# Creative ideas to stretch $50 for 12 days of meals



## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

Due to some unforeseen expenses that have popped up, our food budget has been dramatically reduced for the next almost 2 weeks. I am looking for some creative meal ideas, recipes and shopping suggestions to help me out when menu planning. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated! 

A little background about our family - hubby and I have 3 children - ages 11, 10 and 8. Our garden wasn't that great this year. But I do have tomatoes, potatoes, some peppers, zucchini and parsnips. Have a lot of spaghetti noodles on hand. Wheat and white flour (I bake all of our bread.) Stocked up on peanut butter, chicken noodle soup and have a fair amount of chicken and pork in the freezer. No hamburger right now. I know that we won't starve in the next 2 weeks - but I am looking for ideas to keep things from getting boring!


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## starlady (Sep 9, 2009)

I like to cook chicken in spaghetti sauce in place of hamburger. I just put the pieces directly into the sauce, then pick out the bones once it's cooked. You could add some of your own tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini to make a sort of primavera. Spaghetti sauce is pretty cheap - you could instead get a #10 can of tomatoes if you have spices, garlic, etc. to jazz it up.

I don't eat pork, so not many good recipes... but if you got some BBQ sauce you could put it in a slow cooker and eat it on homemade rolls... cut up some potatoes and make oven fries.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Homemade potato soup is always cheap and filling. You can fry up some of the ham or bacon that you have with the onions for some great added flavor. Add a little corn too for a corn/potato chowder. My boys LOVED it when they were young and many times all we HAD were potatoes on hand till payday!!!


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

If you have some taco seasoning you could make pork tacos. Cook any cut of pork in the taco seasonings along with some tomato sauce until tender and you can shred it with 2 forks. You can make homemade tortilla very easily. Add some cheese and diced tomatoes for extra flavor. 

You could make potato pancake with some shredded potatoes, flour, onion and eggs. 

How about some stuffed peppers with pork, if you have some that is ground or you can grind it yourself? If you have rice, mix it with the ground pork and some diced tomatoes & seasonings then stuff it into the peppers and bake or cook in a crockpot. 

How about homemade chicken pot pie with some of the potatoes, peas and carrots if you have some available. You would need some chicken stock and milk to make the cream base. You can make homemade pie dough easily with some flour and shortening or veg oil.

You could do a pork roast with bread dumplings.

I do a fresh tomato pasta sauce with onion, peppers, garlic and italian sausage. You can serve it over the spaghetti noodles. If you don't have italian sausage you can flavor your own bulk ground pork sausage with italian seasonings. 

How about homemade fried chicken with seasoned potato wedges?

Feel free to PM me for some recipes if you would like them.


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## Trixters_muse (Jan 29, 2008)

COSunflower said:


> Homemade potato soup is always cheap and filling. You can fry up some of the ham or bacon that you have with the onions for some great added flavor. Add a little corn too for a corn/potato chowder. My boys LOVED it when they were young and many times all we HAD were potatoes on hand till payday!!!


My family loves this! I also make chicken, corn and potato chowder, so yummy. COSunflower is right, it is very filling and such a homey meal with a thick slice of your home baked bread.

We enjoy Chinese food, but only home made, no take out. You can make a wonderful chicken stir fry, fried rice or if you have skewers handy I bet your kids would like Teriyaki pork or chicken skewers. Egg drop soup would round such a meal out nicely and is very cheap and easy to make.

Another meal we love that is hardy and you can use leftovers, Shepard's Pie. The great thing about this is you can use most any leftover meats, veggies, gravy if you wish, cheese. 

As for those parsnips, I always boiled and mashed them, but a few years ago a friend taught me to roast them along side and under whatever meat (pork is a fave) I was roasting and serve them with a spoon of the pans juices, really yummy.


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

You could do chicken ala king over rice or toast or biscuits. 

Pancake, waffles, french toast or crepes are pretty cheap to make, they could be used as dinner too.

How about chicken fajitas with onions and peppers? Add some homemade tortillas and a side of pinto beans or rice to make it a more filling meal.

Chicken stir fry or sweet and sour chicken with the peppers, onions and some rice.

You could do breaded pork chops with mashed potatoes and another veggie & applesauce or cranberry sauce.

You could do a hash with the potatoes, onions, peppers and some of the chicken or pork.

Oatmeal is cheap and filling as is homemade granola.


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

Thanks for the ideas ladies! They are all wonderful! Please keep them coming! 

BTW - does anyone have a granola recipe they would share? We have a lot of quick oats on hand and I am trying to think of a couple of ways to use it aside from the regular cooked oatmeal.


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

Here's a filling pancake recipe that is a favorite of everyone I give it to.

Amish Hearty Hotcakes
makes about 12 6 inch pancakes

1 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 Cups Buttermilk
2 TBS Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup Walnuts, Chopped*** optional but definitely worth adding

Combine flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 tsp cinnamon in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Stir wet ingredients into dry mixture until blended. DO NOT over mix. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour 1/3 C. batter onto HOT, lightly greased griddle. Turn pancakes over when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is done. Serve with orange marmalade or maple syrup.

Substitution for buttermilk: Stir 2 TBS of lemon juice into 2 cups of milk, let sit to for 2 minutes. Milk will thicken and curdle.


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

You can make oatmeal bread with the oats. 

Here is Mutti's recipe: Oatmeal bread--3 loafs. This is a super easy recipe for begining bread makers. Good fiber content,too!

In large pan mix 4-1/2 cups very hot water, 1/4 stick butter( or equivelent amt. oil), 2-1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal,1/2 cup oat bran, 1/2 cup brown sugar(or honey). Let sit for 1/2 hour. We flake our own oat groats so have all the bran but you can substitute 3 cups oatmeal instead.

