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

[MerryPoppins]

When I fixed a turkey a couple of weeks ago, I froze one breast so we wouldn't get tired of it before we finished it off. Tonight we reheated the breast and served it with wild rice, green beans and brownies.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Hi! First time posting on this thread but I've gotten some excellant dinner ideas

Tonight I am making the taco chicken in the slow cooker. This is my first time and I am quite excited!

*$3.00 chicken breasts
*taco seasoning mix I've had in the cabinet forever not sure of cost
*sour cream we have already
*$1.50 bag plus $1 coupon tortilla chips
*$1.50 salsa plus $.50 coupon

 

[OceanAnnie]

Tonight we're having leftovers! There's a choice of beef burritos or chicken fried rice. Yea! No cooking tonight!

Does anyone have the cookbook: "More-With-Less"? It's a book by Mennonites that includes recipes from around the world. It has a lot of tips on how to make things from scratch, how to get the most out of your groceries and things that can well. I've had the book for while (and the More With Less everyday book, that's kind of like the tightwad gazette). But I've only referred to it now and then. I'm going to keep it out and look through it for some ideas for next weeks menu.

 

[grlpwrd]

Last night we had spaghetti mac with ground turkey and cheese I had in my freezer and macaroni and spaghetti sauce I had in my pantry. Not the healthiest of all healthiest for us, but I am going to add more pasta in our diet to cut overall costs and to use up what we have.

Does anyone have the cookbook: "More-With-Less"?

I have lots of Amish and Mennonite cookbooks - even More with Less - and I love it. I also have other cookbooks like Not Just Beans and Make Your Own Groceries.

I've been online a long time and the forums I used to visit had members that were even more diehard than I was. Some ladies ground their own wheat berries to make their own bread. (Though I have a Vitamix to do that now... )

 

[MissMichelle]

Have to work tonight but DH and kids have been living off processed foods lately when I work a night so tonight I have some boneless pork in the crockpot with garlic, onion, Goya Sazon, crushed red pepper, olive oil and white wine. All DH has to do it make up some brown rice and veggies and they are all set

 

[MissMichelle]

Tonight I did "semi-homemade" chicken noodle soup. Usually when I make chicken noodle soup, I do it from scratch... boiling a chicken, making stock, etc. But when (like today) I decide I want it and don't have time to go through all that, I take shortcuts.

Bought a rotisserie chicken and picked all the meat off it. Sauteed some finely diced celery and finely minced garlic, then put it and the meat in the soup pot with a couple of boxes of organic chicken broth, and a bag of mixed soup veggies. Cooked that for about 45 minutes, tasting and seasoning constantly. Then added a bag of egg noodles and cooked another 15 minutes. Served it with a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls. SO yummy!!

Chicken was $6, 2 boxes of broth $3 each, veggies $1, noodles $1, rolls $1.50. So $15.50 total, and we have enough leftovers for several lunches for both DH and I. Not too bad! Also soothing and gentle for the ones with touchy tummies from our bout with the icky bug.

I do this A LOT! My entire family loves it and when you add the drippings from the rotisserie chicken it adds SO much flavor. I have been telling a lot of people about it at work and since they started trying it they thank me for the quick yummy meal idea. We usually have grilled cheese sandwiches with it.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Tonight is leftover Chili from a few nights ago, we are making chili dogs and either fries or mac and cheese to go along with it.

 

[beckanoah]

Last time we made meatloaf, we froze one for later. Tonight we're throwing that in the oven, and homemade Mac and Cheese. Probably a green veggie on the side. We have some broccoli and cauliflower, so maybe that with a cheese sauce instead.

 

[stacy347]

Tonight will be:

Chili dogs (chili $1.58 for 2 cans, hot dogs $2.00 for 2 packs, buns $0.79 on sale)
Home fries (probably about $1.00 worth of potatoes)
Corn on the cob ($1.50 for 6 ears)
Condiments will add up to no more than $0.50 worth I'm sure.

Total approx. $7.37 for the six of us.

 

[mindyd]

Hi...

I just read the whole thread and got tons of new ideas Thanks!

 

[Sorsha]

I do this A LOT! My entire family loves it and when you add the drippings from the rotisserie chicken it adds SO much flavor.

Yes, it really does!! YUMMY!
*wondering if leftover chicken noodle soup is an acceptable breakfast food...*

 

[MissMichelle]

Yes, it really does!! YUMMY!
*wondering if leftover chicken noodle soup is an acceptable breakfast food...*

I would say so!!! YUMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!

 

[labgeek]

Thanks to some wonderful ground beef ideas, we had meatball subs.

Hoagie Rolls: 1.50
Ground Chuck: 2.00 (on sale thank goodness)
Broccoli: 1.50? (part of a bag from Sam's club)
1/3 bag of mozarella cheese 0.63
Prego 1.25 on sale

Already had eggs, parm cheese, spices and bread crumbs (probably 50cents worth)

So for us to eat and lunch for DH today was about $7.38. I'll take it! The family loved the subs. Plus, I cooked the whole 3.25lbs of meat and have the rest for tonight for tacos, beans, and rice

So tonight will be

Ground beef (2.50)
Taco seasoning 0.16 (I had 1.00 off two ortega products and they were 0.58 each!
lettuce 50 cents
cheese 50 cents
sauce 25 cents worht probably
taco rice 1.18
beans 1.25
shells 1.50 with coupon!


So tonight will be 7.84. That will be dinner, a couple lunches for me. Might do DH a taco salad for work tomorrow. Easier than tacos to handle at work.

Kat

 

[momx2]

I just love this thread and getting all the meal ideas.

