Budget Meal Ideas

[PrincessSuzanne]

I really need some help. The hours for my job has changed to 8a to 5p and I am now having to fix dinner. I really need some suggestions, I am stuck with very few ideas of my own after working 3rd shift for so long.

It is just Dh and myself and he is super picky.

Suzanne

 

[mrsklamc]

What kinds of things does he like/not like?

 

[KKB]

I'll throw out our quick meal ideas:
pasta (marinara w/ burger, alfredo w/ ham or chicken, or pesto)
crock pot chicken breasts (better w/ ones on bone w/ skin)--cover in picante or BBQ or cream of chicken soup
hamburgers
sloppy joes
bacon & eggs (sometimes w/ pancakes, waffles or French toast)
Bear Creek soup bags (add water, boil--my family LOVES these!)
grill--boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pork loin
frozen pizza (ALWAYS have one on hand for a pinch)
crock pot chili (or whip it up when you get home...it doesn't HAVE to cook all day)
crock pot roasts--cover in beef broth, add spices, wine, onions/carrots/potatoes
crock pot chicken (whole chicken in crock pot w/ spices of your choice--THAT'S IT!)

These are all very affordable and QUICK.
Good luck!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

What kinds of things does he like/not like?

If he had his choice, we would have either pizza or burgers every night.

He will eat almost any meat, some potatoes, some pasta, no rice, and no vegetables, and no fish, except catfish.

Sometimes I just have to fix something and hope he eats it, or I have left overs for lunch which isn't so bad


KKB, those are some great ideas. I just recently bought the new Crock Pot with the 3 different size bowls (got it for $30, had been $59 for a long time)and I hope it works out well. I am just funny about leaving it on when I leave the house.

Winter won't be as big a problem because we can eat alot of soup, chili, and chicken and dumplings, oh and breakfast (my favorite).

I had dinner without him Monday night because he won't eat my cheese souffle, more for me, yummy

Suzanne

 

[TiffanyK]

You can browse through the recipes on my blog for things you think he might like. The link is in my signature.

He might like Nachos, or Honey Mustard Chicken Wings (or make it with legs), or 50s Prime Time Meatloaf (someone said they cooked that in the crockpot). There are lots of recipes on there. Search the categories in the sidebar and check the related posts at the bottom of each post to find other recipes.

 

[oldbay]

Homemade Pizza - you can change this up by doing chicken on top with red peppers and onions. I know sometimes these are so vegetably for guys.

Jambalaya - great for a crock pot and lots of meat - chicken, ham, and sausage but some good hidden veggies - tomatoes, peppers, even corn. Very spicy and yummy!

Hot turkey sandwiches with gravy - again turkey is a healthier meat.

Also, when you make things like chili use ground turket or chicken to make is less greasy and healthier.

I think when you cook in the crock pot, throw in a veg or two, it might go unnoticed!

 

[KKB]

Unless you are making the crust from scratch, it is unlikely that you can do it for less than a frozen pizza (we get ours $3.50-$5 each for Freschetta or Tombstone) Plus my family hates homemade as leftovers!
We are lucky...a local pizzeria offers large pepperoni or cheese pizzas for $5 on Mondays & Tuesdays! (dine in or pick up) For $10 we have dinner--and we used to have leftovers! (carry out to avoid those overpriced sodas)

 

[lisam427]

one website that is very helpful for budget meals is www.hillbillyhousewife.com. it has tons of recipies that are low cost and delicious. i find it very helpful!

 

[dyna]

I find that by having meat already cooked is a BIG time saver towards supper. I brown hamburger drain it put it on cookie sheet in freezer long enough to freeze it then in freezer bag usually gallon size 2 cups cooked is about a pound SO MANY THINGS can be made with this.

Same with the frozen boneless chicken breasts cook cut them up an freeze same as hamburger.

No need to thaw hamburger or chicken before using unless you doing a salad that will be eaten right away.

I buy the family packs of pork chops salt an pepper then individually wrap them I can pull out 2 for DH an I or I can feed a crowd I thow these on the grill without thawing I don't notice it taking longer for them to cook.

Keep hamburger patties made up in freezer individually wrapped so I can pull out how ever many I need these go on grill frozen as well sometimes fry them in skillet on stove in winter.

