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

[rgarlough]

Ham & 15 Bean Soup

I'm making it on Sunday in the crockpot. Got a bag of beans, mine is called 15 Bean but there are other varieties = $1.09. Got a 3 pack of smoked ham hocks although they can be left out for a veg dish. I'm using 1 for this batch = $.60/hock. I have carrots, celery, and onion already. I have a large crockpot and this one batch will be enough for all 5 of us for Sunday dinner and leftovers for my work lunches for a few days. I'll also use my bread machine and make a hearty winter bread with molasses, ww flour, flax, egg & cornmeal. My homemade bread is less then $.20/loaf since I purchased all the stuff in bulk.

[Starr]

Cheapest meal I have found is pancakes. We usually have them for supper once every two weeks just because they are easy to have on hand and quick to make. Also make all in one meal hot dishes and you can have leftovers.

[rachelagain]

Thought of another one:
Rice & Sausage
I have tons of variations to this, but normally I buy the hotdog shaped polish or smoked sausage, here I can get the big package for about $4- which makes at least 4 meals.
Cook 2 cups rice.
quarter and dice 4 sausage (or 1-2 c. other meat, hamburger, chicken, etc)
add any veggies you like: (1-4 c.)
cabbage, broc. zuke, carrots, onion, bell pepper, swiss chard, etc.
Fry the sausage and veggies
when mostly cooked add rice and about 6 eggs- beaten, stir until eggs are cooked, can cover and set on low for the veggies to "steam".
Kind of a fried rice dish, I guess.

[sophmama]

In general, any recipes that contain mostly:

Rice
Beans (dried are cheapest and there are a lot of varieties)
eggs
veggies

and don't use a lot of expensive meats are cheap. (I also use 1/4 lb. of meat where recipes call for 1 lb.)

I've decided to switch to powdered milk for cooking - save $.

[bamamom]

In the South, this is a Staple meal..

Pinto Beans and Cornbread...Lucks Pintos are 49c a can, and bag ones are even cheaper.

and we like

bean burritos with chips and salsa from the local discount grocery outlet

[melissel]

Originally Posted by sophmama

In general, any recipes that contain mostly:

Rice
Beans (dried are cheapest and there are a lot of varieties)
eggs
veggies

This reminds me of my DH's all-time favorite meal (for breakfast, lunch, or dinner)--black beans and rice in any form with an over-easy egg or two over top. The egg yolk breaks down into the beans and rice, which at first, I thought was soooo gross. Boy, was I wrong

I posted a similar version of this on another thread, but sometimes I combine one can of corn (drained, or an equal amount frozen or fresh, cooked), one can of black beans (drained), and half a jar or a whole jar of salsa, heat it all up in a pot, and combine it with rice. Then dish it out and put the eggs over top. We also add a liberal dose of Tabasco on top !

[annekevdbroek]

This website is good for frugal meals:

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm

[doublesnap]

Simple pasta tossed with olive oil and garlic, I add some cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

It's easy to make tons at a time and bring to work the next day.

[marybethorama]

I cooked some lentils and rice with some carrots and onion. I did add spices since I already had them. They were okay but kind of bland TBH.

So today I mixed the leftovers with some Italian dressing to make a cold salad.

It was delicious. I had to stop myself from eating it all myself.

I did add some black olives (half a can) which may put it over 2 dollars but not by much since the lentils and rice were so cheap.

[USAmma]

Originally Posted by marybethorama

I cooked some lentils and rice with some carrots and onion. I did add spices since I already had them. They were okay but kind of bland TBH.

We just had this for dinner! It was $2 something for the package of mixed yellow/green split peas, one onion, 2 carrots, and I cooked it in veggie broth and some Italian spices and salt. It was pretty good, and we have enough left over for my lunch tomorrow, and 1/3 of the package of peas is still in the bag.

[grisandole]

veggie fried rice is another one (I keep soy sauce on hand so I don't count the cost of it in the ingredients).....just cook some rice, put some oil in a pan, add chopped veggies or frozen veggies of your choice, stir in the rice, add some soy sauce, yummy! I usually add scrambled eggs (for protein) and whatever frozen veggies I have on hand.

[Red]

Nori at Wholefoods is about $5 for 10 sheets. (organic)

Hannaford has them (non-organic) for $1.99, for 10 sheets.

