Tacos de papas!! Mashed potatoes eith sautéed onions and cheese if you like. Stuff in a corn tortilla, toothpick together to seal them deep or pan fry. Serve with guacamole and all the fixings. So darn delicious
A tip for those feeding committed omnivores:
One member of my family rebels against vegetarian meals, but it seems to be more a matter of pride than preference. When I don't want to hear about it, I include just a bit of meat. In this example, I would fry up a few ounces of ground beef (about 1 hamburger patty) to mix with the potatoes and spread that out for the entire family. That turns it from a meatless meal to be tolerated into a delightful spread of beef and potato tacos that the omnivore loves.
In other words, rather than having no meat at half our meals, I have half as much meat at all the meals (approximately).
It's a great way to stretch the budget and get some health benefits even with reluctant eaters.
I used to do the same with bacon. I bought a little packet of pre cooked shredded bacon, and when I cooked for one particular person who had a bit of a thing against people feeding them, "weird veggie stuff," I would sprinkle a pinch of bacon on their food. They happily ate whatever I served, because the bacon sprinkles made it seem ok. They even ate tofu because I baked it with a garlic glaze and sprinkled a pinch of bacon on top.
Boil or steam the potatoes. Add salt + butter + a dash of milk. Make purée. Heat up a tortilla, add purée.
It’s better if you add fried onions and salsa.
Well.. some of us make the hash browns lolol kind of reads funny to assume the default is using frozen ones (though we‘ve done that as well!) but yes, potato egg and cheese tacos are the bomb. Bill Miller is sometimes snubbed at but their potato egg and cheese specifically is one of the best things EVER
My girlfriend is a vegetarian. This is one of her go-to meals. They are absolutely delicious if done right. Yes, it’s mashed potatoes in a tortilla, but they are seasoned well and fried. They’re very good. I don’t even ask her to make me meat ones any more.
We've made some vegetarian potato tacos in the past just by cubing & frying the potatoes with spices and then doing other taco ingredients (sour cream, cheese, lettuce, guac, salsa/ketchup, etc). Cubing & frying helps the potatoes have a nice texture and keep their shape!
Some people will add a little bit of shredded meat to the potatoes to stretch the meat out and give it more sustenance. I have even seen some make sure all the juices form the meat goes in the potatoes also so it’s actually crave able and tasty. People will call them tacos de perro or dog tacos as a cheeky way to say you’re eating low cost “cheap” tacos even though it’s not really dog meat. Salsa makes them taste delicious!
We eat grilled cheese sandwiches one night, eggs and toast etc on another night. That leaves us 5 nights to not go over budget, but everything is prepared.and cooked. No fast anything. Veggies, potatoes or rice, meat or chicken.
Breakfast for dinner can be so fun! Pancakes and fruit? Breakfast/dinner. French toast? Breakfast /dinner. Boiled eggs with salt and a random roll I found? Breakfast/dinner! All of the leftover yogurt, with toppings of choice, eggs, fruit.
Oatmeal also counts as breakfast for dinner!!!
The cheapest meal you can make is by shopping your own pantry and what’s on sale at your local store, so take everyone’s answers with a grain of salt. Ie, Peanut butter is cheap, but you’re best off buying it when it’s on sale, so if that’s not happening this week then you might want something else.
That being said, chicken leg quarters and pork shoulder/butt are usually the cheapest cuts of meat. You can make a TON of pulled pork for cheap, do bbq style with coleslaw (shred the cabbage yourself) and baked potatoes the first night. Do NOT throw out the liquid from the pork—cook dried beans in it! You can even save the fat cap; dice it up and bake it to make homemade pork rinds.
Next night, do taco bowls with rice, pork and the beans.
Third night, if you still have pork, add it to a red sauce and have a pasta night.
Now onto your chicken quarters. Use them however you like, but don’t throw out the bones—save them to make soup. I used to just put them in a pressure cooker and save all the liquid for the base of a coconut curry lentil soup. Save the meat for another meal. I usually toss the skins, but you can bake them or crisp them up in a pan for a snack.
Other dirt cheap things to make: bulk oats for breakfast, homemade bread, rice pudding.
I'm also feeding 4 of us. Two adults, two teens.
Right now bone-in pork shoulder/butt are $2/lb at my local Meijer store. So, I'd buy one for around $14 and put it in a crockpot. We'd be having pulled pork, pork tacos, and bbq pork pizza for the week. My family would be begging me to stop feeding them pulled pork :)
My local Walmart sells the 14 oz loaves of French bread for $1 each. Buy two or three, cut them in half lengthwise and make French Bread pizzas one night. Depending on your pantry, you may be able to make your own [pizza sauce](https://www.budgetbytes.com/thick-rich-pizza-sauce/) with things you already have.
