Kroger Bargain Meal August 16-22

In honor of this week's NASCAR Cup Bristol night race, this week's meal is trashy fun food. Nachos!

There are two ways to make nachos--one is the whole "pile it on" method. Your chips end up looking like the nachos at Taco Bell. Some have lots of toppings, some have a little, and some are naked.

And, then, there is the more fastidious method. Applebee's and Chili's nachos look like this. You lay out the chips, top each individually, and then pop them in the oven. Kind of a pain, but each chip is assured of an equal amount of toppings.

To be honest, the kind we eat depends on what kind of day I had and whether or not my kids went to bed on time (cause nachos are a date night food for us). Nachos are best in the oven to briefly melt the cheese and crisp the chips. But, if I'm running late, my children have been known to eat nachos out of the microwave for a quick meal. It's all good.

Tostitos--on sale--$1.88
Beans--on sale--$0.99
Ground beef--on sale $1.58/lb--$0.79
Cheese--on sale $2.50/16 oz--$1.25
Sour cream--$0.50
Salsa--tomatoes--on sale $0.99/lb--$1
cilantro--approx $0.69/bunch--$0.35
lime--approx $0.20
onion--approx $0.25
salt
jalapeno pepper to taste--$0.15

Total cost--$7.36

Perhaps a bit pricey for a normal meal, but, hey, sometimes date night is worth a treat! Enjoy your nachos! For more $5 meal ideas, check out $5dinners bargain meal of the week.