Stir in 2 cups flour, 1 T. yeast. Then add another 4-5 cups flour along with l T. salt. I use 2 cups white whole wheat flour and the rest all purpose but all regular flour is ok. Knead 8-10 minutes, You may need a bit more flour if it is humid but try not to add too much. Tends to be a stickier dough. Probably great if you have a mixer but I do it all by hand. Place in greased bowl to rise. When double press down. Let rest 10 minutes. 

Divide into three loafs and place in greased pans and let rise until just over top of pan. Note...this bread will not rise significantly in oven so let it rise well before baking. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes and cool on rack. I like to leave out over night and slice next am as this makes a bread with a softer texture than most. Then I can freeze. Assuming you can resist one loaf for supper!!


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

Here is a granola recipe I pulled from cdkitchen's website. 

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries




PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

In a bowl mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in vanilla. 

Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread granola in a 15x10 inch baking pan. 

Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes. Transfer granola-filled pan to a rack to cool completely. Stir in raisins or cranberries. Seal granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

I haven't tried these yet but they sure sound good and easy.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Submitted by: marriedtochocolate


Few tips. Peanut butter balls owe their crunch to rice crispies. Don't like the crisp? Substitute quick cooking oats for a chewier consistency. I recommend having both, and adding more of whatever you like best. I made mine with more oatmeal and tons of chocolate chips-YUM.
add to shopping list Ingredients 
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup rice krispies cereal
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
chocolate chips to your hearts content


Preparation
1. Mix peanut butter, honey, vanilla, rice crispies, oatmeal and chocolate chips in a bowl.
2. Scoop with spoon and form into balls. Tip: If the mixture is too sticky that making balls is hard, sprinkle with water. Another tip: make sure your hands are moist when you roll 'em.
3. Chill for two hours.

I found the recipe @ halfhourmeals.com


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

Thank you so much for the recipes Patrice! Looking through them - I noticed that I already have all the ingredients for them! I think I am going to have to spend at least some of the $50 on more meat. The new ads don't come out until Tues. and I am really hoping that there are better sales for meat than there where this past week! I have a doe that is set to freshen any day - so that will help too. I won't start milking her right away - but when I do, it will help keep the expenses down. Thanks again!


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

You're welcome. You might want to look into some tuna for cheap and filling meals too. Eggs are pretty cheap and can go along way too in quiche, egg salad, frittatas.


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

Yep - going to have to get some eggs too. We recently were gifted 3 silkie hens and a roos. Only getting 1 egg a day from them. (Think the other 2 are two young.) Only have a couple of cans of tuna on hand - so I will be picking up some more. Hubby won't eat it - but the kids and I will. Even if it is a tuna sandwich made with homemade bread!


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Here is a basic granola recipe:

8 cups grain/seeds (at least half oatmeal, but can use whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, ryemeal, coconut, etc.)
1/2 cup butter 
1/2 cup water or other liquid (milk, juice, even leftover coffee  )
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix grains and seeds in a large roasting pan (do not grease) with cinnamon. Melt butter over medium heat and add liquid and salt. Stir until bubbly. Pour over dry ingredients and mix REALLY well. Put in a 300F oven and mix every 15 minutes for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. Don't let it get too brown. Remove and let cool, mixing occasionally. Store in an airtight container.

You can also download a 22 page pdf document on stretching your food budget on my site at www.newcenturyhomestead.com.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Rice! When I really need to stretch my food I always lean on rice. If you make it plain you can use the left overs for cereal in the morning. Just add milk, a little sugar, maybe some cinnamon and that's breakfast.

Remember when you make meat or chicken to have everyone save the bones. Boil them up and make a broth, then add whatever vegetables you have around, potatoes, rice and you have a good soup. A few dumplings will make it more filling.

Fried rice is good too. Some eggs, vegetables, left over meat cut up really small. 

Burritos with rice as the filler work pretty nice.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

How about making some pot pies and quiche? :thumb:


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Y'all are making me hungry just reading all these wonderful, frugal recipes. 

I'll add biscuits and gravy. Take some of the pork and grind it up (food processor works well for this), add sage and other sausage seasonings (lots of recipes out there for various kinds of sausage - I like to add a hint of maple syrup to it if I'm making plain sausage patties), and cook it up, coat it with plenty of flour and cook it until the flour is browned a bit, and add milk, let cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens and the flour taste is cooked out. Very good over biscuits or over toast. You can use powdered milk for the gravy if you have it on hand.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Fried Rice (small amount of meat), cook off about 3 c of dry rice set aside

in a large skillet w/oil throw in some chunky cut peppers, onions, meat..let it start to soften the veg. and cook meat thru, toss in some frzn mix veg (peas, carrots, corn, broc.) I even like some baked beans tossed in if I have leftovers!

spice it up with pepper, red pepper, dried cilantro, or jerk spice/sauce (sweet heat)

toss cooked rice into the meat veg and add soy until its got good coating (make sure you use a good size pot or dish to stir this up)

Scramble(and cook) a couple eggs and toss into the pot too!

This makes almost a gallon--leftovers in the fridge---heat and eat

There is a printable coupon for kikkoman soy sauce so you can get a big bottle for under a $1 or a small one free/cheap


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

No bake cookies....not cheap but it sounds like you have stuff on hand

1/2c milk
1 stick marg or butter
2 c sugar
1-3 TBS cocoa powder (depending on how much choc you like)

Bring this ^^(above) to a full rolling boil for 2min stirring constant
Remove from heat and stir in
1/2-2/3c peanut butter
3c quick oats
1tsp vanilla

Spoon out(quickly)onto cookie sheet or foil to cool and harden....make them small and hide some...the kids will over indulge given half a chance!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Thanks for the plug for my bread recipe, Patrice!