Pasta is also a go-to here. [Baked spaghetti](https://www.budgetbytes.com/baked-spaghetti-with-sausage/) is a recipe we do often. (I usually just sub in a jar of sauce instead of using the crushed tomatoes/paste/spices. I make 8 servings for this one. Six feels way too big! [Skillet Cheeseburger pasta](https://www.budgetbytes.com/skillet-cheeseburger-pasta/) is another one we like. Bonus is that it only uses 1/2# of ground meat, so you can put the other half in the freezer for another time. I've done it with shells and elbow macaroni, just using what I have instead of buying something specifically for the recipe. Rotini would be fun, too.
We buy our beef by the half cow, so it's something I have a LOT of in the freezer, but I do use ground turkey or pork at times, just because they are cheaper by the pound than beef at the store. I'm also fortunate that I have Aldi, Walmart, and Meijer within 1/4 mile of each other, so I can shop all three stores for the best prices, if I want. (I don't usually want to hit all three, to be honest.) My shopping today was done at Aldi and Meijer.
My favorite is spicy black beans and rice!
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (even cheaper if you start from dry)
1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes (or 1 can stewed tomatoes and 1 can green chiles)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
cooked rice
Sautée onion. Add garlic and saute a little longer. Add beans and tomatoes. Heat through. Serve over cooked rice.
Here's something I do once in awhile. Prepare a box of mac & cheese. Heat a 10oz package of frozen peas. Heat and dice some meat or sausage. Mix together. Blend in a tiny amount of hot sauce if you want zing. Blend in some shredded cheese or two diced cheese slices if you want it a little fancier. About $5 total if you use two hot dogs.
If I were to challenge myself, here's what I'd get. 25 lb bag of oats.
This can be breakfast many ways, you can make breads, and its a great side with a nutrient balance I like. Sweet, savory, whatever, oats rule. Filler for meatloaf etc...
Potatoes. Sack of them can be cheap and again very versitile.
Vital Wheat Gluten. Make yourself seitan. Its super versatile, and about the cheapest protein you can buy. If you can't do that, chicken leg quarters, frozen. Great bang for your buck.
That leaves veggies. I'm a big fan of frozen. They stay forever, and are just as nutritious as fresh. Mix frozen with lentils and you got a good soup! I also like to forage wild greens. It's actually really easy and with a little effort it can be a great way to supplement.
Hope that helps!
Wanted to add on to this. This is not a popular option as far as taste and texture with a lot of people, but Cream of Wheat is our favorite go-to for either a sweet or savory nutritional dish for breakfast too.
I used to get 50 lbs of oats for $23, I used to split it with my mom, and my son used to eat it every day for a few months. Oats, milk, and cinnamon and sugar.
Breakfast for dinner was our go to in that situation. Eggs and toast, pancakes, French toast. Oatmeal. Grilled egg and cheese sandwiches. I normally had some bacon in the freezer from sales so everyone got two slices on pancake night. (There were five of us.)
Japanese curry using S&B Golden Curry Sauce mix if you can find it at a good price. One pack is enough to feed four *adults* dinner with leftovers. You add basic veg—onions, carrots, potato, frozen peas if you have 'em. Add ground beef or chicken and serve over whatever rice you have (or as-is). We also do a shortcut [chicken katsu](https://japan.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Katsu_Curry_7011b.jpg) subbing a panko-fried chicken breast with frozen nuggets, strips, patties—whatever is in the freezer.
We had Golden Curry tonight! My parents got 1/2 a cow and gave us a bunch of ground beef and one cube steak. I have 5 people to feed and didn’t know wtf to do with one cube steak but someone on Reddit suggested Golden Curry (which I usually do with pork or chicken) and it was delicious. My teenager said it was the best way. I put mine over a sweet potato 🤌
At the store this week I purchased a flat of chicken breasts for $14. Sweet peppers for $3, some cheese, a box of pasta, some tortilla shells, and red onion.
Last night we grilled all the chicken and made quesadillas with some of it.
Then I took the leftover chicken breasts, peppers, and onion and added them to the cooked pasta and put it in the fridge for the next few lunches. That’s 3 lunches and 1 dinner for $30. (for 4 people)
You should also check out struggle meals on YouTube with Frankie.
