themarquis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 30, 2006
- Messages
- 1,842
My family was pretty much dirt poor most of my childhood. Thankfully, my parents never sacrificed our nutrition and health just b/c they didn't have the money to buy expensive food.
We relied a lot on meatless and low meat dishes (i.e., beans and cornbread), veggies from the garden, and big cuts of cheap meat. We ate a lot of whole chickens, spareribs, hamhocks, whole turkeys -- even "weird" things like chicken livers and oxtails. My dad was an amazing cook who whipped up a delicious pot of beans, oxtail soup, roast chicken or turkey, big pot of spaghetti, etc., most days of the week.
We ate almost none of the kind of crappy, bad-for-you cheap food that is so tempting for many people (cheap convenience foods, ground beef, stuff from a can, instant potatoes, frozen veggies, boxed meals, ramen, or what-have-you -- all anathema in my household) My family found that if you cooked up fresh food from scratch using inexpensive ingredients, you could eat well and heartily and healthily.
I'm pretty sure that when you use this kind of philosophy of food, you can feed your family better and cheaper than when using convenience foods. Here's an example that my family cooked at least once a week or two weeks. Its a pot of beans made with hamhocks (you can substitute turkey bacon or use no meat if you want) that will feed a family of four for three days for about four dollars (just try to beat that, 10$ a day people!!
). The pot of beans is so easy to make that my 93 year old grandpa (who taught my dad how to cook them) makes them a couple of times a month all by himself.
We always ate the beans the first night w/ cornbread (costs pennies to make fresh) and fresh tomatoes from the garden or some other veggie. The second night, you can have them as leftovers or roll in tortillas. The third night, my dad always made some burritos or enchiladas (usually with chicken and rice for a little extra money) and "refried" the beans by putting a bit of oil in a cast-iron skillet and mashing them up. (ten times better than any canned beans you've ever eaten, I guarantee it!)
Enjoy!
"Pot of beans"
- 1 bag dried pinto beans
- 1 can stewed tomatoes (can substitute fresh or throw in some salsa instead)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- a few cloves of garlic, smashed/cut up really finely
- 1 hamhock or some bacon, salt pork, turkey bacon, smoked turkey wing, etc. (if making meatless, I like to add extra onion/tomato).
- 1 jalepeno pepper OR some dashes of tabasco (if desired)
- salt & pepper
The night before: wash the dried beans in a colander. Pick out any discolored beans or little rocks or anything (my dad and grandpa swear you have to follow this step, but I think it was more of an issue "back in the old days"
) Cover with fresh water and let sit overnight.
Around midday: drain the beans. Brown the onions in a little oil. When they are almost done, add the garlic and *finely* chopped jalapeno and saute for another minute. Add the drained beans, whatever meat you're using, the tomatoes, and a bunch of water to fill up the pot most of the way.
Cover it and let it slowly simmer the rest of the day. Stir every once in a while. Add water if needed. I think I usually cook them for three or four hours -- the more, the better.
Serve in big soup bowls (it will be soupy). If you have the money, you can put shredded cheese and/or a spoonful of sour cream on top.
p.s. this recipe also works with just about any kind of bean. Black beans are especially tasty.
We relied a lot on meatless and low meat dishes (i.e., beans and cornbread), veggies from the garden, and big cuts of cheap meat. We ate a lot of whole chickens, spareribs, hamhocks, whole turkeys -- even "weird" things like chicken livers and oxtails. My dad was an amazing cook who whipped up a delicious pot of beans, oxtail soup, roast chicken or turkey, big pot of spaghetti, etc., most days of the week.
We ate almost none of the kind of crappy, bad-for-you cheap food that is so tempting for many people (cheap convenience foods, ground beef, stuff from a can, instant potatoes, frozen veggies, boxed meals, ramen, or what-have-you -- all anathema in my household) My family found that if you cooked up fresh food from scratch using inexpensive ingredients, you could eat well and heartily and healthily.
I'm pretty sure that when you use this kind of philosophy of food, you can feed your family better and cheaper than when using convenience foods. Here's an example that my family cooked at least once a week or two weeks. Its a pot of beans made with hamhocks (you can substitute turkey bacon or use no meat if you want) that will feed a family of four for three days for about four dollars (just try to beat that, 10$ a day people!!
). The pot of beans is so easy to make that my 93 year old grandpa (who taught my dad how to cook them) makes them a couple of times a month all by himself.We always ate the beans the first night w/ cornbread (costs pennies to make fresh) and fresh tomatoes from the garden or some other veggie. The second night, you can have them as leftovers or roll in tortillas. The third night, my dad always made some burritos or enchiladas (usually with chicken and rice for a little extra money) and "refried" the beans by putting a bit of oil in a cast-iron skillet and mashing them up. (ten times better than any canned beans you've ever eaten, I guarantee it!)
Enjoy!
"Pot of beans"
- 1 bag dried pinto beans
- 1 can stewed tomatoes (can substitute fresh or throw in some salsa instead)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- a few cloves of garlic, smashed/cut up really finely
- 1 hamhock or some bacon, salt pork, turkey bacon, smoked turkey wing, etc. (if making meatless, I like to add extra onion/tomato).
- 1 jalepeno pepper OR some dashes of tabasco (if desired)
- salt & pepper
The night before: wash the dried beans in a colander. Pick out any discolored beans or little rocks or anything (my dad and grandpa swear you have to follow this step, but I think it was more of an issue "back in the old days"
) Cover with fresh water and let sit overnight.Around midday: drain the beans. Brown the onions in a little oil. When they are almost done, add the garlic and *finely* chopped jalapeno and saute for another minute. Add the drained beans, whatever meat you're using, the tomatoes, and a bunch of water to fill up the pot most of the way.
Cover it and let it slowly simmer the rest of the day. Stir every once in a while. Add water if needed. I think I usually cook them for three or four hours -- the more, the better.
Serve in big soup bowls (it will be soupy). If you have the money, you can put shredded cheese and/or a spoonful of sour cream on top.
p.s. this recipe also works with just about any kind of bean. Black beans are especially tasty.
), sliced tomatoes (not dd7) from garden, peaches from orchard $1.00
Hopefully the other brand of dried beans I can buy will still be ok or I will have to increase the garden size! I had to buy canned beans at the store Monday.)
)---that money comes from his "allowance" portion of the budget.
I'm a recovering research chemist and am currently studying horticulture at a botanical garden (
The girls hardly ever eat a whole sandwhich except for the oldest. I am also adding veggies for them to eat. I am not giving them a sandwhich and calling it lunch. I do not eat tuna ever. So my tuna lunch was for 3 children dd 10 dose not eat it it . We (dd 10) had lots of veggies as did the others... 
do I boil the squash or zucchani before or dose it just boil and become tender with the sauce?
. so when I say juice you can plan on only 3 kids drinking or if dh is home he might have some to
