Piccoli Fiori JMJ Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I'm in charge of making dinner 3 nights a week since I don't have a job and I spend all day at home on the internet/computer and not doing much else. I was just looking for some inexpensive meals that are somewhat quick to make and uses relatively cheap ingredients, for 4 people as well. We have all sorts of cook books, but I thought I'd ask the pham what some of their favorites are. So, what are your favorite low-budget meals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Soups and stews. We get food bank canned stuff because we feed people all the time, and I end up throwing whatever they send in the crockpot. It's always different. Yesterday after mass it was only 5, but I had a sack of Alfredo mix, a box of hamburger helper, and I just used both as soup base. Threw in a couple of cans of vegetables, and 8 oz of cut up chicken pieces, and it was chicken noodle soup. Spaghetti is also pretty cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StColette Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 tuna casserole - couple cans of tuna (drained) cooked mac. noodles. two cans cream of mushroom soup, small can of english peas. Mix all together and bake for about 20 to 30 mins. About $5.00 chicken and dumplings - two large cans of chicken broth, two to three cans of cheap biscuits. Roll out biscuits flat, cut into small strips, coat in flour, throw strips into boiling chicken broth. Cook until broth thickens and dumplings are cooked. Cook about a pound of chicken breast and throw it in the pot. $7.00 Potato soup: Two large cans of chicken broth, 5 or so pounds of potatoes. Peel and cube up potatoes. Bring broth to a boil. Add in about two or three cloves of chopped garlic. Half a chopped white or yellow onion. Throw garlic, onions, and potatoes into boiling broth and cook until potatoes are done. $5.00 - $7.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StColette Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Shrimp pasta with garlic sauce: 41-60 count of small shrimp (without tails) sauteed in olive oil (guestimate lol) add 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves. After shrimp have cooked (about 5 minutes) toss shrimp/olive oil/ garlic mixture in with fave type of paste noodles. $7.00 Lemon Pepper Chicken However many chicken breasts you need. About 6 lemons. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. Squeeze lemon juice into pan with chicken. Sprinkle lemon pepper on the chicken. Cut up lemons into circular slices and place on top of chicken. Bake in the over at 400 or so depending on your oven until the chicken is done. Serve with veggies of choice. $7.00 Spaghetti Pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce. To add extra flavor add in fresh chopped garlic and basil. $4.00 - $5.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StColette Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yummie Treat: 1 box chocolate pudding. 1 block of cream coagulated milk. CoolWhip. Pie pan with premade crust. Follow the directions on the pudding box, but mix in the cream coagulated milk with the pudding. Put mixture into pie pan and top with CoolWhip. Let it cool for 2 hrs. It's yummie and cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piccoli Fiori JMJ Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thanks Jennie & Catherine... We already make some of this, but there are a few good ones in there that might be fun to try sometime soon. If you have any more, please share! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Chili! (I'm on a chili kick right now) It's probably healthier to use dried beans (no preservatives that might be in canned beans) but this requires a bit of advance preparation. Canned beans are generally only about 50-70 cents per can, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce (NOT spaghetti sauce) are pretty inexpensive as well (the last time I bought it I got a big case from Sam's Club so I forget how much they cost at the regular grocery store). The recipe I use calls for a small diced onion, two cloves of garlic, a can of chopped green chilies, and a teaspoon of cumin in addition to the meat, tomatoes/sauce, and beans. I like to throw in a handful of frozen corn if I have it on hand, and I usually use about 3 cans of beans (one each of kidney, black, and pinto). I make a large batch to last a couple days, and serve it with cornbread. The last time I made it I used slightly more than 2 pounds of ground beef (the recipe actually calls for pork but you can use whichever you can get the cheapest), one small can of diced tomatoes, and 2 large cans of tomato sauce (sometimes I vary the amount of tomato sauce if it doesn't look like there is enough). And using store brand stuff helps cut the cost, too. We (a family of 5) ate it for 3 days. The kids were disappointed when it was all gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bone _ Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Whole grain rice (or better yet--a grain blend), cooked in chicken broth, dump in some red beans, add a mite of curry powder. Yummy and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) Brown some ground beef. Throw in some chopped onion, some sliced veg (whatever you have on hand), a can of tomatoes, a can of mushroom soup, a stock cube (crumbled) and 1 cup water, basil and black pepper (I don't measure anything, sorry). Cover and boil. Throw in half a package of