Cheapie but Yummie Dinners

[SlightlyGoofy]

Way back in the early, poorer days of our marriage I figured this one out.

Keep a container in your freezer and put leftovers like pieces of meat, diced potatoes, veggies etc, in it. When it gets full make a pot of soup out of it. Tastes great and is different almost every time.

If you are feeling affluent you can add a loaf of homemade or bakery bread and it is a healthy and delicious way to save a few bucks toward an AP!!

Would rather spend four days at All Stars than one night in a more expensive place. Now, if I want a bit of pampering and plan to spend the day in the room I might go for fancy. LOL

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[disneymom3]

I am going to reread and make out my grocery list!

Here's my contribution:

Cheeseburger Rice
1 lb browned hamburger ($2-$3 depending on grade and sales)
1.5 cups of instant rice (ummm, don't know, but I buy the store brand and it's CHEAP)
1.5 cups water
1 Cup shredded cheese--chedar is best ($1)
1/2 diced onion (.30)
1 tsp mustard
1/4 cup ketchup

Brown hamburger, drain grease. Add rice, onion and water, cook for five minutes, med heat. Stir in mustard, ketchup and cheese until cheese melts. Serve with salad or carrots and celery with dip. My kids (7, 3, and 2) go crazy for this stuff!

Anyone have a recipe for spaghetti pie that does not have all the toppings put into a well on the top, but mixed in? I lost one, and it was cheap and yummy.

 

[vhoffman]

To slightly goofy,

The freezer soup sounds like a great idea, but how do you prevent freezer burn? Do you use a tupperware type container with a lid? Even so, the air pocket would cause freezer burn. Perhaps a ziploc freezer bag? Or maybe line a tupperware container with a ziploc bag? BTW, I save and reuse ziploc bags.

 

[lizziepooh]

Prepare a package of Lipton rice and sauce mix (chicken flavor). Add a can of chicken (drained). Serve with a vegetable or salad and rolls.

Here is an easy Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 quart milk
8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded or cut in small chunks)
3 tablespoons margaine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt margaine in a shallow casserole dish. Mix in salt and pepper. Stir in dry macaroni until coated with margarine. Mix in cheese. Pour milk over mixture and bake at 350 for l hour. If desired, smoky links can be arranged on the top for the last 20 minutes of baking.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

vhoffman, hi there! I put either a couple of layers of plastic wrap directly on top of the ingredients or aluminum foil and yes, I use a plastic container that has been used for this exclusively as it does leave some stains. The wrappings keep the air away from the ingredients and is easily removed to put in more things and then replaced.

Be careful about re using plastic bags, even if you wash them they are not sterile. I am still using plastic bags I got years ago for free in my refunding/couponing days. Opened a box last week and found a coupon that had expired in 1992. LOL I shop the dollar store and such and can pick up bags pretty cheap there. Also the K Mart brand, when on sale is a great combo of cheap and sturdy.

I enjoy the challenge of spending little to enjoy life more. I furnished our home, mostly, at auctions and yard sales and such. Will not talk about the very expensive bed we sleep in but we were able to pay cash for it as well as everything else in our lives. Not owing any money is very freeing and I really cannot think of a single thing that we want, in the line of the material, that we cannot afford, if we want to. I am sure some is the fact that I am easily satisfied also. (grin)

A lot of good ideas lurking around here. Ever notice that cheap and diet do not go together though?

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

Here's a cheap one that is very good:

Hamburger stroganoff

Brown a pound of hamburger with a little onion or dried onion flakes and a dash of garlic salt. When brown, drain and stir in a cream of mushroom soup and 8oz of sour cream. Heat through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Other cheap ideas (family of five here on 1 income)

spaghetti!!!

breakfast for dinner--pancakes, eggs, breakfast meat

grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup

tacos with rice and beans

Then, make burritos with the leftover beans


And for whoever asked for a crockpot recipe--this one is easy and good.

Brown slightly 1 1/2 pounds of cubed beef (stew meat, round steak, whatever is one sale). Add to crock pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of french onion soup plus 1/2 cup of water. Cook for 4-6 hours, until beef is cooked through.

Serve over rice or nooodles. (I have let this cook alot longer on low--8 hours or so--and it was fine)

YUM!!! Now I'm hungry

 

[Cindy B]

My mom made this amazing caserole and we called it noodle, bacon and cheese.

