What's for dinner? Was it "budget"?

[disneyfav4ever]

Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes. Bake the sweet potatoes, stuff with fresh broccoli or spinach and sprinkle a little cheese on them. Very cheap, very filling and very healthy.

That sounds really good. I love sweet potatoes.

 

[JodyLynC]

My girls say this is the best meal ever. My DH agrees.

1 med. size can any flavor baked beans (My fav is Bush's Onion flavor which I stock up on when on sale.)
1 pkg of hot dogs (We use Ball Park. Again purchased when on sale.)
1 pkg of Jiffy cornbread mix.

Put beans in a 9 x 13 pan or 10" square casserole (depending on how thick you like your cornbread.) Top beans with sliced dogs.
Prepare cornbread mix as directed (optional: we sometimes add green chilis or frozen corn to the mix.)
Spoon cornbread over the hot dogs.

Bake at 350. For the big pan, cook 35-40 minutes. For the square pan, cook 40-45 minutes. The beans and franks cook pretty quickly, but you want to make sure the cornbread is done by checking the center. The smaller your pan, the thicker the cornbread. Hence the longer cooking time.

Great for pot lucks, too!!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

My girls say this is the best meal ever. My DH agrees.

1 med. size can any flavor baked beans (My fav is Bush's Onion flavor which I stock up on when on sale.)
1 pkg of hot dogs (We use Ball Park. Again purchased when on sale.)
1 pkg of Jiffy cornbread mix.

Put beans in a 9 x 13 pan or 10" square casserole (depending on how thick you like your cornbread.) Top beans with sliced dogs.
Prepare cornbread mix as directed (optional: we sometimes add green chilis or frozen corn to the mix.)
Spoon cornbread over the hot dogs.

Bake at 350. For the big pan, cook 35-40 minutes. For the square pan, cook 40-45 minutes. The beans and franks cook pretty quickly, but you want to make sure the cornbread is done by checking the center. The smaller your pan, the thicker the cornbread. Hence the longer cooking time.

Great for pot lucks, too!!

That sounds good too.

 

[JodyLynC]

Ramen noodles. For a quick, cheap easy meal.

I use a couple pkgs of the chicken flavor then add leftover chicken, frozen peas, carrot slivers, etc.

For the shrimp flavor, you can add leftover shrimp and some fresh or frozen veggies.

The kids love them.

 

[cnj]

Last night we made chicken enchiladas with chicken breasts I bought 70% discounted (and I have 5 more packages in the freezer ). The tortillas were .50 cents, because I had a coupon, used costco cheese and sale sauce. It also had cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cream soups (all bought on sale). All on sale, so we made about 30 enchiladas. That will be dinner for three nights. With rice I got free with a coupon, it is $4 a night!

 

[theycallmered]

Last Sunday I made a lasagna for us. Now some might think that a homemade lasagna is a bit expensive (which it is). However, when you make a full pan of lasagna for only two people, those two people can eat that pan of lasagna forever which in the end stretches a buck.

 

[Sorsha]

Tonight is "finish off the leftovers" night at our house. We have leftover Hamburger-Veggie soup from earlier in the week, so everyone gets a bowl of that.

This is a super-easy soup that I make quite often in the colder months. Brown up 1-2 lbs ground beef with some finely minced garlic. Drain well, then add 1 can diced Italian-style tomatoes (the kind with garlic and herbs already added), 2-4 (depending on size) potatoes (peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks), 1 bag organic frozen mixed veggies, and 1-2 boxes of organic beef broth. Sometimes I also chop and add a zucchini or yellow crookneck squash. Let it all simmer together till the veggies and potatoes are cooked through. Check your seasonings and add salt, pepper or Mrs. Dash (or whatever seasonings you like) to taste.

With the soup, we have some leftover crusty French rolls - great for dunking in your soup. I also have some leftover BBQ pulled chicken breast (not homemade, the kind in the tub - BAD me LOL) that people could make sandwiches with. An assortment of fresh fruit rounds out the meal.

Also, we will probably watch movies tonight (YAY!! It's Friday!!) so we will probably have popcorn later.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

My family is vegan (although one of my sons does eat meat when he goes out, just not at family meals). Not buying meat is very helpful for the budget! If you don't want to go completely meat-free, you could always trying having a day or two of meat-free meals which would save you some money.

Even before we were all vegan, I liked Thomas Jefferson's approach of planning meals around vegetables and treating the meat as "seasoning." When I was younger, I planned meals by first deciding which kind of meat we'd have - chicken, ground beef, pork chops - then adding the other parts of the meal.

When I became more concerned about healthy eating, I learned to plan my meals around the vegetables instead. We always have at least two vegetables with dinner - that's important for us in achieving my goal of nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and getting plenty of variety. So I start by seeing what fresh vegetables I have that I want to use up, and then what other vegetables (frozen, usually) can be added. Then I'll add some kind of whole-foods starch (a whole grain like brown rice or barley, or a whole-grain pasta, or unpeeled sweet or white potatoes, or corn) and finally think about protein. That might be a peanut sauce on the vegetables, or some beans, or hummus. Or I might not worry about it, since there's usually plenty of protein in the starch/vegetable combinations.

I think that planning this way has helped me keep the costs of my meals low but nutritious.

Teresa

 

[chrissyd1]

This is not healthy, but cheap and fast. Because sometimes i just need something cheap and fast.

