Feeding a family can get pretty expensive.  If you’re not a great menu planner, here are a few ideas of healthful dinners that won’t break the bank.  If you have other cheap dinner ideas to add, please give us suggestions in the comments!

1.  A Baked Potato Bar if a great interactive family affair.  Each person can choose toppings, including sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese, chili, and baked beans.
2.  Pancit is a traditional Filipino dish that helps extend meat portions with the use of noodles and vegetables.
3.  Homemade Pizza is fun to make as a team and if you don’t want to make the dough, there are loads of ready-made pizza shells on the market.  Spread pizza sauce on the shells and let your little chefs become ‘pizza doctors’.
4.  Fish tacos using grilled frozen basa filets are healthy and economical.  Much like the baked potto bar, each family member can choose how to assemble their taco.  Tomatoes, salsa, cheese, greens and sauces all add spice and depth of flavor (as well as extending the more expensive fish part of the meal)
5.  Puff pastry filled with bean/lentil salad is nutritious and great for the family budget.
6.  French onion soup isn’t difficult to make.  We cook the onions for over an hour in olive oil with a piece of waxed paper covering them at the bottom of the saucepan.  Add beef stock, some stale French bread round s and grated cheese.  Voila.
7.  Crepes filled with hotdogs and tomato sauce for the kids and something a little more interesting for you are great to have on hand.
8.  Turkey a la king is simple and extends your holiday dinner leftovers.  Served with egg noodles it is a budget-friendly option.
9. Spaghetti bolognaise (make the sauce in bulk when ground beef is on sale and freeze in portions.)
10.  Pulled pork sliders – do it in the crock pot for an easy and tasty meal.

Bon appetit!