Little victories!

I didn't expect to see payoff so early in the process! We had some trouble figuring out what to do for dinner tonight, so I did a quick search on Cheap dinners and found this recipe for Grandma's Chicken Stew at iVillage...(recipe printed below with my personal adjustments noted)

Well....what I quickly realized was that my roasted chicken adventure the other night set me up perfectly for this recipe! I had homemade chicken broth, and plenty of leftover chicken bits so that I didn't need to use a canned version. I substituted the grated carrots with some frozen mixed veggies that I had, and I seasoned the broth with Mrs. Dash before adding the noodles and such. Hubby and baby both went to bed with full bellies, so I can mark this recipe as a hit!

But wait....here's the BEST part. Grand total cost for this meal, which BTW left me with about 2 servings of leftovers:

Chicken broth - 0.00 (leftovers)
Veggie broth - 1.00
Frozen veggies - 0.25 (1/4 of a 0.99 bag)
Chicken bits - 0.00 (leftovers)
Egg noodles - 0.50 (1/2 of a 0.99 bag)

Grand total: $1.75!!!!!! Hooray!

Here's the recipe with my notes...enjoy!

Grandma's Chicken Stew

2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) fat-free chicken broth *29 oz homemade broth
1 can (14 ½ ounces) vegetable broth
¾ cup already-shredded carrots *1/4 bag frozen mixed veggies
8 ounces (about 4 cups) wide egg noodles
1 large can (10 ounces) white-meat chicken *leftover roasted chicken bits
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cold water
Black pepper to taste *Mrs Dash to taste

1. Bring the chicken broth and vegetable broth (and Mrs Dash seasoning) to a boil in a covered 4 ½-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. This should take 8 to 10 minutes. When the broth boils, add the carrots (frozen veggies), noodles, and the chicken and its juices. Cover the pot and bring the broth back to a rolling boil.

2. Uncover the pot and stir, breaking up any chicken chunks slightly. Continue to boil, uncovered, over high heat until the noodles are tender, about 6 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the flour and water in a small container that has a lid. Shake well until the lumps disappear.

4. When the noodles are just tender, add the flour mixture and stir constantly until the stew is slightly thick, about 2 minutes. Season with pepper and remove from the heat. Serve in large soup plates or bowls.





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