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

[Sorsha]

Tonight will be skinless boneless chicken thighs on the grill with BBQ sauce. I think i am going to make a pot of homemade mac and cheese (DH's favorite) to go with it, and a veggie of some sort. Maybe a salad too.

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE
Make a bechamel sauce - Melt some butter in a large saucepan... about 4 tbsp. When that is melted mix it with an equal amount of flour. Stir this constantly over lo heat for 4 to 5 minutes... don't let it darken or burn! Then add 2 cups milk. Whisk (or stir) this constantly over med (or just slightly higher) heat till it boils and thickens. Season with S and P, or Mrs. Dash, or whatever seasonings you like.

Next add about a lb of grated cheese... your choice of kinds... I usually use a combination of cheddar, jack, colby, or sharp white cheddar cheeses. Stir this till it is all melty, then adjust your seasonings. For a REALLY rich (but NOT even remotely healthy) cube up a package of cream cheese and add this with the grated cheeses.

Boil up about a bag of whatever pasta you prefer. Macaroni, tri-color, whole wheat, shells, etc... they all work. Drain the noodles and combine them with the cheese sauce. At this point, it is ready to eat (Yum!) or you can put it all in a greased baking dish, top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and bake for a while.

Have a great day everyone!

Edited to add... you can adjust the size of the mac and cheese quite easily... the rule for the white sauce is: equal number of tbsp of butter and flour... then 1/2 that number for cups of milk to use. Adjust cheese and macaroni to fit amt of sauce.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

recipe PLEASE!!

I'd like to hear about this too!

 

[WDWHo]

Last night:

Spicy Sausage Rigatoni

1 box of Rigatoni .50cents
2 bottles of Ragu $1.50
1 Pound of Hot italian sausage $2.00
1 cup of shredded cheese $1.00

$5.00 total. We had my inlaws over so that fed 7 of us!

 

[babytrees]

recipe PLEASE!!

Okey dokey!!

I don't do a whole lot of my meals by recipe but let's see:

crisp 2 tortillas (fajita size works best) for each person

Warm up refried beans (either fresh or canned....whatever I have on hand) with some cheese and salsa....until the cheese melts.

and cook up some hamburger and season with taco seasoning (Costco seasoning is just over $3 and it lasted me almost a year using it an average of once a week)

take one of the tortillas and smear it with the refried bean mix

top with other tortilla and put another thin layer of refried beans

add beef and cheese on top.

Cook in oven until cheese is melted.

Serve with all your usual condiments


I add the cheese and salsa to my beans....because I always have....it's a way to get a little more calcium into my kids.

I can't stomach a lot of red/tomato sauces so I like have control of how much tomato goes into my tummy.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Okay today is make a week's worth night. DD is sick with a sinus infection. The weather is the pits and we are getting lake effect snow. So I have decided on the following.

Crockpot #1 - Chicken Soup (for the sick one)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in small cubes $2.50
3 cans low sodium/no fat chicken broths $1.20
1 can with water
onion, carrot, and celery (chopped fine) $1.00
one clove onion grated into juice $ .05
1/3 package egg noodles (cooked later added last) $ .50

Total $5.25
Cook on high for 3-4 hour low 5-6 hours

Makes 8 servings - (2 dinners for us or 1 dinner and lunches)

Crock Pot #2 - Classic chili

1 pound 90% ground beef $1.99
leftover frozen pepper chopped fine $ .50
one onion $ .75
4 small cans tomato sauce $ .80
1 can stewed tomatoes $ .50
3 cans kidney beans $1.20
chili powder to taste
Total $5.75
Put groud beef in crockpot on high and use a wooded spoon to break up, leave in alone while chopping pepper, onion. Add as they are chopped on top of beef, keep cooking. Add the stewed tomatoes and then the tomato sauce. I add the bean last and give it a good stir. Cook 4-5 hours on high 6-8 on low
Makes about 12 servings

Lastly I am going to make homemade french bread. So a hot bowl of soup/chili and fresh warm bread. Doesn't get better than this on a cold day.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

Tonight:

1/2 of a whole boneless ham (4.50)
3 cans of green beans (2 cans of the liquid) (1.50)

Cooked in crockpot for 7 hours on low today while I was working.

