Quick, easy and frugal meals

[KAG Mom]

Salsa Chicken is quick and easy!

Take some frozen chicken breasts, throw them in a crockpot, add salsa (recipe calls for 1 cup, I add more because I like to cover all of the chicken), cook on low for 6 hours. This makes some delicious and tender chicken. I always throw in extra chicken which I 'shred' for another meal - chicken soft tacos!

Thank you for this simple recipe. I always make beef enchiladas, but I made the chicken in the crockpot one night, and used the leftovers for chicken enchiladas. Delicious!


15 days to go! Yippee!

 

[Stephiehun]

Brown ground beef, an onion, and garlic; drain off grease. Add a can of cream of mushroom soup and frozen or canned peas. You may want to add a little canned beef broth to make a thinner sauce. A dash of worstershire sauce is also good. I also like to add a can of mushrooms, Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.

This is quick, cheap, and you can make as much as you need. Leftovers are great, too!

 

[jennifer293]

We love Frito Pie

1 can of chili

1 bag of Fritos

shredded cheese

sour cream

chives

heat your chili in the microwave, pour over fritos, sprinkle with cheese, top with sour cream and chives..

Really GOOD!!

 

[Muushka]

Great thread! Here is my husband's creation

Chicketti

1lb chicken cutlet sautéed in olive oil with garlic
1/3 to 1/2 package of cooked angel hair (or your favorite) spaghetti
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 to 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Layer
1. sauce
2. spaghetti
3. chicken
4. sour cream
5. mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese

Repeat until you have enough layers or run out of stuff! Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

Now that I think about it, it is not all that quick and easy. But it sure is good.

 

[OceanAnnie]

We buy skinless/boneless chicken at BJ's and freeze portions in freezer bags. DH and I make a batch of blackened chicken from each portion and slice the chicken for use in several recipies during the week. It's less expensive than using the Purdue Short Cuts and tastes better, too.

Great thread!!

I read this post a while back and luckily I remembered it when I was out shopping. I had been getting the Purdue Short Cuts and it had very little meat for the money. Thanks for the tip! I actually bought a 3 lb. rotisserie chicken from Sam's club and froze portions of that. (Used some for that nights dinner.) I got a lot more meat and only paid maybe a dollar or so more!

I made a really simple yet tasty cheese quesadilla. I brushed some olive oil on a few tortillas, shredded some cheddar cheese over them and sprinkled some finely chopped green onion on top. Then placed a tortilla over each one, brushed them with olive oil and heated it at 325 for about 15 minutes. It was great! Next time I'm adding chicken.

 

[Stephiehun]

Oh, I have another that I just made for lunch today. Instead of using cheddar cheese for quesadillas, use mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning ( I have Mrs. Dash) and cook as usual. I also added pepperoni, which was great. Serve with your favorite tomato sauce for dipping.

The $20 - $25 for a quesadilla maker may seem like a waste of money, but it is such a great time saver, and incredibly easy to clean. If you have the cabinet/ counter space, I definitely recommend it. You can make quesadillas out of just about anything!

 

[justcruisin]

Silly question about beans ....

Some have posted they eat beans a couple of nights a week ... how do you cook them? Do you get the canned beans (if so, do you need to rinse them)? And what do you do with those bags of beans that are so cheap (and healthy?)

Thanks for the recipies! Especially the crock pot ones!

Another ???

Do you leave your crockpot on when you're not at home?

 

[wide awake]

Justcruisin,
You don't have to rinse canned beans...some people do, some people don't. Canned beans are great if you're just going to add them to a salad...garbanzos or kidney...or if you're going to have them w/ rice...black beans...add whatever extras you like. As for beans in the bag...all the bags have recipes...most are add some onions, garlic, and perhaps a ham hock and then seasonings and water...I love all types of beans cooked this way...cheap and not fattening because they are so filling. Don't worry about the soaking step, I never do this, just cook a little longer...you cannot go wrong with two cups of beans, a ham hock, 1-2 chopped onion, a clove or two of garlic, salt and pepper, and whatever chopped celery or carrots you have on hand. If you have some leftover broth throw that in too, along w/ water to cover. With black beans I add a can of chopped tomatoes, and finish w/ a couple squeezes of lime juice. Serve any of these w/ flour or corn tortillas, corn bread, rice, fried potatoes, or white bread (last choice !). I generally stay w/ black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, curriede lentils, or I make split pea soup. Email me if you have any further questions .

 

[jeminni]

One of my DD 18 and my favorite recipe is using leftover chicken to make what we call " Chicken Stuff".

Cube up your leftover chicken...I usually make chicken breasts but I would think any type would do. Cook up a package of wide egg noodles. After they are done drain and add butter, heated up chicken and dry ranch dressing to taste. If I have leftover frozen peas I add these too. Heat all and serve.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks Stephiehun for the quesadilla recipes! I really need to branch out using the tortillas. I was using them only to make wrap sandwiches. There is just so much more that you can do with them. I know. Crazy how you get in a mind set of one or two things and sometimes leaving it at that.

justcruisin, I leave my crockpot on when I'm gone! All the time. To me that's the beauty of having it. Dinner's ready when I come home. Gotta love that!
I did a search & here's a thread from the cooking, crafting and scrapping forum (here on the DIS). Lots of recipes below:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=275509&highlight=crockpot+recipes

 

[Shelly]

First of all for the pasta salad question go in your sesoning isle and find a product called Salad Supreme. I use veggie (tri color pasta) peporoni, black olives, cherry tomatoes, green onions, top with saladd supreme and itatlion dressing. This is a huge hit everywhere I go.

A quick recipe I use for quick meals and snacks for the kids is okey-dokey taco treats....Take a package of crescent rolls lay out alll the triangles on a cookie sheet. place taco meat that you've prepared in center of each triangle. Place some shredded chedder on top of that. Cover with another package of crescent roll pinch the edges closed. Follow crescent roll cooking directions or bake till brown. These are awsome hand held, no mess tacos.