Need very tight budget meal ideas

[OceanAnnie]

Here's a couple of ideas for eating out for less. At Wendy's for 2 bucks you can get a side salad and add chicken nuggets. It's pretty good and filling. And another 2 buck meal, get the baked potato and an order of chili. I'd pour the chili over the potato, add the sour cream and it is a nice warm meal. Filling too. Great lunches.

I have a quick, cheap banana bread recipe for those bananas that are getting ripe (and you don't want to throw away). I get a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix on sale for under a dollar. Add 3-4 bananas and cut back a little on the water for the cake mix. Bake in loaf pans. It always turns out well. The kids love it. I've heard the spice cake mix is good with bananas too. Haven't tried it yet though.

HTH!

 

[My2Angels]

Our church hosts a ministry called Angel Food. For $30, you can get a whole box of grocery items! It is an excellent way to feed your family on a budget. If you are interested, go to www.angelfoodministries.com and type in your ZIP code for the nearest distribution site. There is NO income requirement, anyone can order this! For example, for the month of May, the $30 menu/box contains:

1.5 lb Bacon Wrapped Beef Filet (4 x 6 oz.)
2.5 lb.Breaded Chicken Breast Filets
1.5 lb.Bone-In Pork Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)
28 oz.Salisbury Steak Dinner Entrée
2.5 lb.Beef and Bean Burritos (10 x 4 oz.)
2 lb.Popcorn Chicken
9.5 oz.Stouffer’s Flat Bread Pizza
16 oz.Cauliflower & Carrot Blend
16 oz.Corn Niblets
16 oz.Green Beans
2 lb.Fresh Onions
29 oz.Pears
32 oz.Borden 2% Reduced Fat Shelf-Stable Milk
9 oz.Breakfast Cereal
8 oz.Corn Muffin Mix
16 oz.Bean Soup Mix
1 Dozen Eggs
1 Dessert Item
They even have meal ideas/recipes to go with each months menu! This has helped so many of my friends, family, and neighbors with the rising costs of groceries! Check it out!! There should be distribution sites in every state.

 

[littlelulu33]

We like this one it feeds DH, me, DD2 for a dinner and then lunch the next day.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans (15 oz. each) white beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies, undrained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

HEAT chicken and onions; cook 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

STIR in beans, broth, chilies and cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally.

SERVE topped with the cheese and cilantro.

 

[crewriam816]

I know this might sound gross, but my mum makes this meal which we call "mums meat surprise"
The reason is because half the time we never knew what what was in it (my older sister was a PICKY eater...so it was difficult to get her to eat)
We got older and found out what was in it, and you use different variations for it.
First she used 1lb of ground beef (or ground turkey from what im hearing)
a package of brown gravy
now i know this is more of a "british" thing...but oxo cubes (they can be found at any store...and arent needed...it just gives more flavor)
This part you can change...we used either peas, mushrooms, onions, corn, or whatever other vegetable we want.
Then you add some mashed potatoes (a box of instant is usually only $1)
And you have a meal that lasts at least 3 or 4 days.

The other one is Chicken fried rice! This can last a week with us.
3 chicken breasts cooked at 350 for about 30minutes or until cooked all the way through. (4 or 5 chicken breasts if you have more than 4 people.)
2 cups of rice (a cup of rice per person eating)
As many eggs as you'd like. (i like a lot of eggs in mine)
Cook the rice, let it sit in the fridge for atleast 2 hours.
Cook the chicken as mentioned above, and let sit until cool. Cut it up into bite size pieces (or cubes)
Scramble the eggs (you can add milk or water...but it tastes a little differnt)
Grill the chicken in the pot you plan on cooking everything in. Then add the rice. Mix. Then add the egg. Mix thouroughly.
Mix in curry and chili powder for a bit of a kick to liking and let sit for 5 minutes on low.Serve with soysauce

 

[Princess Tink]

I'm glad to see so many people saying PASTA, as I work for a major pasta producer! A couple years ago business was not nearly as good in the pasta industry, but the past couple years it's really turned back around as many people have rethought their meal planning. Anyhow, we have a website that has MANY MANY recipes if you are interested in finding additional ways to make pasta dishes. Hope this helps:
www dot makesameal dot com

BTW....don't be afraid to buy store brands, as many times these items are made on the same line. Obviously, we have different blends but most people can't tell the difference from Blend A, B, or C (example).
And for those looking for healthier options, my family doesn't like Whole Wheat or Multi-Grain by itself but like it mixed in with regular pasta (50/50). Just a thought.

Sorry for the semi-commercial, no I'm not in Marketing!

 

[Pigeon]

If you want to save money, steer clear of processed foods and do your cooking from scratch. Most things freeze very well.

