Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase, I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
My sister has always loved Chicken Alfredo for as long as I ca remember. David could take it or leave and I liked it. C refused to try Chicken Alfrede until one night when I made it for dinner. It quickly becomes one of Charlie’s favorite meals and Mikalya even makes it for C when he visits here.
I wanted to share a $5 Skillet Chicken Alfredo: which in my family is The Real-Life Mom Lunch That Saves the Day and most of the time there is leftovers giving Charlie dinner and its #budgetfriendly.
Image: Optional SEO Keywords: cheap lunch ideas for moms, electric skillet meals, $5 family meals, Dollar Tree cooking, easy skillet recipes
BLOG POST BODY:
As you know some lunches are planned. Some lunches are prayed over. Today’s lunch was the second kind — the “Lord, guide my hands and my skillet” kind. It was 11 AM, the teen was still asleep, the dogs were pacing like they were waiting for a staff meeting to start, and my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything except a sip of Milo’s Sweet Tea. So, I did what moms do best: I improvised.
I opened the freezer and stared inside like it was going to give me a revelation. And in a way, it did. Sitting right there was a bag of frozen grilled Tyson Grilled & Ready Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast.
Next to it? A jar of Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce I bought on sale. In the cabinet? A box of Fettuccini Pasta and the last sprinkle of Dollar Tree Parmesan that has been in the pantry long enough to earn voting rights. That was enough for a meal — a real meal — and that’s all I needed.
I pulled out the electric skillet because the stove currently has a mystery spill on it that I refuse to acknowledge until later. The skillet is my survival tool. If it ever breaks, I might actually cry. I filled it with water, dumped in the pasta, and let it boil while Bear supervised from his pink office chair like he was the kitchen manager.
Once the noodles were done, I drained them right in the skillet, tossed in the frozen chicken, poured the Alfredo sauce, and added garlic powder and pepper. I stirred like I was hosting a cooking show for moms who are just trying to survive Monday without losing their minds.
For parents who want their kids to eat their veggies an optional veggie win is to throw in frozen broccoli. If I had wanted to a good parent, I could have threw it but there is no, way anyone in my home including myself would eat it with Broccoli I picked my battles and skipped the Broccoli.
Lunch fed three people for under $5. It took less than 15 minutes. And it kept the peace — which is priceless.
That’s the thing about mom meals. They don’t have to be fancy. They don’t have to be Instagram-worthy. They just have to get done. And sometimes, the meals that come from the freezer and the Dollar Tree shelf are the ones that save the day.
If you’re reading this wondering what to make for lunch, here’s your sign: use what you have. Use what’s easy. Use what keeps you sane. There’s no award for the most complicated meal — but there should be one for the mom who keeps everyone fed on a Monday with nothing but a skillet and determination.
Lunch doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be possible.
RECIPE (simple + copy/paste):
• 1 box pasta • 1 bag frozen grilled chicken cubes • 1 jar Alfredo sauce • Garlic powder + pepper • Optional: frozen broccoli • Optional: Dollar Tree parmesan
Cook pasta in electric skillet, drain, add chicken, sauce, seasoning, and broccoli. Heat through. Serve.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