Last night: Swedish Meatballs

1 lb bag of meatball $1.25
1 jar beef gravy $1
1 onion .50 cents
1/4 c. lowfat sour cream .50 cents
1/2 bag whole wheat noodles .65 cents
1 can peas .50 cents

Total = $4.40

Tonight is Thai Pork with peanut butter sauce

2 lbs. pork loin $4
2 red bell peppers $1.50
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar .25 cents
1/3 cup teriky. sauce .50 cents
garlic .10 cents
1/4 cup peanut butter .25 cents
white rice .25 cents

Total = $6.85

 

[TenThousandVolts]

Easy chicken caesar pasta salad

Bought a huge 2 lbs. salad from salad bar with: about 80% Romaine lettuce. 20% mushrooms, shredded parm cheese, grilled chicken breast. $10.00
cook and cool 1 box penne $1.00
Add about 1 C Kens Light Creamy Caesar dressing to pasta (more or less to taste)- mix it up- then mix in the salad and add a big handful of bacon bits (the real bacon bits- not bacos) (Had both dressing and bacon bits on hand)

Total $11.00 - This is delicious and makes a HUGE amount of food- you could easily get 12 hearty servings out of this recipe. I would never have thought to put lettuce in pasta salad but I had it at a luncheon once and loved it. As a bonus- this will keep untl the next day for leftovers- unlike dressed caesar salad which wilts and is yucky the next day- somehow the pasta absors the dressing and the lettuce doesn't wilt overnight. (This could have been a lot cheaper if I didn't use the salad bar I guess)

 

[neatokimmo]

Tonight is spaghetti sort of.

1 jar of organic Ragu ($1)
1 bag of asparagus stir fry ($1.38)
1 onion ($.50)
.5 pound of ground beef ($1)
.5 bag of rice ($.25)
$4.13 - this is 5 or 6 meals so we'll be eating on it for awhile.

The asparagus, squash, snap peas, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli from the stir fry makes this a thicker sauce. The baby goes nuts over it!

 

[Misty89]

My cheap meal (s) for tonight, and tomorrow, and weekend lunches.........
3lbs of chicken thighs $2.xx on sale
and 2 chicken breasts ( for some white meat) $2.00

makes -
[I]1 large pot of Chicken dumpling soup ( 2 meals or 1 meal and 3 lunches for me)
1lbs carrots and 1/2 lb celery = $1.00 ( 4lbs of carrots for $3.00 @ store today)
1/3 of the chicken above
flour/baking powder/salt/egg for dumpling dough =$0.50 ( estimate)
misc spices for soup = $0.25
total approx: $2.25. + chicken cost = $3.75 approx

Chicken enchilada casserole 2 meals or 1 meal and 3 for me
2/3 of the chicken above
1 package tortilla sheels $1.25
1 can of enchilada sauce $1.18
1 container 16oz sour cream ( on sale today 2/ $3.00) $1.50
1 16oz bag of shredded cheese $2.00

total: $6.00 + chicken cost = $10.00 approx

This is for a family of four, and a mom who is between jobs and home most of the day for lunch

I guess looking at it, it is NOT that budget, I can go cheaper yet LOL but it sure is some GOOD cooking



Tina

 

[pumpkinfish]

Hey, think of it like this...for $13 you spent half of what you might have spent if you took the family out to Applebees (not including drinks or tip). That's pretty budget friendly to me!

My cheap meal (s) for tonight, and tomorrow, and weekend lunches.........
3lbs of chicken thighs $2.xx on sale
and 2 chicken breasts ( for some white meat) $2.00

makes -
[I]1 large pot of Chicken dumpling soup ( 2 meals or 1 meal and 3 lunches for me)
1lbs carrots and 1/2 lb celery = $1.00 ( 4lbs of carrots for $3.00 @ store today)
1/3 of the chicken above
flour/baking powder/salt/egg for dumpling dough =$0.50 ( estimate)
misc spices for soup = $0.25
total approx: $2.25. + chicken cost = $3.75 approx

Chicken enchilada casserole 2 meals or 1 meal and 3 for me
2/3 of the chicken above
1 package tortilla sheels $1.25
1 can of enchilada sauce $1.18
1 container 16oz sour cream ( on sale today 2/ $3.00) $1.50
1 16oz bag of shredded cheese $2.00

total: $6.00 + chicken cost = $10.00 approx

This is for a family of four, and a mom who is between jobs and home most of the day for lunch

I guess looking at it, it is NOT that budget, I can go cheaper yet LOL but it sure is some GOOD cooking



Tina

 

[MSSANDRA]

Chicken noodles in the crock pot:

This Am put 1 pack chicken thighs (about 6/ 2.49) in crock pot with two boxes (store brand on sale) chicken broth- 1.60

Cooked 6 hours. Crock goes to warm on it's own. When got home, bones chicken & added 1 large pk. egg noodles (.99) and cook 1 hour. Swicthed to warm till we are ready to eat.

Yummy and enough for two meals plus a lunch or two for a little over 5.00 pretty darn good.

Can cook with water to reduce cost even more.

 

[bellebuzzandpooh]

It was a stretch to come up with dinner tonight! I'm just not in a cooking mood and we're low on groceries. Ugh.

Soooo I pulled some shredded frozen turkey meat (leftover from Thanksgiving) from the freezer, mixed it with a can of fat free refried beans, a can of green chilies, garlic, cumin and taco seasoning, and we're having it with cheese, salsa, and sour cream in tortillas.

I'll probably add some kind of veggie or fruit too...


Whew! It was a struggle to not call out for pizza tonight!