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

[Priorityonecb]

Very budget friendly and fairly healthy tonight...

Veggie Omelettes (build your own with veggies that need to be used up in the fridge)
Roasted red potatoes and onions
Cantelope

For dessert I made an angel food cake and will top it with the strawberries we picked yesterday!

 

[tonilea]

Grilled chicken breast .79 lb so maybe $1.50
Pasta with a marinara sauce $1.25?
Steamed broccoli .99 lb $1?
Dinner= 3.75 with plenty of leftovers for DH's lunch

Dessert
Strawberries - 1.39lb
Sponge Cake cups - ? I don't remember, but they must have been cheap or I wouldn't have bought them lol
Whipped Topping .99

 

[babytrees]

tonight is:

chicken: about $3 worth
fried taters: less than 50 cents...potatoes were on sale for 50 cents a 10 lb bag
gravy: $1 of ingredients
broccoli: 75 cents maybe
canteloupe (if I can get hubby to cut it): the expensive part about $4


I spent $50 at the stores yesterday and got some great meat (less than $10 for four packages) and bread ($4 for two loaves ) but the rest was for a little bit of fresh produce....drives me nuts to spend so much on so little that is so healthy for us!!

 

[QJ411]

but the rest was for a little bit of fresh produce....drives me nuts to spend so much on so little that is so healthy for us!!

I totally agree. If you have an Asian Food Market near you, maybe you can check them out. We have a few Chinese supermarkets in our area and I buy most of my produce there. They are very reasonable (we don't have much farmers markets around us)...I usually get 2 bags of garlics (10 pieces of it) for $1.00, sometimes pineapples for 99 cents, 5 oranges for $1.00, etc.; compared to the supermarket prices by us, it helps us save a great deal.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Even the bread at my Walmsrt was 2.28 over the weekend!!

 

[babytrees]

Even the bread at my Walmsrt was 2.28 over the weekend!!

I took my husband shopping a couple of weeks ago and had him REALLY pay attention to the prices. I explained the bread we love....Sara Lee Honey Wheat...I used to be able to get most weeks on sale for $2. Now, I have a hard time even finding the store brand for that price. Of course, I proved myself wrong as our bread was on sale for $2 a loaf this week.

Tonight is french dips:

rolls: $1.25
cheese: $1
onions: 50 cents??
au jus: $2 (I got the hankering for french dips at Target and had to pay for the "gourmet" sauce packets Wasn't going to go to another grocery store!!)
roast: probably $7 (half of a packet from Costco)

salad and other veggies: $1 ??

WOW!! That's expensive but it should have leftovers.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Tacos tonight.....

taco kit........2.00
meat............2.33
sour cream....0.40
cheese........1.00
corn............0.75

total....6.48 with leftovers for my lunch tomorrow.

 

[merekc]

Well, there was a huge meat sale here over the weekend. Strip steaks $2.99/lb, pork loin (I had cut into chops) $1.69/lb, pork roast $.89/lb, and country ribs $.99/lb. Last night, I repackaged/sealed over 70 lbs of meat. Today, my arms are sore.

We are having pork loin (chops) cooking in baked beans in the crockpot and I think I might steam some broccoli to go with it. Easy and cost me less than $5 for dinner and tomorrow lunch.

 

[merekc]

This may be common knowledge, so I apologize if this is not a tip.

I just read the previous post that mentioned au jus. I've never tried the gourment stuff (didn't even know they had anything other than the packets)... but I used to use the packets and then found this recipe I use it with prime rib (definitely not budget, but delicious). It is the best au jus and so simple (but not necessarily cheap). It is one part Sherry, reduce by half. Add two parts beef broth, reduce by half again. So good, I could drink it straight.

 

[dreaming3]

Chicken Scampi w/ Asparagus

lb chicken breasts $1.99
box pasta $.80
asparagus $1.99
lemon juice (from the fridge) $.25 ???
olive oil (from the pantry) $.25 ???
garlic (from the fridge) $.25 ???
splash of wine (from my glass... ha ha )
basil, parsley, oregano, salt

Less than $6 for the three of us and lots of leftovers for lunches.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Thanks dreaming3....hubby likes chicken scampi. Its all he orders at Olive Garden. I will have to try this sometime. I cm assuming I can throw in some mushrooms and peppers too?

 

[Adi12982]

Tonight we are having. . .

Orange Chicken (my last bit of the sauce, I'll have to make more next time we have it) - $5
homemade fried rice - $2
broccoli - $0.50
drinks - $0.50

TOTAL - $8 for AT LEAST 4 servings, I think it will be more like 6 (so, between $1.34 - $2 a serving. . . and it satisfies a craving without eating out!)

 

[dreaming3]

Thanks dreaming3....hubby likes chicken scampi. Its all he orders at Olive Garden. I will have to try this sometime. I cm assuming I can throw in some mushrooms and peppers too?

Yes - mushrooms, peppers would work well. I have a tomato on the counter I'm thinking about dicing up, too.

