Meals on the Cheap - under $2 meal ideas - Page 3

[kathirynne]

Non-dairy version?

Originally Posted by Needle in the Hay

...Veggie Pie:
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.

Do you think soy milk would work? (And can I omit the cheese?)

This sounds yummy , but we're dairy free!

[bdavis337]

Fried rice w/leftover chicken, meat, etc.
big noodle dish w/veggies
potato dinner - stiry fry up some onion, carrot, etc. and use it to top your baked potato. PUt a bit of cheese, sour cream or what have you and if you have leftover chicken or similar, all the better. Use a big potato and you enough for two people.

[zmom]

Originally Posted by kathirynne

Do you think soy milk would work? (And can I omit the cheese?)

This sounds yummy , but we're dairy free!

I use soy milk when I cook - we don't buy regular milk so anything something calls for milk, I sub soy - as long as it isn't vanilla flavored! I've made lots of veggie pies using soy milk...

[MelanieMC]

Pancakes is a staple around here! I live in an area w/an abundance of blueberries when they're in season, so we can get them very cheap and have blueberry pancakes often!

I found this recipe a couple of years ago, and every time I've made it ppl ask for the recipe.

Five Can Soup
1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes (any brand really)
1 can of chili with beans
1 can whole kernal corn
1 can vegtable beef soup (or just veggie if you don't want the beef)
1 can of tomato soup

Combine all cans into one pot and heat until warm, or cook in the crock pot. This can be served with corn chips or cornbread. All of the ingredients are very cheap to buy - usually I can get all of it at a dollar store 4 cans for $1.

When we make it we double the recipe, so it's really 10 can soup (and we usually have leftovers, which are good). It's yummy and very filling. Sometimes we eat it over cornbread as a soup, or we dip it with corn chips.

[~Megan~]

boil brown rice with frozen brocolli & cauliflower with added garlic and broth. Add curry and a bit of shredded cheese.

[Red]

bumping cause some of us need it!

[twogreencars]

Originally Posted by paxye

Other cheap favs are
- tomato and Barley soup

Can you post the recipe for the tomato and barley soup? Thanks!

[twogreencars]

Originally Posted by LuvMyLittles

Lentil Soup and homemade bread.

What recipe do you use for lentil soup? Thanks!

[Attila the Honey]

We have alot of "bean soup +bread" type meals:

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

Also:
Potato soup
Baked potatoes topped with leftover chili.

I just bought a 50lbs bag of potatoes for 5 dollars, so our under $2 meals will be potato based for awhile. I am making knishes today (to eat with lentil soup).

[PumpkinSeeds]

The best cheap and easy lentil soup:

olive oil
1 large chopped onion
2-3 garlic cloves chopped
2 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. ground cumin seed
1 bell pepper or chili pepper chopped
2 cups lentils
6 cups water or stock
1 can chopped tomatos
juice from one lemon
salt and pepper


Heat some oil in a pot. Add onion, garlic, coriander, cumin and bell pepper and saute over medium low heat for 10 minutes (sometimes I do even 15 minutes).

Add lentils, water and tomatos. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmer for 45 minutes.

Take soup off heat and add lemon juice, salt and pepper.


You can add any vegetables with the lentils, water and tomato. I sometimes clean out the veg drawer with this soup.

[amyamanda]

Here's my cheap lentil stew recipe, which gets rave reviews every time I serve it (even to company, LOL):

1 c brown lentils
1/4 c brown rice
1 med onion, chopped
1-2 cups carrots, chopped small
1-1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
4 c water or broth (5 c if you prefer it "soupy")

Saute onion in bottom of large pot in a little oil. When onion is soft and getting brown, add water and then add other ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook until the rice is soft (maybe 45 min? though it isn't hurt by longer cooking). That's it. It's even better as leftovers.

[amyamanda]

Probably my cheapest meal:

Peasy Potatoes

Saute several sliced onions (or leeks, if you grow them) in the bottom of a large stockpot in a bit of oil or fat. When they are soft and turning brown, add water - or broth if you have it! - and a few pounds of chopped potatoes (peeled is yummier but unpeeled is fine). Water should just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, then turn down and simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain off most of the water (save it, though!) and mash potatoes and onions together. (Leave it a little lumpy for texture, if you like, so you can enjoy the onions.) Add a little of the potato water back in at a time if you need it to make the potatoes creamier. Mash in some margarine or butter if you have it (optional). Salt to taste.