1 recipe of broccoli rice casserole. The ingredients were mostly staples or free because my mom dropped of the ingredients to make this over the holidays. She didn't have oven space and wanted to serve it. Well, she bought 2 times as much as needed and told me to just keep the rest. I will break down the cost anyhow...

rice (.50)
box of frozen broccoli (.75) (free from mom's mess up)
1/2 c. onion (.30)
1/2 c. celery (.30)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (1.00) (free from mom's mess up)
cheez whiz (3.00-free from mom's mess up)

Rolls (left overs from last night .50)

I want to make something else because this is a lot of green veggies without any other choices, but the kids and dh are happy, so I am not making anything else.

 

[cnj]

Last night I made lasagna with garlic bread. That was $14. But, it will be Wednesday night's dinner as well, so $7.50 a night.

Tonight we are having french toast (the bread was clearanced in the back because it goes "bad" today), bacon and cantaloupe. $4.50 for everything. Oh, but we put cool whip on the french toast, so $5.50. Gotta love breakfast for dinner!

 

[babytrees]

Last night I made lasagna with garlic bread. That was $14. But, it will be Wednesday night's dinner as well, so $7.50 a night.

Tonight we are having french toast (the bread was clearanced in the back because it goes "bad" today), bacon and cantaloupe. $4.50 for everything. Oh, but we put cool whip on the french toast, so $5.50. Gotta love breakfast for dinner!

We've been doing breakfast nights the last couple of Thursdays....maybe I will do monkey bread, eggs and sausage(if I can find any).

I was given some money yesterday to spend anyway I want (no bills!!) and I decided to take my family to Qdoba so mexican it is still tonight just not me making it. We get two nachos and a side of chips and one pop to split between the four of us.....about $15 and we are all full!! Sometimes there is even some left so I might even get my lunch tomorrow out of it

 

[mom2my3kids]

Okey dokey!!

I don't do a whole lot of my meals by recipe but let's see:

crisp 2 tortillas (fajita size works best) for each person

Warm up refried beans (either fresh or canned....whatever I have on hand) with some cheese and salsa....until the cheese melts.

and cook up some hamburger and season with taco seasoning (Costco seasoning is just over $3 and it lasted me almost a year using it an average of once a week)

take one of the tortillas and smear it with the refried bean mix

top with other tortilla and put another thin layer of refried beans

add beef and cheese on top.

Cook in oven until cheese is melted.

Serve with all your usual condiments


I add the cheese and salsa to my beans....because I always have....it's a way to get a little more calcium into my kids.

I can't stomach a lot of red/tomato sauces so I like have control of how much tomato goes into my tummy.

What do you mean by crisp tortillas??

 

[babytrees]

What do you mean by crisp tortillas??

I put them in a pan with a dab of butter and crisp them up until they aren't soft....kind of like tostada shells (which you could probably use instead ...can't believe I've never thought of that ). Takes about 3 minutes a tortilla. We've also baked them to crispness.

Hope I explained it better this time

 

[momx2]

Tonight was my easy version of beef stroganoff, with peas and corn.

1lb. ground lean turkey $3
1 can lowfat cream of mushroom .90 cents
1/2 c. lowfat sour cream .25 cents
onion .25 cents
garlic .10 cents
6 oz. whole wheat egg noodles .65 cents
1 can peas .50 cents
2 cans corn $1

Total: $6.65. Not bad, but it seems like last year I could make this same meal for under $5.