A cheap recipe that my kids love is Impossible Cheeseburger pie...fun and filling. Grease a lg. pie pan. Then brown 1#9 (or less) hamburger with 1-1/2 cups onion. Drain.Stir in 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.Spread in pie pan. Sprinkle with l cup shredded cheese. Mix together 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cup milk(instant works) and 1/4 cup Bisquick (or you choice of baking mix) Pour over pie. Bake about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. You can easily increase/decrease for more eaters. Easily converted to Impossible Lasagna pie with addition of l tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, l can tomato paste and use mozarella cheese instead. When baked you can sprinkle more cheese over top of each if desired. This sounds good for our supper tonight!


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

I would use the pork to make something like this, substituting some of your fresh peppers for the canned:

Southwestern Pork and Vegetable Stew
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. pork, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsley chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. frozen or canned corn
1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped
2 c. chicken broth
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies, un-drained
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 tsp. ground cumin

In a pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add pork, cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 1-2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoees are tender and pork is no longer pink in the center.


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

Oh, and for tuna I like to make tuna melts. Basically a grilled cheese sandwich with tuna in it. It makes it feel a little more special than a plain tuna sandwich.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Lythrum said:


> I would use the pork to make something like this, substituting some of your fresh peppers for the canned:
> 
> Southwestern Pork and Vegetable Stew
> 1 Tbs. canola oil
> ...


this looks yummy!

I found this recipe for ramen noodles and dumplings:
http://www.grocerybudget101.com/content.php/55-ramen-chicken-n-dumplings


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Check to see if you have a butcher shop that offers package meat, sometimes they call it meat bundles. For a set price you get an assortment of meats that can be used in recipes to carry through several weeks of meals. 

If ground chuck is on sale try to buy a bulk 10 lbs. Buy another 5 lbs of regular ground beef to mix into the chuck. This can be used to make spaghetti sauce with meat, sloppy joes, chili, hot dog sauce, beef lasagna, small meatloafs, or bbq beef and beans. 

The key to using the ground beef as a base is that you can have the taste of meat without using a large quantity of meat. Each of the recipes need to have a thick sauce to maintain some taste. Also each of these main dish recipes work well within a meal's menu as you can add a salad and bread and have a complete meal. 

You can make all of these recipes and freeze them. Then it's easy to thaw one to cook/bake/heat for a meal. 

We do this about 3 times a year and keep meals in the freezer. You can use your own recipes but reduce the amount of ground beef to about half of what the recipe calls for and increase the sauces by about half to make up for the difference. 

Spaghetti night is heat the spaghetti sauce, cook/drain the pasta, fix a green salad and bake the breadsticks.

Sloppy joes night is heat the sloppy joe sauce/meat, serve on onion buns, make a pan of oven baked potato wedges seasoned with hot pepper and melted cheddar cheese, serve with a cold salad. 

Chili night is heat the chili, cook and add pasta to it, serve with peanut butter sandwiches and/or grilled cheese sandwiches. Good cold bowl of diced mixed fruit is a good and tasty addition.

Hot dog night is the hot dog sauce heated and set up the countertop with hot dog fixins that allows everyone to make their own creation. Hot dogs either boiled or grilled, pretzel buns are great for hot dogs, pickle relish, ketchup, coleslaw, chopped onions, mustard, chopped tomato, and pour the hot dog sauce over all and chow down. This is one of our favorite meals and we usually serve it with a pan of baked beans.

Beef lasagna is homemade and uses a ground beef in the tomato sauce that layers in with the cheeses and lasagna noodles. You could use any tomato based sauce, cheeses, and noodles to make a layered dish and call it anything you want. Serve it with a big salad and lots of homemade bread.

Small meatloafs work well for us since it's usually just the 2 of us. Make up one regular size meatloaf and then divide it by 4. Freeze 3 of them and use one for supper. Everyone gets one slice and no leftovers to worry about. I always have a big pot of mashed potatoes and gravy along with it. Pioneer Brands gravy mix is easy and only needs one cup of water to make 2 cups of very tasty gravy. Their brown gravy is delicious. 

The bbq beef and beans doesn't freeze but it is a good meal that goes a long way by using cheap pork and beans as the base. Add in your favorite bbq sauce along with the cooked ground beef and simmer. We eat this on toast and sometimes have a slice of cooked bacon on the side along with sliced tomato.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

dont forget to check the meat department for reduced meat nearing its sell by date. I ignore that, and use it right away or freeze it. today I got some sweet chicken sausage for .59 a lb, sell by tomorrow, regularly 3.99 lb...Im going to grill it


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Beaglebiz - I was able to get 80% lean hamburger last week for $1.78 a pound by buying a big marked down package and using a store coupon!

Here are some filling soup recipes. You probably have a lot of the ingredients on hand.


Beef Soup with Rivels (Amish Dumplings)

In a large soup pot, put a beef soup bone and a small piece of cheap beef roast (used more as flavoring). Cover with lots of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours. Peel two or three carrots and cut into chunks. Add to pot. Cut an onion into quarters, cut a stalk of celery into several large chunks, mince a clove of garlic. Add all to pot. Peel several potatoes. Cut into medium sized chunks. Add to pot. Add 1 tsp salt, Â½ tsp pepper, and Â½ - 1 tsp died basil. Remove soup bone and meat. Shred or chunk meat and return to pot. Add more water if too much has cooked off. Cook until potatoes and carrots are done. To make rivels: use a fork to beat an egg in a medium size bowl. Use fork to blend in a cup flour and a dash of salt. Use fork to stir in Â¼ cup milk to make a sticky dough. Thoroughly mix. Use two forks to pull small pieces of dough off and drop in soup. Cook for a few minutes until they float. These can be used in any soup recipe!

