Deluxe Salad Bar

Let's face it, some days, you just don't have the energy to cook. Now, I'm not opposed to the occasional fast food meal, but what if we just had fast food yesterday, and I feel like maybe we should eat a teeny bit healthier today?

This post will be the first in a series of "Ugh, I don't feel like cooking dinner tonight, but I don't feel like take-out either" meals. Cheap, quick, and easy.

One trip to Aldi's. Less than $12 for a family of 5 (plus leftovers!)

I don't even take things out of their bags. We pass the bags around and take our salad straight from the bags. Serving dishes are for suckers. Why dirty a whole extra dish just to hold the food that is currently being held quite effectively by its store packaging?

I also let everyone build their own salad. That way, if one kid doesn't like craisins, they can just skip over them. Less work for me, less complaining from them. And, believe it or not, this is one of my kids' top five favorite meals.

Cost breakdown:

Caesar Salad Kit (includes dressing, parmesan cheese, and croutons)..........$1.99
Garden Salad..........$0.99
Grilled Chicken Strips..........$2.49
Queso Fresco (great for crumbling on salads - I call it the "poor man's feta")..........$2.49
Roasted Sunflower Kernels..........$1.99
Dried Cranberries..........$1.29
Salad Dressing (optional, since there is some in the Caesar kit)..........free from my fridge (maybe about 10c per use, prorated over the life of a bottle of dressing?)

Total: $11.24

You can't even get two value meals for that at most fast food places. Take that, fast food industry!

You can also do this meal with a rotisserie chicken instead of the grilled strips, but, alas, that is one thing that my beloved Aldi's does not carry. Add wraps if you want to make your salad more portable. Feel free to add your own variations, and always check your fridge for random things to add, as well! (After taking the pictures tonight, I added cottage cheese and leftover cut veggies from last night's dinner.)