We have been living on one income for about 9 months now and I have been finding it very hard to stick to my food budget. Does anyone have any cheap and healthy meal ideas?
We are on a budget as well. It can be difficult! We buy lots of beans and flour/ corn flour. I usually buy frozen vegetables, rather than fresh, simply because we live in the boonie mountains and it's difficult to keep the freshies. We keep a garden each year, and I keep a few potted veggies in the kitchen. Hubby gets venison. These things all help to stretch the budget. I don't really have any specific recipes to give you, because I just make whatever we happen to have, on impulse. Sorry I can't be of more help!
I'm going to cut and paste a bunch of recipes but I make no claims that they wll be sugar free and organic.
Tuna Mac 1 (7-oz) box Macaroni & Cheese 1 (6-oz) can Tuna in water, drained 1 (10-oz) can Cream of Mushroom Soup(I use the lower sodium soup) 1/4 cup margarine 1/4 cup milk 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas 1 (4-oz) can mushrooms, drained, opt. Make macaroni and cheese according to package instructions. Add tuna, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms; heat thoroughly. Add peas and heat 5 minutes.
Here's one that is good, spicy, and easy: Santa Fe Soup 1 lb. ground beef (you could probably use less or none at all according to your taste) 1 pkg. dry ranch seasoning 1 pkg. taco seasoning 1 can each, undrained: kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, whole kernel corn, Ro-tel tomatoes, diced tomatoes Brown ground beef. Add seasonings and canned vegetables. Stir well and cook till heated through and bubbly.
This makes a big pan which serves a lot of people. LAYERED MINI LASAGNA CASSEROLE 1 lb. ground beef ½ cup chopped onion 1 jar (28-oz.) spaghetti sauce 6 cups (12 oz.) San Giorgio Mafalda pasta, uncooked 3 ¾ cups (2 lb.) ricotta cheese 1 egg ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes ½ teaspoon ground pepper ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Heat oven to 375F. In large skillet, cook meat and onion until meat browns; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions for 7 minutes, drain. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, pepper and salt. In 13x9x2-inch baking dish; spread 1 cup meat sauce; evenly layer one-half pasta over sauce. Spread ricotta mixture over pasta; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of meat sauce and pasta. Spread remaining meat sauce over pasta, covering pasta completely; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Bean and Beef Skillet "Country Woman" Jan./Feb. 2002 pg.41 Rose Purrington 1 lb. ground beef 1 med. onion, chopped 1 can (28 oz.) baked beans 1/4 c. barbecue sauce or ketchup 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in beans and barbecue sauce; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook on low until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings
Ham & Noodle Hot Dish Source: Quick Cooking 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded process American cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups diced fully cooked ham 1 1/2 cups medium noodles, cooked and drained 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese and salt until melted. Add ham, noodles and peas. Pour into a greased 1 qt. baking dish. Melt remaining butter; add bread crumbs and parsley. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Note: use the kind of cheese your family likes
Crock pot Chili 1 lb ground beef - browned $1 1 onion diced 2 garlic cloves minced 1 large cans red kidney beans (rinsed and drained) $1 1 large (28oz?) can generic tomato sauce $.89 1 large can (28 oz) generic crushed tomatos $.89 3 tablespoons chili powder 1 cup water 2 teas salt 1/2 teas pepper. (spices and garlic around $1) *Cook in crock pot on low 6-9 hrs. Serve w/ sour cream and shredded cheese.
Hunter's Stew 1 lb. hamburger, browned with: 1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped Add to: 2 cups of macaroni elbows or shells - cooked (this is a 7-oz. package) Add: 1 big can pork & beans, some juice drained off 1 29-oz. bottle catsup This is delicious and very filling. Serve with garlic bread and maybe a green salad or plain Jello. Make a batch of Snickerdoodles for dessert all week. If you need a Snickerdoodle recipe, let me know. They're a cheap cookie to make because they don't include chocolate chips and they're very good too. I also agree with the recommendations to make chili. That's always good for at least two meals too.
dessert too! SNICKERDOODLES 1 cup shortening (part butter or margarine) 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flor 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon Heat oven to 400. Mix shortening, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt; stir in. Shape dough in 1" balls. Roll in mixture of 2 tbs. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. These puff up a bit, then flatten out. Makes 6 dozen cookies. For an extra treat, throw in a bag of cinnamon chips. YUM!
I suggest The Hillbilly Housewife. I don't agree with all of her choices (like margarine over butter), but if you follow her plan to a T you can feed a family of 3 for $35 a week. Also, if you are in the USA, check out Angel Food Ministries. We do this on a fairly regular basis. There are no income requirements. You just go to a participating church and order what you want. Then you pick it up on the assigned day. Some churches allow for ordering online. You can see each month's menu and the locations near you on their site. With their packages, you can feed a family of 4 for $25-$35 a week. The boxes are always $25, but sometimes you need a few more ingredients than what is provided. For instance, they might give you cereal and eggs for breakfast, but you still need to purchase milk. Yes, it's a church thing, but no one ever tries to indoctrinate you (if that's a concern of yours). They might throw a flier in your box about an upcoming event, but that's about it. I hope that helps.