Black Bean Soup

Â¼ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
Â½ tsp chili powder
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water with two beef bouillon cubes, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 tbl lime juice concentrate or fresh
1/8 tsp (or more) hot pepper sauce
pepper to taste

In large soup pot, sautÃ© onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in cumin, oregano and chili powder; sautÃ© two minutes longer. Add tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon cubes and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in lime juice; simmer 10 â 15 minutes longer. Discard bay leaf. Add pepper sauce and pepper. * You would want to double this recipe for your group!

Potato and Cheese Soup (with or without Kielbasa)

2 shredded carrots
Â¼ cup finely chopped onion
Â¼ cup finely chopped celery
2 cups (or more) peeled potatoes, in small pieces
2 cups water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes, smashed
2 cups milk
Â¼ cup flour dash salt and pepper
1 Â½ cups shredded cheddar
1 link kielbasa in small slices (optional)

In large soup pot, combine vegetables with water and bouillon. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes. Combine milk with flour and salt and pepper. Stir into broth mixture. Cook and stir over med heat until bubbly. Cook one minute more. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Optional: return to heat, add kielbasa and heat through.

You can also make Broccoli Soup by adding chopped broccoli and using Swiss cheese or make a spicy soup by using pepper jack cheese and adding chopped jalapenos.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

How many ways can you eat bagels? I was given about 3 dzn....


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Here's another good one:

SPICY BEANS with SAUSAGE

1 pkg kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can great northern beans or garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg frozen corn or 1 can, drained
1 Â½ cups salsa
1 lg bell pepper, chopped
1 lg onion, chopped
Â½ to 2 cups water 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 tbl chili powder

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Add enough water to bring level to at least half way (you may want to add more water halfway through if it looks too thick). Cook on low for 5 â 6 hours. Stir before serving.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

mpillow said:


> How many ways can you eat bagels? I was given about 3 dzn....


DH likes to cut them in half, top them with cheese, and put them under the broiler.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Cindy in NY said:


> DH likes to cut them in half, top them with cheese, and put them under the broiler.


ooooh! I think I'll make hot ham 'n cheese under the broiler...they are mostly onion and garlic ones...
maybe thin and crispy w/ tomato soup too.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

She's been on youtube a few years but if you haven't yet seen Clara and her cooking shows, then you're in for a treat. She's 96 this year, I think and she has many videos of cooking recipes from the Great Depression. This one is for Egg Drop Soup:

[YOUTUBE]yREFkmrrYiw[/YOUTUBE]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREFkmrrYiw[/ame]


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Peanut butter cookie cereal....whole wheat flour (1/2 c maybe), cooked in water or milk (1-1/2 - 2 cups), few spoon fulls of brown sugar and peanut butter (1/4 c or more if you have it to spare). Jazz it up a bit by hiding a few goodies at the bottom of the bowl (8-10 chocolate chip- which melt and make it heavenly, chopped nuts, drop the PB and use cinnamon and hide apple bits, etc) I find "hiding" things in the bottom help my kids become use to the new cereal.

We do calzones a lot. It's a great way to stretch some leftover chicken or beef, use up cheese ends, etc. I'll make up a bunch and toss them in the freezer for quick lunches later. That's what we had today....a chicken with pizza sauce calzone and an apple pie calzone (these are to die for!) along with some zucchini.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

prairiecomforts said:


> Thanks for the ideas ladies! They are all wonderful! Please keep them coming!
> 
> BTW - does anyone have a granola recipe they would share? We have a lot of quick oats on hand and I am trying to think of a couple of ways to use it aside from the regular cooked oatmeal.


Don't forget breakfast cookies!! Oatmeal raisin cookies with 1/2 the sugar and additions like coconut, dried fruit (great way to get rid of small left over quantities), apples, applesauce (drop the fat if using this), pumpkin puree, seeds of any kind, peanut butter, nuts, etc. Kids think you've gone crazy giving them cookies for breakfast....they smile from ear to ear! Only you know how nutritious they are, lol.


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## ozarks momma (Jun 8, 2011)

Here's a good website.
She has a menu for 40.00-60.00 a week.
This menu has been on this site for a few years now,so it may not be this cheap now.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm


Ozarks Momma


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

I just got a call from a friend of a friend who offered us all the apples we want as long as we come to pick them! So excited since our apple tree barely has anything on it. The kids and I are getting buckets ready to go and pick tomorrow since we were going to town anyway! I am thinking applesauce, apple butter, and apple crisp will be a good way to round things out! Thanks again everyone for the great ideas and wonderful sites you are posting. All are giving me lots of inspiration!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

mpillow said:


> How many ways can you eat bagels? I was given about 3 dzn....


When I have stale bagels, I make bagel pizzas...my boys can easily eat 4 (2 whole bagels, as a supper, not lunch) this is also a good way to use up a lotta little somethings, like one meatball, or a slice of tomato, a bit of chopped onion or pepper. They are a piece of cake to make and so much better than nose "pizza rolls" that are so popular right now.
Bagels freeze really well. 
When I worked in a deli, we used to slice the bagels on the meat slicer, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and toast in the oven for bagel chips.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

prairiecomforts said:


> I just got a call from a friend of a friend who offered us all the apples we want as long as we come to pick them! So excited since our apple tree barely has anything on it. The kids and I are getting buckets ready to go and pick tomorrow since we were going to town anyway! I am thinking applesauce, apple butter, and apple crisp will be a good way to round things out! Thanks again everyone for the great ideas and wonderful sites you are posting. All are giving me lots of inspiration!


do you can?? you can be set with apple jelly and butter and sauce for the year!
When my grandma stayed with us, she saved her apple peelings, boiled them in some water and added a bit of sugar, strained and chilled and we had "apple juice".

you can make fried apples, like they have at crackerbarrel for a side dish
simmer in a skillet some sliced apples and apple juice, and thicken with cornstarch and add a bit of sugar and cinnamon.

apples and pork together are very good

my neighbor brought over a tossed salad (just a regular dinner salad) to a potluck we were hosting, and she included chopped apples. It was surprisingly good, even with italian dressing.

