Cheap Meal Ideas

[marshallandcartersmo]

 

[Candleshoe]

This is a pretty good "starting" point. You can adjust it according to your familys needs. Hope it helps!!

Thank you for this!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

This is a pretty good "starting" point. You can adjust it according to your familys needs. Hope it helps!!

all purpose flour (lives up to its name)
baking soda (has 101 uses beyond baking)
baking powder
granulated sugar
brown sugar
honey
salt
black pepper
yeast
oils (canola for frying, olive for dressings, peanut to add great flavor to dishes)
vegetable shortening
vinegar (balsamic is great for both cooking and dressings)
dried pasta
canned tomatoes
canned vegetables
canned and/or dried beans and peas
stocks (get high quality, unsalted stocks, or better yet make your own and freeze it)
peanut butter
dried herbs
spices (cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, mustard, allspice, get what you like)
dried chilli peppers
fresh garlic
nuts (walnuts, pecans, peanuts for snacking or baking)
bread
crackers
coffee, tea, hot cocoa
powdered milk
potatoes
onions
cold cereal
oatmeal
maple syrup

My list is slightly different: honey never goes bad, we use mostly all olive oil, as it's the best for you, butI also keep regular oil (canola or corn) for certain uses, and I prefer sesame (and toasted sesame) oil. It gives Asian dishes a great taste, and comes in handy for terriaki chicken too! Canned tomato is a must, but I always try to get the kind with no salt - as few additives beyond tomato as youcan. I also keep tomato paste handy. I keep a minimum of canned veggies, but do keep canned beans handy. I just don't have the time for dried beans. Whenever I bake a whole chicken or buy the bre-cooked ones, we always simmer the trimmings and bones for about an hour to make a stock, which I freeze. But this is a great time fo year to stock up on high quality stocks (no msg, no sugar, 'organic' means it's a good choice). I keep boullion cubes around too, but they do have chemicals in them. I almost never use shortening - Crisco is hydrogenated, yuck! Oregano, cilantro, parsley and basil are must haves in my house. I keep dried, frozen and fresh around as much as I can. the fresh stuff costs about $.60 a bunch, and goes a long way. Fresh parsley is REALLY good for you. Add it to everything you can, but get the flat leaf variety. I don't keep much bread in the house, but you can keep french loaves in the freezer in foil. They store well, just heat in the oven! I never use powdered milk. Oatmeal I keep for cookies. I also keep raisins around. Make sure your maple syrup is real. I also keep butter in the house.

Now for my exotic items: I love having mirin on hand - it's a sweet rice wine that is great for cooking. You can add it to almost any meat dish that has a sauce for added depth. I even add it to soup sometimes, and marinades (if there isn't already a wine in it). I keep a couple bottles of red and white wine around. I keep the white in the fridge, and add it to chicken dishes mostly. Either can be used to de-glaze a pan (After you saute meat in a pan, add wine to get the yummy stuff off the bottom of the pan, then add butter, lemon, spices for a quick yummy sauce) I consider fresh lemon, bottled lemon juice, and orange juice needed items.

 

[ladysoleil]

Now for my exotic items: I love having mirin on hand - it's a sweet rice wine that is great for cooking. You can add it to almost any meat dish that has a sauce for added depth. I even add it to soup sometimes, and marinades (if there isn't already a wine in it). I keep a couple bottles of red and white wine around. I keep the white in the fridge, and add it to chicken dishes mostly. Either can be used to de-glaze a pan (After you saute meat in a pan, add wine to get the yummy stuff off the bottom of the pan, then add butter, lemon, spices for a quick yummy sauce) I consider fresh lemon, bottled lemon juice, and orange juice needed items.

I like mirin for cooking too. I also keep a bottle of hoisin sauce in the fridge as well, it's nice for giving a little depth to stir fries, etc. Ditto for dark sesame oil and some different flavored soy- I have a dark soy and a mushroom soy sauce that I really like.

Also agreed on the wine, although it really should be noted that for cooking, it's best to use a wine you'd actually drink. It can be a cheap wine, but taste it before you use it. If you don't like it in your glass, you probably won't like it much in your cooking either.

