Tips and Tricks: Ballin' on a Budget, Pump Up Your Meals: From Boring to Bougee Dollar Store Edition

Alright ya’ll its time for the next edition of Ballin’ on a Budget. In this article We will cover a few recipes based off the last article’s advice and grocery list. We’re going to go on a delicious journey to making those Dollar Store foods better than before! Now like it was mentioned in the previous article some Dollar Stores sell different items, as well as frequent rotation of the stock they carry. A lot of the ingredients used can be replaced with like ingredients as well as something entirely different. So let’s jump into breakfast and pump this meal up. ( Recipes below are meant to feed 1-2 people, increase amounts to feed larger groups).

Ingredients to Buy:

• Pancake Mix

• Frozen berries

• Vanilla Extract

• Whipped Cream

Instructions:

1. Portion out pancake mix as desired

2. Add In a splash of Vanilla Extract and as many Berries as desired (Save some for garnish)

3. Add water and stir until desired consistency

4. Fry up pancakes however large or small you’d like

5. Stack high and top with whip cream and remaining berries.

Seems easy enough right? Pancakes are one of those great food vehicles that can be changed and changed to have an almost never ending combination of breakfasts (or desserts). Switch up the additions to better suit your needs! Not a fan of super sweet breakfasts ; Add in your favorite savory seasoning and crumbled cooked sausage and then top with Country Gravy after cooking for a play on biscuits and gravy. Looking for more protein in your breakfast before that workout ; Add your favorite flavored protein powder to get that extra boost.

Here’s a look at another savory option for breakfast.

Ingredients:

• Pkg of Plain Oatmeal

• Roll of Sausage

• Either Blocks of Cheese Shredded

• Seasoning of choice (No salt)

• If able Eggs

Instructions:

1. Cook sausage until done, seasoning to taste

2. Prepare oatmeal to desired doneness, seasoning to taste as well

3. Fry up egg (for best results try over easy of sunny side up); If you don’t have eggs just omit this step

4. Shred up your block of cheese if you haven’t already (if you don’t have a cheese grater just slice it thin as you can)

5. To plate: Bowl up your oatmeal and top with Crumbled sausage, and your cheese (add in some hot sauce if you have it) and Top with your egg if you added it.

What do we think? Pretty easy so far I’d say. Well breakfast is over and now its time for lunch and dinner. As I’ve said in the previous article, These recipes can be interchanged for either meal. Keep in mind the recipes I give you are just a place to start from. Bougee up your meals to your specific tastes and a whole world of culinary options will be open to you. Cooking like this is an art form and everyone’s art is different. Explore you taste buds and never be afraid to try something new.

So for Lunch/Dinner I’ll cover a couple recipes, a one-pot wonder and a dish that you can turn into a casserole to feed the whole family. Starting off with our one pot wonder: You can use a high sided skillet or a pasta pot.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pkg of Beef patties (Drain and Rinse after cooking to avoid too much salt) € 2 Cups of White Rice

• 1 pkg of Frozen Beans and Corn

• 1 Jug of Tomato Juice (Can substitute Tomato Sauce if you want a thicker consistency)

• 1 Block of Cheese Shredded

• Seasoning of Choice

Instructions:

1. Crumble up and brown beef patties and drain most of the grease

2. WASH YO RICE – Put rice in a bowl and run cold water over it swish it around with your hand and carefully drain, do this at least 3 times. Cover with water one last time and set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Add beef crumbles and soaked rice back into the pot and stir toasting the rice until slightly browned.

4. Add in you bag of Beans and corn and season to taste – Suggestions: Cayenne, Garlic, Onion, Tajin and Cumin

5. Cook 5 more minutes then add your tomato juice or sauce, Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer until rice is fully cooked – about 15 minutes – stirring occasionally.

6. Once cooked top with cheese and serve.

A Latin inspired dish can be a real crowd pleaser and the seasoning can be adjusted to better suit your needs. If you aren’t a fan of beef replace with Chicken for a lighter option. Picky kids don’t like beans? Change up the veggies to suit you or leave them out entirely. The next option I’m showing you can be doubled to make a large casserole for dinner or served chilled for a refreshing lunch option.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of Chicken or Tuna (I prefer Chicken personally)

• 2 boxes of Suddenly Pasta Salad Kit (Ranch and Bacon Flavor)

• 1 pkg of Bacon Bits

• 1 bag of California mix (plain Broccoli works well too)

• Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Make pasta salad according to package instructions – If you are looking for a lower sodium option leave out one of the seasoning packs.

2. While noodles cook preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper grease with some oil, butter or cooking spray

3. Open and Drain your protein choice – place on baking sheet. (If serving cold omit this step)

4. Add Veggie mix (Or broccoli) to baking pan and roast in the oven until veggies are nice and brown.

5. Mix all together in a 9x13 pan top with bacon bits and pepper and place back in oven for 5-10 minutes to heat everything through.

When making the chilled version place pasta in fridge to cool and then mix all together. Omit Step 5 as well.

Don’t let shopping at the Dollar Store stop you from making the most out of what you get. Thanks for reading the second edition of Ballin’ on a Budget! The next edition we’ll dive into shopping at the Dollar Store with dietary restrictions.