three meals you can make better {and cheaper!} at home.

Let's face it.  Despite the best meal planning intentions, we all have those "forgot-to-defrost-the-meat" or "I-am-NOT-cooking-tonight" nights.  Grabbing takeout {or going out to eat} is expensive, difficult if your family has any dietary restrictions, and sometimes the food is just not good or you are not up for being in a restaurant.  Our favorite fast and yummy meals are pizza, pub style burgers, and nachos {although we haven't made this last one much lately since Samuel and I are dairy free}.  

Pizza night is a big hit!  The girls love choosing their own toppings, I can skip the cheese, and we have fun cooking together.  I make our own pizza dough, but you can buy this at the store pretty easily {we use 2lbs for two small & two medium pizzas}.  We do meat {usually sausage, occasionally pepperoni or leftover chicken}, a variety of veggies {caramelized onions are a favourite, sautéed broccoli, spinach/greens, and sliced grape tomatoes a great too}, cheese, red sauce, and sometimes pineapple.  They bake up in just 15-20mins and everything costs $10-20 depending on toppings.

Pub burgers are another quick & delicious dinner!  These are great for mama-doesn't-want-to-cook nights since my husband does the grilling and I can relax.  We buy meat at the local market, good rolls {I haven't tried making these yet}, caramelize some onions, maybe a cook up little bacon, or slice fresh tomatoes, and sometimes top with Swiss or cheddar cheese.  I usually make oven fries or grab a bag of chips to go with it and always grill those rolls with a little butter to take it the next level.  This is another $20ish meal and the husband eats two burgers {we make 6-7 for the cost}!

Lastly, and this was definitely a top choice before the no dairy thing, we like to make nachos.  If they are on my meal plan, I will have pulled pork {sometimes BBQ-style} or shredded chicken ready to go.  But usually we make seasoned ground beef or use a tub of Lloyd's BBQ {I know, I know.  Not the healthiest choice, but it's quick}, cheese, tortilla chips, black beans, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions.  This makes a 9x13 pan full of goodness in 15mins for just $15-20.  

Pair any of these with a salad {it's only $5ish for a box of organic greens} and beer {for the parentals...maybe lemonade or something fun for the kids}, and you've got an awesome meal that's a snap to make at a fraction of the cost of takeout.  And, if you're like me and wearing PJ pants by 4p {okay, noon...or maybe I just put on real pants to run to the bus stop}, it's a big bonus to be able to stay at home and be comfy {my husband usually grabs anything we need on his way home for ultimate mama laziness}.