My other "exotics"- I keep some frozen puff pastry on hand generally. You can use it for desserts, entrees, appetizers, etc. I also keep some good quality chocolate on hand for baking. A block of good quality parmesan cheese is mandatory. You can use it on so many things, salads, soups, pasta dishes, veggies, etc. It's really versatile and adds a nice finish to a savory dish. You can even use the rind in a minestrone/bean soup to give it some richness. The stuff in the can is just icky and filled with chemicals. blech.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Good reply. I sort of got kicked off the computer the other day, so I didn't get to actually finish my post. I agree with everything you said!

I think it's kind of cool how different people have differnet ideas on this, and my list of 'basics' to have on hand has certainly grown over the years...

Once upon a time I was happy to have a few italian herbs, tomato sauce froma jar, and a little pasta on hand. All of my college friends were experts in jazzing up spagetti.....I even remember a fight we once had over the value of dried parsley. A good friend said it was a waste compared to things like oregano....those were the days...

 

[suevee]

EASY and like a cobbler.

lightly grease a 9 by 13 baking pan
fill with 2 cans pie filling (when using blueberry I add frozen berries and when using cherry I like 3 cans)
top with 1 box of yellow cake mix sprinkles on top
cut up one stick of butter on top

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes till brown on top. YUMMY!!!!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 can chicken (like for chicken salad)
1 can mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 sm. container sour cream
1 uncooked pie shell

Mix first four ingredients well. Pour into uncooked pie shell. Place on a cookie sheet and put into a pre-heated 350 oven and bake approx. 35 minutes. It's pretty good!

 

[shades]

I skimmed through this thread pretty quick, so if someone has already mentioned this...I'm sorry for repeating;o)

A great way to say on money is to cut the amount of meat you put in your dishes and add more rice, pasta, beans, & especially - veggies. Meat was always the primary dish when I grew up and we ate way more than a 4 oz serving, with very little side dish foods. To save money, I only use about 1/2 lb hamburger in dishes that call for a 1lb. Just add a can of corn or peas, or pork 'n beans to make up the difference. Even better, add a saute'd onion, and/or green pepper. For chicken - I've cut back to 1/2 -3/4 lb. Stir fried rice is a great money saving dish because you can get away with very little meat, add some frozen mixed veggies to the rice while it is cooking. It's an easy, cheap meal.

I've cut way back on fats & sugars - and only use canned non-stick cooking spray on anything & everything I would normally saute. The new Mazola brand cooking sprays are all really good - they come in regular canola flavor, olive oil, & butter flavor. I make my own bread (in a bread machine) and have replaced the oil in recipes with apple sauce & it works out perfect every time. The initial investment in a bread machine (I have a Breadman Ultimate & it works great - used to have a Zorijushi (sp??), and it was awful) is expensive because you are buying the machine plus all of the stuff you need to make you bread. Eventually, it will be cheaper and you will enjoy bread cooked exactly the way you want it!

Another bargain I've found is giant bags of pre-cut frozen veggies at my local Walmart. I tend to overcook most of my veggies anyway and frozen is so much easier - no cleaning or cutting. Sometimes I stir-fry, sometimes I roast, sometimes broil - spray with non stick spray, sprinkle with onion salt, garlic, and any other spices you like.

Few of my pantry staples are:

-Mazola non-stick spray (all flavors;o)
-Lots of various spices - including fresh pepper for grinding & sea salt for grinding
-Lipton onion soup mix (add to can of fat free cream of mushroom soup & put in roaster or roasting bag with a cheap hunk of beef ((brisket, rump roast..); sprinkle on mixed veggies & broil; add to 3/4 lb hamburger, a cup or two of oatmeal, 1 chopped onion, chopped green & red peppers, chopped carrots & shape into a meatloaf.
-Lots of flavors of tea (we don't drink coffee & tea can be cheap - look at Dollar Tree for flavored bags) I drink a LOT of hot tea - some decaf - some regular
-Splenda sweetener (I RARELY use white, refined sugar but I do keep a very small amount on-hand just incase.
-brown sugar for oatmeal
-oatmeal - great to add as a filler to meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs, add to homemade bread, & obviously - breakfast;o)
-Malt-o-meal - chocolate flavor - kids of all ages love this hot cereal for breakfast (don't add sugar or salt that is listed on directions when you cook it for the first time - it doesn't need it)
-I can't believe it's not butter - zero calorie spray in the butter aisle
-Veggie Steamers - cheese flavor - you can find these in spice aisle in a seasoning packet that comes with a cooking bag. The directions say to use 1 bag of frozen veggies, but - I've found I can add 2 bags (16oz each) and they come out the same. It's powdered cheese - and it tastes great on broccolli, mixed broc/cauliflower - wayyy less calories than traditional velveeta broc/cheese casserole & a great idea for those of us on a diet.
-I always keep lots of fresh onions on hand. These are usually pretty cheap and are great fillers to stretch a meal. For dieters, instead of putting your stirfry on rice, try putting it on a nest of saute'd onions & green peppers. When I cook spaghetti for my family, they get pasta and I eat (you've guessed it;o) saute'd onions, peppers - yellow, red, & green, with a little tomato sauce. I sprinkle about a Tb of shredded parmesan on mine & I don't feel like I'm missing out on the pasta at all. Just be sure to use different seasonings for various meals to keep from getting burned out on saute'd veggies;o) The 3 different Mazola spray options help change flavors a bit, too. You may have to use a bit more of the spray than usual. Using the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" zero calorie spray helps butter lovers get a butter fix.

I've lost 10 lbs within the past 10 weeks using these strategies. I still have 10 to go before we leave for Orlando on Dec 23;o) More veggies, more non-stick spray, and lots more flavors of tea to try;o) I eat as much veggies as I want - more I eat - more lbs I lose;o) Then, I brush my teeth at 6-7pm and I'm done for the night except for water. It works for me;o)

 

[nbodyhome]

I get recipes off of recipezaar - and I love my crockpot. One inexpensive recipe that I've gotten is to put a couple of pounds of chicken breasts, one bottle of bbq sauce, and one diced onion in the crockpot for 8 or so hours on low. It really comes out great, and it makes a lot of meals for us (I think I actually threw in 3 pounds or so this past time, which was still fine with the one bbq sauce bottle).

Denise

 

[rjthkids]

I like the things you added on your list micky luv'r.

I almost never use shortening - Crisco is hydrogenated, yuck!

I agree, Crisco is yucky, yucky stuff. I do keep shortening on hand however, because its great for certain frying jobs, when you want something light and tasteless (for example, I always fry doughnuts in shortening and I will grease pans with shortening depending on what I am cooking, like biscuits). However, I wouldn't touch Crisco with a ten foot pole. You can buy organic, nonhydrogenated shortening at most whole food markets. Organic shortening is usually made from palm oil. I will say in terms of baking with it, that it has a much stiffer texture than a conventional shortening, which can make it a challenge for things like biscuits because they come out with a tougher texture. In that case, I usually add a dab (and I do mean just a dab) of canola and gently work it in, before I cut in the shortening and it helps a great deal. But overall, we stick to using it for greasing/baking.

On our basics list, we also have vanilla beans (which we use to make our own vanilla) corn startch, and because we make most everything from scratch, a wide variety of flours. We grind a lot of our flour at home, so whole wheat flour is a staple, as well as white and yellow corn meal, corn flour (hasa marina), gluten, oats, rice flour, and fructose. Fructose is much sweeter than sugar derived from cane, and it has a different texture and crystallization, so you can use it in recipes calling for sugar but it takes about half the amount. I always use fructose in baking recipes which involve fruit.

The best thing is, as you buy in bulk, the price dramatically drops and all of this stuff can be bought in bulk.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

More good ideas. I'll have to try fructose sometime. The reduced meat idea is good too. Americans don't eat enough beans (or veggies). I recently read two books that both talked about beans from two very different perspectives. They are one of the oldest foods known to man, and they offer really good benefits.


