Meals on the Cheap - under $2 meal ideas - Page 9

[Thursday Girl]

apple cinnamon raisen pancakes

1 cup Oat bran
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea slat
1 egg
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Apple diced very small
2 handfuls raisens boiled and drained
1 cup sour milk*
whole wheat flour to thicken mix


mix the dry ingrediants.
add wet ingrediants to sour milk.
add apples and raisens to dry mix
add wet mix
stir
add whole wheat until mix is the right consistency
cook
top with cream cheese and honey
enjoy

(they are very filling so for our family of four they make a meal and then are good for snacks later. especially great plain as snacks while you are out)


*sour milk
1Tbsp lemon juice or key lime (we have a key lime tree so we replace all lemon juice for this)
enough milk to make that 1 C
let sit 15 min

[Mom2Joseph]

Originally Posted by jewelysmommy

1 cup Oat bran
1 Tbsp Baking powder *sour milk
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon 1Tbsp key lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking soda enough milk to make that 1 C
1/4 tsp sea slat let sit 15 min
1 egg
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Apple diced very small
2 handfuls raisens boiled and drained
1 cup sour milk*
whole wheat flour to thicken mix


mix the dry ingrediants.
add wet ingrediants to sour milk.
add apples and raisens to dry mix
add wet mix
stir
add whole wheat until mix is the right consistency
cook
top with cream cheese and honey
enjoy

(they are very filling so for our family of four they make a meal and then are good for snacks later. especially great plain as snacks while you are out)

I cannot wait to try these! Especially love your idea using them as a take along snack. I bet my babes will love them. Thanks!

[Jenlaana]

I have eaten about a dozen of the meals on this thread and they are GREAT I LOVE the tomatoes and penne recipe that was towards the beginning. My DH doesnt like the texture of tomatoes so after we cooked them we threw em in the food processor for a minute (along w/ the garlic and olive oil that they cooked with) and it was the BEST tomato sauce. I think I may skip the store bought tomato sauce from now on and just make variations of this recipe instead. yummmy

oh we also added some chicken and baked that w/ the tomatoes and cut it up and threw it in. was very yummy and 1 pc of chicken spread over enough for a whole box of penne and sauce.

[Jenlaana]

How do you get sour milk?

Originally Posted by jewelysmommy

1 cup Oat bran
1 Tbsp Baking powder *sour milk
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon 1Tbsp key lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking soda enough milk to make that 1 C
1/4 tsp sea slat let sit 15 min
1 egg
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Apple diced very small
2 handfuls raisens boiled and drained
1 cup sour milk*
whole wheat flour to thicken mix


mix the dry ingrediants.
add wet ingrediants to sour milk.
add apples and raisens to dry mix
add wet mix
stir
add whole wheat until mix is the right consistency
cook
top with cream cheese and honey
enjoy

(they are very filling so for our family of four they make a meal and then are good for snacks later. especially great plain as snacks while you are out)

[aurinia]

There are some wonderful recipes on this thread! I tried the Honey-Baked Lentils the other day and OMG, they are so good!! Here's another one of my favorite lentil recipes, if anyone is interested. Not sure the exact cost, but if not under $2, its pretty darn close...

Easy Spiced Lentils and Brown Rice

3/4 cup brown lentils
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 2/3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine (I just use more chicken broth...cheaper that way)
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss or parmesan are all good)

Mix everything except 1/2 cup of the cheese together in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and let sit covered for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

[Thursday Girl]

Originally Posted by Jenlaana

How do you get sour milk?

he he i fixed my original post it didn't lay out the way i typed it out.


but here it is again, you can use sourmilk in place of butter milk in recipes.

*sour milk
1Tbsp lemon juice or key lime (we have a key lime tree so we replace all lemon juice for this)
enough milk to make that 1 C
let sit 15 min

[Thursday Girl]

reviving this thread so more people will post yummy dishes

[wife&mommy]

OK this has to be close to $2 if you already have the spices... not sure on exact amount.

