Frugal Food Ideas

[bookgirl]

Okay fun things to do with roast (at least around my house)

(I should mention that I most often cut it up into smaller portions as soon as it's cooked and freeze it for later meals. That's how we deal with don't want to cook/dinner in a hurry) usually shreded with a bit of broth so that it doesn't dry out.

my prefered method of beef is steak or roast

if it's a "steak' type cut. I will sometimes just grill them and that's a one big meal for three adults. But any extra gets sliced into thin strips. These go into

Quesidillas (thin slices or chopped, cheese and tortillas)

Sliced thin over a salad maybe 1 to 2 oz each

sliced thin and served on rolls with cheese as subs or bbq on hamburger rolls

larger but thin beef get's cut into stirps raw then halved. I then thow them in a very hot pan with a little oil and seasonings. Take them out as soon as they cook. deglaze with a little water/broth, and soy sauce then throw in any cut veggies that you like steam till al dente. Readd your meat. then add either a premade sauce or make one of soysauce, more broth, garlic, worcheshire and cornstarch. This is really good with pork as well just go lighter on the worchshire and substitue in some veggie or chicken broth.

chunky roasts get...roasted. LOL with potatos and carrots and two cups of water in the crockpot all day long I set the roast up on three or four long celery stalks for flavor and to keep the meat off the bottom of the crock (i add in the veggies after the roast has already cooked for about two hours)

sometimes I do stews with the chunky pieces but I'm not a huge stew fan but that is really budget stretching.

Brown up your meat, put in a crock pot with lot's of root veggies, beef broth and seasonings. cook till meat is falling apart, like 6-8 hours on low. thicken at the end with cornstarch or slurry

Some large pieces of beef have to be cooked a really long time. (you can tell by the amount of connective tissue not the silver shiney skin that will never cook cut it off but the opaque tissue in the grain of the beef) so make sure you don't try to do stirfry with a roast type of cut.

 

[robinb]

Do you allow more proteins elsewhere in their diet? Mine would never have survived on 2 oz. in a meal.

I was thinking the same thing. I had a turkey sandwich yesterday and I weighed out 3 deli slices ... it was 3 oz!

 

[mhsjax]

I have a family of 6 and can usually spread a chicken out to three dinners.

Meal number 1: Roast chicken. I make LOTS of side dishes. Each person only gets about 2 ounces of the meat. I have this with mashed potatoes, salad, broccoli, and usually one other veggie or a starch. We fill up on the veggies mostly.

Meal number 2: Chicken salad. I cut up a LOT of veggies to put in the salad. Onion, celery, carrots, lettuce, cranberries, spinach, apples, grapes - all cut up VERY small. Stick it on pita and you have a meal! We can usually get a lunch out of this as well.

Meal number 3: Chicken soup. I serve it with a salad and fresh bread. I stick beans in it as the protein instead of the meat. Throw in leftover veggies and a pasta or dumplings and you have a full meal. This usually lasts for lunch the next day too.

Another meal I stretch into two:

Meal 1: Tacos.

Meal 2: Taco meat over pasta. Put out the toppings and everyone has their own personalized meal.

I have to get 2 chickens to feed us, we are a family of five. My two boys 13 and 9 can eat a whole chicken between the two of them. I don't see how anyone can stretch a chicken that far. And in case anyone asks, both boys are skinny as rails.

 

[mhsjax]

Of course!! My kids eat eggs every day (at least two). They are welcome to eat nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds) as snacks. We also have a lot of nut butters - peanut butter, sunflower butter, etc. They dip veggies and fruit in those. They are welcome to have a slice or two of cheese. I make yogurt and they are welcome to that. Cream cheese on celery is another favorite. Hummus on veggies is GREAT!!

I should mention that we eat leftovers for lunch every day. So, if we eat meat for dinner, we will have meat for lunch the next day (1 - 2 ounce servings for lunch).

But, I don't believe people NEED meat to survive! We eat vegetarian about 4 or 5 nights/week. We eat a lot of beans.

It sure helps our budget and I believe we are healthier in the long run for it!!

That may be part of the difference, one of my meat eating boys can't have dairy, so no cheese and no yogurt. They do eat a fair amount of veggies and fruit. But there is no way the my family would do with 2 ounces of meat. The adults yes but not the kiddos. And yes my Dr said I need to eat red meat. I am very anemic. Also hubby's cardiologist said limit all carbs including beans and fruit and eat lean protein. So it may work for your family but not all families.

 

[lukenick1]

Go meat free! I am the only veggie in my family, but I still make all of our dinners meat free. Not only does it save us a ton of money, but we are healthier too. The carnivore in the family gets his meat fix at lunch and everyone respects my choices.

Interested in hearing about "meat free" dinners......

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

I have a list of recipes for low-cost meals on my site. We don't usually plan for leftovers. We're a family of 6 and eat up the little bit of leftovers for lunch. But I do love to freeze cooked chicken. I can usually get 2 meals from a large chicken. I just freeze the meat to use in enchiladas, casseroles, soups etc.