Ohiodreamer, do you have a good recipe you use for your calzone crust?? I like to make them too, from ham, sausage, meatballs, ,eatloaf and vegetables. We call them Hot Pockets"


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

beaglebiz said:


> when i have stale bagels, i make bagel pizzas...my boys can easily eat 4 (2 whole bagels, as a supper, not lunch) this is also a good way to use up a lotta little somethings, like one meatball, or a slice of tomato, a bit of chopped onion or pepper. They are a piece of cake to make and so much better than nose "pizza rolls" that are so popular right now.
> Bagels freeze really well.
> When i worked in a deli, we used to slice the bagels on the meat slicer, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and toast in the oven for bagel chips.


nice!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> Ohiodreamer, do you have a good recipe you use for your calzone crust?? I like to make them too, from ham, sausage, meatballs, ,eatloaf and vegetables. We call them Hot Pockets"


Yes, I do. I make a hot roll mix. Then when I want to make calzones I measure out 4 c of mix, 1-1/2 c of water and 2t of yeast. Don't have to knead it or wait for it to rise....just start rolling and assembling.

Hot Roll Mix (this fills a paint can - a paint can will hold a 5# bag of flour just to give you an idea of volume)

6 c wheat flour (bought or home ground)
3 c white flour
1 c gluten 
(original recipe just called for 10 c of flour...but I like the above combo best)
1 c dehydrated butter/margarine/shortening (I use which ever I have...I buy the one I can find the cheapest)
2/3 c sugar (I use 1/2 c)
1/4 powdered milk
1T salt.

ETA - I roll my crust thin. The 4 c mix, water and yeast made 22 apple pie calzones the other day. I make them about the same size as a store bought Hot Pocket.


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> do you can?? you can be set with apple jelly and butter and sauce for the year!
> When my grandma stayed with us, she saved her apple peelings, boiled them in some water and added a bit of sugar, strained and chilled and we had "apple juice".
> 
> you can make fried apples, like they have at crackerbarrel for a side dish
> ...



Yes - I can. Luckily I am pretty well stocked up on sugar and such. Just got a whole bunch of canning jars off of freecycle 2 weeks ago. Plan on picking enough apples to put up a bunch. Also - noticed that the fresh produce place in town has pears on sale for $5.88 for 14 lbs. Going to pick up 28 lbs when we go in tomorrow and will can some in halves, a batch or two of pear butter and the rest we will eat fresh.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

definitely do jelly from the peels...

Apple squares are also a fav. here:

http://simpledailyrecipes.com/1092/simple-apple-squares/


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Ohio dreamer said:


> Yes, I do. I make a hot roll mix. Then when I want to make calzones I measure out 4 c of mix, 1-1/2 c of water and 2t of yeast. Don't have to knead it or wait for it to rise....just start rolling and assembling.
> 
> Hot Roll Mix (this fills a paint can - a paint can will hold a 5# bag of flour just to give you an idea of volume)
> 
> ...


I am sure this is a stupid question, but I will ask anyway....Paint can??


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

A clean, new paint can makes a really good airtight/watertight way to store dry goods, especially if you throw in an O2 absorber. Not a stupid question at all - it does sound a little funny!


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I am going to leave soon, so I will just add one bit of information.

During WW2, a woman's husband came home and said, in terms of horror, that the men on his crew were eating bread and cheese and vegetables for their lunch: it was all that they had! (Rationing, you know).

His wife very carefully did NOT! point out that his own lunch had been hot toast with cheese melted on top, home made vegetable soup, and a war time pudding (almost entirely bread, with a few raisins in it).

If it is served like a real meal, people tend to think of themselves as eating well. As long as her husband ate at a table with his wife, he felt well fed. His crew ate out of lunch boxes, and he thought they were deprived because there was no meat.


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## NickyBlade (May 27, 2008)

We have Ramen and grilled cheese for dinner every week or two because it's fast on a busy evening and we like it! The bonus is it's cheap.

We also do breakfast for dinner every couple of weeks... Cheese omelets and pancakes. Also pretty inexpensive.

You can have popcorn every night as a snack for a couple weeks for the price of a family size bag of chips.


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## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

I am surprised no one has mentioned chilli, we use any ground meat, chicken is a favorite for this.

How about lemon teryaki chicken over rice, you use any chicken you have season with lemon juice and teryaki seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder. 

Instead of pepper steak, how about pepper chicken, again over trusty rice.

Just a tip, I often find it is cheaper to grind my own (store bought) meat if I can find a good cut on sale. When I was in the supermarket yesterday ground very lean meat was 4.29 lb. I can often get london broil on sale for under $2 a pound and grind it myself, chicken is even cheaper. 

Good luck.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2011)

I was thinking of Split pea & ham soup w/homemade bread..Hamburger soup w/homemade bread is also a great meal and very filling..Chicken & dumplings..Baked potatoe w/all kind's of toppings ie: bacon,sour cream,cheese..Chili w/homemade corn bread..SOS I use a jar of chipped beef double the cream sauce serve over homemade bread..

When we were close to being out of food one time my mom made this concoction of frying a pound of bacon and onion while that's cooking boil a pound of egg noodles drain and pour all the cooked bacon onion and the bacon grease into the drained pot of noodles and mix in a container of cottage cheese mixed all until the cheese melted than added salt & pepper to taste..it sound's gross but it is really good!