Serve in a big mound with gently heated frozen peas piled on top. Sprinkle pepper on top if you like pepper.

We sometimes also serve this with eggs, but the peas are sufficient protein without them.

[PennyRoo]

I often make a soup where I simmer veggie broth, then add a package of chopped spinach, then stir in a couple of beaten eggs. Sprinkle in a handful of grated parm, add a few grinds of pepper, and it's done!

(PS If I have it on hand I sometimes add a few frozen shrimp along with the eggs. You could also add some leftover shredded chicken or turkey if you eat it.)

[chel]

tomatoes and couscous

make couscous
(2/3c couscous and 3/4c water)

tomatoes - simmer below stuff together till couscous is done then put on top of couscous

1 can diced tomatoes
1TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS lemon juice
garlic powder to taste
sprinkles of crushed red pepper

Dh hates this dish but will be traveling most of the week so a get a whole week of cheap and healthy food.
dd is living in fear

[Red]

Potato leek soup

Simply chicken broth, (2 qts) make your own from leftovers, in which you cook 4 or 5 potatoes. When nearly done, add 2 chopped leeks. Cook till leeks are done. Push through a strainer or mash, or whip, or use your blender. Return to pan, add milk or cream or half and half. (you can decide how much!) Add LOTS of black pepper! Serve with homemade bread. Very filling and delicious!


Left over turkey or chicken, onion, uncooked white rice, fresh broc, twice as much chicken broth as rice. Put in a casserole, bake at 350 till broth is absorbed, about 30 minutes. (way better than it sounds!)

Top any casserole with cornbread batter, time depends on teh corn bread recipe. makes it tasty and more filling.

Any pot pie made with leftovers.

Pasta and sauce. Just heard that pasta is .69 a pound at Trader Joes.

[lilgsmommy]

Spaghetti Pizza

It rounds out to around $2 for the meal if you have most of the stuff in your house already.

1/2 spaghetti noodles (broke in half)
1 can of jar of spaghetti sauce (or homemade if you have some on hand or frozen)
2 eggs
8-10 turkey sausage meatballs ( I buy 2lbs of the turkey sausage a month, make meatballs and freeze them for meals)
1 cup shredded cheese

Boil noodles. In a bowl wisk the 2 eggs add a little salt and then add the cooked and drained noodles. Mix well, and pour into a greased cake pan. Spread evenually. Pour sauce on top and spread evenlly. Chop up the meatballs into fourths and toss on top of the sauce. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until cheese starts to brown around the edge.

[twogreencars]

Originally Posted by Red

... Just heard that pasta is .69 a pound at Trader Joes.

What is pasta per pound at the grocery store (ie. Fry's, Safeway, Albertsons, etc.) ??? I thought Trader Joe's was more expensive for pasta. My DH says no more TJ's for me... I'm having TJ withdrawal!

[Red]

On sale pasta is 3 boxes for $2. here, so .66 cents. When it' snot on sale, it's $.99 a box.

They also have qts of sauce for .99 at tj's. Cnas of tomatoes cost me more than that.

Anther thread was just mentioning Angel foods and Serve. THought I'd \mention them here. You buy a box of food for about $25 and it's FULL of great stuff. You'll have to do a search, though I did one a few years ago, I'll see if I can turn in up.

[2 in August]

Originally Posted by mat4mel

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.

I used to make that with some hot dogs (I know, I know, I said used to, lol) chopped up in it and a sprinkle of cheese on top.


I just made Gumbo and cornbread a couple days ago. I used a Zatarran's mix for $1.45 (would be cheaper if I looked up the spices and made my own). I add extra water and rice (only $1 for a big bag at Aldi's and I only use part of it). Then I did a Jiffy cornbread mix $.39. I had chicken in the freezer that I had gotten b1g1free so the 2pcs I added didn't cost me much and when they were cooked I chopped them into tiny bits.

[Dezimber]

chili dogs- my nephew adds the cheese into the chili while it is heating up

cheese and bacon dogs- partially split a weiner lengthwise then carefully add small pieces of chedder in the split, wrap a slice of bacon(may be partially cooked as long as it isn't too crisp) in a sprial manner use wood toothpicks to secure bacon. Heat in the oven until cheese melts. may be served with or without a bun.

Pork & Beans openface sandwich- layer beans, cooked bacon, and chedder or american cheese. heat in oven until beans are warm and cheese is melted.