EXTREME BUDGET DINNERS for a WEEK for $20 | FEED A FAMILY OF 4


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In this video I made a weeks worth of dinners for a family of four with only $20. A viewers tip led me to an excellent deal on chicken …

40 replies
  1. Wanda Devers
    Wanda Devers says:

    I made biscuits with whatever oil I had for years. Make your dough quite a bit l🎉ooser and just press out with your fingers a little thicker. Oven 450. Place them touching for a better rise

    Reply
  2. Phyl Torkelsonp
    Phyl Torkelsonp says:

    Great video! You could even take some of the cooked chicken meat, shred it, season it with taco seasoning (or however you like it), and make stuffed baked potatoes for a meal. Bake the potatoes about an hour or until done…split them open, and top with seasoned chicken and some of your favorite toppings….which could be simple things like sour cream and shredded cheese. Yummy!

    Reply
  3. ErinoftheValley
    ErinoftheValley says:

    Yum! Great budget video. 😊 A thought for those who do not have a fat/oil in their pantry: boil down the skin and fat parts that were removed from the chicken, allow it to cool and skim the fat from the top. The water portion may also have a chicken flavor and can be set aside and used. When baking/broiling chicken in the oven, the sheet pan drippings can also be used as a fat/oil. Thanks for the great video!

    Reply
  4. Linda Wilson
    Linda Wilson says:

    Who would have thought that one bag of chicken could be stretched so far? Great job, AM! ~ I'd never heard of hasselback potatoes before. Thanks for the primer. ~ It was nice to see you put a few of your Temu purchases to use. Have you bought anything from them in the past few weeks? If so, we'd love to see them! ~ Have a great week!

    Reply
  5. wendie dox
    wendie dox says:

    I love your videos and I think you do a beautiful job my one question that I really wonder about is it seems to me that no adult is going to be satisfied with one chicken drumstick for dinner this portion of the chicken seems really small and I guess you’re filling it up with a lot of other things but the chicken dinner does seem pretty skimpy, Or maybe my family just loves to eat

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  6. ron donnis
    ron donnis says:

    i think cutting out biscuits (scones in the uk) would be less waste if you dont use a cutter and roll out the number of pieces you need in your hand and then with each ball squash it slightly and use egg and milk wash on top and it will look rustic as well after baking. it just saves wasting precious food when you have very little money and help towards keeping you as full as possible.

    Reply
  7. Dana Sandlin
    Dana Sandlin says:

    other famous 'poor meals' : German and Japanese: Cabbage, potatoes, fish and sausage (think hot dogs)…now, add in pickles, beets and saur kraut…most of these regional themes were honed after the lost of some war or other and people were literally starving…also: Italy and pasta; Country French and sausage/bread…dts/usa

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  8. Dana Sandlin
    Dana Sandlin says:

    you just fixed a week of southern meals–and southerners are great at inexpensive food because most have been fairly poor for a very long time (the rural poor) especially outside of the large urban centers…these are staples at each meal (along with sausage biscuits and hash browns)…and this is largely what we eat (chicken, rice, potatoes, beans and biscuits)…just like CA and TX eat tacos and beans/rice…luv ya…dts/usa

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  9. Marc Wright
    Marc Wright says:

    When I noticed you cutting off a little of the fat and extra skin from the chicken I was going to recommend that people who need extra calories or just want more flavor than chicken bullion provides could render any fat and skin scrapes to make schmaltz. Animal fat keeps in fridge for several days or in the freezer indefinitely. I have seen people save the fat that solidifies on the top of juices from a pork roast for cooking with. Fat is usually soft enough even when frozen to scoop some out whenever you need a little cooking fat or flavor for gravies, sauces or just to cook vegetables or beans in. You could also melt it and use it for the fat in biscuits. For people who eat meat animal fat will bring a lot of flavor to otherwise meatless or dairy less meals.

    Reply
  10. Jean
    Jean says:

    Michelle, your creativity is inspiring. And you make each step so applicable for newcomers to the kitchen, as well as more "seasoned" (see what I did there? 😆) cooks. Thank you for sharing your always delicious ideas and preparation tips. Especially appreciated in these economic times. Take good care ❤

    Reply
  11. Becky Shelton
    Becky Shelton says:

    Mayonnaise makes a great sub for fat/buttermilk in biscuits. I love the big bags of chicken legs! I use one (frozen) leg in the instant pot with 3 cups water, poultry season, onion and garlic powders, and chicken bouillon. 25 minutes, natural release. Great soup plus shred half the chicken for other recipes. Customizable with rice, potatoes, veggies, etc., added after 1st natural release. Cook another 10 minutes or so with another natural release.

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  12. Katy Larson
    Katy Larson says:

    Our Super 1 Foods store had 10 lbs of chicken leg and thigh quarters for $2.70 before tax. Great deal and you can make so much food with it when you add other bargain grains, pasta, rice and beans.

    Reply
  13. Penny Nickels
    Penny Nickels says:

    So this might feed one for a month! Excellent.

    After you pat out the biscuit dough, fold it over onto itself a few times. This will give them more layers. Also, if they touch each other while baking, they rise higher. 😋💛😊

    I love chicken potpie

    Reply
  14. Stephanie Senerchia
    Stephanie Senerchia says:

    Your chicken meals look fabulous! Incredible that you got all of that chicken and veggies for only 20 dollars. Chicken and potatoes are so easy to prepare and always a big hit with my family. I've never tried to make biscuits or scalloped potatoes – now I will. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Beth N
    Beth N says:

    The nice thing about the leg quarters is you can save the bones and trimmings to make a homemade broth too! Another nice thing about many of the recipes you shared with us this week, is that they can easily and affordably be adapted and changed. You can use different seasoning and ingredients to account for preferences/dietary restrictions or to use up whatever you have on hand.

    Reply
  16. Dajana Spaargaren
    Dajana Spaargaren says:

    Michelle, I love how creative you get with making meals. We do a lot of shelf cooking towards the end of the month to empty out the freezer and the pantry. We always feel those are the best dishes when we just throw things together and use spices. Thank you for what you do 😊

    Reply
  17. Candy
    Candy says:

    Do you have a big family to feed usually or is it just you primarily? Do you find it harder to shop when cooking for one person regarding waste?

    Reply
  18. Beth N
    Beth N says:

    We use a simple drop biscuit recipe ALL of the time. I can’t find the original recipe online (my husband found it like ten years ago when we were newly wed college kids), but I love it because it’s no fuss and dirt cheap.

    It’s 2 C. Flour, 3 tsp. Baking powder, 2 Tbsp. Sugar, 1 tsp. Salt, 1/3 C. Oil, and 2/3 C. Milk. Stir together until combined, plop onto a baking sheet and bake at 450 Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes (my I oven usually cooks them in 13).

    I’ve found they’re fluffier when you don’t overwork them, and work just fine for biscuits and gravy, without the extra mess and steps to roll and cut them out.

    Reply

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