Budget Meal Help

[MargaretJ]

Thanks to everyone who gave me such great Budget Tips. Now I would love to know Budget Meals. Do you have any tips on meals that don't cost much, that really stretch or are good to freeze?

[pixi]

ooooh I want to hear this too- and the healthier, the better lol!

[SusanP]

OK, here are a few of my family favourites (read the 13 & 15 yr old will eat them!)
Tacos. Who knew after 17 years of marriage that my dh loves tacos! While we usually buy a side of beef from a friend, recently hamburger was .79/lb(Canadian, no less) and I bought 20 lbs. 10 I browned with taco seasoning-homemade is much cheaper-and bagged in freezer bags in 1 lb amounts. You could use whatever size one meal is for your family. While this thaws I dice tomatoes, chop some lettuce and grate some cheese and they are ready to go. I use whole wheat wraps-don't usually have anything with white flour in the house. The other 10 lbs I made into meatballs. A busy 2 hours but worth it at supper time. I mix at least 3/4 cup of oatmeal per pound of meat, a hefty dose of parsley and some salt and pepper. Hint: don't make the meatballs too big-quantity on the plate seems to be important! I have alternately bagged them in a "dinner amount" or just in larger bags and counted them out. I prefer the pre-counted ones as they are easy to grab. 26(about a pound) only takes 7-8 min from frozen to cooked in the microwave if you place them around the edge of a dish.
I will cook a roast for supper one night. I will separate out dh lunch for the next day before I serve. Depending on the size of the roast, it is also dinner the next night and soup thereafter(with water, V8 or tomato juice, onion, celery, bag of mixed veggies and handful of barley or rice-if you eat potatoes/pasta you can throw some of that in too, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning). Homemade whole wheat biscuits take about 3 min to get into the oven-great on a blustery day like today was. I also try and make enough so it is a lunch for dh and the kids will often heat it up for breakfast! If there is broth from cooking the meat, I will save that and a bit of the meat and use it to cook brown rice-with onion, pepper and celery, add peas and call it dinner.
Don't forget eggs-cheap and quick and healthy. French toast, scrambled eggs with a bit of cheddar sprinkled on top(easier than an omlet), fried egg or western sandwiches, I make quiche all the time without the crust and with skim milk-no cream. That would be enough for me but they seem to like some back bacon/ham/sausages with that. The storemade sausages are usually quite cheap here and have no additives like some of the brand names.
Got chicken? Dump a can of mandarin oranges over top of whatever chicken is cheapest for you(when they are on sale, stock up on both)I prefer boneless/skinless just for ease, drizzle a bit of honey over each piece, sprinkle each with sesame seeds and ginger. This is fancy enough for company but not too expensive if you buy chicken in bulk when on sale and freeze it individually.
I just had leftover broth from the other night, browned a pound of burger, chopped 4 huge carrots, half an onion, chopped some cabbage really finely-dd didn't notice-yeah!-chopped 4-6 stalks of celery and 2 handfuls of barley, bit of Italian spice and served with homemade biscuits tonight. There was just enough for dh lunch with 2 biscuits.
Can't beat stew with dumplings on a cold winter's night.

I tend to cook rather plain, whole foods and don't use prepackaged or processed things. I find doubling a recipe then freezing the second portion is just as easy as making one night's worth. Precooking or prepackaging some things saves lots of time. I'm home all day most of the time and still wonder what's for supper at 4! I tend to cook a lot of beef as we get a side and it is hormone/steroid/antibiotic free so I know it is healthy. We love turkey but it is so expensive (unless we toodle across to the states and get it for .29/lb-it is around $2/lb here!!! I also stock up on boneless and skinless chicken and put them in the cheap baggies wrapped tight, freeze them on a cookie sheet then stick them in a big zip freezer bag. That way I can grab 3-4 for supper, 1 if there is no lunch for dh and cook it the night before, or 1-2 for a stirfry. We don't eat much pork-I made the mistake of reading some "healthy eating" books a while back...

Oh yes, oatmeal for breakfast is cheap/satisfying and healthy. 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup water, 2:15 in microwave, throw on a spoonful of ground flax seed and a smidge of cream-and a bit of brown sugar if you must. Boxed cereal is usually not good for you and very expensive per serving. Muffins are a great breakfast/snack item. Make several batches and freeze them in small quantities so you can grab and eat. I know someone who freezes the batter in aluminum? muffin cups, then just pulls a few out and cooks them in the toaster oven/oven for breakfast. I'd prefer to have a stash already made, they are great for taking somewhere that way too-sick friend etc. I have a great recipe--4-5 large very ripe bananas mashed, 1 egg, 1/3 cup oil(yes, I use olive)mix well, on top dump 1 and 1/2 cup flour (whole spelt is best), 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp powder, bit of salt-mix them a bit on top of the wet then mix in (who needs two bowls dirty!) add a handful of mini choc chips. 375, 20 min for regular, 18 for mini muffins. If your bananas aren't too ripe, grate an apple or add a few spoons of yogurt(this can also replace the egg or oil for certain diets).

There is a "Once a Month" cookbook and several similar that you may find at your library. They talk about taking a weekend and making all your entrees for the month and getting them in the freezer. Exhausting but rewarding. I haven't had the nerve, but do try and double or triple meals when I can (ie lasagna, etc)

Hope this is of some use!

[MargaretJ]

Wow Susan that was great. Thank you so much. Looking forwarding to hearing from others.

[FLSharon]

Susan You are one dynamite cook... I hate to cook but am so sick of ready to eat and take out that i'm gonna have to start up again. thanks for the inspiration.. the chicken with ginger etc..sounds easy enough for me! LOL...

[Bookwood]

I always cook in large quantities and freeze leftovers (a bad habit I picked up being a school cook for awhile). I never bake less than 4 batches of cookies at a time (why do all the cleanup 4 times). I also do 2 casseroles at a time and freeze one, I even double batch spaghetti and put leftovers in a baking dish and freeze. When we need an easy supper (always) I just pull it out thow a can of spaghettis sauce over the top toss on some cheese and warm it through. (always put plastic wrap over the cheese- then the foil and the cheese won't stick- the plastic sticks to the foil- it does really!! try it with colored plastic wrap )

have a Magical Day !!

Pam "Bookwood"

[MargaretJ]

To - SusanP

Got chicken? Dump a can of mandarin oranges over top of whatever chicken is cheapest for you(when they are on sale, stock up on both)I prefer boneless/skinless just for ease, drizzle a bit of honey over each piece, sprinkle each with sesame seeds and ginger. This is fancy enough for company but not too expensive if you buy chicken in bulk when on sale and freeze it individually.


I am going to try this one this weekend. Question do you cook the chicken first & then put on the honey, oranges etc last or do you put on before cooking & cover with foil?

[Stinkerbelle]

Margaret -

Thought you might find this link from the Cooking Light Bulleting Boards helpful. It has more $$ saving tips and some yummy sounding receipes.

Hope this helps!

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=4b1b5e1c6142b69eddb78effa8c6aa5a&threadid=53696