I use www.allrecipes.com for all of my new recipes these days. I like how other people can post their opinions after trying them - and write if they did or would change the recipe. There are lots of version of scampis on there, some that the authors claim are replicas of Olive Garden's scampi. Check it out!

 

[babytrees]

This may be common knowledge, so I apologize if this is not a tip.

I just read the previous post that mentioned au jus. I've never tried the gourment stuff (didn't even know they had anything other than the packets)... but I used to use the packets and then found this recipe I use it with prime rib (definitely not budget, but delicious). It is the best au jus and so simple (but not necessarily cheap). It is one part Sherry, reduce by half. Add two parts beef broth, reduce by half again. So good, I could drink it straight.

that was me....that sounds marvelous!! All I ever use is the packets...but I am used to paying the 50 cents for store brand not $1 for the "gourmet" brand I am a cheapskate through and through.

Sherry is not a staple in my house, nor is beef broth....hmmmmm

 

[babytrees]

Well, there was a huge meat sale here over the weekend. Strip steaks $2.99/lb, pork loin (I had cut into chops) $1.69/lb, pork roast $.89/lb, and country ribs $.99/lb. Last night, I repackaged/sealed over 70 lbs of meat. Today, my arms are sore.

We are having pork loin (chops) cooking in baked beans in the crockpot and I think I might steam some broccoli to go with it. Easy and cost me less than $5 for dinner and tomorrow lunch.

do you use canned baked beans?? homemade?? inquiring minds want to know!!

Congrats on the great deals on the meat.

 

[babytrees]

Yes - mushrooms, peppers would work well. I have a tomato on the counter I'm thinking about dicing up, too.

I use www.allrecipes.com for all of my new recipes these days. I like how other people can post their opinions after trying them - and write if they did or would change the recipe. There are lots of version of scampis on there, some that the authors claim are replicas of Olive Garden's scampi. Check it out!

thanks for the link....I was just going to ask how you make the scampi...my girls don't like shrimp so chicken scampi sounds like a good compromise!!

 

[merekc]

I use a large can of Bush's baked beans. They are more expensive but I usually stock up when they are on sale. I think they are yummy. I can't get inexpensive (like Van Camps) pork and beans to taste as good (as baked beans) no matter what I add. I only use Van Camps to make my grandpa's pork and bean soup, that is tasty.

I think this is where I got the recipe originally.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/porkentreerecipes/r/cpporkbeans.htm

However, I just dump the chops and beans in together and don't deal with anything more. It is not the best thing I've ever eaten, but it is a great throw together meal when I need it.

ETA: Just got done eating. I remembered a couple of things about this meal that I forgot to mention. The recipe link says 6-8 hours. This is too long in my crockpot, it dries out too much. I make this on days where I can start it around lunch time. I also pour half the beans in, put in the chops, sprinkle some seasoning on them (because unseasoned meat makes me gag) and then pour the rest of the can on it.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

My son has been asking for more foods to take to work with him, so tonight this is what I did. I scrubbed, cut up and boiled a whole bag of potatoes. Took about half and ran cold water over them, and made them into potato salad (using vegan mayonnaise, celery, corn relish and pickle relish - well, that's how my guys like it!). Mashed the other half with vegan butter and soy milk and roasted garlic (I keep it in oil in the fridge). Then I made vegan shepherd's pie, using soy ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, chopped celery, frozen corn and some leftover garlic spaghetti sauce I had in the fridge. Topped that with the mashed potatoes and baked for 20 minutes in the oven while I made a big salad with cucumber and apple mixed in.

The shepherd's pie made six servings, so we ate three and I packaged up the other three and froze them for my son to take in his lunches. I put the potato salad in the fridge for them to eat with their supper tomorrow (I'm going away for a couple of days to speak at a conference).

Total cost? Let's see. The soy ground "meat" is $3 a package. The vegetables probably added up to another $2 and the salad would be about the same (I buy the large containers of organic mixed greens for $5 and it usually lasts 4 or 5 days). The potatoes were $3 for the bag. So: $13 total, for three people, plus three lunches and a side for tomorrow's dinner (they'll have veggie burgers and more salad with the potato salad).

Teresa

 

[babytrees]

I use a large can of Bush's baked beans. They are more expensive but I usually stock up when they are on sale. I think they are yummy. I can't get inexpensive (like Van Camps) pork and beans to taste as good (as baked beans) no matter what I add. I only use Van Camps to make my grandpa's pork and bean soup, that is tasty.

I think this is where I got the recipe originally.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/porkentreerecipes/r/cpporkbeans.htm

However, I just dump the chops and beans in together and don't deal with anything more. It is not the best thing I've ever eaten, but it is a great throw together meal when I need it.

we do the same thing...bush's is the way to go!! Thankfully Costco has them in bulk.

Van Camp's is only good for beanies and weenies!!

 

[dreaming3]

thanks for the link....I was just going to ask how you make the scampi...my girls don't like shrimp so chicken scampi sounds like a good compromise!!

We made "Chicken Scampi II" and it thought it was plain, but couldn't figure out what it was missing.