I don't know about you, but I love Asian foods.  They so good; however, the cost of dining out is too much even if your get large portions at your favorite Asian restaurant.  The mark up of the food is 3 to 4 times what the ingredients cost to make it so many years ago I decided to try my hand at putting together my own version of Chicken Fried Rice.  This happens to be one of my daughter's favorite meals.  This dinner mission was not only tasty, but also very inexpensive to make at less than $5.  I use a lot of items I have on hand in my pantry at all times to pull this meal together when I'm in a hurry or just looking for something quick. Plus the added bonus is that this meal makes enough to feed our family of four and still have plenty of leftovers we can enjoy either as lunches or another meal!

 Here's what you'll need

CHICKEN FRIED RICE
1/2 cup soy sauce (low-sodium ok, but may need more)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup onions, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 or 2 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup peas, frozen
5 eggs
2 cups rice
Oil for wok

Begin by preparing the rice according to the manufacturers recommendations.  I use long-grain white rice that cooks at a 2 to 1 ratio, so for this recipe I use 4 cups water to 2 cups rice.

Begin by preparing your vegetables. 

Add oil and swirl to coat wok.  Add chicken to heated oil and cook.

Begin to scrabble eggs with wooden spoon. 

When cooked, add eggs to chicken and set aside.

Today's breakfast mission was something savory, not sweet.  I decided to make another family favorite I found several years ago in my Kraft Food and Family magazines.  This is one of the few ways I can get my daughter to eat eggs and she loves it!  I usually have most of the ingredients on hand, so this is very inexpensive to make - especially if you already have the cheese or ham on hand from another meal you have planned.  The one change I made to this recipe is that I do not use as much cheese as recommended simply to cut out extra calories; however, if you wish to follow the original recipe add 1 cup of each cheese instead of 1/2 cup.

Here's what you'll need:

Breakfast Bake
1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Cheddar, shredded
6 eggs
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz ham
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg crescent rolls

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by unrolling the crescent rolls.  Place the crescent rolls in a 9x13, flatten, and press together.  Take care to press seams together.

I used the Great Value deli ham.  Chop into bite size pieces.

Spread the chopped ham on top of the crescent roll crust.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, and black pepper.

Even spread the egg mixture to the casserole dish.

Sprinkle with cheese. 

Place in preheated oven and bake approximately 30 minutes or until casserole has set and cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite fruit or juice.

Today's mission is brought to you by my daughter's dinner request, homemade Sloppy Joe's.  These are not your everyday sloppy joe sauce from a can.  The fresh chunks of green pepper and onion really give this sandwich a some depth that a canned sauce does not offer.  This is a recipe I adapted from one I found in a "Family Fun Cooking with Kids" cookbook that I purchased years ago.  My daughter was hooked the first time I made them and it's one of those "go to" meals I know she will eat every time.

Most of the ingredients I have on hand in my pantry so I really only have to buy ground beef, green pepper, and hamburger buns, making this meal a less than $5 meal.  

Here's what you'll need

Homemade Sloppy Joe's
1 lb ground beef
1 large green pepper
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

Begin by chopping your green pepper and onion.

In 1 Tbsp oil or cooking spray, sautee onion and green peppers until they are soft.

As your vegetables soften, add ground beef to mixture and brown.

Add spices and Worcestershire to ketchup.

Mix well.

Add tomato sauce to ketchup mixture and stir well.

Add sauce to meat mixture.  Carefully fold into meat mixture until combined.

Serve on your choice of bread and enjoy!

My daughter ate 80% of her sandwich (which is a lot for her). 

When we were in Chicago last year, we ate at an Italian restaurant along Navy Pier where I had a Pasta Pomodoro that was different from any other.  The ingredients were fresh and it was such a simple dish that I loved it.  Of course, we don't live in Chicago so I realized if I wanted to have this again I was going to have to try to make something like it. Mission, create my own version of Pasta Pomodoro!  Which is exactly what I did.   This meal is so simple and costs under $5 to make.



Here's what you'll need:

Cindy's Pasta Pomodoro
1 lb angel hair pasta
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp garlic minced
1 vine ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Begin by preparing your ingredients.  Cut up your fresh ingredients while your pasta water is boiling.  In a sautee pan, add olive oil and garlic.  Satuee for about 1 minute.

After preparing your angel hair pasta according to recommended instructions, add it to the sauteed garlic.  Add tomato paste and stir to combine.

Once you have combined the pasta and tomato paste, add the tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt.

Carefully fold the basil and tomatoes into your pasta until they are evenly distributed. Add pasta water if pasta starts to become dry.

Serve with your favorite bread.  Tonight we used the MarketSide "Everything" French loaf of bread I found at Walmart.