Almost any soup is budget-friendly. I do an inexpensive lentil soup by cooking onions, carrots and celery, browing some kielbasa slices with it, adding a little chicken base and a lot of water, and lentils. When the lentils are tender, add lots of fresh parsley and season to taste.

Homemade lo mein is also good and infinitely variable. Cook a pound of either Chinese noodles (they are much cheaper in Asian food stores) or spaghetti. Drain. Stir fry up assorted slivered veggies, some minced ginger and garlic, and whatever leftover meat you have. Pork or chicken work well. Add some soy sauce, chicken broth and white wine, and toss the noodles in for a bit to heat and absorb some of the sauce.

 

[jgates]

The first one doesn't sound that thrilling but it's always been a family favorite:

Brown 2 pounds of ground beef & drain. Dice up about half a standard size onion & cook with the meat. Add 1 cup cooked macaroni and 1 can drained whole kernel corn. Basically it is hamburger & corn hotdish. Add ketchup & you are set!

Chicken Dumpling Soup - I use chicken powder base - sometimes the bouillion cubes if I can't get the other. In a big soup pot - mix up about 8 to 12 cups of broth. Add one package chopped up celery and a package of diced up carrots. Onion if desired. As the vegetables are cooking beat approximately 6 to 9 eggs in a big bowl. Add a bit of salt. Then begin adding flour and mix up until it is 'sticky'. If you mix up too much it will get dry and the dumplings will be tough. Then take small tablespoons of the sticky dough and dunk into the boiling broth. If desired, add diced cooked chicken. Now that sounds a bit funky, but for years we ate it WITHOUT the chicken because it was cheaper and such a good soup anyway. The joke at the restaurant where we used to get this as a treat on Saturday was that she swished a chicken leg bone thru it because there was NEVER meat in it. Now don't worry too much about being exactly right on the quantity of broth & the quantity of dumplings, etc. This last time I had to add more broth twice as we began eating it - just dilute some more powder base in a pyrex cup in the microwave & add. And you can always cook up a few more dumplings if needed. I have become VERY lazy as time goes on and I buy only celery hearts and the mini carrots so they are easier to chop up - but you can save more by buying the stuff that needs work, LOL. Basically once you have the chicken base, you are only buying eggs & carrots & celery as most people have flour on hand.

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

I have come up with a few ideas myself for cheap meals like getting a whole chicken to make soup for a few meals and I make homemade meatballs and gravy that gets us about 5 meals for $30 - $35.

My mother's advice as I got out on my own: If you buy a whole chicken, then get a chicken over 4 lbs, otherwise, you will be paying for bone rather than chicken. Does that make sense?

Also, if you boil chicken, you can freeze the broth and use the broth when cooking rice, rather than using water, it will give the rice a little extra flavor.

Hang in there.

 

[brymolmom]

ok we (family of 5) do this allll the time


I am guessing here on amounts but yea

2 box of stuffing mix we use chicken (red and yellow box) I think a box is like 96 cents at walmart
A bag of frozen chicken breasts
and a family size can of cream of mushroom soup

mix the stuffing as the box says and pour into a oil sprayed crock pot (if you don't it will burn and stick bad) place frozen chicken on top of stuffing and then put the COM soup on top and cover

we mix it around 12 and it's ready by 5 we have it on hi for a couple hours and then on yours there is a keep warm but you could do low
it is soooooo good


we use 3 boxes and around 10 pieces of chicken but we are all over 12

if you need anything else let me know

Hey MinnieMo - Could you tell me please if that frozen chicken is pre-cooked or not? This sounds yummy to me but unsure if it's raw chicken or cooked.

THANKS!

 

[lilybrooke14]

SOS
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cube beef bouillon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Brown beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper. Saute all together for about 5 minutes or until flour is absorbed. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce. Bring all to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot over toast, egg noodles, or crescent rolls (rolled out and baked).

We also make Mexi-macaroni
1 box macaroni and cheese
1lb ground beef or turkey
1 can Mexican Rotel (with the blue label)

Brown meat in one pan, cook mac n cheese in the other, combine and add Rotel.

Chicken Parmesan
1 bag boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese to taste
parmesan cheese to taste

Put chicken breasts in a pan, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheeses, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for about an hour. (can remove foil for the last 10-15 minutes to brown cheese a bit)

 

[stefffe]

gumbo is easy and cheap....

one bag of chicken thighs....boneless...
2 pkg sausage
i jar roux
green onions and celery

boil all meat and drain...fill a pot with water...bring to a boil and add roux and stir and stir until dissolved....chop veggies and add....add meat and season to taste and let simmer....cost is around 16$ and will feed you for days on end....just make rice and enjoy!!!

