Do you find yourself in a bind and have no idea what to fix for the next meal? Pinching pennies and wondering how to stretch
that last bag of pasta one more day? Need to buy groceries but have little cash? What do you find yourself eating in times like these?
Share a comment with your idea of an inexpensive meal. Review the meals proposed by others and vote on them by propping their comment up. Meal ideas and recipes will be combined into a word document and sent to anyone who requests a copy.
At the end of the wish week, the submitter of the winning inexpensive meal comment will receive a $10 paypal donation from me to the account of their choice (be it yours or a needy friend). In the event of a tie, the $10 will be split. The decision on the donation of my $10 is totally mine and not subject to dispute.
If this wish should make it to the top and win, the $50 will be donated to 4leafcloverwishes, who inspired this wish.
Post those ideas and let's accumulate a stack of low cost choices for the lean $$ days. (more) 
Wish
Comments
Just out Troll hunting, though i would leave you a vote
Thanks to all who participated. When this week's voting ends, I will contact the person with the highest number of props and arange to send their paypal.
Hope you all found something here that you can use in your daily meal preparations.
Good luck to you and 5 stars
Corn Casserole
Corn Casserole
1 can creamed corn
1 cup grated cheese (or 1 cup cheese sauce)
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 cup uncooked macaroni
chopped onion
Cook and drain macaroni, add the rest of the ingredients and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
i would love to share a recipe but cannot think of one just now.
I Love it !
Ok I am going to do this I love this recipe. My kids love it too anything with ketchup is a hit with them.
Ketchup Loaf ( meatloaf)
1.5 lbs of Hamburger
1 cup oats (not the quick kind) I use the old fashion quaker or any generic
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 egg
salt and pepper
Mix all items above put in pan (love my instructions my mom showed me many years ago this recipe so I dont have it written) after you have in pan pour ketchup on the top. bake 350 for 55 min.
Also if this does win the money goes to fourleaf.
Edited on: Jun 18, 2007 12:04 pm
I was just thinking that I could probably whip up a PDF booklet of these recipes so that they are easily shareable...
5 for you. Please look at my wish
Disclaimer: I am in no way a great cook.
But my kids are always hungry when I get home from work, and want something FAST. This is what I often make them:
Ramen noodles with butter (or butter substitute) & parmesan:
Cook noodles 3 minutes in boiling water. Drain noodles. Throw away spice packet...no one needs that much sodium! Top with a dab of butter or butter substitute. (I like smart balance, myself...no trans fats, still tastes good.) Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Cost: Usually under 50c/serving, depending on how much cheese and butter you add! The noodles are typically only 10-15c/packet.
Time: Including time for water to boil, usually ~10-15 minutes.
I hope you'll share your ideas.
Good luck on your wish
Here's my 5!
Here's sending 5 stars your way!!
Shepherd's Pie
2 cans creamed corn
1 lb ground beef
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers(crumbled)~Any crackers on hand will work, Ritz taste best
Mashed Potatoes
===================================
Fix potaoes and mash as you normally would
brown ground beef and drain
in a casserole dish place crumbled Ritz crakers on the bottom
Put ground beef on top of crakers (spread out to cover crackers)
Pour both cans of creamed corn on top of ground beef (spread out and cover beef)
Now cover with Mashed Potatoes
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP and my kids and all thier friend LOVE this dish!!!!
Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can white chicken breast (any cooked chicken can be used)
4 cups cooked rice
1 package shredded cheese (preferrably cheddar)
1/2 cup breadcumbs
==================================
Mix above ingredients together, except breadcrumbs
Place in a casserole dish
sprinkle breadcrumbs on top
Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes
Delicious Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 6 to 8
1 t vegetable oil
2 c onion, chopped
8 c chicken broth (canned or homemade)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 t thyme
1/4 t pepper
2 - 3 large carrots, quartered and sliced thinly
2 - 3 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 lb boneless, skinless chick breasts, cubed
1 zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 T parsley, chopped
5 oz. dried wide egg noodles
In large pan, heat oil and cook onion until soft. Stir in broth, garlic, thyme, pepper, carrots, celery and chicken. Cover and simmer until carrots are barely tender and chicken is no longer pink (about 10 minutes). Stir in zucchini, tomato, parsley, and noodles. Cook until noodles are tender. Serve with homemade biscuits or other bread.