Sausage gravy & bisquits served over a fried egg is very filling also..

No bake mac & cheese w/bit's of ham served w/homemade bread..


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Quick pot roast

Chicken or beef. Cut a steak, roast or chicken breast into 1" chunks, brown well. In a pot, cook any vegetables you have and like cut in 1" pieces, in 2 cups water. Carrots, peppers, onion, celery, potatoes, whatever. Boil 10 minutes, add some seasoned flour/warm water mix for thickening. Add meat and simmer until thickened, and meat and vegys are done....James


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

I never ate a zucchini before a couple of months ago.. now I'm addicted to the darned things. If you have the ingredients on hand.. try this recipe here. It's incredibly filling and my brood practically licks the plate clean afterwards. It also tastes good reheated the next day.. or eat it cold out of the fridge even. It's that good. You can make it with most things you already have.

We're tight on funds also so today I ran to rite-aid for some of their $1 boxes of cereal. My kids, luckily, are also on a PB&J kick lately. Not my idea of complete nutrition, but it's cheap and they actually eat it.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Mutti said:


> Thanks for the plug for my bread recipe, Patrice!
> 
> A cheap recipe that my kids love is Impossible Cheeseburger pie...fun and filling. Grease a lg. pie pan. Then brown 1#9 (or less) hamburger with 1-1/2 cups onion. Drain.Stir in 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.Spread in pie pan. Sprinkle with l cup shredded cheese. Mix together 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cup milk(instant works) and 1/4 cup Bisquick (or you choice of baking mix) Pour over pie. Bake about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. You can easily increase/decrease for more eaters. Easily converted to Impossible Lasagna pie with addition of l tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, l can tomato paste and use mozarella cheese instead. When baked you can sprinkle more cheese over top of each if desired. This sounds good for our supper tonight!


Gotta agree the Impossible Pies are a winner. We like the cheeseburger one above, and also make one with tuna. ONE can of tuna can make 6 servings.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

homemade egg noodles are easy to make. 1 egg per 1/2 c flour 1t salt. mix, knead, roll, cut
into strips with pizza cutter, boil in homemade chicken broth.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

We eat halushki often on Fridays when we have a meatless meal. 
Chop a head of cabbage (pretty fine) heat oil, marg or butter in a big pot with a lid, and cook the cabbage down until it starts to brown. Add some cooked egg noodles, and salt and pepper. Easy and delicious.


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## Ode (Sep 20, 2006)

I am drooling thinking of those apples cooked with some pork, onions, and sage! Have you ever googled for recipes? You can just type in ingredients you have on hand, and ask for recipes and you will get lots of recipe options that include your ingredients. If you have plenty of meat and veggies, and you make your own bread too, then you don't have to worry much about shopping. You can buy a few staples if you don't have them on hand and you'll be fine. Eggs, milk, cheese etc should do the trick. One of the benefits of a nice pantry is being able to use it in situations like you are in now, without having to feel terribly deprived.

Make sure you save some of those apples to cook with your cereal in the morning, or to make apple quickbread, turnovers, cinnamon rolls with apples (especially on bread baking day!!!) and apple fritters.


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## melco (May 7, 2006)

I make a dish my whole family likes. Shred a head of cabbage and cook down, with or without onion added in. If you have ground meat add it to the pan cooked. Season with soy and add in 3-5 packs of Ramen without the seasoning packet. This is a fairly inexpensive dish with alot of food. Serve with biscuits or bread. Quite filling. I will pray for you this next few weeks. Wish you were closer, I would love to give you some extras.
Melissa


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## Trixters_muse (Jan 29, 2008)

Since the impossible pie came up, I did a search for the coconut impossible pie my grandma used to make and I came up with this link to recipes for several impossible pies including Garden Pie. All seem real yummy, I think I will try some of these myself!

http://www.2bisquickrecipes.com/recipes/bisquick-impossible-pie-recipes/


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

I think a couple of really good things are going to come out of this experience. One is that it is really opening my eyes to cooking more frugally. I do make a lot from scratch - but honestly - if it is during the week and I didn't have time - I didn't think twice about picking up something cheap and convenient. I sat down this weekend and did a little figuring on what I spent this past month on meals like that - either running to McDonalds on nights that the kids have soccer or whatever and I have determined that this has to stop. We are spending way too much of our overall budget on this like that. Another thing that I am gaining from this is - it is showing me what I need to stock up on for preps. I have prepped a little - but haven't been real serious about it. This is showing me that I need to get serious about prepping and now. Luckily I have some things put away or else we would really be hurting right now! Making a list of things to get after the first of the month.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I have a rule about McDonald's....$5 limit doesn't matter who is in the car....its just enough to get your tummy home....and no drinks or sweets...usually either mc Chicken or mc Double....sometimes I grab a coffee but not w/ kids in the car
Always have bottled water or 1/2 gallon igloo jug in the car


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

prairiecomforts said:


> I do make a lot from scratch - but honestly - if it is during the week and I didn't have time - I didn't think twice about picking up something cheap and convenient. I sat down this weekend and did a little figuring on what I spent this past month on meals like that - either running to McDonalds on nights that the kids have soccer or whatever and I have determined that this has to stop. We are spending way too much of our overall budget on this like that.


This is one way the calzone from left overs come in real handy! Tonight I made up 17 meat and veg calzone (leftovers in the fridge) and 9 apple one (I had more dough then meat and veg). We will not eat all of those for dinner (I hope) so the rest will go in the freezer. You can pull them out and microwave them to just warm quickly or toss them in a warm over to thaw and heat. As fast as a run through Mc D's...healthier...yet still portable (can be eaten in the car - even in a car seat!)


