Sunday Dinner Breakdown

The only thing smaller than my family is our budget. Wah Wah :( But that doesn't stop me from making some of our favorite foods. Tonight I made Beef Stew Ole` in the crock pot which was once again met with rave reviews from my own personal food critic, my husband. If you don't have a crock pot, I highly recommend getting one. It's so useful and nothing gives me greater joy than tossing a few ingredients in it, turning it on, and coming back in 8 hours or so and having my meal cooked for me. I applaud the lazy genius who invented it. Below I'll give you not only the recipe but I'll break down the cost for the entire meal.

Beef Stew Ole`: Serves 6-8
4 carrots, cubed                                          4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, quartered and slices separated        1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed
8 oz. can tomato sauce                                1 pkg. dry taco seasoning mix
2 cups water                                               1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. salt                                                    1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Layer first 4 ingredients in slow cooker, add tomato sauce.
2. Combine water and taco seasoning until well blended, add cornstarch and stir again until well bended. Pour
    over ingredients in slow cooker
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Cover, cook on low 7-8 hours.
5. Serve over rice.

I've never actually sat down and calculated the cost of a meal before, and I was shocked by how cheap this ended up being. I went to Publix this time because it's the closest grocery store to my home, but they are insanely expensive. We normally shop at Winn Dixie because their prices are the lowest and they always have the best deals. So the prices listed below reflect the higher end of cost for these items. This may end up being even cheaper from another store.

1 1/2 lbs Beef Stew Meat: $5.07
4 pk. Russet Potatoes: $2.49
1 lb bag carrots: $.89
1 sweet onion: $.77
Taco seasoning: $.79
8 oz. can tomato sauce: $.65
16 oz. Box of cornstarch: $.89*
32 oz. bag white rice: $. 99*
1 pkg. cheese and garlic biscuit mix: $1.09*

*Ingredients I had on hand

Total for a dinner for 6-8 people: $13.63

That's about $2.27 a person! A delicious meal for under $15 for the whole family, and it's always a hit in our house.

Come back every Sunday for another dinner breakdown and check back during the week for more from the Homemaker by Default!