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

[OceanAnnie]

Hamburger Helper!!!

Chicken Helper!!! We had the chicken fried rice. It's not bad!

 

[merekc]

Toasted Ravioli (frozen) with marinara sauce. Sliced Peaches and sauteed zucchini as sides. $10.

 

[mla1977]

Hamburger Helper!!!

Ditto here! We used ground pork though!

The Helper came from a conference so it was free and the ground pork was $1.49. Tossed in some peas to round it out ($1?)

2.49 for 3 plus a lunch!

 

[babytrees]

Seems like Hamburger Helper was on a lot of menus tonight

I got a dilemma, or challenge I should say, help me think of 8 unique, fairly budget meals for 150 people

 

[NHWX]

So... we need more information here.

Are you doing it at a camp? (Family reunion, church getaway weekend, etc.)
Are you doing it yourself? (I certainly hope not!)
Does it all have to be prepared the day of the event?
Old people? Little kids?

My first thought would be to go check our high school's lunch menu webpage. If they can feed hungry high school students every day with the budget they get, then it should work for your needs. Any chance for subsidized food?

The initial thoughts that come to mind... Start checking for bulk discounts. You're going to need some serious fridge and freezer space. How the heck are you going to find big enough pots?

Pasta. Really big pots of chili with prepared cornbread. Oranges cut into eighths. Coleslaw.

I'd look into ethnic recipes where the origin was how-the-heck-do-I-stretch-this? meal planning. Calzones. Soup, if it's cold outside. Fried rice. Meat pies if you can make the ahead of time. Grilled cheese sandwiches.

Hopefully that helps somewhat.

NHWX

 

[babytrees]

I was waiting to see if anybody would bite

It's for High Schooler's and the parents who help....in the fall for Marching Band season. We need a variety of meals that can kind of be made ahead. It's also Colorado in the fall so we might have frigid weather. We might also have to have 2 meals for a day if we make it to final performance. There is only one that we know we won't make it to the finals for.

Some things we KNOW don't go over...

sandwiches....we had a REALLY bad experience with it at the beginning of last band season.

hamburgers and hot dogs...it's done for a couple of suppers that I am not responsible for.

Pizza delivered is not an option at most of the venues.

Some things we do know:

fruit and veggies offered at every meal

lemonade, juice and water are the drink choices at every meal

it's really windy at at least 2 sites and electricity is hard to come by.

these kids can be picky

we have to make sure it's fairly healthy and filling...these kids work HARD at their performance and for a couple it's the only meal they will get that day.

 

[kath1210]

I was waiting to see if anybody would bite

It's for High Schooler's and the parents who help....in the fall for Marching Band season. We need a variety of meals that can kind of be made ahead. It's also Colorado in the fall so we might have frigid weather. We might also have to have 2 meals for a day if we make it to final performance. There is only one that we know we won't make it to the finals for.

Some things we KNOW don't go over...

sandwiches....we had a REALLY bad experience with it at the beginning of last band season.

hamburgers and hot dogs...it's done for a couple of suppers that I am not responsible for.

Pizza delivered is not an option at most of the venues.

Some things we do know:

fruit and veggies offered at every meal

lemonade, juice and water are the drink choices at every meal

it's really windy at at least 2 sites and electricity is hard to come by.

these kids can be picky

we have to make sure it's fairly healthy and filling...these kids work HARD at their performance and for a couple it's the only meal they will get that day.

Sounds like you need that guy from "Dinner Impossible".

 

[kath1210]

Duplicate - sorry!

 

[babytrees]

Sounds like you need that guy from "Dinner Impossible".

wonder if they take show ideas???

 

[babytrees]

wonder if they take show ideas???

just in case they do....I emailed them!!

 

[kath1210]

just in case they do....I emailed them!!

That would be so cool if the show came out to feed those kids. (Although I did hear a rumor that they fired the chef from that show, but maybe not, or maybe he's been replaced.)

Let us know!

 

[NHWX]

Tailgating: that's what I think of when I think fall and band.

In the early fall, I'd think about sandwiches or wraps but you said No to that. Hmm... Hummus, tabboleh (or however you spell that!), olives, sliced meat, cheese, flatbread, yogurt and dried fruits?

Calzones?

NHWX

 

[Sorsha]

Hmmm... how about 3 or 4 huge pots of different kinds of soup... hearty, chunky, warm and filling, especially served with a variety of breads for dunking!

Pasta? Maybe something you can make ahead of time and freeze... big trays of pasta, sauce, meat and veggies and LOTS of cheese, then baked when time to serve? Garlic bread and salads?