She boiled a package or 1/2 package of egg noodles.

She used some cottage cheese and she also had some cooked bacon cut up in small pieces.

She put it all in an electric skillet to warm up..the cottage cheese woudl melt and the bacon would sort of trun crispy..

I loved that as a kid!

Egg noodles 1/2 package 44 cents--full package less than $1
cottage cheese varies, but can be anywhere from 99 cents to 1.79

Bacon-- I get that on sale either $1.88 package, or use some that is already at home..

 

[Jodi3530]

My grandma always made this it was a family favorite! I am not sure on the cost of this but I know it is cheap plus we eat more than one meal from one batch.

Potato dumplings
4 to 6 chicken leg qaurters boiled and deboned, broth saved (I usually find these on sale for 10 pounds for $3)
Mix together well
3 raw(med sized) poatoes grated
2 small onions grated
1 tsp salt
4 eggs beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
3 cups flour

I add more water to the broth and chicken bouillon about 10 cubes for more flavor. This will make a fairly large pot of soup.
Drop mixture into boiling chicken and broth by spoon fulls I use a soup spoon size. Cook on med heat for around 45 minutes.


OR
homemade chicken noodle soup chicken and broth
3 eggs beaten add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and enough flour to make it a dough. Roll it out with a rolling pin and cut into long strips let them air dry for 1 hour then add the boiling chicken and broth cook for around 45 minutes.
Sorry about not including the cost for these!

 

[ckmommy]

Cheeseburger cass.

1 # Hamburger--$1.50-3.00
1 can Chedder cheese soup--$1
1 can Tomato Soup--.50
10 oz Med. shell pasta--.$1
2 1/2 c. Water

Brown Beef. Drain fat. Add soups, water and pasta. Bring to a boil.
Cook over med. heat for 10 mins or until noodles are cooked, stiring often.


PLEASE keep these coming. Withour family expanding to SEVEN now, I need all the cheap dinner ideas I can get!!

 

[disneyfan551]

Jodi3530... Welcome to the DIS!!! You are going to love it here! It's really nice to see a new poster sharing their knowledge...

 

[peanutzmom]

Oh, during DH's med school years we got really good with the cheap meals! Here's a list of favorites :

Three Chicken Meals -- I found that a $6 bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts made an average of 3 meals for our family of four, so that's $2 per meal in chicken, plus th extra ingredients. Here are our three favorites :

1. Chicken & Green Bean Bake

4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts ($2.00)
1 can of green beans (.50)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (.50)
1 can of french fried onions (1.00)
1 soup can of milk ( a few cents!)

Put 4 frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a 9X13 cassarole dish. Pour can of drained green beans over the top. Mix cream of mushroom soup & milk together, and pour over chicken & green beans. Top with french fried onions. Bake covered at 375 degrees 1 hour covered with foil, and an additional 15 minutes (or ntil onions are crisp) uncovered.

2. Italian Chicken

4 frozen skinless chicken breasts (2.00)
1 bag frozen mixed veggies of choice (we like the broccoil, carrots, and cauliflower) (1.50)
1 bottle Italian dressing (1.00)
a sprinkling of parmesan cheese

Put 4 frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a 9X13 cassarole dish. Por frozen veggies over the top. Pour bottle of Italian dressing on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 375 degrees covered 1 hour.


3. Chicken Parmesan

4 frozen skinless chicken breasts, thawed (2.00)
1 packet of Shake & Bake (.75)
1 can inexpensive spagetti sauce (.75)
1 package of spaghetti (.70)
4 slickes provolone cheese (.75)

Thaw chicken breasts and toss with shake & bake. Bake 375 for around 30 minutes, or until done (no pink, clear juices). While that is baking boil spaghetti. When chicken is done, top with can of spaghetti sauce and slices of provolone and heat in oven just until sace is hot & cheese is melted. Spoon spaghettin onto plates & top with chicken breast/sace.

 

[disneyfan551]

peanutzmom... How do you thaw your frozen chicken breasts? In the refrigerator or room temp? And for how long? Thanks! Your recipes sound fabulous...and EASY!!

