[*Topic Closer*]

I need really cheap recipes to make this week. I need to try to buy the weeks meals for around 20.00. So far I have a recipe dbf's mom used to cook which is just cut up hot dogs and potato slices cooked together with seasonings. Any more suggestions?!

[sugail]

You can get a package of spaghetti and a can of Hunts sauce for very little. Buy a head of lettuce for about $1.00 and store brand Italian dressing. Or just serve a can of green beans with the pasta.

This post has been edited by sugail: 24 May 2010 - 10:11 AM

[jenilyn]

Living and luving it, on 24 May 2010 - 10:04 AM, said:

I need really cheap recipes to make this week. I need to try to buy the weeks meals for around 20.00. So far I have a recipe dbf's mom used to cook which is just cut up hot dogs and potato slices cooked together with seasonings. Any more suggestions?!

2 boxes of pasta-roni + 2 cans of tuna. prepare pasta according to directions on box, mix in tuna, top with shredded cheese & breadcrumbs. Bake @350 for 15-20 min.

cheese pizza- box pizza crust mix, pizza sauce & mozz. cheese

sloppy joes

[Póg mo thóin]

chicken & stuffing bake.

1 or 2 breasts of chicken, cooked and diced (or a large can of cooked chicken)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (you can use american slices if you have it.)

1 box stove top (I use walmart brand, which is about 1.00), cooked per directions.

mix chicken and stuffing together & bake it in a casserole dish w/ cheese on top for about 15 minutes at 375.

I serve it with a can of green beans or corn.

(alternatively, if you want it all in one casserole, you can add peas, corn, green beans into the dish too.)

[Happy Wife And Mom]

Póg mo thóin, on 24 May 2010 - 10:16 AM, said:

chicken & stuffing bake.

1 or 2 breasts of chicken, cooked and diced (or a large can of cooked chicken)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (you can use american slices if you have it.)

1 box stove top (I use walmart brand, which is about 1.00), cooked per directions.

mix chicken and stuffing together & bake it in a casserole dish w/ cheese on top for about 15 minutes at 375.

I serve it with a can of green beans or corn.

(alternatively, if you want it all in one casserole, you can add peas, corn, green beans into the dish too.)

We do that one with frozen broccoli baked in.

[Super Girl]

Bags of dried beans are really cheap. I will cook an entire bag at one time, then freeze 1 cup servings i ziploc bags. Beans can be used for several cheap meals.

[naturegirl]

My mom used to make this for us all the time when we were little. There were six of us.

Ground meat (about 1 lb)

2 cans of canned tomatoes (15 oz) or 1 can of tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz)

Salt, pepper and garlic to taste

1 lb of elbow macaroni

Brown the ground meat, drain fat. Meanwhile cook the macaroni according to package directions. Add meat, tomatoes and seasonings to macaroni and cook about 10 minutes. Serve with salad and bread, of course we didn't have the salad or bread.

[Happy Wife And Mom]

naturegirl, on 24 May 2010 - 10:30 AM, said:

My mom used to make this for us all the time when we were little. There were six of us.

Ground meat (about 1 lb)

2 cans of canned tomatoes (15 oz) or 1 can of tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz)

Salt, pepper and garlic to taste

1 lb of elbow macaroni

Brown the ground meat, drain fat. Meanwhile cook the macaroni according to package directions. Add meat, tomatoes and seasonings to macaroni and cook about 10 minutes. Serve with salad and bread, of course we didn't have the salad or bread.

Add some green pepper to that and you get what my mom called goulash.

[naturegirl]

Happy Wife And Mom, on 24 May 2010 - 10:32 AM, said:

Add some green pepper to that and you get what my mom called goulash.

Yep, that's what we called it. But I don't think I liked green pepper then.

[MrsB]

Tuna casserole

1 can of tuna, drained.
1 box of mac & cheese
Shredded cheese
Frozen peas

Cook mac and cheese according to package direction. Add tuna and peas (however many you like) and a handful or two of cheese. Pour into a casserole dish, and top with a handful of cheese. Bake at 375 def until the cheese is melted and the dish is heated thru.

[sugail]

Happy Wife And Mom, on 24 May 2010 - 10:32 AM, said:

Add some green pepper to that and you get what my mom called goulash.

I think if you add some cheddar cheese to that it would be like Johnny Marzetti we used to have in the school cafeteria. Loved it.