Here's the breakdown of what it costs me to make this meal:
1 large onion $0.20
4 cans low-fat chicken broth $2.88
3 cloves of garlic - pennies
3 carrots - pennies
3 stalks celery $0.43
1 lb chicken breasts $1.90
1 zucchini $0.81
1 small tomato $0.87
2 T parsley $0.25
Noodles $0.32
Approximate total cost: $7.75
Notes: You can use homemade chicken broth to cut the cost further, however I'd recommend adding a little chicken bouillion to pick up the taste of the homemade broth. This recipe freezes well, just bag and freeze it after you add all the vegetables, but without the noodles. 2 tsp. dried parsley can be subsituted for the fresh stuff.
Edited on: Jun 16, 2007 10:25 am
It is extremely cheap to buy the 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters at Walmart for under $5.00 and make 3-5 dishes out of it, depending on the size of your family.
[b]The cost of the chicken works out to less than .25 per serving! [/b]
You can roast them and then turn them into any of the following dishes or marinate and then roast. Serve with vegatbles, rice, potatoes or any side dish really.
Marinated Chicken (any fav marinade will work) Lemon butter, garlic chicken
Chicken Teriyaki
Chicken Pie
Chicken Salad for sandwiches
Chicken Casserole
Lemon Chicken
Sweet and sour chicken
Sweet Chicken with curry
Stir Fry Chicken
Orange Chicken
Chicken Curry Recipe!
Ingredients:
1pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces OR any chicken you prefer
1large green or red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1large onion, sliced
1large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2cup prepared mango chutney
1/4cup water
2tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2teaspoons curry powder
Hot cooked rice
Preparation:
1-Place chicken, bell pepper and onion in slow cooker. Top with tomato.
2-Mix chutney, water, cornstarch and curry powder in small bowl. Pour over chicken.
3-Cover; cook on LOW 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over rice.
Serves 4 - Cost $4.05 (if you buy the chicken as listed above in 10 pound bags) or $1.02 per serving
Edited on: Jun 16, 2007 11:07 am
I have some marinade recipes I am going to post before the week is over. They are good for when those leg quarters go on sale too.
Edited on: Jun 16, 2007 11:06 am
You can also cook certain dishes ahead of time and freeze in individual portions.
I have a friend who's mom would cook all their meals on Sunday and freeze them. He was living single and on a very small budget. He gave his mom $30.00 and she made him an entire months worth of food to go into the freezer. He would take out the tupperware or rubbermaid container and have home cooked food every day.
He brought his lunch to work like this and there were some awesome smelling dishes from mom!
I can't get to all the comments to prop but anyway ~ if mine is chosen please give the 10 bucks to 4leafclover.
I cook this one a lot because it feeds me for 4 days and so is very cheap.
You need a square casserole dish
1 packet wide flat pasta
1 can campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 lge can tuna
500g grated cheese (sorry don't know U.S. equivalent measure lol)
cook pasta and drain
butter casserole dish and place a layer of noodles, a layer of tuna, a layer of soup, a layer of cheese and then another layer of each.
bake in oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes (I think 180 is your 350?)
This is yummy and will feed at least 4 adults ~ enjoy :-)
We often have Cream of Leftover Soup.
Every leftover in the kitchen, chopped small if it's big, mixed with broth if I have it, water if I don't. If it needs body, add instant potatoes.
Last time I made it, I used 4 different leftover canned veggies, some meat loaf, some sausage gravy (breakfast leftovers), 2 slices of chopped up bologna, and some diced potatoes.
If you invest in some balsamic vinegar, it adds flavor and 'good tastiness' to almost anything, especially Cream of Leftovers!
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Beans and rice each have partial protein. Together, they DO make a complete protein. Do pinto beans with chili powder, a small amount of hamburger if you've got it (and onion and garlic) with rice and tortillas; Cajun red beans with cayenne and bay leaf (and onion and garlic) with rice and French bread (and a little sausage if you can afford it) and it's cheap and filling.
Did you ever see that episode of Malcolm in the Middle where he talks about his mom's Leftover Surprise Casserole? It was the funniest thing.
Good luck.