ASK your store to order them for you. Most large grocery stores are willing to order anything you'd like.

[MOM2ANSLEY]

Originally Posted by rgarlough

I'm making it on Sunday in the crockpot. Got a bag of beans, mine is called 15 Bean but there are other varieties = $1.09. Got a 3 pack of smoked ham hocks although they can be left out for a veg dish. I'm using 1 for this batch = $.60/hock. I have carrots, celery, and onion already. I have a large crockpot and this one batch will be enough for all 5 of us for Sunday dinner and leftovers for my work lunches for a few days. I'll also use my bread machine and make a hearty winter bread with molasses, ww flour, flax, egg & cornmeal. My homemade bread is less then $.20/loaf since I purchased all the stuff in bulk.

Yep we do that, but instead of hamhocks, I buy frozen bowls of ham pieces from Heavenly Ham....when they get overstocked they are bogo free...
Lots of yummy meat, already cut up.... cheap and easy

we also have mac-n-cheese with canned tuna and a can of sweet peas....Really yummy

or chicken with egg noodles

love the salmon patty idea

Hamburger helper is a staple around here -DH is a hunter so its usually deerburger helper

spagetti - maybe a little over $2 but we have enough for 2 meals so I guess it counts

Pasta salad(use left over veggies)

Cereal:

Pinto beans with smoked sausage in them

....Why is my grocery bill so high

[Let It Be]

First post ever - woo hoo!

Here's a variation on the pancake idea (still cheap, but not as heavy):

Puffed Oven Pancake

2 tbs butter
3 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. orange marmalade (or substitute any flavor jelly, jam, syrup, etc.)
sliced fruit (fresh or frozen)

Put butter in a 10 inch skillet or small round cake pan. Place in 400 deg. oven until butter melts. Meanwhile, beat eggs and add flour, milk, and salt. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake for 20-25 min (well browned).

In a separate saucepan, melt the marmalade or jam or warm the syrup over low heat. Cut the large pancake into wedges, cover with sliced fruit, and add warm topping. Also top with powdered sugar, if desired.

[nannymom]

Egg burritos

Scrambled eggs with cheese and slasa on whole wheat tortilla
Dirt cheap and packed with nutrition

[zmom]

Here's a couple:

lentils and rice - the trick is to top it with an onion or two that have been carmelized. Sounds super plain but the onion really adds a lot!
* * * * *

Also, there's a casserole that is cheap and easy. When I have leftover beans, I put them in a layer on the bottom of a casserole dish. Then I saute whatever veggies I happen to have in the fridge and layer them next. If I have cheese, I'll grate some and put that next. Then finish with a layer of cornbread mix. Cook according to the cornbread directions. You can top the cornbread batter with cheese too.

* * *

Oh, one more - I make sloppy joes with lentils. (We're vegetarian.) Cook 1/2 a pound of lentils then follow the directions for the sloppy joe mix. We put it on whatever bread we have around or I'll buy a pack of the buns at the store and freeze them so we have them available when we make sloppy joes. It's a one pot meal and it's cheap.

[t_etc]

Great thread, thanks for the ideas everyone! Bamamom, how do you prepare your pinto beans?

[Needle in the Hay]

I second homemade pizza. I try to make it once a week.

Another cheapie is Veggie Pie. I haven't made it in a while but should soon.
You mix:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

Pour batter into a buttered pie plate. Put in 3 cups or so of cooked veggies (season them first with salt, pepper, herbs, whatever), leaving a strip around the edge of the pie plate for the crust. Cook in preheated 400 F oven until it starts to become golden, top with some grated cheese and put back in oven until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

[alsoSarah]

spicy peanut noodles
Strata or Quiche
Pasta with homemade tomato sauce
(I make a big batch so that I can freeze a couple of quarts)
Red beans and rice
Coconut milk-based curries over rice
Homemade pizza
Stir-fries or fried rice
bean and cheese quesadillas
bean, potato, or lentil soups
"2nd day roast chicken" soup, or "2nd day roast chicken" stew over biscuits

[snuffles]

I got this recipe from MDC a while back. It is really yummy.

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kernal corn (do not drain)

Mix all of the ingredients, bake in 13x9 pan at 350 for an hour.