Share your cheap meals here!

[sewaneecook]

After reading the thread about cost per meal, I was wondering how some of you eat so well for so little! Please share your meals here, I'm getting a bit bored with my cheap meal rotation.

Here are some of our family favorites:
Roast a whole chicken with a rub of rosemary, thyme, tarragon, salt and pepper. Eat a little of the meat per serving with lots of sides (usually rice, sweet potato, and a salad, or something like that). Then I cook the bones, skin, etc down for the broth (which I also add carrot peels, potato skins, pieces from other veggies that otherwise would have been thrown away or composted - like the skins and ends of onion, celery ends, garlic skin and the leftover part in my garlic press, etc.). I use the broth to cook my rice and make some kind of soup later in the week. The leftover chicken is used in some kind of casserole later in the week or chicken soup.

Sauteed onion with garlic, black beans, frozen (but drained) spinach, cheese (goat cheese or feta is the best, but cheddar will do), salsa, and sour cream on pita bread or rice.

Homemade pizza topped with whatever veggies I have (a great end of the week meal to get rid of veggies that are about to go bad).

Stir fry using whatever veggies I have (usually onion, carrot, celery, frozen peas, broccoli, etc.) and a small amount of meat ... pork or chicken usually served over rice.

Soybean casserole: uncooked rice (approx 1 c), frozen edammame, onion, bell pepper, and chopped carrots layered in a casserole dish. Mix a little basil, tomato juice (approx 2 c), couple splashes of worcestershire sauce, topped with some cheddar cheese and wheat germ. Cook for 90 minutes at 350.

Grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup - fresh tomatoes, a little butter, 1 t. sugar, dash of salt mixed in a blender and cooked until just boiling (I freeze the soup from the leftover tomatoes my MIL grows and use it throughout the winter).

Tuna noodle casserole

What are your budget friendly meals?

[SaoirseC]

[Ruthiegirl]

rice and beans...beans and rice

We eat a lot of 'rice salad'. I make a pot of short grain, brown rice, let it cool. Add olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and then whatever I have in the garden. Right now it is lots of chives, parsley, basil, mixed greens and maybe a red pepper if I have bought one.

We had a version of this for dinner last night with corn, black beans, and salsa. I grilled a piece of chicken and we split it between the family.

I make it with canola oil, curry powder, bits of roasted cauliflower, carrots and peas for an Indian version...add tofu if you have it or chickpeas.

We also like rice and dal. Dal is a simple dish made with red lentils, tumeric. Simmer together and add veggies or leave plain. We like it salted well with some coconut oil. Serve with basmati rice (cheap from the Indian market). We have a huge number of cucumbers planted so we can eat this meal with a nice cucumber salad.

We eat a lot of basic, simple foods. Healthy and cheap!

[ewp11100]

I'm having a hard time keeping my meals on budget with getting our house gluten free So hopefully you all post some awesome stuff Another budget strecher for chicken, when you make broth from the chicken cool over night and skim the fat off the top. Makes your soup a tad more healthy but also you canuse that fat to favor things like beans, rice, veggies ect. I made fried rice: sauteed onion and garlic in leftover chicken fat added left over rice and veggies from the week. Then cooked some eggs in it for breakfast, super yummy! I save the tiniest bit of (steamed) veggies through the week since we eat them so often and they work really well for the fried rice or omelets

[BetsyS]

I'm a terrible searcher, but last year, there was a great thread titled $2 meals that had wonderful ideas in it.

Our favorite cheap meals (we are meat eaters, so most of our cheap meals are low meat, not no meat):

biscuits and sausage gravy
lentil rice tacos
garden stir-fry; I use 4 T soy sauce, 2 T rice vinegar, and 1 T dark brown sugar for the sauce. Squeeze 1/4 lime over the top, and use plenty of srichaca. Eat with rice.
Migas. I add any veggies we have in the house.
Chilaquiles
Salisbury steak with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, veggie
Rice and beans with salsa, cheese, and chips
spaghetti
carbonara
fettucini alfredo
pork butt--they stretch a long way in my house. Usually 4 meals out of one--barbecue, brunswick stew, tacos/burritos, and topping a baked potato
baked potatoes with a small amount of meat, cheese, scallions
Egg rolls with hot and sour soup
Black beans and rice
Chicken and sausge gumbo over rice
Savannah red rice
Red beans and rice
Any variation of tacos, burritos, gorditas, sopes, etc. Use beans, meat if you have it, whatever veggies you have in the house, then top with salsa made with whatever you have in the house, or just cilantro, onions, and lime juice, with hot sauce. Very, very versatile. My current favorite is roasted potatoes, collards, and roasted chicken, but anything works.

[Arianwen1174]

[yeahwhat]

-dal and rice or naan with carrot salad
-homemade pizza with carrot sticks
-homemade tortillas and pinto beans, add salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and/or lettuce depending on what you like/have on hand
-lentil soup with homemade crusty bread
-fried rice or stir fry with whatever veggies are left in the fridge and/or freezer. You can throw and egg or two into fried rice for protein or half a block of marinated tofu into a stir fry. Or some leftover meat if that's your thing.
- veggie chili

[justmama]

My girls' favorite meal is past primavera. Whole wheat pasta, lemon juice, parm cheese, and whatever veggies you have in the house topped with lots of fresh shredded basil from our garden. We usually do frozen corn, frozen peas, frozen broccoli, cherry tomatoes, grated carrots. All organic. The corn peas and broccoli are just cheaper frozen. Carrots are pretty inexpensive. The cherry tomatoes really MAKE the meal for me and my oldest who love tomatoes but they aren't necessary. They are sorta the indulgence part of the meal that you add if you have the extra cash. But everything else is pretty frugal. And pasta and parm cheese are usually pantry staples in a lot of households.