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Ohio dreamer said:


> This is one way the calzone from left overs come in real handy! Tonight I made up 17 meat and veg calzone (leftovers in the fridge) and 9 apple one (I had more dough then meat and veg). We will not eat all of those for dinner (I hope) so the rest will go in the freezer. You can pull them out and microwave them to just warm quickly or toss them in a warm over to thaw and heat. As fast as a run through Mc D's...healthier...yet still portable (can be eaten in the car - even in a car seat!)


Im going to make some of your hot roll m ix this weekend. Im also planning on meatloaf this week, and a ham on the weekend, so hopefully there will be some leftovers for my pockets 

Where do you buy the unused paint cans??

adding...this is a nice thread...lots of good ideas


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## prairiecomforts (May 28, 2006)

Ohio dreamer said:


> This is one way the calzone from left overs come in real handy! Tonight I made up 17 meat and veg calzone (leftovers in the fridge) and 9 apple one (I had more dough then meat and veg). We will not eat all of those for dinner (I hope) so the rest will go in the freezer. You can pull them out and microwave them to just warm quickly or toss them in a warm over to thaw and heat. As fast as a run through Mc D's...healthier...yet still portable (can be eaten in the car - even in a car seat!)


This is an awesome idea! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> Where do you buy the unused paint cans??


I get them from Sherwin-Williams....an added bonus of being a Farm Bureau member here is 20%off at SW. Not sure if that's true all over the US, but worth a look if you are with the FB.


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## melissa78 (Oct 14, 2010)

You can also get them from an auto supply store that mixes paint.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Jamabalaya is a good dish that I make when I have "bits" of chicken and sausage....

in a medium sz pot, with a lid, cook slowly together
2 cups rice
2 cups water
1 chopped pepper
1 chopped onion
1 can, or 1 pint home canned, or a mess chopped up fresh tomatoes
(you can use rotel, and once I used leftover salsa)
red pepper to taste
salt and pepper
cover, and let the rice and vegetables steam for about twenty minutes. check liquid and add some water if its needed (depends on how much water is in the tomatoes)
add sliced leftover kielbasi, chopped leftover chicken, and a handful of frozen salad shrimp from the freezer (the little ones are pre cleaned and cheap, under $5 for a large bag), or have the kids catch you about ten nice crawdads from the creek.. cover for 5 minutes until heated through and serve...YUM


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## BillHoo (Mar 16, 2005)

prairiecomforts said:


> Due to some unforeseen expenses that have popped up, our food budget has been dramatically reduced for the next almost 2 weeks. I am looking for some creative meal ideas, recipes and shopping suggestions to help me out when menu planning. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
> 
> A little background about our family - hubby and I have 3 children - ages 11, 10 and 8. Our garden wasn't that great this year. But I do have tomatoes, potatoes, some peppers, zucchini and parsnips. Have a lot of spaghetti noodles on hand. Wheat and white flour (I bake all of our bread.) Stocked up on peanut butter, chicken noodle soup and have a fair amount of chicken and pork in the freezer. No hamburger right now. I know that we won't starve in the next 2 weeks - but I am looking for ideas to keep things from getting boring!



Wow! That's an extreme budget!

So you're talking $50 for 12 days of meals for 5 people?

$50 into 12 days is $4.15 cents a day. Budgeted for 5 people, your spending 83 cents a person per day, or maybe 27 cents per meal.

To avoid starvation, I'm estimating at least 2000 calories per household member (even the little ones). Just buying a supermarket bagel at 35 cents a bagel kills your budget per person!

Keep breakfast simple
Oatmeal with some brown sugar (about 200 calories) about 15 cents per serving. Or even a fried egg sandwich on homemade waffles (500calories) cost to make 25 cents. That sandwich breaks your budget for the day.

Lunch or dinner are more complicated. I don't know how well you cook. 

Hamburger helper costs a few dollars a box and you could probably grind pork or chicken from your freezer instead of buying hamburger. Still, it's only 280 to 320 calories per serving. supplement that with what garden veggies you have and I don't see more than 1000 calories per person.

This is a tough math problem! 

The budget only leaves open the purchase of seasonings per meal. Luckily you say you have basic supplies like rice and pasta handy. Keep the meat or protien servings to 4 ounces a day

A cup of beans and a cup of rice are 410 calories. Throw in a few ounces of meat and up that to maybe 520 calories per meal. I can eat beans and rice for lunch and dinner, just dress it up with different seasonings. That and a 600 calorie breakfast just puts you on the cusp of starvation at under $1 a day

Make a nice chicken rice casserole or chicken pasta casserole dinner with soup, ground meat and choice of starches. Most leftovers in my house get ground up and thrown in the soup pot. Throw in whatever veg you have.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

supercook, is a recipe web site where you type in ingredients you have and it tells you recipes that you can do. I use it all the time .


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## farmerj (Aug 20, 2011)

Hamburger helper is expensive seasoning mix. With even more expensive noodles Try cooking with different spices.

Sweet & sour sauce is cornstarch, pineapple juice and vinegar. Orange sauce includes orange juice instead of pineapple.

Try mixing in curry or cumin for different tastes to dishes.

Make fruit pie bars instead of poptarts. Make meat poptarts for finger foods.

Take a person at a time and go "shopping" for ideas and figure out how to make it at home.

Save the money for milk and fresh fruits


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

thanks i just learned to make sweet n sour sauce


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## farmerj (Aug 20, 2011)

acde said:


> thanks i just learned to make sweet n sour sauce


forgot, you need oil and ketchip too. It tastes better if you use rice vinegar.


www.allrecipe.com is where I do a lot of my "research" for recipes.

For my fruit filling, I use 1 cup of fruit, 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup cornstarch ratio. Makes a nice solid filling. Pie crust on top and bottom, nummy.

And with all those apples. Poptarts for b-fast and desserts.

