I only have..

[cpflum08]

5$ to spend at the store for dinner of 3 tonight, anyone with good dinner ideas??

[AllThatBabyJazz]

What do you have on hand to work with?

[cpflum08]

Really not much! some pasta and some side dishes. just odds and ends

[AllThatBabyJazz]

Spaghetti and garlic bread? 

[braysmommy247]

Yep, i was gonna say spaghetti, too.

[cpflum08]

we just had that 2 nights ago:(

[Angelisa67]

at Dollarama i can get bag of pasta or rice, sm can of chicken breast meat, can of veggies and can of cream of mushroom soup each for $1. Makes a great casserole that everyone here loves. An extra can of chicken or veggies depending on your taste and its still only $5. 

[cpflum08]

that would be good:0

[ChaoticAtBest]

grilled cheese sandwiches!

loaf of bread, sliced cheese and some butter :)

[michiganmom116]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner.

We have plenty of $5 dinner ideas in this post:  http://www.cafemom.com/group/112383/forums/read/12561046/_5_Dinner_challenge

[rkoloms]

LENTIL TACOS

Ingredients

1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed

8 ounce can tomato sauce (or home made)

corn tortillas (for fun, use a mix of white, yellow and blue)

1 packet dry taco seasoning mix (or make your own with the recipe below)

handful of textured soy protein, optional (I leave this out)

lettuce (shredded)

cucumber (seeded, peeled, sliced)

tomatoes (chopped)

lemon or lime wedges (optional)

Directions

Cover the lentils with water in a large saucepan. They expand tremendously so use a large pot. Add tomato sauce, textured soy protein, and taco seasoning. Bring to high heat until boiling. Simmer at low heat until the mixture thickens. Add more water if necessary and stir often so that the bottom does not burn. This process will take about an hour. You want to cook it until it's about the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Taste the mixture and add more seasonings if necessary. Add more textured soy protein if you want more texture and continue to heat until the textured soy protein is fully hydrated. In the meantime, heat the corn tortillas in the oven, directly on the oven rack for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Assemble the tacos as desired. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the tacos... yum!!

This recipe makes a large quantity and is very flexible with the garnishes. Experiment by adding chopped avocado, cilantro, onion, etc. I prefer these without salsa since the taco filling has so much flavor on its own. Enjoy!!

Taco Seasoning: 

4.5 tsp. paprika; 

1 tsp. cumin powder; 

0.5 tsp. oregano; 

1 tsp. chili powder; 

1 tsp. onion powder; 

0.25 tsp. lemon powder (optional, I've never used it); 

1 tsp. salt; 

1 tsp. sugar; 

0.5 tsp. garlic powder; 

1 tsp. flour; 

0.5 tsp. cocoa powder

Mix all together and store in airtight container. Makes approx. 4 tablespoonful - the equivalent of 1 package of seasoning (enough to season 1 pound of meat or a substitute). This mix is very mild, I add cayenne.