You could throw a few veggies taters carrots onion an celery with a roast on top the pour cream of mushroom soup over top in crock pot before work an have supper ready when you get home.... the leftover roast I cut up into bite size pieces put in bottom of pan then the leftover veggies then the broth sometimes add a 2nd can of cream of mushroom soup I now have beef stew for that we wil have a couple nights later in the week or you can even freeze for later.

 

[emma'smom]

We have home made pizza every Friday night. We used to have it delivered, but found this was cheaper (and a tad bit healthier because I control the amount of cheese and don't use any oil--but there is still cheese and pepperoni--so not that healthy). We used to go out to eat a lot, but in this economy I've cut back and made Friday nights "pizza and movie nights" at home.

Anyway, I can make a whole pizza for about 3.00 which tastes much better than frozen. Here's the breakdown:

Jiffy pizza crust dough (just add water)- .45
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce (.99 at Aldis)- .50
1/2 bag mozzerella (1.99 for 3 cup bag at Aldis)- 1.00
1/2 bag pepperoni (1.99 per package at Aldis)- 1.00

Extra veggies--usually just toss on whatever is left in the fridge from the week (sometimes I purposely keep a few chopped veggies to the side from other recipes to give me some veggie toppings--like mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc).

It usually feeds a family of 4 (two adults and two young children) just fine. Sometimes I'll add a salad as a side (again...depending on what is left in the refrigerator).

Unless you are making the crust from scratch, it is unlikely that you can do it for less than a frozen pizza (we get ours $3.50-$5 each for Freschetta or Tombstone) Plus my family hates homemade as leftovers!
We are lucky...a local pizzeria offers large pepperoni or cheese pizzas for $5 on Mondays & Tuesdays! (dine in or pick up) For $10 we have dinner--and we used to have leftovers! (carry out to avoid those overpriced sodas)

 

[dawson5]

If he had his choice, we would have either pizza or burgers every night.

He will eat almost any meat, some potatoes, some pasta, no rice, and no vegetables, and no fish, except catfish.

Sometimes I just have to fix something and hope he eats it, or I have left overs for lunch which isn't so bad


KKB, those are some great ideas. I just recently bought the new Crock Pot with the 3 different size bowls (got it for $30, had been $59 for a long time)and I hope it works out well. I am just funny about leaving it on when I leave the house.

Winter won't be as big a problem because we can eat alot of soup, chili, and chicken and dumplings, oh and breakfast (my favorite).

I had dinner without him Monday night because he won't eat my cheese souffle, more for me, yummy

Suzanne

I forget how I found this site but I've spent a bit of time just going through some of the recipes:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2007_11_25_archive.html

This woman vowed to use her crockpot 365 days in a row. She has now released a book but has left her blog up with the recipes, the reviews by readers and herself (including if her hubby, kids, family and/or friends liked it). It's nice to have a few more ideas for dinner, just be warned that not everyones taste buds are the same. You might need to tweak the recipes a bit.

Also the frozen raviolis (I buy store brand, can't see how they can mess up raviolis) when you catch them on sale are pretty economical. I have to feed 6 people, so I buy two large pkgs and none of my boys are "dainty" eaters. Usually have some left over. We make a simple tomato sauce and throw some mozzarella and sausage on it and bake for 30 min until the cheese bubbles. This costs me around $10 or less to make.

We also make pizza from scratch, with the yeast. Kids love it, no problems reheating, never soggy. I think it's because we make a thicker crust. I use some cornmeal in it and it has a nice flavor.

 

[PinkRhombus]

I'd sit down with your husband have HIM help you figure this out, too. If he's the picky eater.

Make a list of about 20 or 30 things and then you can plan from that list.

No vegetables at all? Will he eat a big salad with, say, chopped chicken on it? Does he take a vitamin supplement?

 

[TiffanyK]

I forget how I found this site but I've spent a bit of time just going through some of the recipes:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2007_11_25_archive.html


.