 

[frannn]

It is less fattening and cheaper with the chopped turkey meat.
1.60 Hamburger Helper on sale (or 1. for no name brand at 1. stores)
1.65 1 lb Chopped turkey on sale
-or-
any kind of sausage on sale with a pkg of frozen chopped peppers & onion, barbecue sauce, on italian bread
-or-
any meat on sale for 1.99 lb, chopped into cubes, one can mixed veggies, one can potatoes, one jar sauce = stew!
-or-
chicken legs, potted in sauce or baked with terryaki sauce
-or-
2 cans crescent rolls = 3.00 on sale
1 lb turkey meat, spiced however you like = 1.69
1 8 oz cheddar cheese = 1-1.50 on sale
Put the precooked turkey meat (cook the cheese into the meat) into the crescent rolls (like you would envelope a pig-in-a blanket) and fill all the crescent rolls, attaching all of them into a "ring" shape as you go along. Bake until crescent rolls are light brown.

I usually plan my meals around what is in that week's sale circular. I could spend less, but can't eat the same stuff all the time, and have to worry about what the family will eat. I also buy "manager's specials", which is stuff that they are discontinuing or only has a day or two before the "best to sell by" date. I usually shop the Sunday of the week we will be cooking for, so the meat stays good long enough, or I just freeze until use. My family gets a variety, just not the best cuts of meat (refuse to spend 6.99 lb for any kind of meat or fish)

Here's another tip for cold cuts- in some stores, you can purchase cold cut ends. These are the chunks of regular cold cuts that the deli dept doesn't want to slice anymore, because the pieces are too small. You can buy these and cut up for chef's salad, pasta salad, soup, etc. It's still fresh and about 1.99/lb.

 

[jann1033]

fast ( 1/2 hr) cheap and good potato soup...maybe 3-4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces, water to barely cover and 1-2 tbs. chicken soup base( better) or couple cubes of boullion, dash of hot sauce, 1 bay leaf..cook together till potatoes are soft.

drain the potatoes and reserve the liquid. puree ( in blender)1/2 of potatoes with a little of the cooking water, put back into pan, add rest of potatoes, break up the rest with a spoon if need be. add enough of the water back to make it soupy, blend in about a cup of shredded cheddar, about 4 oz sour cream ( fat free is fine) and 4 chopped green onions, pepper and maybe salt ( taste first due to boullion). heat/stir till cheese is melted. thin with a little milk if needed

you can add ham chunks or cooked crumbled bacon if you want to.

cost would be under $5 for sure and we usually have enough for 1 or 2 servings left. ( plus my family of 5 eats like a bunch of pigs )! usually I make bread or muffins with it ( jiffy corn are pretty good cheap and fast) and a salad.

 

[peanutzmom]

Originally posted by disneyfan551
peanutzmom... How do you thaw your frozen chicken breasts? In the refrigerator or room temp? And for how long? Thanks! Your recipes sound fabulous...and EASY!!

For the chicken & green beans and the Italian chicken I use them frozen -- that's why I bake them at least an hour. for the Chicken Parm I thaw it first, usually overnight in the fridge. Hope that helps! =)

 

[disneyatl]

Here's a quick and easy recipe.

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup onion
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
squirt of ketchup
noodles

Brown ground beef with onions and drain. Add soup, sour cream and ketchup (may need a little water too). Simmer. Serve over noodles or add noodles directly to the pan for a one pot dish.

 

[vettechick99]

I love this thread! I'm learning so much!

Thanks to everyone who's contributing!!

 

[ceecee]

How about toasted cheese and a can of soup? Spaghetti w/o meat (non meat dish). Hamburger casserole my mom made that I still like...
1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c cooked rice
1 c frozen peas
or....
From my single days (when I ate no meat and weighed 95 lbs) a pkg of frozen veggies.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

peanutzmom, most of your recipes could be tweaked just a bit to fit in with my diet and the fact that I am too darned busy and lazy to cook difficult things. Thank you very much for posting.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[tink2dw]

tuna casserole with potatoe chip topping


1 can of mushroom soup - thinned with small amount of milk and heated
1/2 a package of small shell pasta - cooked and drained
frozen peas microwaved and added to shells
1 to 2 cans of tuna - drained - added to shells amd soup mix well

top with chedder cheese and put in oven till melted

just before serving crush,not to finely,potatoe chips over cheese then serve!!

This is a hit with kids.
I love it too!