Coleman

 

Hands-On Time: 30min

Cook Time: 30min

Ready In: 1h

Yield: 6 servings

 

Reminiscent of Pepper Steak, these egg rolls aren't difficult to do and are packed with flavor. Use whatever color pepper strikes your fancy and watch the family devour them.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 2 large bell peppers (any color) cut into thin strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 Tablespoons oil. Cook chicken strips just until no longer pink. Push to one side of pan.
2. Add pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add soy sauce, garlic and ginger and stir well. Cook until most liquid has evaporated.
4. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. This is important; adding hot ingredients to the egg roll wrappers will cause them to break down and leak.
5. Once cooled, lay several strips of chicken, onion and peppers in the center of an egg roll wrapper that has been laid on a surface with one point toward you. Fold the right point over and under the filling. Fold the top and bottom points down and roll from right to left, securing the left point with a touch of water.
6. Repeat with all wrappers and filling. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry egg rolls, turning over once during cooking, until golden brown. Drain on paper toweling.
   Note
   Alternately these can be baked in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until browned.

Chicken Ravioli Soup -- $1.50 per serving

A meal in a bowl, the dish is an ideal choice to leave on the stove for the babysitter to serve the kids when mom and dad are out splurging on date night.

By Anne Coleman

 

 

As an alternative to traditional noodles in chicken noodle soup, the ravioli are more filling and pack extra flavor. Look for small ravioli in your grocer's refrigerated foods section or thaw frozen ravioli if that's all you can find. Canned chicken stock makes this a quick lunch or dinner as well.
Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

8 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups refrigerated mini cheese-stuffed ravioli
1 cup cooked chicken - diced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat chicken stock in a soup pot to boiling; reduce heat and add carrot and celery.
2. Simmer until vegetables are soft - about 20 minutes.
3. Add ravioli and cook according to package directions -- usually about a 5 minute simmer.
4. Stir in cooked chicken, salt and pepper as desired and serve

Cheeseburger Pie -- $1.10 per serving

Though this is a cheap and easy go-to family dinner, the recipe is fun enough to serve as a party food. Make individual tartlets to serve as delicious and inexpensive appetizers.

By Anne Coleman

 

Hands-On Time: 15min

Cook Time: 15min

Ready In: 30min

Yield: 6 Servings

The holiday rush is on and before you rush off to grab dinner at a not-so-cheap-or-healthy food joint, consider this quick and easy pie. Not only does it taste just like a burger from the local drive-through, it also happens to cost less per person; about $1.10 per serving. This was a winner with my entire family as long as I used the onion powder option over the real onion. Add a green salad rather than fries and a homemade milkshake for a dinner that's both fast and economical - and healthier than the alternative.

Ingredients

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups shredded American cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.
3. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned. Drain well.
4. Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.
5. Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
6. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.
9. Garnish with extra ketchup, mustard and pickle slices.