EatingWell Sweet Potatoes with Warm Black Bean Salad
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on
High until tender all the way to the center, 12 to 15 minutes.
(Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F until
tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.)
2. Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine beans, tomatoes,
oil, cumin, coriander and salt; microwave on High until just heated
through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over
medium heat.)
3. When just cool enough to handle, slash each sweet potato
lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center and spoon the bean
mixture into the well. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a
sprinkle of cilantro.

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ease of preparation: Easy

Per serving: 295 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 6 mg
cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrate; 8 g protein; 9 g fiber; 572 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (450% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv),
Fiber (38% dv), Folate (25% dv), Iron (15% dv), Potassium (15% dv).

Source: EatingWell Make It Tonight

[rainbowmoon]

cheap comfort food!

cubed corn bread with milk poured over it served w/ baked beans on the side.

I discovered this from another message board. my kiddos just absolutely love it and it's super cheap!

[wife&mommy]

OK I just made a list of all the meals here so I could see what all was available. I just thought I'd post it in case someone else is like me and likes to see it all together.

Rice & Beans
Lentil Soup & Homemade Bread
Leftovers
Salmon Patties
Pasta w/ tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, feta, and salt
Brown Rice & Corn in broth with tomato paste (add spices to make southwestern soup)
Pancakes
Black Bean & Cheese Tortillas
Peanut Butter Chicken & Rice
Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Rice and Bean Burritos
Homemade Pizza
Quiche
Turkey & Rice Soup w/ Bread
Hummus & Homemade chips
Homemade Sushi
Salad
Beef & Barley Soup
Pea Soup
Buckwheat and Bean chili
Fried Potato Sandwiches
Fried Rice
Fried Chinese Noodles
Ham & Bean Soup
Rice & Sausage
Pinto Beans & Corn Bread
Bean Burritos with Chips & Salsa
Pasta w/ Olive Oil & Garlic (add cherry tomatoes and parm cheese)
Lentils & Rice w/ Carrots & Onion
Mac N Cheese w/ tuna
Chicken w/ Egg Noodles
Hamburger Helper
Spaghetti
Pasta Salad
Cereal
Pinto Beans w/ Smoked Sausage
Puffed Oven Pancake
Egg Burritos
Sloppy Joes w/ Lentiles
Lentils & Rice topped w/ Onion
Bean, Veggie, Cheese, & Cornbread Casserole
Veggie Pie
spicy peanut noodles
Strata
Pasta with homemade tomato sauce
Red beans and rice
Coconut milk-based curries over rice
Stir-fries
bean and cheese quesadillas
bean, potato, or lentil soups
"2nd day roast chicken" soup, or "2nd day roast chicken" stew over biscuits
Cornbread w/ Corn & Eggs casserole
Potato Dinner
Five Can Soup
Rice w/ broccoli & cauliflower
Veg. Chili and cornbread
Black bean soup and cornbread
lentil soup and biscuits or sourdough
Carrot ginger soup and biscuits or sourdough
Pinto bean soup with tortillas
Potato soup
Baked potatoes topped with leftover chili
Peasy Potatoes
Soup w/ spinach, eggs, & parm
Tomatoes & couscous
Potato Leek Soup
Spaghetti Pizza
Gumbo & Cornbread
Pork & Beans openface sandwich
Cheese & Bacon Dogs
Chili Dogs
Goulash
Mac N Cheese w/ Tomato Juice
Roasted potatoes & zucchini w/ parm on top
Mujadarrah
Tamale Casserole
Cabbage Rolls
Succotash
Eggs in white sauce on toast
Spaghetti Sauce
Meat & Potatoes w/ sauce
Chili & Cornbread
Turkey Linguine
Turkey Rice Dish
Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, & Veggie
Tukey on tortilla
Turkey & Biscuits
Turkey Soup
Egg Bake
French Bread Pizza
Potato Onion Omelet
French Onion Soup
Honey Baked Lentils
Peanut Butter Tofu
Peking Ravioli
Pasta with Pesto
Miso Soup
Rice, Salsa, Refried Beans, & cheese
kabocha squash, swiss chard, barley,maple syrup, fresh ginger, and teriyaki
Egg Nests
Chickpea Salad
Savory Cheese Cakes
Rotisserie Chicken in multiple Meals
Crockpot tomato sauce on pasta
Curries
Chicken & Veggie Soup
Corn Bake
Baked Ziti
Sloppy BOws
Fritata
Enchilada Sauce, Black Beans, Tortillas
Poor Man's Soup
Lentil, Chickpea, Rice Dish
Burritos w/ Salsa
Polenta & Blackbean Casserole
Taco Casserole
Potato Pancakes
Creamed Chicken
Brown Rice w/ carrots & broccoli
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Samosas
TVP Macaroni
Giant, Giant Pancake
Pasta Bean Soup
Jambalya
Tomato Soup with Dumplings
Bean Soup
Peanut Buttle, Apple, & Granola in tortilla
Hamburger Bun Pizza
Sopa de Fideos con Acelgas
Pizza Beans
Addasi
Pasta w/ broccoli
Pasta w/ canned tomatoes
Baked Beans & Biscuits
Pork Roast for multiple meals
Chickpeas w/ olive oil and cheese
Potato Wedges
Tofu & zucchini
Cabbage & apples
Apple Cinnamon Raisin Pancakes
Easy Spiced Lentils & Brown Rice
Sweet Potatoes with Warm Black Bean Salad
Cubed Cornbread w/ milk & baked Beans