I also like to brown out a package of hamburger and freeze it in about 1 lb. quantities or sometimes less. It's great to have it already cooked for Nachos, tacos, spaghetti, etc.

That is a great site, with tons of great recipes. Thanks for the link!

I made a 4 pound pork roast in the Slow Cooker the other day and over 3 nights we did:

Pork fajitas
Shredded pork BBQ sandwiches
Homemade Pork Tortilla stew

Got my $8 and change worth out of that roast for sure!

 

[HeatherC]

One meat that I stretch a lot in our house is a spiral ham. My kids love it. I used to think it was so expensive and only buy it at the holidays. But then I bought one and realized I could get several meals out of it and suddenly it seemed like a bargain.

First night I cook the ham and we have it with potatoes and veggies. Then I cut off the rest of the meat and break it up into several nights servings of meat and put in ziplocs in the freezer.

I use it for:
Ham and Cheese Quiches
Ham and Potato Soup - best recipe ever on Allrecipes.
Ham and Eggs for breakfast ...fry it up with some butter.
Ham Sandwiches
Ham and Grilled Cheese
Substitute the ham for anything that calls for bacon in a recipe.

You can use the bone for soups, but I usually don't bother with that.

I seriously can get about 7 plus meals out of one spiral ham for our family of five.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I'm all for meat free, we serve beans and rice variations a couple of times a week. That said, when serve meat the serving sizes are more appropriate and vary depending upon age and needs.

Veggies are paramount, and my family eats locally, organically, etc. We garden. We pay for local organic poultry. Buy grassfed local beef. We grind our grains, bake our own bread, which only helps our budget.

http://life.familyeducation.com/protein/foods/48678.html

This is a fairly avg list, and 2 oz portions for a small child who eats the same at lunch, and has an egg for breakfast is avg. By the time a kid hits preteen age, requirements grow to 45ish grams a day. There is no way they will get those numbers with 2 oz servings. Two of my teens are swimmers, my daughter is a runner, another plays tennis, and another golfs/weight lifts, and they function best at about 70-80 grams a day. Health isn't about low portions but appropriate portions, is the point I am making. The calories in an oz of almonds is about 169 with only 7 grams of protein.While we always have a bowl of them out, usually mixed with walnuts, chicken/fish/meat are a much better exchange for a non vegetarian.

It is all nice to save money, but not at the cost of health.

 

[Figment's Girl]

One meat that I stretch a lot in our house is a spiral ham. My kids love it. I used to think it was so expensive and only buy it at the holidays. But then I bought one and realized I could get several meals out of it and suddenly it seemed like a bargain.

First night I cook the ham and we have it with potatoes and veggies. Then I cut off the rest of the meat and break it up into several nights servings of meat and put in ziplocs in the freezer.

I use it for:
Ham and Cheese Quiches
Ham and Potato Soup - best recipe ever on Allrecipes.
Ham and Eggs for breakfast ...fry it up with some butter.
Ham Sandwiches
Ham and Grilled Cheese
Substitute the ham for anything that calls for bacon in a recipe.

You can use the bone for soups, but I usually don't bother with that.

I seriously can get about 7 plus meals out of one spiral ham for our family of five.

I do the same thing! And I just wanted to add that I dice some up for when I make Homemade pizza. I make regular pizza as well as breakfast ones.

 

[merekc]

For people questioning getting multiple meals from one chicken, here is what I've noticed. If I buy a rotisserie chicken from Sam's it is twice the size of the ones they have at the grocery stores...and cheaper. This may be how some people get more or less meals. We easily get enough meat for two to three meals from a Sam's chicken.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I HAD to read this thread because everytime I see one of the food stretching threads I am AMAZED.
I cpuld not get away with giving the guys 2 oz of chicken

 

[SunnieRN]

Forgot one of my favorite feed a crowd recipes.

Small shells with Hillshire farms type sausage (I use turkey for lower fat)

Cook small shells (or your pasta choice)

While the shells are cooking:

Chop 1 large onion
chopped garlic to taste
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 to 1 lb of hillshire type sausage, chopped into small pieces

In a skillet add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the chopped vegies, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook to desired tenderness. Add the sausage, cook until warm.

Drain pasta, add meat/vegies, stir well and serve.

I serve this with salad. I usually put out salsa and hot sauce. I have added corn, peas (once, as I don't like them), mushrooms, (kids didn't like them) and other things.

Everyone usually likes this. It feeds a pack of teenagers and is cheap.

 

[FOXFIELDZOO]

I really liked the pork-stretching suggestion. Must try that!

To answer some of the pps' question, here's how the chicken worked out for our family. Please remember we are a family of 3 - 2 adults and one child. (but the child LOVES chicken).

Roast chicken: 2 thighs for DH, 1 drumstick for DD, 1 drumstick for Mum (and I also get to pick all the meat off the carcass - cook's privilege). We served this meal with lots of: mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy, and a bit of bread & butter (to soak up the extra gravy with).