I tried the organic shortening once. It has a fairly short shelf life though, and it had expired before I was really able to use much of it. I do periodically use Bisquick because I love the taste, but I really wish it didn't have hydrogentated oils in it. I've tried using the baking mixes from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. They just don't taste as good. If someone has a great brand they like, I'd love to hear it. The best substitute I found was corn muffin mix, which makes a delicious waffle; the trouble is the mix I liked had lard in it...which is only slightly better than hydrogenated oils, IMHO. So now I mix Trader Joe's corn mix with Bisquick and the results are pretty good. I don't make waffles very often, but I'd love a better suggestion.
Our Sunday paper had a recipe for a pie crust made with cream cheese instead of shortening, so if I have time to actually make a pie crust this week, I'm going to try it.
By the way, pumpkin is also really good for you, so enjoy that pumpkin pie!

 

[shades]

Our Sunday paper had a recipe for a pie crust made with cream cheese instead of shortening, so if I have time to actually make a pie crust this week, I'm going to try it.
By the way, pumpkin is also really good for you, so enjoy that pumpkin pie!

Please share your cream cheese crust recipe with us - it sounds GOOD:O)

Forgot to mention, black beans aren't suppose to cause those embarrassing problems some folks have with other beans. A good snack is putting a little salsa on a piece of toasted pita or bread and top with black beans.

Garbanzo beans (chick peas) are good in salads & rice dishes.

 

[horsegirl]

Bumping this back up to help with all those hoping to shave some dollars off of food spending. I did notice many of these ideas, are well, uh, not too calorie conscious. Anyone want to expand this to cheap light meal ideas?

 

[karinbelle]

I have bought the most wonderful book. "Saving Dinner" (savingdinner.com).

For each season it has eight weeks worth of menus.

Each menu has a comprehensive shopping list (including side dishes). The recipes are simple and taste very good. It seems there is generally one crockpot meal, a couple of chicken dishes, a beef dish, a fish dish, and a night or two of meat-free. Each night feeds 6 people.

I'm on my first week, and I've cooked well-balanced meals for three nights in a row (a record!) We're a family of three, so there's been plenty of left overs for lunches. We had a meatless night last night - but I reheated salmon leftovers for my DH (who I knew would fuss at "no meat").

I think the website gives you one week's menus free.

My grocery bill was about the same as normal - and because the shopping list was already done I was out of the store in record time. Dinner is finished in record time too. I am looking forward to cooking every night now!.

Karin

 

[horsegirl]

I have bought the most wonderful book. "Saving Dinner" (savingdinner.com).


Karin

Oh thanks for this site and book idea! Looks great. Love the idea of the shopping list, and menu plan, as sometimes we get so bored of the same things! thanks again!

 

[grlpwrd]

I have the Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way book and it's good. There is some savings, but not much - not all are frugal recipes, but you do get to eat nutritious foods and be able to plan and eat meals on a consistent basis.

I recommend other cookbooks, too, especially Mennonite and Amish cookbooks.

 

[NicRI]

I use TVP for my chili and shepherds pie instead of ground beef. It saves on cooking time and clean up and money. I can buy a big container for $3 and can make six meals with it (we are a family of seven).

OK, I'm sorry, but what is TVP? OK, I found out what it was.... Didn't read down far enough.

Thanks for this thread... Some of the recipes remind me of my college days. (It's amazing what you can do with a crock pot, toaster oven and a hot pot.)

 

[OceanAnnie]

Making a quiche with leftover chicken & rice soup (drained), with cheese & broccoli.

 

[BethR]

OK, I'm sorry, but what is TVP?

I wondered too, so I did a search and TVP is textured vegetable protein.

 

[Brooknwdw]

Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if this has been listed but here is my SUPER CHEAP meal...my DH & DS9 LOVE these for supper!


You can really use any ingredients but to be cheap, I just:

Brown a little breakfast sausage
saute some onion, bell pepper, & mushrooms

scramble 2 or 3 eggs

add all the above with some shredded cheese until the cheese is melted.

Roll mixture into heated Flour Tortillas, serve with hashbrowns, tator tots, or toast.....YUM & CHEAP!