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I'd love to hear cheap meal ideas. Mine would be tuna pasta. It goes a long way and you can have it for lunch the following day when there's any leftovers. The chunks are more expensive but don't fall to pieces. All I use is tuna, mayo, any short pasta and onion.
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I love fried rice and it's so easy. I make it with whatever I have to hand. Chicken or beef both work well and cooked ham. The secret is to use day old cooked long grain rice that's been refrigerated. Stir fry your meat first, cut into thin strips, until fully cooked then add veg. I use onions, bell peppers, mushrooms (canned), beansprouts and water chestnuts. Cook just enough to keep the fresh veg crunchy. Add the cooked rice last with a big splash of soy sauce mixed in and cook until warmed right through. Beat an egg and fry it in a small pan, dice that up and mix it in last with everything else.
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I love fried rice and it's so easy. I make it with whatever I have to hand. Chicken or beef both work well and cooked ham. The secret is to use day old cooked long grain rice that's been refrigerated. Stir fry your meat first, cut into thin strips, until fully cooked then add veg. I use onions, bell peppers, mushrooms (canned), beansprouts and water chestnuts. Cook just enough to keep the fresh veg crunchy. Add the cooked rice last with a big splash of soy sauce mixed in and cook until warmed right through. Beat an egg and fry it in a small pan, dice that up and mix it in last with everything else.
Fried rice is always an excellent standby meal to create in minutes. We like to have spring rolls on the side with a green salad as well. The beauty of that is you can clear out all those leftovers in the fridges. Almost any firm veg can go in fried rice. I like corn and peas in it.
I have a rice cooker and that saves time when you make the rice in bulk then freeze it in meal portion sizes once cooled. You can use it straight from the freezer then for fried rice. Add precooked ham and veg and dinner's ready in under fifteen minutes because you're reheating it all through rather than cooking it from scratch.
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For a quick lunch, Ramen noodles on toast is tasty.
You make them slightly differently from normal. Add the contents of the seasoning packet to the water. Cut the water down to about two thirds of what it says on the packet and cook the noodles in that for the recommended time until soft. At the end turn the heat up enough to evaporate the water until you're just left with the noodles.
They should still dry enough that they don't make your toast soggy when you put them on top of it but wet enough that they don't stick to the pan. Think of drained pasta and you'll be in the right neighborhood. Put the toast on while you're cooking it and pile the Ramen on once it's done. I like to use two slices of bread. Quick, cheap and hot. Kids love it.
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Thanks for the ideas. :) Cookiefan reminded me bu talking about getting bargains. I also like to make a big mountain of fried potatoes. So unhealthy, I know LOL. But when you can get 20 pounds of them for about $4, you need to use them up and that's my family's favorite way to eat them. Fried potatoes go with everything just about as well and you can cut back on the meat portions. :)
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Sometimes my wife is out, and I'm no great chef but my stand-by meal happens to be super cheap. I call its "Dad Chinese Pad-Thai"
Feeds me and my two children, with leftovers (sometimes)
- 2-3 packages of ramen noodles (At least one beef, and one oriental)
- Whatever veggies you have on hand
- 1 can of mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- Crisco or vegetable oil
- Soy sauce
- Chopped peanuts (optional)
- Leftover beef, pork, or chicken
Make the noodles.(Setting aside the flavor packages) Drain. Set Aside.
In a large frying add noodles, vegetable oil, mushrooms, vegetables, soy sauce, and meat if you have it. Top with peanuts and additional soy sauce (if desired)
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MikeM, that is perfect, thanks! I'm going to try that once I get peanuts and PB. I haven't bought peanut butter since the last salmonella scare. My guidelines are if it's on the shelf in Walmart again, it's okay LOL.
Hi by the way, nice to meet you. :)
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I was thinking about good old fashioned biscuits and gravy. Jimmy Dean's sausage is my favorite and reasonable if you catch it on sale. The canned biscuits are cheap. Put the biscuits on first.
To make the gravy, you just fry the sausage as directed on the pack, remove it then use flour to thicken the grease left behind to a kind of dry paste consistency. A few tablespoons of flour's about enough. Then add milk, about 3 cups, sometimes less or more, constantly stirring over a medium heat. It's hard to give an exact quantity. It's better to add less initially then keep adding more until it forms a nice smooth white boiling sauce. If you add too much, it won't thicken enough. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a few mins then serve over the biscuits and sausage.
