I try to work on a budget for our meal. I like to challenge myself to bring food to the table that if possible less than $10 that is not just pasta and mac and cheese or ramen noodle. If we can have dinner for 3, which actually 5 with our big appetite family, that is not junk food, I feel accomplished. 

Mind you I have limited items I can cook. No sesame for one, no gassy food or veggies for the other. So beans, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans are in the no no list.  I still cook them sometimes but not something I can cook often.

What I do, usually I watch and grabbed what’s on special. Meats, most of the time I grabbed sale price and freeze them. I like going to the store often for vegetable. Daily if I can. they don’t last long. I ended up throwing so many in the trash. These days I like making trip every other day for the veggies. It is on my way home anyway. Not that I have to make special trip.

If you remember from my previous post, I asked my husband what to cook. Beef or chicken. He picked beef yesterday so I do chicken today.

I bought the chicken thigh for $5.83 there’s 8 of them. Enough for all 3 of us. And baby Bella mushroom for  $1.44 at Aldi. With the onion, garlic and seasoning, our dinner tonight is less than $10. 

I rub the chicken with a mixture of olive oil, crushed garlic, grated ginger, salt, pepper, onion powder. Then browned it in the pot with a little more olive oil. After all chickens browned, set aside and throw in the sliced mushroom and sliced onion, I used 1 small onion. Sautee until translucent, the onions are, and add 2 cups chicken broth to deflated the pan. Put the chickens back in the pot. Closed the lid, sealed the vent and press manual 15 minutes. When it beeped, let it sit NPR until the pressure all disappear 😚. Here is what I got. Oh and I still have leftover mashed potatoes from dinner last night. See … we can have a good meal that are not just ramen or mac and cheese in the box.