I also like crockpot365. I learned several useful tricks from her blog. I even interviewed her on my blog once. She's very nice Here's the link to the interview, if you want to read it: Get Dinner on the Table - How 5 Food Bloggers Do It

 

[semo233]

Your crockpot and freezer will become your best friends! Whenever you make a meal, make at least twice as much and freeze half. You'll need to think ahead to defrost what you need though.

Tacos - I reduced the amount of meat and added black beans, kidney beans and you can even add brown rice. Healthier and less expensive. I also adopted the hillbillyhousewife.com practice of buying the cheapest ground beef regardless of fat content. I boil it to cook, drain and then freeze in sandwich baggies.

Chuck roast - put in crockpot, sprinkle one envelope of dried onion soup mix on top, cover and cook on low all day.

Pork shoulder - I've bought it as low at 57 cents/pound - I used a recipe for Pernil (Puerto Rican, marinates overnight) and then shred. I only add the BBQ sauce right before serving on some kind of roll.

Quesadillas - leftover chicken, steak or pork (you don't really need much), cheddar cheese, black beans, tortillas and sour cream. Serve with a salad.

taco salad - follow package directions for making taco meat and then cool. Add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, olives, black beans, shredded cheddar cheese, anything you like on a taco, crushed taco chips (I used the baked ones) and some Catalina dressing. It is served cold or at room temp.

Breakfast for dinner - I have bought a dozen eggs for $1, a package of low reduced fat sausage for a $1 and then use whatever leftovers are in the fridge: potatoes and vegetables, cheese, etc. Any leftovers can be put on toast or wrapped in a tortilla for breakfast the next day.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Thank you to all of you, these are some great ideas. I used to cook all the time, then switched to 2nd shift and only cooked a little on the weekend, so I have almost forgotten what to cook.

Oh, I really prefer homemade pizza, because I can use a crust I like and can control the toppings, especially the sauce, because of my reflux, I usually end up making them more like pizza pockets. I did ham and cheese pockets last night with nothing but ham and cheese, no sauce.

I'd sit down with your husband have HIM help you figure this out, too. If he's the picky eater.

Make a list of about 20 or 30 things and then you can plan from that list.

No vegetables at all? Will he eat a big salad with, say, chopped chicken on it? Does he take a vitamin supplement?

I told him he would have to cook at least one night a month, that didn't go over well.

He will eat corn, a rare salad with iceburg lettuce only, tomato, and mushrooms (guess they aren't a vegetable), and occassionally a few raw baby carrots. No, he doesn't take vitamins.

I am a little picky and a tiny bit of that has stemmed from my developing reflux. I like my tomatoes cooked, my carrots raw, and I don't really care for steamed veggies. I like corn, salad (different kinds), beans, black-eyed peas, etc. I don't like mushrooms.

We used to have some fabulous dinners when I could shop at our Commissary, but Dh is no longer in the service. All we have now is Publix, Winn Dixie (super expensive), Piggly Wiggly, and Walmart, so not a great choice. I wish we had some of the stores I see talked about here.

Suzanne

 

[shortbun]

Thank you to all of you, these are some great ideas. I used to cook all the time, then switched to 2nd shift and only cooked a little on the weekend, so I have almost forgotten what to cook.

...


I told him he would have to cook at least one night a month, that didn't go over well.

He will eat corn, a rare salad with iceburg lettuce only, tomato, and mushrooms (guess they aren't a vegetable), and occassionally a few raw baby carrots. No, he doesn't take vitamins.

...
Suzanne

Hey, I'd make him burgers three nights a week, pizza two nights a week and will he eat a good western style omlet?


BTW, tell him my 14yo son can make three dinners a month(burritos w/black beans and salsa,omlets and chef salads) so he ought to be able to come up with one. My son asked me to figure out two more meals for him to learn just yesterday. I think we'll tackle pasta primavera first. DS is a vegetarian. Once he learns to carmelize onions and garlic there will be no stopping him, lol! Could be your husband just needs a lesson.

 

[neatokimmo]

We eat shepherd's stew (I don[t know if that is the real name for it lol).

It is basically ground beef, onion and potatoes cooked all together with beef broth added. I brown the beef and onion together, drain, add potato slices to the top, cover with broth and let it cook. It is really good with a ton of ketchup.

I've also done it backwards by frying potatoes with onions, adding already cooked beef then the broth.