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Caroline Vencil

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Budget Friendly and Healthy Family Dinners

November 4 by Caroline 20 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

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Budget Friendly and Healthy Family Dinners

With 3 boys (ages 2, 5 and 30… the 4 month old doesn’t count yet) who could eat all day every day, I’m always looking out for the best, most filling and least expensive dinners. But in my house, it’s not just enough that they have any kind of food; I’m always looking for ways to cook tons of veggies, limit the gluten, and eliminate processed foods.

When I had my first son, I didn’t think that whole boys eat so much thing was true. I thought “how bad could it be? He’s so little!” Until he started eating solids… He’d clear a bowl of sweet potatoes and still be starving! I was in trouble. As if the oldest wasn’t bad enough, I have 2 more boys who inhale food.

I should’ve just called them Hoover, Orek, and Bissell on here instead of giving them their superhero names!

They all got that trait from somewhere, and it wasn’t from me… my husband could literally eat all day every day and still be hungry. I’m pretty sure that in order to feed them all, I’m going to need to take out a second mortgage when my kids get to be teenagers! Is it possible to feed a hoard of hungry boys without going into debt?

The answer is yes. But it takes a lot more digging around for recipes, a lot more diligence at the grocery store, and a lot of healthy “filler” options (like rice and quinoa).

I have found some recipes that are both healthy AND budget friendly. Thankfully, for my poor inability as a cook, they’re all nice and easy. I know what I’m making for dinner tonight!

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Baked Potato Bar

Corn and Potato Chowder Recipe for the Crock Pot Slow Cooker:

Corn and Potato Chowder Recipe

30 Minute Corn & Black Bean Chili--The BEST black bean chili recipe! So easy to make & SO good!:

30 Minute Corn & Black Bean Chili

Red Lentil Tomato Soup Recipe:

Red Lentil Tomato Soup

#Creamy #Chicken and #Broccoli #Curry | MyRecipes.com:

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Curry

#Recipe for #shepherds pie. A great way to used up #leftover #mashed #potatoes!:

Shepherd’s Pie

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders:

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders

Easy Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole - One of our family's favorite weeknight meals!:

Easy Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

World's best taco soup at iheartnaptime.net ! This is a ONE pot dish and is less than 300 calories per bowl! It makes a great freezer meal too!:

Taco Soup

Easy Chicken Stir-Fry Hip2Save:

Easy Chicken Stir-Fry

Easy To Make Homemade Loaded Vegetable Soup:

Loaded Vegetable Soup

Pennies & Pancakes: Amazing Fried Rice ($0.49 per cup):

Amazing Fried Rice

Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes: lentil tacos:

Lentil Tacos

These easy chicken enchiladas are a flavorful, healthy dinner that the whole family will enjoy. I love this quick dinner recipe for a busy night.:

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Homemade chicken soup is the best comfort food! It's the perfect healthy recipe to make when someone in the house is sick.:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Rice and Quinoa

Looking for some more recipe ideas?

 

Follow Cow Country Housewife’s board Broke Butt Dinners on Pinterest.

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Filed Under: Crunchy Momma, Frugal Living, Life With Boys, Mom Life, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: baked potato, bean, bean chili, black bean, broccoli, budget, budget friendly, carrots, casserole, cheap, chicken, chili, corn, creamy, curry, dinner, family, family friendly, food, friendly, ham, ham and cheese, healthy, kid friendly, lentils, meat, potato, quinoa, rice, shepherd's pie, sliders, soup, taco

Comments

  1. Hannah says

    November 4 at 8:46 AM

    My issue is that my kids are super picky. They would complain about every single one of those recipes above! I still make the healthy stuff but when my almost four year old only weighs a little more then my ten month old nephew it is nerve racking when they don’t eat dinner.

    Reply
  2. Heather Z says

    November 4 at 10:59 AM

    Hoover, Orek,…ha ha ha. I have 3 boys too, so I feel your “pain.” And my husband can eat all day everyday too. Growing up, our family of 8 was treated to a lot of pasta, rice, and beans in the form of soups and stews. Cheep. Filling. Nutritious. I love that baked potato bar…put it on a lazy Susan and you’re in business!

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      November 11 at 11:13 PM

      It’s what you’ve gotta do in a big family. I totally get it!

      Reply
  3. Lyn @MidMichiganMom says

    November 4 at 11:24 AM

    These recipes all look ah-mazing! I am going to try the weeknight chicken stir-fry tonight. Thank you for sharing =)

    Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    November 4 at 11:55 AM

    That baked potato bar is genius!!! I’m totally making those ham and cheese sliders for my son’s first birthday this weekend!
    Thanks for sharing the round up!

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      November 11 at 11:10 PM

      Thanks, Stephanie! I never would’ve thought about that, but it’s such a great idea for a cheap but fun dinner!

      Reply
  5. Elaine Hodges says

    November 4 at 9:12 PM

    Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party.

    Reply
  6. Robyn says

    November 4 at 10:03 PM

    Awesome collection of recipes. I also have some hungry people in my household (myself included if I’m honest), but have a pretty limited food budget, so I’m always look for cheap, healthy, filling things. Best round up of recipes I’ve come across! #healthylivinglinkparty

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      November 9 at 10:25 PM

      Thanks, Robyn! I hope these work for you!

      Reply
  7. Valerie says

    November 5 at 9:57 PM

    Those sweet Ham and Swiss sliders look SO good. I’m so glad you shared these family dinners at #100HappyFridays!

    Reply
  8. Kathryn Doherty says

    November 6 at 9:41 AM

    What a great round-up of easy weeknight dinners! I’m always looking for new favorites and I know some of these will be hits around our table! I hear ya, too, on the boy thing. My son is only 2, but already he’s making a dent in our grocery budget 😉 Pinning to keep this handy and will definitely schedule to share on social media!

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      November 9 at 10:24 PM

      Thanks, Kathryn! I’m so glad I’m not the only one whose little sons eat a ton of food!

      Reply
  9. Vicki Montague - The Free From Fairy says

    November 6 at 9:49 AM

    Great options here! I am always looking for new meal ideas!

    Reply
  10. Jennifer says

    November 6 at 11:12 AM

    you’ve put some great ideas together here! #PoCoLo

    Reply
  11. Ronda Bowen says

    November 9 at 1:47 AM

    Always handy to have on hand! I get so tired of spaghetti and beans!

    Reply
  12. Crystal Renaud says

    November 9 at 10:35 AM

    Yes, I get it! I have a 2 and almost 5 year old. Both boys! All they do is eat. They are constantly hungry! Teenagers years are definitely going to break the bank!
    Great list of recipes!

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      November 11 at 11:11 PM

      I hear you Crystal! It’ll be a lot of fun to try to feed them as they grow!

      Reply
  13. Lisa @ HarmonyandHappiness.com says

    November 11 at 9:45 AM

    These are great! Can’t wait to make some! Thank you so much for linking up with us at The Alder Collective Link party. Come back and link so more! http://harmonyandhappiness.com/the-alder-collective-link-party-6/

    Reply
  14. Mama, My Kid Doesn't Poop Rainbows says

    November 12 at 9:16 AM

    Our lad either eats everything or nothing. No predicting it. Those recipes have given me a few new ideas so thanks. I absolutely love taco soup- yum.

    Thanks again for linking up to #fartglitter x

    Reply
  15. Lou Lou Girls says

    November 14 at 4:40 PM

    This is perfect! Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you taking the time to party with us! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we get to see your fabulous new creations. The party goes until Friday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

    Reply

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