[Happy Wife And Mom]

naturegirl, on 24 May 2010 - 10:34 AM, said:

Yep, that's what we called it. But I don't think I liked green pepper then.

Oh God, neither did I
(cooked anyway)

[jenilyn]

A staple in my house growing up- Grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup

[sugail]

jenilyn, on 24 May 2010 - 10:36 AM, said:

A staple in my house growing up- Grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup

That one's always good.

[naturegirl]

You can also see if anyone has ham on sale, you can do a lot of things with ham. From soup to beans.

jenilyn, on 24 May 2010 - 10:36 AM, said:

A staple in my house growing up- Grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup

We loved that!!

My kids ate a lot of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs. They thought I cooked it so often because they liked it so much.

[GGinGA]

Living and luving it, on 24 May 2010 - 10:04 AM, said:

I need really cheap recipes to make this week. I need to try to buy the weeks meals for around 20.00. So far I have a recipe dbf's mom used to cook which is just cut up hot dogs and potato slices cooked together with seasonings. Any more suggestions?!

My mom's family was famous for making these. They called them "dickey D's" for some unknown reason. They cooked them with onion, green pepper and chili powder. They weren't too bad, either! Cracked me up to see that another family does "dickey D's"!!

This post has been edited by GGinGA: 24 May 2010 - 11:07 AM

[onlyA]

Clicky the link

[Happy Wife And Mom]

ajh, on 24 May 2010 - 11:12 AM, said:

Clicky the link

Great. I think we can all benefit from that. I've blown my months budget buying tons of fresh produce.

This post has been edited by Happy Wife And Mom: 24 May 2010 - 11:17 AM

[Oh No Its Me]

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

1 or 2 chicken breasts (cooked ahead of time, I cook mine in crock pot)
2 cans Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 can corn
1 large potato
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Pre-cook chicken, shred or cube....toss in casserole dish......cube the potato and cook that too....toss in casserole dish with chicken. Add in can of corn (drain the water first) and the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup mix together......mix up the corn muffin mix and spoon on top....bake for about 30 mins



Beef Stew
1 package stew meat (about a pound I think)
1 can corn
1 or 2 potatoes (I prefer to cube mine and cook half way ahead of time)
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans french onion soup
2 tbs worcestershire sauce (if you have it)

Toss all in a crock pot on high and let it cook itself

[onlyA]

Happy Wife And Mom, on 24 May 2010 - 11:15 AM, said:

Great. I think we can all benefit from that. I've blown my months budget buying tons of fresh produce.

There are tons of really delicious recipes on there.

The even more plus side - most of them are super easy, too.

[EJ78]

Very cheap "stir fry"Rice, sauteed carrots, pork and soy sauce. Put the carrots in a pan with some oil, fry until a little soft, add pork until cooked through, mix with cooked rice and add soy sauce to taste.

My mom used to make this for us all the time, and my kids love it. You can also put ground beef instead of pork, and add any other veggies you may have. I like to add spinach, broccoli, bean sprouts, etc---but it is good with just the 4 basic ingredients.


Homemade mac and cheese

Boil one box of elbows, drain, add cheez whiz until mixed good. Put in a casserole dish, with crunched up saltine crackers on top. Cook until crackers are starting to brown. You can use any cheese, but some you will have to add milk.

[surepip]

A $1 bag of lentils and a couple of strips of bacon with some cornbread will feed 5......or split peas.

[MrsB]

1 can corned beef (in can)

1 lb linguine cooked

1 can cream mushroom soup

8oz sour cream

Black pepper to taste



Cook the noodles. Mix the corned beef, soup and sour cream together. You might want to add a little milk to thin it out cause it thickens when you bake it. Add your pepper to taste (we like it peppery). Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes to heat through.

I think all of this only costs about $4.00 and will feed more than four easily.

[KRM]

here are a couple web sites.....

http://busycooks.abo...asy_Cooking.htm


http://www.rachaelra...or-less-recipes

The Rachael Ray ones look really good!!! I'm gonna have to try them!

[*Topic Closer*]

Thought I would just give this a bump. Good ideas in here!

Oh No Its Me, on 24 May 2010 - 11:16 AM, said:

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

1 or 2 chicken breasts (cooked ahead of time, I cook mine in crock pot)
2 cans Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 can corn
1 large potato
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Pre-cook chicken, shred or cube....toss in casserole dish......cube the potato and cook that too....toss in casserole dish with chicken. Add in can of corn (drain the water first) and the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup mix together......mix up the corn muffin mix and spoon on top....bake for about 30 mins



Beef Stew
1 package stew meat (about a pound I think)
1 can corn
1 or 2 potatoes (I prefer to cube mine and cook half way ahead of time)
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans french onion soup
2 tbs worcestershire sauce (if you have it)

Toss all in a crock pot on high and let it cook itself

How long does this need to be in the crockpot?