Okay mine may not fit the cheap recipe part. I just wanted to share some of my family's favorites!
Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad
1 bag of multicolored Rotini spiral pasta
1 can of black olives
1 can of sliced green olives
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup of diced ham
1 cup of diced dry Italian Salami
½ a medium sized red onion diced
1 bottle of your favorite Italian or Vinaigrette Salad dressing
Prepare the pasta by the directions on the bag. Typically add to water at a roiling boil and boil till fork tender which is typically 8-12 minutes. Rinse and drain pasta well. Then in a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients together and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled and then serve. This makes a great cool meal in the summer or a great side dish for picnics and serves a bunch of people.
Optional variations:
Add your favorite fresh vegetables the main ingredients are the salad dressing and the pasta. So use your imagination and use what you have on hand. My family loves this with fresh cucumber added and shredded carrots. And if pasta gets dry just add more dressing. The pasta will absorb some of the moisture from the dressing if you are making it the day before. You can also add any hard dry grated or shredded cheeses to it that you like.
Crock Pot Rice and Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
3 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of white rice
1 ½ cup of frozen peas and carrots
Cube and pan grill the chicken to sear the moisture and juices in the chicken. Put it in the crock pot with the rice and chicken stock, and canned soups. Set it on high and come back like 4 hours later to cooked rice and chicken. Mix in the peas and carrots and let simmer in the crock pot for another hour to heat the vegetables then serve.
Options: You can change up the vegetables if you like. Yellow squash and zucchini work well with this recipe too.
Soft Taco Soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 whole chicken
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
1 jar of salsa
4 tortillas
Boil the chicken till it falls off the bone. De-bone the chicken and remove the skin, save the chicken stock for use later in this recipe. In a large soup pot or crock pot combine all the ingredients but the tortillas and add 3 cups of chicken stock from when you cooked the chicken. Let it all simmer till well heated then tear the tortillas into smaller bite sized pieces and stir well. Simmer for about 10 minutes then serve.
Optional variations:
Add your favorite canned or frozen vegetables to it when you combine it all into the soup pot. My family’s favorites is frozen peas.
This can be prepared with a small box of Velveeta if you prefer.
If you are short on time or want a healthier version, cube some boneless chicken breasts and grill to set in the moisture and flavor of the meat and use it in the place of the shredded chicken and use canned chicken stock. I have also used that prepared cooked and cubed chicken in this recipe.
Omit the tortillas and serve over white rice.
Top with crunchy tortilla strips and sour cream or guacamole.
good luck
Good Luck!! Heres 5 more!
Please check out our wish and vote!!
Thank You!
Chicken Ole (okay, I don't know how to make the accented e) ?
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (with or without green chilies, I like it with!)
2 tbsp. chili powder (more or less, to taste)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small can black olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers (if you like it hot!)
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
Mix everything but the cheese in a bowl, then put in a baking dish. Make sure the corn/tomato mixture is covering the chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 mins, then sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 15.
I usually get a package of Taco rice mix for about a dollar, to serve as a side dish.
I love this meal!
Edited on: Jun 15, 2007 00:02 am
Here is one of my fiance's favs his mom made it all the time when he was growing up in the projects of Philly,PA
Alice's Macaroni Stew
Macaroni
dry onion soup mix
Boil the macaroni in water as you usually would except when you add the noodles add the dry onion soup mix. Let it cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed and noodles are soft.
Add
1 or 2 cans stewed tomatoes ( these can be plain or flavored according to your preferance, you can also use whole, or chopped depending on what you like)
and Mozerella cheese add as much or as little as you have on hand. Stir until cheese melts.
Very filling and good dish to serve on cold nights or when your kid invites the whole football team or cheerleading squad to dinner :)
PS one night I even added a chopped up kilbasa sausage to stretch it
Blessings,
Misty
well one time i only had 5 onoins 1 small london broil a bag of shredded chedder chese and some flour tortias . i worked in a deli for years and thought if i was at work what could i do with these , i chopped the meat up in very small skinny pieces and cooked it untill it was done choped the onions and put that in to cook with the meat when that was done i added the chese i put like 2 table spoons in each rap and made pouches you can put rice on the pouch also, my kids loved this and it was the only food i had in the house at the time , i was worried they would not like it , just shareing love kelly