Help Lights out Need Budget Meals

[crazelion]

Hi all,
This is the third time this week that lights have went for a long period of time cause of storms. I need budget saving ideas meal ideas.

I am tired of eating out. Plus it taking toll on the budget. I can eat free at work but if I eat one more hot dog, pretzel, hamburger and pizza I will scream. Plus it's unhealthy.

How go dry off now they call the baseball game so it will be a double hit tomorrow.

 

[malibuconlee]

Do you have a grill? I assume so since you've been eating hot dogs and hamburgers. You can keep frozen chicken breasts around and throw those on the grill. If you have a burner on your grill you can heat up some canned or frozen veggies to go with. Or make up veggie packets in aluminum foil and throw those on the grill. Slice up potatoes and put some butter in with and make packets to cook on the grill.

For dessert make banana boats. Take a banana and peel back just one strip along the inside curve. Scoop out and eat the top half. Put mini marshmallows and choc chips inside. Put the peel back in place, wrap in foil and put on the grill until they are melted.

 

[Zoemakes5]

If this is an issue, cook some meats up when you do have electricity and keep them in the fridge. Cut/chop them up and use them in salads. Thin slice steak or chicken or even pork and make pita sandwiches or wraps.
You can do alot on the grill, if you have one. We cook baked potatoes (sweet potatoes are even better!) and corn on the cob on the grill, wrapped in foil. I do a "salisbury steak" kind of meal on the grill.....make a foil pack, put hamburger patty into pack. Add in 1 tbsp. butter or margarine, 2 tbsp. onion soup mix and mushrooms and 1 tbsp. water into foil packet and seal well. You can also use foil pans to cook just about anything....you can boil water, heat up casserole or soups, "fry" stuff. My DH loves when I make shrimp in the foil packets on the grill, too.
When you do have electricity, make a few meals up. You can freeze them in individual portions and that way you have some good stuff for lunches. One thing I do when we're going on vacation is make up a bunch of taco meat and we make tacos one night. It would be relatively easy to heat up taco meat on the grill if it's already cooked. Or you could have a cold taco salad. How 'bout fried chicken? That's something most people will eat cold or hot.
You can usually pick up rotisserie chicken at the super markets, that's a non-pizza/non-burger option that might be good. Or any kind of entree that is pre-cooked from their deli, etc. and then add your own cold sides to it.
Best of luck! How very frustrating!

 

[Zoemakes5]

Do you have a grill? I assume so since you've been eating hot dogs and hamburgers.

Maybe I read the post wrong, but I got the impression that she was getting hot dogs/hamburgers, pretzels, etc. from where she works?

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

This is something we discovered while our lights were out for 2 days due to a storm. You can cook frozen lasagne, frozen mac and cheese on the grill. As long as the container is aluminum foil. Stouffer's is great. Along with garlic bread you have a great meal. We have a gas burner so on low heat it take the same amount of time. A coworker of my DH cooks them on his charcoal grill but I don't know the temp or time.

 

[crazelion]

We eat free at work.

I am looking for something healthy to eat. When the power goes out. the only grill that i have is a George Foreman grill for the house.

Had peanut and crackers for dinner last night.


It looks like it storm right now again. I have go pull tarp on the field again.

 

[Imzadi]

If the lights out is going to be a yearly/seasonal recurring problem, you might want to invest ins a Portable-Butane-Gas-Stove You can probably find one cheap in the camping department at Target. They actually work quite well, getting nice & hot. we use them at my cousin's catering company when we have to cook at the buffet in front of guests.

This way, you can still heat up water and/or do actual cooking. If you are also willing to invest in a vacuum sealer, you can make up a few boil-in-bag freezer meals just for such times. Cook the meals enough so that you are simply reheating the food in the bags, or can finish off cooking in the boiling water. This works well with meals that have sauce or liquid in the bag. Spaghetti is a good example.