A Dad is Turning Dollar Tree Groceries to Dinner

Ever wondered what all the fuss is about with TikTok? Well this may be the perfect time to figure it out. With boredom setting in during quarantine, hordes of new users are joining the social media platform often regarded as being exclusive to gen Z-ers. From celebrities to moms and dads, many newcomers are producing entertaining content that's found a viral audience.

One such user is Clinton Svatos (@clintonsvatos on TikTok), a dad from California who's making videos of his Dollar Tree trips, his four daughters in tow, where he picks up necessities for fun and cheap family dinners. We're talking less than ten dollars to feed a family of six!

@clintonsvatos$4 Dip. ##poormanscomfortfood ##pmcf ##food ##cheap ##easy ##dollartree ##foryou ##foryoupage ##boredathome ##yum ##yummy ##inverted ##appetizer ♬ original sound – clintonsvatos

Eating healthy on a budget could be considered its own science. Sometimes it is downright impossible. But that doesn't stop Svatos from making the best out of a challenging situation. While grocery stores are running out of certain essentials, he's turning Dollar Tree finds like spam, cheese slices, and bread, into "poor man's comfort food."

@clintonsvatos$3ish dinner. ##poormanscomfortfood ##pmcf ##food ##cheap ##easy ##dollartree ##foryou ##foryoupage ##yum ##yummy ##cheese ##piday ##healthyrecipe ##spam ##dad ##kids ♬ original sound – clintonsvatos

It looks like the superdad loves a good dinner challenge. Some of his other videos show him making meals with groceries from Walmart and Trader Joe's. And he's even done meals only using ingredients from the 99 cent store.

A good amount of his recipe videos show him using an air fryer, and they take under 10 minutes start to finish. So if you've got an air fryer collecting dust at home, and a Dollar Tree nearby, it might be time to marry the two and try out some of his dinner ideas.

@clintonsvatos$4 Air Fried Mac&Cheese ##poormanscomfortfood ##pmcf ##food ##cheap ##easy ##dollartree ##inverted ##PlayWithLife ##normalpeople ##foryou ##appetizer ##diy ##cosori ♬ original sound – clintonsvatos

Although quite a few of his recipes fall in the "comfort food" category more so than the healthy food category, they sure make quarantine cooking more fun. Plus, these are great ideas to have in your back pocket when dinner essentials are harder to come by at other grocery stores.

Here are some more of his Dollar Tree recipes. We just can't get enough!

The easy way to make healthier comfort foods.

Eat This, Not That! is constantly monitoring the latest food news as it relates to COVID-19 in order to keep you healthy, safe, and informed (and answer your most urgent questions). Here are the precautions you should be taking at the grocery store, the foods you should have on hand, the meal delivery services and restaurant chains offering takeout you need to know about, and ways you can help support those in need. We will continue to update these as new information develops. Click here for all of our COVID-19 coverage, and sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date.