[justmama]

Originally Posted by ewp11100

I'm having a hard time keeping my meals on budget with getting our house gluten free So hopefully you all post some awesome stuff Another budget strecher for chicken, when you make broth from the chicken cool over night and skim the fat off the top. Makes your soup a tad more healthy but also you canuse that fat to favor things like beans, rice, veggies ect. I made fried rice: sauteed onion and garlic in leftover chicken fat added left over rice and veggies from the week. Then cooked some eggs in it for breakfast, super yummy! I save the tiniest bit of (steamed) veggies through the week since we eat them so often and they work really well for the fried rice or omelets

oh man, now i'm WICKED craving fried rice. that's dinner tonight folks!

[mamaofthree]

home made baked beans and brown bread (maybe a salad too). although the recipe for the beans i use uses maple syrup it is something we always have in the house. i guess that is why i feel this is a cheap meal, we always have everything in the house to make it. and even if i forget to soak the beans if i start early we can have it just about any day.

h

[cristina47454]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

I'm a terrible searcher, but last year, there was a great thread titled $2 meals that had wonderful ideas in it.

.

I was wondering where that thread went...wasn't it stickied?? SHould have been...

I sometimes visit $5 Dinners.com, although she's pulled a lot of her recipes to put in her (for sale) book.

[JTA Mom]

Colcannon--

Basically 1/2 big onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4c olive oil or butter, 3lbs of potatoes, cubed (russets make it more 'mashed potato', golden/red potatoes make it more skillet potatoey) 1/2 large cabbage, 2c chicken broth, and 1-2 cups of meat of your choice (bacon, ground meat, chicken strips, hot dogs, whatever little bit you have left over).

Sautee onion and garlic in butter/oil. When onion is starting to become translucent (3min), add cabbage, stir for 2 min. Add cubed potatoes, broth and meat. Cover and let simmer on med-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes or so, and when potatoes are done, food is ready!

Delicious, cheap, healthy AND fast.

This feeds 7 adults with enough left overs to make 4 takeaways. So scale down if necessary. Personally, I think it gets better the next day.

Honey baked lentils with rice
Rice, make your preferred way (here, I like to add 2tbs butter, chicken buillon cube, tsp of turmeric and 1/4 onion to my rice while cooking).

Lentils:
1 cup lentils (I use red)
2 cups water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soysauce or tamari
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
salt & pepper to taste

Bake in a covered dish at 350 until tender (about an hour and a half).
Best part is you can add root veggies (mmm, carrots) and even a bit of meat. So yummy!

Scalloped Potatoes
Recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scallop...ns/Detail.aspx

I love how it's non-dairy. I can literally eat a whole pan of these! And I've found they cook in an hour, not 2 like the recipe states. With a bit of shredded meat or ground meat added in, it's a yummy casserole. Just add a side salad and done.

Ami

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

I'm a terrible searcher, but last year, there was a great thread titled $2 meals that had wonderful ideas in it.

Here it is! It's awesome.

Meals on the Cheap

If you go toward the final few pages - maybe 17-20? - one of the posters very graciously compiled all the shared recipes by cuisine. A treasure of recipes!

[Arianwen1174]

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Keeta!

[MamaMonica]

Lentil sloppy joes. Saute half an onion, put a package of lentils and water in a pot. Boil until almost tender- add pasta sauce (could use canned tomatoes), a little mustard, garlic, oregano and cook another 10 minutes. I have enough leftover for lunch or dinner the next day with this amount.

Serve on hamburger buns with pickle slices, chips and raw carrots.

[mormontreehugger]

[bluebirdiemama]

[mar123]

Garlic pasta (tastes great with any type, including whole wheat, etc)

Equal parts butter and olive oil (for 1lb of pasta I use four table spoons)

Same number of cloves of garlic (I would use 4) as butter. Crush these.

Creole seasoning to taste (I use 1 teaspoon)

Simmer together until garlic is coated and everything is hot

Black pepper

Toss with cooked pasta and 1/2 cup parm cheese

I also add pre-cooked leftover chicken or shrimp (we can get it from the local fisherman cheap) to make this a hearty meal. Add whatever meat or seafood while in the skillet.

This is one of my last minute meals when we have a "crazy night."

[Arianwen1174]

Originally Posted by mar123

Garlic pasta (tastes great with any type, including whole wheat, etc)

Equal parts butter and olive oil (for 1lb of pasta I use four table spoons)

Same number of cloves of garlic (I would use 4) as butter. Crush these.

Creole seasoning to taste (I use 1 teaspoon)

Simmer together until garlic is coated and everything is hot

Black pepper

Toss with cooked pasta and 1/2 cup parm cheese

I also add pre-cooked leftover chicken or shrimp (we can get it from the local fisherman cheap) to make this a hearty meal. Add whatever meat or seafood while in the skillet.

This is one of my last minute meals when we have a "crazy night."

Oh yum! Yum yum yum yum yum!

[RollerCoasterMama]

You all are making me HUNGRY!

My contribution:

1 cup lentils
1/2 -ish cup brown rice
1 roughly chopped onion
a couple of carrots and celery stocks chopped
garlic (I use a generous spoonful of the diced stuff in the jar)
about 2 cups stock of your choice
about another 2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Cook on low all day in my teeny little crock-pot. It's my go-to meal the last few weeks. Makes 4 generous servings and I take leftovers to lunch.

I usually stir in a little coconut oil into mine to melt, but I like coconut oil in everything.