Okay, so I think I'm probably veering away from the whole budget-friendly thing with these recipes, but they're good! :-) I'm actually realizing that most of my cheap meal ideas tend to come from a box (yup, I said it) and that's not really so inspiring! But... tomorrow I will be including some good tips I've received over the last couple days on how to put your pantry to good use! So if you don't have a gag reflex when you hear the words "mac n cheese" or "Hamburger Helper" - stay tuned.
Anyway, here are a few of my favorite dinners from kraftfoods.com (My first stop for easy, quick, and affordable meals. Geesh, they should pay me for such nice advertising! haha) :-)
Chicken Parmesan Bundles4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained (optional)
1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 egg
10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated
PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese until well blended; spread evenly onto chicken breasts. Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.
BEAT egg in shallow bowl or pie plate. Mix remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
Spicy Chicken Stir Fry w/Capellini Pasta8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts
COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.
MEANWHILE, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally. DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.
Creamy Chicken In Pan Sauce2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. oil
3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Make It
COAT chicken with flour. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until cooked through (165°F). Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover chicken to keep warm.
ADD broth to skillet; stir to scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream cheese; cook 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly with wire whisk.
RETURN chicken to skillet; turn over to coat both sides of chicken with sauce. Cook 2 min. or until chicken is heated through. Sprinkle with parsley.
Homemade Mac N Cheese(Add sausage to make it a meal!)
1 pkg. (16 oz.) elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 egg
2-1/2 cups milk
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up, divided
2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
paprika
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni as directed on pkg. Meanwhile, cut butter into small pieces; place in bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish.
BEAT egg and milk with wire whisk until well blended; set aside. Drain macaroni. Spoon half of the macaroni over butter in baking dish; sprinkle with 1 cup each of the VELVEETA and Cheddar cheese. Add half of the egg mixture. Repeat layers of macaroni, VELVEETA, Cheddar cheese and egg mixture. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
BAKE 15 min. Remove from oven; stir until well blended. Bake an additional 15 min. or macaroni mixture is until heated through and top is golden brown.
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 egg
2-1/2 cups milk
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up, divided
2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
paprika
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni as directed on pkg. Meanwhile, cut butter into small pieces; place in bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish.
BEAT egg and milk with wire whisk until well blended; set aside. Drain macaroni. Spoon half of the macaroni over butter in baking dish; sprinkle with 1 cup each of the VELVEETA and Cheddar cheese. Add half of the egg mixture. Repeat layers of macaroni, VELVEETA, Cheddar cheese and egg mixture. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
BAKE 15 min. Remove from oven; stir until well blended. Bake an additional 15 min. or macaroni mixture is until heated through and top is golden brown.
1 comment:
Malissa you are hilarious! I'm def. going to try those recipes!
Post a Comment