 

[Soulsearching]

If you can get a spiral ham on sale, I know they are not cheap, but if you can get one on sale you can get a whole week worth of meals out of it. Just a few main dishes, you can add what ever side dishes you have at the moment, potatoes, vegetables, rice, pasta, etc.

Heres a link for recipes:

http://www.mom-mom.com/left_over_ham_recipes.htm


Ham sandwiches (ham and mustard or mayo)

Ham and cheese grilled sandwiches

Cubed ham in Mac and cheese

Ham Chef's salad

Ham, cheese and potato omelet

Ham and eggs

Ham, cheese, broccoli, Quiche (you don't need to have a crust for this)

Macaroni ham and peas (mixed together with a little olive oil and garlic powder)

Split pea soup (use the ham bone and all the meat attached will fall off into the soup)

 

[mom2twinz3]

Buy a pack of hot dogs, cook a few and cut them into bite-sized pieces and then cook a box of Mac and Cheese and add the hot dogs. Heat a can of veggies and you have a cheap dinner.

Mary

 

[ELLE-TN]

Sorry if it is a repost but did anyone suggest "Hillbillyhousewife.com" She has a budget for family of 4 for $45 and $70 (I think thats right). Although they don't eat much meat. But then again with the price of groceries skyrocketing maybe non of us will be eating much meat. Oh, she also has a list of recipes that go along with the Angel Food Ministry for each month. Check it out.

 

[Pigeon]

If you can get a spiral ham on sale, I know they are not cheap, but if you can get one on sale you can get a whole week worth of meals out of it. Just a few main dishes, you can add what ever side dishes you have at the moment, potatoes, vegetables, rice, pasta, etc.

Big cuts of meat are often more economical, but the problem is that you might not want all that meat at once. The Joy of Cooking defines eternity as two people and a ham.

Even cheaper are the non-spiral hams. After you're done with the initial meal, you can cut the ham up and freeze in dinner sized portions and use over time in the above-mentioned recipes to avoid Sudden Ham Overload Syndrome. You can also boil up the ham bone and freeze the stock if you don't want to make soup right away.

 

[roadtripper]

Hummus is cheap, 3 cans of chickpeas (or I bag dried cooked in a crock pot), 1/2 clove of garlic (or less), lemon juice and a can of black olives. Whirl that around and you have a great filling dip that you can eat with bread or crackers.

I make red beans and rice too. I do a pound of rice, a pound of dried red beans, an onion, a can or two of tomatoes, a pound of ground beef and lawry's seasoning salt. It comes out to about $5 and makes a TON of food.

Oooohh--How do I cook dried beans in a crock pot? Please share!

 

[NCTWINSMOM]

This is cheap and easy to make.

I call it Tater Tot casserole...

1lb ground beef or turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Frozen Tater Tots (small box)
Optional shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown beef and drain. Combine browned beef and can of mushroom soup together and place in a 9x9 baking dish. Place frozen tater tops on top and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 mins. If adding cheese remove after 20 mins cover with cheese and continue baking for 10 mins. This is my kids favorite and DH's to. Goes great with a salad, or your fav veggie.

 

[MinnieMO]

Hey MinnieMo - Could you tell me please if that frozen chicken is pre-cooked or not? This sounds yummy to me but unsure if it's raw chicken or cooked.

THANKS!

Sorry it took so long we moved and then lost internet shortly after

It is raw
we get the big bags of it at walmart you could even do in packaged in the meat section if you wanted I don't know why you couldn't

 

[cnj]

I use a recipe from one of my cookbooks called "Cowboy food"

basically, it is ground meat (1 pound), 1 can of chili beans, 1 mexican rice package, and a package (8 oz.) of cheese. Cook the meat, and rice separately. Add them together with the beans, simmer for 8 minutes, add the cheese and some sour cream. It makes a ton and is surprisingly so good.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Meals with beans are usually cheaper. I make "barbecued beans topped with cornmeal biscuits" that is simple, filling and inexpensive. It's basically a couple cans of beans (whatever you have - red kidney beans, pea beans, chickpeas, black beans), drained, and heated up with chopped red and green peppers, chopped celery, choppped onions and barbecue sauce. I make a homemade barbecue sauce but I'm sure you could use your favourite (or whatever is on sale!). When the veggies are softened, put this in the bottom of a casserole dish, and make cornmeal biscuits to go on top. (Take a favourite biscuit recipe and replace part of the flour with cornmeal. I use whole wheat flour in mine for added nutrition.) Bake the whole thing in the oven for about half an hour or until the biscuits are done, and there you go!

Teresa