Baked potato bar? All the cooking that would have to be done is to bake LOTS of potatoes... then lay out butter, sour cream, cheeses, chili, bacon bits, chives, etc for make your own potatoes.

Haystacks? This is a popular one at potlucks and gatherings around here. basically a layered make-your-own taco salad... Fritos or broken corn chips on the bottom, topped with chili, then cheese, then lettuce, tomato, olives, etc, finally salsa and sour cream or ranch. Piled high, it resembles a haystack.

Good luck to you, as a former high school marching band participant, I appreciate your efforts!

 

[TSMAMI]

subbing

 

[Grendalynn]

I found myslef almost haveing a panic attack thsi weekend when I was in teh check out line at the grocery store. Ok, so it was really an anxiety attack, but I deffinitly felt my blood pressure rising and a feel of panic almost when I saw the total - just under $100 and I didnt get all that much!! Mostly meat, produce, milk, the staples! I had already been to Walmart for snacks, vitamin water and the things that you can get there less expensive than at the grocery stores... Food is getting just soo rediculous (sp?) in price that its overwhelming and stressful!! I used to enjoy grocery shopping and could usualy be cretive with our meals, cost-wise, and did pretty well within my budget, but this is crazy! The cost of living is going up and up and up, but we arent making anymore money. DH and I make a pretty good living, I dont know how some families are squeaking by!! Unfortunatly I think this economy is far from over. Gas here was $3.83 a gal this AM!! Thats just absurd! I hate to be "Debbie the Downer", but this is reality folks...

Haystacks? This is a popular one at potlucks and gatherings around here. basically a layered make-your-own taco salad... Fritos or broken corn chips on the bottom, topped with chili, then cheese, then lettuce, tomato, olives, etc, finally salsa and sour cream or ranch. Piled high, it resembles a haystack.

This sounds yummie!! I will have to keep this in mind for my family for a night we have a baseball game ((Which is about 3-4 nights a week these days!!))

We had left overs last night - cant get much more budget than that - unless they are gievn to you I guess...

 

[babytrees]

thank you all for the suggestions I knew you'd be up to the task.

We can't really do tomato based products on competition days...it would not look good to have stains on half the uniforms

We had a mexican bar for the final competition last year...it was very well received.

All meals have to be ready to just keep warm (in warming trays/coolers) because the only competition anywhere near us is one town over and not even really close to anybody's stove.

See why we need Dinner: Impossible??

last night was "It's too hot for any food night"

 

[grumpy28]

Tonight we're having Tyson steak strips (3.99), cut up and mixed in Asian rice (free with triple q's), Egg rolls (.25 with triple q's), and asian veggies (free with triple q's). Total= $4.24

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tonight we are having turkey ham steaks with a pineapple soy sauce reduction, french fries, and a veggie... I know not the greatest but we have soccer and after school stuff again today...

Turkey Ham $3.00
French Fries $1.00
Pineapple $.50
Veggies $.50

Total $5.00 w/ leftover turkey ham for another meal, and extra pineapple for a side during the week.

 

[cndij]

Jumping in here after having only read the first 21 pages. Very educational so far, I am taking notes. One of my "secret weapons" I haven't seen mentioned is Dehydrated Minced Onion. I have seen several people mention not wanting to take the time to dice up onions. This is something I ALWAYS have in my freezer. I buy it from Atlantic Spice Company on line, and it is $3.70 for a 1# bag, which last me quite a while. I usually buy 2 bags when I am stocking up.
For those of you that haven't heard of Atlantic Spice, they sell all kinds of spices, dehydrated vegetables (for soup) and teas. Everything is in 1# bags, and you can a lot of times get a whole pound, for about what a 1 ounce jar is in the grocery store. I usually get together with several friends and split an order, I mean who needs a pound of oregano? Shipping is quick and very reasonable, but the Onion is reason enough to order from them. If you're not using in a soup or stew, it's real easy to reconstitute in a cup of water in the microwave.

I have recently lost my job, and one of my first "chores" since being at home was to inventory my deep freezer. I have been trying to come up with meals using what I already have, and boy the ideas here have been great. I have seen some I would like to try, once I need to go buy meat again (in a couple of months , but right now, have tremendous amount to use up, and make room for some summer produce too.

Cindi

 

[Priorityonecb]

Last night was *not budget...but oldest dd had a dentist appt and youngest dd needed a graduation outfit. We were out late, so grabbed $5 Subway footlongs. 2 fed our family of 4, and I added carrot/celery sticks and chips that we had at home.

Tonight is:
Barbecued chicken 1.25
Augratin Potatoes 1.00
Green beans .50

2.75...much better!