pasta (penne or something like that). Serve with garlic bread. Serves 6. (Sorry, the only price I could give you would be in Sterling, and that wouldn't help you). French onion soup is a good one, too, as are the suggestions others have given here. Edited January 12, 2009 by Archaeology cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) Omelettes are also cheap (well, the eggs are!) Depends what you want to add to them - tomatoes, coagulated milk, bacon, ham, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, green peppers, etc. You can also look into recipes for egg bakes. Soup and spaghetti are both cheap and easy - and good in the winter time. Casseroles are generally easy. Shepherd's pie or pot pie shouldn't set you back too far..... Now I'm hungry! Edited January 12, 2009 by MithLuin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StColette Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 It amazes me that my parents managed to feed 6 of us on only my mom's paychecks about (1500 a month) and my dad's disability checks (total 600 a month) We always had a soup and grilled coagulated milk night, usually Mondays. My parents planned out all the months meals before grocery shopping. I have no idea how they did it. Minute steaks are pretty cheap. Some grocery stores have pot roasts or stews with raw veggies and meat packed together for about $10 all you do is follow the instructions. Burrito Night was always a hit in our family Get some flour tortilla shells. Brown up taco meat. Have lettuce, sour cream, coagulated milk, etc. and have them build their own burrito. Chicken Quesadillas Cook up some chicken meat, cut it up. Chop up tomatoes and onion (or whatever veggies you like) Shred some coagulated milk. Put between two tortilla shells and put them in pan until coagulated milk is melted. Snack night is pretty good too. coagulated milk and crackers, lil smokies, veggies and dip, etc. lol this was usually a weekend deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Pasta salad: Make spaghetti noodles, drain, chill. throw in some chopped veggies [ broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and cover with italian dressing. Beef Stroganoff: Make egg noodles, and add one can cooked roast beef, and one can cream of mushroom soup. Top with dollops of sour cream. saurkraut soup: If you like saurkraut, cook one slice of ham [ chopped small] in water, one can saurkraut [rinsed] , and one can of rinsed beans [kidney, butter, chickpeas], thicken with a roux of butter and flour. For a big pan of potato soup: Saute 1/2 cup onions and 1/2 cup celery in butter. Boil 5 pounds potatoes with some parsley- do not drain. Add the sauted stuff and 2 cans of evaporated milk. Don't burn it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 [quote name='IcePrincessKRS' post='1749581' date='Jan 12 2009, 03:59 PM']Chili! (I'm on a chili kick right now) It's probably healthier to use dried beans (no preservatives that might be in canned beans) but this requires a bit of advance preparation. Canned beans are generally only about 50-70 cents per can, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce (NOT spaghetti sauce) are pretty inexpensive as well (the last time I bought it I got a big case from Sam's Club so I forget how much they cost at the regular grocery store). The recipe I use calls for a small diced onion, two cloves of garlic, a can of chopped green chilies, and a teaspoon of cumin in addition to the meat, tomatoes/sauce, and beans. I like to throw in a handful of frozen corn if I have it on hand, and I usually use about 3 cans of beans (one each of kidney, black, and pinto). I make a large batch to last a couple days, and serve it with cornbread. The last time I made it I used slightly more than 2 pounds of ground beef (the recipe actually calls for pork but you can use whichever you can get the cheapest), one small can of diced tomatoes, and 2 large cans of tomato sauce (sometimes I vary the amount of tomato sauce if it doesn't look like there is enough). And using store brand stuff helps cut the cost, too. We (a family of 5) ate it for 3 days. The kids were disappointed when it was all gone.[/quote] Have you ever used turkey? (like, leftover thanksgiving turkey, not necessarily ground) Gnocchi.. cheap and YUM and makes a bunch! and there's a bunch of stuff you can do with it.. butter sauces and soups.. yum. about a pound of potatoes about a cup of flour a little bit of salt (like a tsp?) a smaller amount of pepper an egg Boil the potatoes until they are soft(peeled and cut), put them through a potatoe ricer (or spend lots of time squishing them through a strainer. then make a well in the center and sprinkle the flour and the egg and the salt and the pepper. mix until you have a dough like substance. then cut into parts and roll into a rope. cut small (like 1/2 inch) bits. Make an impression in them a fork (roll them down the back of it) then boil them. They sink to the bottom and when the pop up to the top, scoop them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Polska kielbasa and Bush's baked beans. (sorry Norseman) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 [quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1749693' date='Jan 12 2009, 06:46 PM']Polska kielbasa and Bush's baked beans. (sorry Norseman)[/quote] definitely! Aldis hotdogs and their canned baked beans. Cream of Celery soup mixed with canned tuna over hot toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now