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Those all sound great, thanks for the ideas! Homemade meatballs are a good staple and freeze well. What I like about them is their versatility. I cook up a batch then freeze in ziplocs enough for a meal and when I need them, I do them in the crockpot with whatever sauce I want all day. You don't even need to thaw them. BBQ, Italian spaghetti sauce and brown gravy (you can add fried onions and fried mushrooms to all of sauces) are my top three versions.
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MikeM, that is perfect, thanks! I'm going to try that once I get peanuts and PB. I haven't bought peanut butter since the last salmonella scare. My guidelines are if it's on the shelf in Walmart again, it's okay LOL.
Hi by the way, nice to meet you. :)
I was thinking about good old fashioned biscuits and gravy. Jimmy Dean's sausage is my favorite and reasonable if you catch it on sale. The canned biscuits are cheap. Put the biscuits on first.
To make the gravy, you just fry the sausage as directed on the pack, remove it then use flour to thicken the grease left behind to a kind of dry paste consistency. A few tablespoons of flour's about enough. Then add milk, about 3 cups, sometimes less or more, constantly stirring over a medium heat. It's hard to give an exact quantity. It's better to add less initially then keep adding more until it forms a nice smooth white boiling sauce. If you add too much, it won't thicken enough. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a few mins then serve over the biscuits and sausage.
Thanks, great meeting you too Cookiefan.
I think you will be pleased with the results/smiles/full bellies of the chinese dish I mentioned.
Mmm...those biscuits sound delicious. Who doesn't love themselves some hardy, All-American breakfast food?
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I love the noodles idea, MikeM. Thanks! I can't get enough soy sauce in dishes.
Cookiefan I'm adding pounds just reading about biscuits and gravy LOL. I like to make it with fried bacon instead of sausage for a change too. You just need to be extra careful with bacon fat not to burn it when you start making the gravy. Sometimes you need to forget the calories and go for the comfort foods. :)
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Frazzledmom, don't forget my fried potatoes I mentioned to go with those biscuits and gravy. If you're going to clog your arteries, you might as well do it right LOL. I use the generic version of bisquick for mine instead of canned biscuits.
Jewel, any recipe for those meatballs please?
Hi MikeM, good to meet you. :) Welcome and thanks for the idea. :)
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Nice to meet you aswell, Savannah.
Another budget-stretching is to make the old spaghetti dinner, with a little gourmet twist.
For around a dollar each for noodles, and sauce (Use the CANNED sauce, usually $0.99) you get spaghetti. To make it special, bake the spagetti with a little bit of Italian-blend cheese, and serve with either a salad, or some French bread.
Feed the family for under 5 dollars!
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Nice to meet you aswell, Savannah.
Another budget-stretching is to make the old spaghetti dinner, with a little gourmet twist.
For around a dollar each for noodles, and sauce (Use the CANNED sauce, usually $0.99) you get spaghetti. To make it special, bake the spagetti with a little bit of Italian-blend cheese, and serve with either a salad, or some French bread.
Feed the family for under 5 dollars!
Thats a great idea, Mike.
I'm sure that adding one or two special touches to a cheap dinner will help us forget that we really are on a "Spaghetti budget".
LOL.
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Another budget-stretching is to make the old spaghetti dinner, with a little gourmet twist.
For around a dollar each for noodles, and sauce (Use the CANNED sauce, usually $0.99) you get spaghetti. To make it special, bake the spagetti with a little bit of Italian-blend cheese, and serve with either a salad, or some French bread.
Feed the family for under 5 dollars!
I love spaghetti! The Hunt's sauce is good. I use hot dog buns when I don't have a French loaf. I do the halves under the broiler and mix up some minced garlic and margarine to put on top. About a teaspoon of garlic to two tablespoons of marg works out good. Let the hot dog buns brown a little, add the garlic butter on top, then toast them a little longer to give the marg time to melt in. You can use butter but I think it's too expensive for that.
Leftover spaghetti (without sauce), I'll keep it for lunch the next day. I reheat it in the microwave with about tablespoon of margarine and plenty of salt and pepper. I enjoy that more than the spaghetti sauce sometimes. :)
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I found this blog called Cheap Eats to be both entertaining and helpful
http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/
and Kay, thats a really creative idea with the hot dog buns
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I found this blog called Cheap Eats to be both entertaining and helpful
http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/
and Kay, thats a really creative idea with the hot dog buns
Great link, thanks! And that deep dish pizza there looks mouthwatering. I'm too lazy to try make my own when I can buy a frozen pizza for under $5. :) I think that counts as a cheap, filling and tasty option if you add a side salad or fries.
