Thinking of a very budget trip this fall...Please help.

[Chicago526]

All the previous posters stole my ideas!!!

But here's a good idea for desert on a night you want to treat yourselves. Get a frozen pie! Mrs. Smith's makes great ones, and Sara Lee has them too. They take an hour to bake in the oven, and you have to let them cool before eating, of course. But you could bake it while eating dinner, and by the time you're done eating and cleaning up, it would be just about ready to eat. Have some ice cream on the side, and it's just as good as "splurging" on desert in a restaurant. Plus the adults can make a pot of coffee.

I also have a really quick and easy baked chicken dish:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 box Stove Top stuffing
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup of sour cream

Make up stuffing per directions on the box (you'll need butter if I remember correctly), set aside. Mix can of soup with 1/3 cup of sour cream, set aside. Place the chicken in bottom of a caserole dish, cover first with the soup/sour cream mix, spreading it over the chicken evenly. Do the same with the stuffing. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with veggies/salad and rolls. Serves 4, unless you have little kids that can split a single breast. As you can see, it's easily doubled to make more. Re-heats well, too.

And here's an easy roast to make in a crock pot:

1 roast, any kind you like of any size that will fit in your pot.
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix (the dry stuff)
1 can cream of mushroom soup.

Place roast in crock pot. Pour onion soup mix over roast. Pour mushroom soup over roast. Cover, set to low. The two soup mixes and the juice/drippings from the meat makes a great gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes (you can get them frozen or from a box if you don't want to make them from scratch) and veggies/salad and rolls. Cook time will depend on how big the roast is, but I'd say 4 minimum, mine is usually done just fine in 5-8 hours.

 

[LisaZoe]

The only thing I can list that I haven't seen already is to make sure to leave a couple of nights (at least one each week) for a "leftover buffet". Since you'll be eating many meals in the condo, unless you are very good at cooking exactly what you'll eat in a meal, there are always leftovers. Not always enough for another full meal but too much to toss. Sometimes, these can be the best dinners because they offer variety and are pretty much "heat and eat" preparation.

Oh yeah, treat yourselves to a couple of good steaks that can be broiled quickly. Might not be an "eating at home" budget item but it is more of a budget meal for a vacation

 

[MayMom]

This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes:

White Chicken Chili (remember 5 ingredients)

1. 1 package Tyson "southwest seasoned" chicken strips, chopped into bite-size pieces

2. 1 1lb. block Monteray Jack cheese (cubed to melt easily)

3. 2 cans chicken broth

4. 1 large jar Randall's brand white beans OR 2 cans white beans

5. 1 jar mild salsa

Throw all into the crockpot - stir occasionally to aid in melting the cheese. This tastes sooo good - like a restaurant meal!

 

[pearlieq]

My favorite easy dinners:

--Quesadillas (can be as simple as tortillas, cheese, and salsa or you can add cooked chicken/beef, chiles, beans, sour cream etc.

--Mexican "starter" (Brown 1lb ground beef. Add 1 can of refried beans or black beans, and 1/2 jar of salsa - add more to taste. This mix can easily become tacos, nachos, burritos, or tostadas in a snap!)

--Boboli pizzas (you can get the big shell or the personal size shell and add whatever toppings you like)

--Barbecue sandwiches/rollups (Lloyds and KC masterpiece both make refrigerated fully cooked BBQ beef, pork, and chicken. They freeze well and and be cooked in minutes in the microwave.)

--Baked Beans & Hot Dogs

--Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (this is pre-cooked rice that is ready in 90 seconds in the microwave. We like the Roasted Chicken and Spanish Rice flavors. This is super-quick side dish, or a great base for stir-fry.)

--Frozen Ravioli/Tortellini (pour the frozen pasta in a baking pan, cover with pasta sauce from a jar, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Voila.)

--Frozen Pot Pies or easy homemade pot pie (mix 1 pound cooked chicken or turkey, 1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables, and 2 cans of condensed cream soup in a 13X9 pan. Unroll the dough for one package of refrigerated crescent roll dough and arrange the dough on top of the chicken mixture. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes)

Hope that helps. I didn't realize what a lazy cook I was until I listed all this out! Yikes!

Have a great time!