Stove Top Challenge

As most of you know, Ray and I have challenged each other to spend only $75 a week on groceries. We have been mostly successful these past few months and have significantly decreased our monthly grocery bill.

So when I was asked by Stove Top to make 5 meals using Stove Top for my family for under $10 each, I was all for the challenge!

Stove Top sent me $50 and a ton of coupons (more on that later) and gave me five weeks to post 5 one dish recipes using Stove Top.

Bring it on.

This week, I chose a really, really easy recipe that makes clean up a breeze. We often eat a dish with chicken that has ranch, cheese, bacon bits and teriyaki sauce. This is a variation on that.

Chicken baked in foil? Easy - and yes, I am counting this as a one dish meal even though I packaged up two separate foil packs. I am not cheating.

Foil Pack Chicken
Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (we used 2 for our family of 4)
1 box of Stove Top Stuffing Mix, Chicken Flavored
1 1/2 cup of water
Shredded cheddar cheese
Ranch Dressing
Bacon Bits

Instructions:
1. Mix stuffing mix and water in a bowl.
2. For each chicken breast, get one large sheet of aluminum foil and put the Stove Top at the bottom.
3. Place a chicken breast on top, and place about a tablespoon of ranch dressing on each. Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bacon bits.
4. Seal the aluminum foil to make the packets, and place in a baking dish.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees.

These came out so juicy and tender. Audrey inhaled the chicken. Ashley smothered all of her food in ketchup and inhaled her as well. Ray and I like stuffing, so all the plates were cleared last night.

And the cost? Here is the breakdown:
Chicken breasts - even if you made it with four, I got 10 chicken breast for $11.98 at Walmart, so for four, it would be $4.79
Stove Top - $1.74
Cheddar Cheese - I used about 1/4 of a cup from a 2 cup pack that was $2.00 on sale, $.25
Ranch Dressing - I probably used 2 tablespoons, I am going to guess (over estimating probably) $.50
Bacon Bits - Another guess, I used about 2 tablespoons, maybe $.75
Aluminum Foil - I am guessing for 2 square feet of aluminum foil, $.25

So total bill for a family of four? $8.28 (being over cautious of course). Since we only used 2 chicken breasts, our cost was only $5.89. One economical meal that the kids loved.

And this is where you come in. I have coupons for free boxes of Stove Top. Post your own recipe in the comments or on your blog and let me know, and I will send you some coupons (first come, first served). And look for 4 more weeks of Stove Top recipes to come!