[flossy]

cheeseburger macaroni
cheese quesadillas

[Squiggle]

When I was younger and on a VERY strict grocery budget, I found out that it was much less expensive to make simple things than casseroles and such. They always seemed to need things added that added to my grocery bill. For instance, hamburgers were cheaper than tatertot casserole. Baked chicken with rice and a can of green beans was cheaper than chicken pot pie. I would cook a whole chicken in the crockpot, take the meat off and make a pot of chicken and rice with half and chicken tacos with the other half. A can of salmon is cheap, too. Salmon patties, mac and cheese or cheese grits and a can of spinach was a very inexpensive meal. And check grocery stor ads and be a cherry picker. Just get the DEALS!

[gaheart]

You can also fix a roast in the crock pot and roast will make at least a couple of meals. Place medium size roast in crock pot, pour a bottle of Heinz Chili sauce (like a spicy ketshup), and pour one can coke on top. Cook in the crock pot 6 to 8 hours on low until done. It makes a wonderful tasting sauce. You can also add vegetables in the pot too.

You can also fix ramens noodles and leave some of the water in the pot. While it is still on the stove, mix in a scrammbled egg and keep stirring until the egg cooks (it won't take long). Then remove from the heat and add in the seasoning packet. This makes a quick egg drop kind of soup.

Also do beef and cabbage and make jiffy cornbread to go along with it. All you do is chop up the cabbage, boil it, drained the water but leave a little water in the pot, add some butter and add a can of corned beef. Heat a little longer to heat up the beef. Tastes wonderful and is really cheap to make.

[LisaC]

Chicken two ways.... I don't have an exact recipe for this, it's just one of those things I just do.

First, buy a whole chicken (not cut up). This also works well with if you buy a pre-cooked herb roasted chicken from Kroger, but I usually make my own because they tend to overcook the chicken and the meat is dry.

Night 1: Oven Roasted Chicken
Roast in the oven and season salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves. Have for dinner with your favorite veggies.

Save the carcas and any leftover chicken.

Night 2: Chicken Noodle or Chicken w/Rice Soup
Next day, put leftover chicken carcas and pieces into a large pot with 1 or 2 cans of chicken broth. Use broth can to add two more cans of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and and season to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes and then add either egg noodles or rice to the pot and cook until done. (You can also add whole cream to the soup to make the broth a little richer).

I also like to make a big pot roast or pork roast. Roast one night, shredded bbq beef or pork the next.

[Madea]

http://www.kraftreci...nners/main.aspx

[sugail]

Squiggle, on 18 August 2010 - 12:35 PM, said:

When I was younger and on a VERY strict grocery budget, I found out that it was much less expensive to make simple things than casseroles and such. They always seemed to need things added that added to my grocery bill. For instance, hamburgers were cheaper than tatertot casserole. Baked chicken with rice and a can of green beans was cheaper than chicken pot pie. I would cook a whole chicken in the crockpot, take the meat off and make a pot of chicken and rice with half and chicken tacos with the other half. A can of salmon is cheap, too. Salmon patties, mac and cheese or cheese grits and a can of spinach was a very inexpensive meal. And check grocery stor ads and be a cherry picker. Just get the DEALS!

I prefer simple things. I like to saute chicken in butter and olive oil and just have that with frozen green beans. My family doesn't like to eat that way though. Also I like angel hair pasta with olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese. That sounds good right now. I would love to have some salmon patties, haven't had any in years. But my family won't eat any fish.

[PauldingMom]

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
Take the big outter leaves of the cabbage and blanch them.
Brown ground beef, add canned tomatoes or fresh. season with Italian seasoning. add cooked rice, roll it up Burrito style in the cabbage leaves. Place in Casserole dish and add more tomatoes on top or use tomato sause. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes.
You can also stuff big Zucchini this way. Just slice about 3 inch sections, remove seeds and stuff.

[Werd Nerd]

Here's a great youtube channel. Her name is Clara and she's 94 years old. She has a series and cookbook for depression era cooking. Very big, filling, and inexpensive meals.

