We are a family of 6 also
We do breakfast for dinner a lot-pancakes, cooked apples, biscuits n gravy, skillet potatoes, french toast, waffles, eggs. We do sausage and bacon with it , but I cut back our meat portions and use more of the other items.
Grilled cheese sandwiches cut into fingers and a big pot of tomato soup. I use the can soup
I use frozen left over chicken broth instead of water, add crushed garlic, fresh chopped basil, and sprinkle with whatever cheese I have.. Parmesan is my favorite though.
Potato Soup- chop potatoes into small pieces, toss into skillet with oil, cook till soft. Add milk , but don't let it boil..just warm up a little bit. Add salt , pepper, seasoning, sprinkle each bowl with a little shredded cheese. You can add whatever meat you have as a garnish if you want-ham, bacon, ect. We skip the meat. My mom adds celery and onion to her potatoes.
Mini meat loafs- I use ground turkey that is really cheap $1 for a small chub at Walmart. I use the mini loaf pans and add bread crumbs, celery, onion, 1 egg, seasonings. I serve a big bowl of mashed potatoes and green beans with this. You could mix ground beef and turkey if you want.
We eat a LOT of chicken because it is cheap..I am tired of it , but keep buying it. I can get 2 10lb bags of chicken thighs for .39 lb twice a month at our local butcher market. I am able to cook meals for large gatherings with ease by cooking the whole 10lbs in a roaster oven with seasoning. I then shred it and freezer bag it. I make tacos, stew, dumplings, or stirfry with spaghetti noodles. I also will fry up corn tortilla chips and make nacho platters with the chicken and fresh salsa. This is also a treat I send to neighbors when they do something helpful and I can't pay them.
Banana Bread is great for using up the last ripe bananas- I use this recipe and
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-...tail.aspx..the kids snack on them a lot
Baked potatoes- stuff them with broccoli, cheese, ham, beans, peas, left overs.
We do a smorgasboard day that we eat whatever left overs are in fridge and I add sandwiches, scrambled eggs, a pyrex of corn bread with honey/butter, salad or canned veggies to make it into a meal.
Another leftover idea is to fry up onions and peppers in a skillet add whatever meat leftover you have even if its small amount..add a bowl or jar of salsa and let it simmer. I steam a big pot of white rice. Serve a bowl of rice and ladle the sauce over the top.
We are financially really really struggling and I need some ideas on how to stretch the little bit of food money we have to make the best meals. I am so tired of mac and cheese and hot dogs...LOL.
I went and grabbed the link to that thread when I read the OP. ..