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A good salad can be not too high if you watch for what's on sale and base it around those vegetables. I love romaine but you won't get me to part with the money when they want full price for it. Iceberg lettuce can make up about 80% of your salad. With a baked potato on the side topped with crumbled bacon or chili, that can be filling.
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I used up the last of my Memorial Day leftovers today. You know it can be a happy accident how leftovers turns out? This was it. I only had baked potatoes and beef franks left. The steaks went into a stir fry last night. Anyway, I diced the potatoes and fried them in a little oil until they were hot and crisped on the outside, then added sliced franks. In went a can of whole tomatoes with about a third of the juice and a chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt. You only need a little juice to help moisten the pan enough that the onions will soften. Break up the tomatoes slightly. You don't want to bite into a full one and burn your lip with the juice inside.
I felt it needed something else. Once it was all hot and the onions softened I added a good splash of fat free Italian dressing for good luck. 1/4 of a cup maybe, and only a few minutes before the end. Mixed it all together and it was delicious! I'm glad I'm posting because I would never remember how I did it LOL.
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I used up the last of my Memorial Day leftovers today. You know it can be a happy accident how leftovers turns out? This was it. I only had baked potatoes and beef franks left. The steaks went into a stir fry last night. Anyway, I diced the potatoes and fried them in a little oil until they were hot and crisped on the outside, then added sliced franks. In went a can of whole tomatoes with about a third of the juice and a chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt. You only need a little juice to help moisten the pan enough that the onions will soften. Break up the tomatoes slightly. You don't want to bite into a full one and burn your lip with the juice inside.
I felt it needed something else. Once it was all hot and the onions softened I added a good splash of fat free Italian dressing for good luck. 1/4 of a cup maybe, and only a few minutes before the end. Mixed it all together and it was delicious! I'm glad I'm posting because I would never remember how I did it LOL.
That sounded so good I went and made it tonite. I didn't have beef franks and substituted turkey ones. I microwaved potatoes until they were fully cooked. No leftovers from my greedy bunch LOL. They ate the lot and wanted to know why I hadn't made more. We can call that a hit! Thanks for the recipe. :)
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I used up the last of my Memorial Day leftovers today. You know it can be a happy accident how leftovers turns out? This was it. I only had baked potatoes and beef franks left. The steaks went into a stir fry last night. Anyway, I diced the potatoes and fried them in a little oil until they were hot and crisped on the outside, then added sliced franks. In went a can of whole tomatoes with about a third of the juice and a chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt. You only need a little juice to help moisten the pan enough that the onions will soften. Break up the tomatoes slightly. You don't want to bite into a full one and burn your lip with the juice inside.
I felt it needed something else. Once it was all hot and the onions softened I added a good splash of fat free Italian dressing for good luck. 1/4 of a cup maybe, and only a few minutes before the end. Mixed it all together and it was delicious! I'm glad I'm posting because I would never remember how I did it LOL.
That sounded so good I went and made it tonite. I didn't have beef franks and substituted turkey ones. I microwaved potatoes until they were fully cooked. No leftovers from my greedy bunch LOL. They ate the lot and wanted to know why I hadn't made more. We can call that a hit! Thanks for the recipe. :)
My mouth's watering here. I shouldn't read these posts when I've not eaten yet LOL. I am so going to make that, bringmeroses! We always have leftovers after July 4.
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I'm making liver and onions for tomorrow. I fry it up slow and gently to prevent it from toughening, then fry onions in what's left in the pan to get all the flavor. Take out the onions and make up a packet of brown gravy in the frying pan. Add the onions back in and the liver and give it about another ten minutes. Serve with mash and crumbled bacon on the top. Liver's cheap and healthy.
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This is a different kind of sandwich if your kids will go for meat and fruit together. Add chips and some diced fruit to the side to fill the plate.
Smoked Turkey Apple Grilled Cheese
Serves 1
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 slices thick whole wheat bread
4-6 slices. smoked turkey breast meat
4 slices green apple
1 slice low-sodium, skim milk Swiss cheese
2 tsp. olive oil
Spread mustard onto one slice of bread. Layer on turkey, apple and cheese, and top with bread. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in grill pan. Place sandwich in pan and cook on each side for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
I tend to go for the bargains and use them up as I buy them. Eggs are a staple. This week they were on sale at 98c for a dozen Grade A. Omelets and frozen french fries go well together and you can throw almost anything in the omelet you need to use up. I try to figure out in my head what I can team up with what that's on sale.
Without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor.
- Samuel Johnson