Hamburger Stirfry 1 pound ground beef 1/2 package pre-shredded coleslaw mix (about 3 cups) 4 packages instant chinese noodles soya sauce to taste Break up noodles slightly. Prepare noodles by pouring boiling water over and letting sit for a few minutes till limp. Drain and set aside. Brown ground beef. Drain fat. Add the coleslaw mix and about 1/3 cup water to the beef. Steam in the same pan with a lid on few a few minutes till cabbage is cooked. Mix in the noodles and sprinkle with a few of the reserved seasoning packets. Add soya sauce to taste and heat through. Note: We have also just added the raw noodles directly to the pan with additional water and let it cook away till done. This is one of those foolproof recipes where you can change the proportions and add more beef, or vegetables.
a twist on the snickerdoodles CHOODLES (chocolate snickerdoodles) Sift together: 2 3/4 C sifted flour 2 t cream of tartar 1 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1/2 – 3/4 C cocoa Set aside. Work with a spoon until soft: 1 1/4 C shortening Gradually add; while beating: 2 C sugar 2 t vanilla Beat until light. Add one at a time: 2 eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mold dough into balls the size of walnuts. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400°F for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and place on wire racks to cool. Makes about 5 dozen.
Creamy Beef Bake: 1 lb. ground beef 1 small onion, minced (or onion salt - 1 tsp.) 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 box Mac & Cheese Prepare M & C to pkg. directions while browning meat & onion. Add soup to meat (I like to add a little milk to make it more creamy). In an 8" round casserole dish, layer 1/2 M&C, 1/2 beef; repeat.* Bake at 350 for 30 min. Save a little M & C for top...can also add thinly sliced tomatoes or green peppers to top. *Note: If you want to stretch the recipe, make 2 boxes of Mac & Cheese.
Taco Bake prep: 15 min cook: 20 min 1 pkg (14oz) Kraft Deluxe Marcaroni & Cheese Dinner 1 lb ground beef (I used chuck) 1 pkg (1-1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix 3/4 cup Breakstone's Sour Cream 1-1/2 cups Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided 1 cup salsa 1. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. Brown meat in skillet; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and 3/4 cup water to meat; simmer 5 min. 2. Stir in sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon half of the Dinner mixture into 2 qt baking dish; top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of cheese and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover. 3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. Top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 more min. Makes 6 servings I did add diced onion, green pepper and celery when I browned my meat.
Until I get my site finished & published (and people actually start buying my products), we are also a one income family (and have been for over 4 years now). Over the years, I've found ways to help reduce the grocery bills. 1. We shop at a cheaper grocery store. If you have an ALDI near you, you may want to check it out. Their prices are much lower on most things than other stores, and ever since they started stocking fresh meat (instead of just frozen) their meat selection has been good. 2. For things that HAVE to be brand name or can't be found at ALDI, I bargain hunt & use coupons. WalMart has better prices on Mt. Dew, so we get it there. I stock up on things from Kroger (Hilander) when they have their 10 fo $10 sales or other really sales. 3. I have my own herb garden, so I have to buy less at the store. The herbs can be dried or frozen for later use (and of course used fresh). 4. Now that we have our house, I plan to start my veggie garden next year. For now, we stock up on frozen veggies. 5. I make some of our bread & hopefully soon will be making all of it, so we won't have to buy it. 6. You can get a food dehydrator to make your own dried fruit for snacks (and any other foods you want to dry, like jerky). 7. I make our own snack mixes - dries fruit, nuts, generic Chex cereal, , etc. The ingredients cost less if you buy them separately (or make some of them), plus that way you get a lot more than the store bought snack mixes. I'll post again with some recipes that are pretty cheap to make. Right now I need to do something about my ds. He's driving me crazy!
Cheap? yes...healthy? not sure! LOL!!! Easy Enchilladas 2 lbs chicken legs (you can use ground meat, too) 1 pack 12 count corn tortillas 4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 3 tbs chili powder 3 tbs flour 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp cumin 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper or red pepper flakes 3 cups chicken cooking liquid, hot Place chicken legs in large pot and cover with cold water. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked thru. Remove chicken to cool. Mix spices in a medium sauce pan. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the chicken and mix until a thick paste. Add another cup of the chicken liquid and mix. Add a final cup and mix. Add the tomato sauce, mix well and bring just to a boil until the sauce thickens. Set sauce aside. Remove meat from chicken bones and pick thru well. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the enchillada sauce to the picked thru meat. Stir well...you can add more to make soupy if like. Then...cut the tortillas in half. Dip each half in a the sauce before placing in a 9 X 13 pan (greased well). Cover with a thin layer of sauce, add half of the chicken, spread 1 cup or so of the cheese. Repeat the layers ending with cheese. (adding extra enchillada sauce on top before sprinkling the last of the cheeses on). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is all bubbly. Okay...for us...I make 1 recipe and split between 2 8" square cake pans. It makes enough for one serving for each of us (a generous one). I serve with salad and tortilla chips, and sour cream, usually. Look for the legs when they go on sale - our local butcher sells them for 19 cents/lb when you buy $10 in the store. I get the chicken legs for about 60 or 70 C every time i go in so I ALWAYS have chicken legs. You could make this and serve as a taco type meal instead of a casserole. I've been known to make up a bunch of the chicken and sauce and freeze in 1 quart chinese food containers and take it out and make tacos, lasagna, etc. BTW...do you have an Aldi near you? www.aldi.com I would not be able to feed my family without them. SUPER cheap!!!
Amy, have you ever made the Choodles? We love the snickerdoodles and it would be fun to try them with the chocolate.
Here's an old family recipe: Super Noodles 1 bag egg noodles onion - 1/2 -1 whole one, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 lb bacon, chopped 1 can stewed tomatoes In frying pan sautee onion in little butter, until mostly cooked. Add green pepper to onion & continue to cook saute until peppers are tender & onions are clear. Cook & drain bacon. Cook & drain noodles. Combine all ingredients in one large pot and warm for a few minutes on stove (to heat the tomatoes). Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve.