 

[tinytink]

We had tuna melts with corn and ice cream for dessert

Tuna .$19 per can x5 can =$.95 (target w/coupon)
Mayo had in fridge =$.25
Relish had is fridge =$.15
Garlic powder =$.05
Tuscan Pane Bread used 1/2 a loaf =$1.50 (trader joes)
Shredded Cheese =$.50 (huge bag from Costco)
Corn =$1.00 (huge can from Costco didn't use the whole thing)
Ice Cream=$.75 (1/2 gallon Bryers $2.50)


Feed 8 of us for $5.15

 

[marcyinPA]

Tonight is sweet Italian Sausage and Spaghetti

1 lb Sausage: bought on sale 99c lb
1 green pepper: 1.39 tray of 4= .34
1 onion: .30
1 jar of sauce: .99
1/2 box spaghetti: .25
2 garlic/cheese bread sticks: .88
salad: lettuce, tomato, green pepper, olives: all things I had on hand, maybe $2.00

So 5.75, and there are only three of us for dinner tonight, so leftovers for sure.

 

[babytrees]

I'd like to thank you all for giving me great ideas and making me think of what we are having before I get home each night

Tonight is hamburger pizza (meatloaf done in a circular pan):

lb of hamburger: $1.50
2 slices of bread: 10 cents
2 eggs: 50 cents (eggs are getting expensive!!! )
onion: 10 cents at most
cheese: 50 cents worth or so

BBQ sauce on top: 10 cents or so

corn 50 cents

I think I may make some cornbread too.....Costco has Boston Market Cornbread mix.....yummy but I have no idea how much of the bag I use.

 

[bellebuzzandpooh]

Shredded BBQ chicken sandiches, corn, stuffing, and green beans

 

[momx2]

Tonight is Thanksgiving casserole. Got the recipe off the back of the gravy jar.

3 c. chopped leftover turkey $0 frozen since Thanksgiving
3 c. mashed potatoes $1?
1/2 box stoffers dressing .50 cents
1 jar turkey gravey $1
2 cans green beans $1

Total: $3.50 Waaaayy cheap!

 

[branv]

Dinner for 2, lunch for 1 --
Tilapia with pecan curry crust ($3 tilapia; pecans - free (from grandmother's tree); curry..eh, like .10; bread crumbs ?? (I freeze leftover bread heels and puree as needed)
Broccoli: $1
Annie's Organic Mac & Cheese, 1/4 cup milk: $1.60

So, about $5.70.

 

[vellamint]

Help me? I have leftover cooked ham......and no idea what to do with it. They wont eat it just the way it is thats for sure (dont ask). Trying to stretch what we have in the house another week.....

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Last night was a vegan shepherd's pie with steamed broccoli. I make the mashed potato topping for the shepherd's pie by cooking potatoes and carrots together, then mashing them together with a little soy milk and Earth Balance (a vegan margarine). The bottom is made with imitation soy ground beef, cooked with onions, green peppers, celery, mushrooms and frozen corn, with some leftover tomato sauce and a little worchestershire sauce mixed in. While that is baking in the oven, I steamed some broccoli to have on the side. It was delicious! I'd estimate the cost at about $10 for the four of us.

Tonight we had fajitas - I sauteed red and yellow peppers and onions in a little oil, then cooked some imitation beef strips (seitan) in barbecue sauce. Got some spinach tortillas and filled each with lettuce, peppers, onions, seitan strips and salsa, then wrapped them up. Served with a large mixed-green salad. Chocolate digestive cookies for dessert. I think this was probably about $6.

These are quick and easy meals and health too. If you're not vegan it would be so easy to use ground beef or beef strips in place of the vegan versions!

Teresa

 

[babytrees]

Help me? I have leftover cooked ham......and no idea what to do with it. They wont eat it just the way it is thats for sure (dont ask). Trying to stretch what we have in the house another week.....

scalloped potatoes and ham

mac and cheese with ham in it

sub sandwiches

upside down day (scrambled eggs, ham, toast...that kind of stuff)

that's the stuff we usually have with leftover ham.