[KRM]

I just got this in an email from a friend. Looks tasty and cheap!


Green Chile Stew

1 lb hamburger (I usually use 85 cause it tastes better but if you want you can use leaner )
1/2 a small onion chopped finely
2-3 large potatoes, chopped (red or yukon gold. russets fall apart)
green chiles (whatever hotness you like. either 2 small cans or 2-3 fresh chiles roasted, peeled and chopped)
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic (if you use fresh 1-2 cloves)
1 T butter
1/4-1/2 t ground pepper
salt to taste
water


In a large saucepan saute onion until translucent, add garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant. Add hamburger and brown evenly, stirring to break it up. Once it is brown, add potatoes. (you can saute for a couple min if you want them browned a little, or not your choice. Tastes good both ways.) Add water to cover, add chiles and boil until potatoes are cooked through.

[Monkeytail]

Bird's nest: 1lb of cooked ground beef mixed with one can of baked beans served over a bed of rice.

Hubby's mother used to make this when he was little and he LOVES it. My kids all love it too.

[feelip]

Okay, I don't give this out much. This is my recipe for Chicken Sh*t, a family favorite.

1 can of chicken breast, sauteed in olive oil with some rosemary, pepper, lemon pepper and whatever spices you like. Pour over noodles and drizzle with olive oil.

[MrsB]

Mac & Cheese and Beenie Weenies

1 box mac and cheese
1 can of baked beans
2 hotdogs sliced up

Make mac and cheese. Heat up beans with hot dogs. Mix. Sounds gross, but it is really yummy. One of my favs as a kid and super cheap, too. It makes a lot.

Pot Roast/Veggie soup

1 pot roast (I don't know what cut I get - I just know what it looks like)
Couple of carrots
1 onion
1 or two potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 or 2 garlic cloves or minces garlic or garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste (peppercorns if you have them)
1 Bay leaf

Put all in crock pot, cover with water, and cook until done. Start on high for a couple of hours then reduce to low. I leave mine in about 5-7 hours.Serve with some Jiffy cornbread.

Save any left over meat.

RESERVE THE JUICE in the crock pot. Pour in a bowl, cover it, and refrig. overnight.

Veggie Soup

Skim the broth from the roast and get the fat off the top. It will be white. Pour thru a cheese cloth to get all the grissle and random peppercorns, etc.

Put on the stove and bring to a boil, while adding peices of left over roast chuncked into bite size pieces.

Add any left over veggies - I like diced tomotoes, greenbeans, corn. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of elbow pasta if you have it. Add 2 cups water and three beef boulion cubes. Add water if needed, but add one boullion cube for each cup of water you
add.

Simmer until pasta is done. Serve. This is my favorite veggie soup. My mom keeps a bowl in the freezer and fills it with the left over veggies after dinner every night. She will make roast once a month and make the soup the next night after to use up all the left over veggies.

[Go BLUE!]

"thanksgiving in a pan"

2 cups pulled or cubed chicken, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag of cooked brocalli and caulifour
1 box of prepared stove top
6 slices of velveta

layer the chicken mixed with the soup (straight out of the can) then top with the veggies, cheese and stove top. Bake for 35-40 at 350. Feeds about 8 people once, or 1 person 8 times. my mom used to send them to me frozen when i was in college - its good stuff.

Depending on how many you need to feed don't rule out the "college kid diet" 2 large little ceasers will get you through the week for 10 bucks.

This post has been edited by Go BLUE!: 18 August 2010 - 04:01 PM

[Davis]

Póg mo thóin, on 24 May 2010 - 10:16 AM, said:

chicken & stuffing bake.

1 or 2 breasts of chicken, cooked and diced (or a large can of cooked chicken)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (you can use american slices if you have it.)

1 box stove top (I use walmart brand, which is about 1.00), cooked per directions.

mix chicken and stuffing together & bake it in a casserole dish w/ cheese on top for about 15 minutes at 375.

I serve it with a can of green beans or corn.

(alternatively, if you want it all in one casserole, you can add peas, corn, green beans into the dish too.)

I have leftover chicken and I am going to try this tonight. Thanks for the receipe.

[jazzygirl]

naturegirl, on 24 May 2010 - 10:34 AM, said:

Yep, that's what we called it. But I don't think I liked green pepper then.

So funny!! I am from a large family also and this is exactly what we did and called it!! (onions too!) Over the years, I have tweaked it a bit and use mild italian sausage when it is on sale!!