[Canadianmommax3]

wow and thankyou!

[aiccerb]

Thx from me too Ive got to go back and ready now...I missed a few recipes.

[mum4boys]

Originally Posted by frogguruami

There was a lentil taco recipe posted recently that is very good. (Sorry I don't remember who posted it) I like to use it for burrito filling on homemade flour tortillas and a little cheese. (That one may end up being more than $2)

Here I was coming in to post my lentil recipe, okay so you have that one already.

Another favorite of mine is not the healthiest but the reason why I make it is because it reminds me of my grandma who use to make it all time during lent. Oh we only eat it during lent.

tuna patties. Canned tuna (4 for $1.00 during lent. Its always a loss leader item), bread crumbs, one egg, and seasoning, shape into 4 patties and fry.

Mac and cheese boxes (4 for $1.00 durning lent)

Canned Peas, 33 cents

stewed tomatoes in crackers which consist of stewed tomatoes, crushed up soda crackers and seasoning. I can get the tomatoes for 40 cents without a coupon and crackers 1/2 of a sleeve which cost 12 /12 cents.

So this meal is under a $1.00 during lent.

[nicoley73]

Here are two of my cheap meal staples:

West African Peanut Sauce

Saute half an onion. Add equal parts peanut butter and tomato paste - I use about 1/2 small can of tomato paste. Heat up one Maggi beef bullion cube in one cup of water and pour it in. It must be Maggi to be authentic. Mix and heat until simmering. I usually add in tofu, but if I'm being very cheap then it's boiled potato. Serve over rice.

Baked potato wedges and garlic mayonnaise

Peel potatoes and cut into wedges - 6-8 per potato. Toss with oil (I use olive oil), salt and pepper, and throw in some unpeeled garlic cloves. Bake in a 450 degree oven until crispy - you'll need to turn them once. Watch the garlic - it needs to come out when soft and it's usually done before the potatoes. Peel the garlic and mash into mayonnaise to use as dip. I serve it with a green salad - it's not a nutritionally complete meal but it's really yummy.

[LeahC]

:

I love this post. I love food and to cook, but hate how high our grocery bill can get. I feel like this is one expense that is under my control, kwim? We eat all of our meals at home (DH even takes leftovers to work for lunch), so while the grocery bill is justified, it still irks me when it is too high for my tastes.

I have a few cheap meals, but I am totally blanking on them right now. However, I will post them when I can think of them.

[katheek77]

Pasta w/Cream Cheese Sauce.
All prices are from this week.
This assumes you have these items (none are exotic). Obviously, if you're going out to buy a big ol' gallon of milk just for this recipe, it's not so cheap.