Alot of those "box meals" are just someone elses ideas stuffed full of chemicals and preservatives.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Budget-Cooking/Main.aspx

Stretch that corn meal out. Make the dry ingredients for a yellow cake and a cornbread. Then add the oils/eggs for both recipes. Makes twice as much. It's pretty much the same as at Famous Dave's BBQ.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

thanks again


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Reminder for all of us; when having to stretch food, make sure all stay hydrated. Makes it easier on the body when you go back to your usual diet. Best wishes, ldc


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Just got back from my $50 trip(had a $5 off 50 Q)...$74.64 - 29.96 Q= 44.68

2-14oz Kraft dressing$2 each---blue cheese and ranch ($1/2Q) 
10 boxes of piccolini pasta 1.29 ($1/2Q)
2 v-8 2.24each ($1/2Q)
4 carolina rice pilaf 89c (50c/1 Q)
1 kraft shredded parm 3.69
12 pack activia 5.29 ($1q) (hubby's lunch)
3 best life butter spread 1.95 ($1Q)
1 box hannaford corn flakes (free Q w/$25 purchase)
3 crave cat treats (free Q)
4 Grande tortilla chips 2/$5 ($1/1Q)
12pk store brand root beer (hubby's lunch)
hnnfd american cheese 1# 2.89
24oz sour cream 1.99
2pk bread $2.50
1 gal milk 4.14

got $2 next purchase from barilla and $1 off seafood purchase catalina

we have garden produce still so this was just filler stuff.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

mpillow said:


> got $2 next purchase from barilla and $1 off seafood purchase catalina


you MIGHT be able to use that catalina on either tuna or a small can of minced clams  ...just saying :shrug:


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

its for the seafood "counter" maybe a few frzn shrimp?


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Y'all eat a lot of meat 

When I changed to a vegetarian diet earlier this year(had to change back due to blood sugar issues) I discovered that it wasn't the meat that I missed, it is the fat. I used to put bacon or some kind of pork into dry beans for flavor.....now I throw in a splash of olive oil. Even my meat loving hubby likes beans with oil and onion as well as beans cooked with lots of meat.

To find inexpensive dishes you must look to other cultures such as Chinese or Mexican. What we find in Chinese restaurants are not what you would find on the menu in China...ditto for Mexican restaurants. A common meal in Mexico is rice, beans, tortillas, fried eggs and a sauce/salsa....nutritious, cheap and easy.

Make vegetable soup with a small amount of fatty meat, such as a leg quarter. You'll still have the flavor you are looking for, but it will cost far less per serving.

For some reason it took me years to learn how to make good stir fry. Here's how I do it.

Have everything cut up and ready...including cool rice that was cooked earlier. Heat wok to hot, but not smoking. Put in about a tblsp of oil. Depending on size of batch put in 1 or 2 beaten eggs and stir about quickly in the hot oil. As soon as the egg is mostly firm, add onions and garlic. Add more oil at any time if things begin to stick or get a bit dry. Stir for a couple of minutes then add 'hard' veggies like carrots, broccoli or other root veggies. Stir fry for about 4 minutes...add soft veggies like squash or sprouts. Stir fry for 3-4 mins and then add rice. Stir thoroughly to mix. Now add sauce and stir for maybe a minute. If you like to add chives or chopped green onions add it about 30 seconds before you remove from heat.

My homemade Chinese food is so much better than the local Chinese Restaurant that we never eat there any more. To add meat to the above recipe, cook it in oil in the wok first and remove. Add the meat back in when adding the soft veggies.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I don't generally buy meat unless its super cheap chix or pork...we grow our own.

I guess if I had to spend up to the $50 mark I would have added :
4 cans hunts spag. sauce 3.96
1 # pinto beans 1.29

then with my $1 seafood and $2 next purchase I could have gotten an 8oz pkg of immitation crab flakes 2.99


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## homefire2007 (Sep 21, 2007)

Flour, beans and rice  Cheap sausage and biscuits. Originally from the south, we make vats of sausage gravy and pour it over everything (bread, biscuits, rice, potatos, you name it! Many a time I've used these strategies to stretch out a grocery budget during lean times. Beans can be made into a soup, refried or served over a big bowl of rice. Cheap and filling. Good luck and let us know how you make out.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

mpillow said:


> its for the seafood "counter" maybe a few frzn shrimp?


Hey, add that to some leftover chicken and sausage and make Jambalaya!!

if you do this, cook the shrimp whole in the jambalaya, then peel...the shells add more flavor to the dish.


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## mabeane (Jun 5, 2010)

Such a great bunch of recipes and ideas. I am taking some to use for us here.


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## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

How about bread pudding. Either sweet or savory.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

A small amount of chicken can make some great hot sandwiches. I fry up some chicken, chunk it, add a few crumbles of bacon, then melt some cheese on it. Put it on bread with some Ranch dressing and it's yummy. Add some baked fries, sliced tomatoes & zukes, and you have a very filling meal. 

One of my old standbys used to be to put chicken pieces in a cake pan, pour french dressing over it, cover and bake. Add some fried potatoes and sliced zukes for a meal. (this was one of our most popular meals when I had the restaurant) 

I always added fresh sliced veggies to the table. Usually I'd slice up either carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, cukes, or just some julienne cheese. Those little extras really filled out meals that were a bit short otherwise.

Also, never underestimate the value of a good rue. If you have rue you can add just about any ingredients to make a great meal.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

I had leftover homemade Scalloped potatoes from a party that I gave for 19 people. The potatoes were very rich as I used cream and the bacon fat from the bacon. I added water and more salt and pepper and saute onions. The soup was delicious. A great usage for leftover Scalloped pototes. I was so good we had it for lunch and dinner.


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