Pigs in a Blanket - 1 can of Jumbo Refrigerated Biscuits and 1 package of Hot Dogs. Stretch out the biscuit and wrap it around the hot dog. I just bake it for whatever the can recommends for the biscuits. It was .99 for the biscuits and .69 for the hot dogs at Aldi's and it made 8 of them.

Crockpot Chicken - i put 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot, cover with 1/3 cup of milk mixed with 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Then top with 1 box of stove top mixed with 1 & 2/3 cups of water. This was good, but I think next time I will put either carrots or green beens under the chicken.

 

[babytrees]

Well thanks to you all we had french toast, bacon and mango for supper last night:

french toast (loaf of french bread 69 cents, 1/2 dozen eggs 50 cents)
bacon (on sale for $2.50)
mango ($1)

So for under $5 I fed my family of four Now we don't normally have bacon but it was on sale and it tasted good.

Tonight if no one can think of what to eat I will probably make burritos or maybe I'll make them fend for themselves.

I keep telling em I don't mind cooking I do mind having to come up with what to eat every blessed night.

 

[MEM]

Last night we had vegetable beef soup made in the crockpot.

One 46 0z can V-8 juice on sale for $2.00
one half pound very lean ground beef, browned, rinsed and drained $1.50
one cup frozen chopped onions 50cents
one 16 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables $1.00
one half bag of "Southern style" hash browns (really just cubed potatoes and no fat added) $1.50
3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Total - About $6.50 for about 8 one cup servings. I am also on WeightWatchers and I figured it to be 3 points per cup. DH and the kids (11 and 13) also had Scali bread with theirs (from Costco). DS and I will eat the leftovers tonight since DH and DD have their father-daughter square dance with the Girl Scouts. I might stretch the soup with some brown rice.

 

[grlpwrd]

My family is vegan (although one of my sons does eat meat when he goes out, just not at family meals). Not buying meat is very helpful for the budget! If you don't want to go completely meat-free, you could always trying having a day or two of meat-free meals which would save you some money.

Even before we were all vegan, I liked Thomas Jefferson's approach of planning meals around vegetables and treating the meat as "seasoning." When I was younger, I planned meals by first deciding which kind of meat we'd have - chicken, ground beef, pork chops - then adding the other parts of the meal.

When I became more concerned about healthy eating, I learned to plan my meals around the vegetables instead. We always have at least two vegetables with dinner - that's important for us in achieving my goal of nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and getting plenty of variety. So I start by seeing what fresh vegetables I have that I want to use up, and then what other vegetables (frozen, usually) can be added. Then I'll add some kind of whole-foods starch (a whole grain like brown rice or barley, or a whole-grain pasta, or unpeeled sweet or white potatoes, or corn) and finally think about protein. That might be a peanut sauce on the vegetables, or some beans, or hummus. Or I might not worry about it, since there's usually plenty of protein in the starch/vegetable combinations.

I think that planning this way has helped me keep the costs of my meals low but nutritious.

Teresa

Interesting and refreshing to read your comments about being a vegan and about Jefferson, too.

I went to Monticello and I didn't realize he was such a great scientist and gardener until I went there and actually saw his gardens. Oh my. Here's a link for those interested: http://www.monticello.org/gardens/vegetable/science_gardener.html

Because I visited his estate, he inspired me to be more "green." I even ordered some of the seeds they sell.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Wow, I love that site. I've always wanted to visit Monticello - maybe this summer...

Teresa

 

[bellebuzzandpooh]

Last night we had vegetable beef soup made in the crockpot.

One 46 0z can V-8 juice on sale for $2.00
one half pound very lean ground beef, browned, rinsed and drained $1.50
one cup frozen chopped onions 50cents
one 16 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables $1.00
one half bag of "Southern style" hash browns (really just cubed potatoes and no fat added) $1.50
3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Total - About $6.50 for about 8 one cup servings. I am also on WeightWatchers and I figured it to be 3 points per cup. DH and the kids (11 and 13) also had Scali bread with theirs (from Costco). DS and I will eat the leftovers tonight since DH and DD have their father-daughter square dance with the Girl Scouts. I might stretch the soup with some brown rice.

Wait, you can buy frozen chopped onions?! I had no idea!! I despise chopping onions so I usually just do without. Your soup sounds very good.

The pigs in blankets someone else mentioned sound good too. I haven't had those in years!

 

[npmommie]

Wait, you can buy frozen chopped onions?! I had no idea!! I despise chopping onions so I usually just do without. Your soup sounds very good.

I buy huge bags of frozen chopped onions and peppers at BJ's.

 

[MEM]

I buy huge bags of frozen chopped onions and peppers at BJ's.

The only place I have found them is the frozen vegetable aisle of Stop and Shop. I also hate chopping onions!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

The only place I have found them is the frozen vegetable aisle of Stop and Shop. I also hate chopping onions!

I hate chopping onions too! I always stock up when they go on sale. It's a little more expensive, but it saves me so much aggravation.

 

[ENSOCK]

This is a great thread. I cooked a chicken and sausage gumbo on Saturday and we ate it for 4 days. I love gumbo on a cold week. Tonight will probably be homemade pizza unless I can convince DH to pick up something on the way home.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Tonight we are making homemade buffalo pizza, probably under 15.00 for two huge pizzas.. YUMMY

 

[vellamint]

Tuna Casserole here....definitely budget and the first time I have made it in about 15 years.