5 oz cream cheese -78 c (1.25 pkg on sale)
1/4-1/2 C milk -32c (using 1/2 C organic (5.19/gallon)
1 T margarine or butter 3-8c (marg. is 1.00 here, butter is about 2.50/pkg)
1 clove garlic, minced -say 5c (20-30c. head)
2 T grated parmesan - 25c (4.00 for 8oz -and that's kind of pricy)
1 lb pasta - .75 cents (doesn't really matter what kind -elbows, linguine, etc)
Or, you can make your own pasta w/two cups flour (10c), 3 eggs (25c), 1 tsp. salt (pennies), and some water. Under 40c total.

So, it's 2.23 if you buy your pasta and use a full 1/2 C of organic milk and real butter, but it comes in at 1.88 if you make your own pasta. Less if you use less milk and margarine

Saute garlic in butter. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese to garlic and heat gently - add milk, stir until heated through. If you like, add pepper/salt to taste. Cook pasta, drain. Add parmesan to sauce, toss with pasta.

[Cassifrass]

No real recipe for this... but here's my meal for tonight:

Crockpot pintos ($0.79 for one bag)
Cornbread muffins ($1.00 for cornbread mix)
Sliced tomatoes and whole green onions from neighbor's garden (free!)

[aircantu1]

one of my favourite pasta recipes is dirt cheap and really tasty....

1 can whole Italian tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can use fresh)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Penne noodles (or anyother noodle)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Reserving the liquid, drain can of italian Tomatoes. Spread tomatoes on a shallow pan and cut each in half (cut side up). Sprinkle with the crushed garlic, a tbsp of oil, salt and the basil. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.
3. In the last 10 minutes add the retained liquid that was in the can.
4. Boil pasta and cut feta into small cubes.
5. When tomatoes are finished baking they will be burnt a bit (that's what you want),transfer all to a small bowl and crush with fork. Add the rest of the oil.
6. Pour the tomato mixture hot pasta and toss.

I'm eating this right now and oh my gosh, YUM! Seriously delicious!

I copied someone else's idea of putting the tomatoes in the food processor after they cook and it's really good.

[aircantu1]

Taco Casserole

2 Cans Black Beans (.43 ea)
1 Can Yellow corn (.33)
1 Can Mexican-Style Diced Tomatoes (.50)
1 C. Rice (0.00 -- I usually get it free after coupons)
1 Pkt Taco Seasoning (.33, but I make mine from a recipe on allrecipes.com so really .20 or so for the spices at home which would bring the total to 1.89)
Water

Preaheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Dump all ingredients (including liquid in cans) except water into dish and mix. Add in a little bit of water (usually 1/4 c. to 1/2 c.) until the ratio of liquid to rice "looks right" (real scientific, I know!). Bake at 375, stirring every 15 mins, for about 45 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. If desired, top with cheese or nutritional yeast after last stirring.

This was dinner last night. Only I added 3/4 of a pound or so of ground beef. It was good too.

[RoundAbout]

I'm bumping this thread. Here is one of my new favorites - its a spicy tofu recipe. I pay $1.25 here for a large brick of tofu and buy ground pork here in the marked down meat bins when it is .99 cents a lb (so only $.25 for this recipe). The rest of the seasonings should be less than $0.50 if you buy on sale or in bulk. I serve it with plain white rice.

Mapo Dofu (Spicy Chinese Tofu):

* 3/4 pound firm tofu
* 1/4 pound ground pork

Marinade:
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* Pinch of cornstarch

Other:

* 1 clove garlic
* 2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
* 2 tablespoons black bean sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn or ground coriander

PREPARATION:
Drain the tofu and cut into cubes. Marinate the ground pork in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.

Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the ground pork. Stir-fry until the pork is nearly cooked through.

Lower the heat to medium, and add the brown bean sauce and the tofu cubes. Cook over medium heat until the tofu is browned (8 to 10 minutes). Add water or chicken broth as needed. Just before serving, sprinkle with the Szechuan peppercorn or ground coriander.