Chicken salad sandwiches : used 1 chicken breast, diced, mixed with celery, onion, grated carrot, sweet pickle relish, mustard and mayo. We tend to make our sandwiches fully loaded with a good 12-grain bread, lettuce and tomatoes, cheese slice for DH and pickle slices and hot peppers for me, so we don't load on the chicken-salad part.

Chicken leftover lunch (this was only for DH to take to work): 1 chicken breast with leftover mashed potatoes, gravy and corn, to heat up in the zapper.

Chicken noodle soup : I always boil up the bones and scraps with spices and aromatic veggies to make up a nice rich broth. Then I drop in egg noodles or leftover rice, some peas and carrots, and voila it's the chicken's last supper for us.

We do usually get three full meals out of a chicken, but as another pp mentioned, we don't eat large portions of meat in one meal. I always try to serve at least two vegetable sides and that really does fill up the corners, so to speak.

I'd also love to hear more - anybody with suggestions on how to stretch those big pieces of beef that I see in the store? I've always just wound up cooking it as a roast and then we live with leftover roast.... and more leftover roast....

I like to cut the roasts up we are a family of 8 ,I get a big roast ,I cut up a cut a 3-4 pound section for regular roast ,also the same size for italian beef,then maybe 1-2 for stew meat ,if you have leftover cooked roast I make philly cheese steak sammies or BBQ beef,You can also grind it for lean ground beef.

 

[The Princess]

I cooked a whole chicken last night and do you know how much I have left for leftovers? NONE!!!! We are a family of 4 and our 2 dds are swimmers that swim 3 hours a day so maybe thats the difference~I don't know but I do know I would never measure out 2 oz of meat for my family they would just laugh at me.

 

[busyshrew]

The suggestion for what to do with the beef roast was great! I will definitely keep it in mind. I often see big beef roasts on sale but I don't usually go for it because I'm not very inventive with beef.

 

[java]

We are a family of 6 I get 2 full meals out of a chicken and then usually one lunch for me- 1/2 chicken gets eaten at meal one. Second half minus a bit for a sandwich- gets turned into a pot pie- or chicken quesadillas- or chicken soup.
We all really don't eat a ton of meat to begin with but we eat big sides- huge salad, potatoes, spinach pie.
Or I'll do a BBQ chicken pizza(you don't need much meat for that!)

And please- a Ham can last me a week! I still have ham in my freezer from Easter!


Our other multi meal dinner is a Pork Shoulder(Pernil) I make that for night one with rice and tostones(fried plantains)
Day 2 Cuban sandwiches- with some of that pork, ham, cheese, dill pickle- mmmm
Day 3 chopped up pork with BBQ sauce for a kind of puerto rican pulled pork- with mashed potatoes, corn bread beans
Day 4 Take cubes up pork and use it in fried rice!

Gosh I need to buy one of those this week. It is a HUGE meal stretcher and they are usually 99cents a pound but can be on sale for even less.

The trick is making the first round a very flavorful Roast (which is why I do it Pernil style) mmm I want that tonite actually!

 

[busyshrew]

And please- a Ham can last me a week! I still have ham in my freezer from Easter!

Oh I agree! Isn't there a famous quote... something about, eternity is two people eating a ham.....

We ONLY buy ham once or twice a year when we are having a houseful (i.e. more than 8 adults plus ump-teen children) of guests for dinner. Otherwise we would be stuck with ham.... ham sandwiches.... potato ham casserole..... ham and cabbage bake...... lentil-ham soup..... and it's a strong flavour that I get pretty tired of quick.

 

[funnygarcia]

I have a list of recipes for low-cost meals on my site. We don't usually plan for leftovers. We're a family of 6 and eat up the little bit of leftovers for lunch. But I do love to freeze cooked chicken. I can usually get 2 meals from a large chicken. I just freeze the meat to use in enchiladas, casseroles, soups etc.

I also like to brown out a package of hamburger and freeze it in about 1 lb. quantities or sometimes less. It's great to have it already cooked for Nachos, tacos, spaghetti, etc.

Just wanted to say.. I love your site!!!
Simple low cost easy and the ingredients are not anything exotic. Good job on well written website.
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When I buy a big chub of ground beef (3 pounds) on sale, I split it into four or five sections to freeze for later use. Each packet will be less than a pound, I squish it flat and in shape that will fit my largest fry pan. Super easy to thaw and brown quickly for casseroles, spaghetti, etc.

Before I had teenagers my dh and I would stretch one pound into 4 meals, we were much healthier in those days. More vegetables, whole grains, beans and lots of walking as we did not own a car (lived in the city).

Moved to first ring suburb, had kids, embraced the typical suburbia life with driving everywhere, eating fast go -go -go..... and gained a LOT of weight. Now, back to the simple cheap and easy. Saying goodbye to the car, slowing down and enjoying family more.

 

[jacksmomma]

Interested in hearing about "meat free" dinners......

I found some great cookbooks at the library, one in particular was meat-free dishes for the slow cooker. My vegetable Curry is in the crockpot now and smells great! I also love Vegetarian Times magazine. They always have lots of healthy meat free dishes.

 

[jennyopenny]

Crock pot vege curry sound good. Recipe?