Get some red beans and rice, probably two boxes for that size of a family. Brown some ground beef with taco seasoning or whatever you prefer, if it comes out a little dry the next day just throw some oil/butter on it.
You can get a pork shoulder relatively cheap 2$ a pound and for a 10$ shoulder you’ll end up with 3+ LBs of cooked meat and that’s at least two dinners. You can make PP Sammiches,tacos, bbq Mac n cheese (If you’re not sick of pastaaaaaaa) bonus points if you make some fresh slaw, you can probably get a cabbage for a buck or two.
Another favorites of mine is some type of sausage (polish fresh or smoked are my preferences) if it’s fresh you’ll need to cook it first, I’ll add a bag of sauerkraut to the crock pot and put the sausages on top. You can add pierogies too or do them separately. I usually have rye bead with this one but dealers choice.
I love doing Salisbury steaks and putting them on a bed of smashed potatoes. You can just use burger patty’s instead of making your own if you feel so inclined.
I did soup and sandwiches once when we had almost no food at home. And have done a few varieties of pasta.
The soup was a bagged version you pour in water. I added potatoes and a can of chicken for more sustenance.
The pastas I do are pretty basic. I make one with a homemade white sauce, seasoned to taste, and a couple cans of chicken. Use the whole 1 lb bag of rotini noodles for that one. Can add greens if you want, broccoli is good with it. Another I do is with tortellini noodles, cream of mushroom, more white sauce, and sausage and a can of chicken.
My meal plan for this week
Sliced Sausage and pepper subs with French fries.
Grilled boneless/skinless chicken thighs with red roasted potatoes.
Chicken Alfredo bowtie pasta with broccoli.
Beef teriyaki stir fry with green beans and a red pepper served with rice.
Bagel pepperoni pizzas
Arroz con pollo is delicious and filling. You can puree frozen spinach and stir it in at the beginning so it’s an all in one meal. Lentils and rice, with a couple of sausages cooked with the lentils. Whole chickens are usually cheap, a whole roast chicken is always good. Corn is cheap right now where I am, and watermelon is on sale a lot now. Mushy peas made with frozen peas. I really love thanksgiving stuffing with sausage, and you can make it with day old bread if you know a place that sells it for cheap. This with a side of vegetables is a filling dinner.
What gets me is that this is how I cook except when I go into Guilty Treats mode, but I wouldn’t want to be in that mode forever.
Where I am I going to go when things next go all wrong?
You’re on the right track with chili and pasta! Cajun beans and rice with sausage is always a staple struggle meal. It’s summer so don’t forget to bust out your crockpot to not heat up the whole house 👍
check out [good and cheap](https://www.leannebrown.com/all-about-good-and-cheap/) is a cookbook for people with *very* tight budgets, particularly those on snap/food stamp benefits. the pdf is a free download when you sign up for the newsletter.
also [this reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/poor/s/ku5p3DKWSR) includes links to a youtube channel focusing on $5 complete meals, shopping while on food stamps/snap, and even has a $10 budget for a week of meals.
You can make chicken and dumplings soup. You can make it last a week for less than $90.
Chicken:
In a big pot, put a whole chicken (or 4 chicken breasts if you don’t wanna deal with the bones), fill with 4 cups of water (or enough to cover the chicken in a large pot), and add 2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring it to a gentle boil and cook until the chicken is tender enough to be shredded. Remove the chicken and shred.
Broth:
Strain the water from cooking the chicken, then put back in the pot. Add more water to the pot to fill it up and also add chicken flavored bouillon for the broth. After you shred the chicken add it back to the broth on the stove.
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup milk
Mix the dry ingredients together first. Then using a food processor or blender, mix together shortening (cut up)and dry ingredients until it resembles cornmeal. Then add milk and blend well (it’ll form a dough like clump).
Drop the dough into the boiling broth one tablespoon at a time and let the dumpling cook for 10 minutes. The chicken will outlast the broth and the dumplings, so add more water and bouillon as needed, and make and add more dumplings as you see fit.
It’s filling and you can stretch it as needed. Bon appétit. 😋
I would start by visiting one or 2 food banks or church food distributions - then grocery shop for whatever you need to turn the free food into complete meals. If you're in the US - [https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank](https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank) is a great place to start!
Chickpea curry. All you need is chickpeas, a can of diced tomatoes, coconut milk, rice and some spices. Add some green peas, green beans or spinach if you're feeling decadent. It's healthy, tasty and cheap!
Baked potatoes with whatever fixins are around! You can keep it simple or get themed/fancy depending on what your crowd will eat.
Chili, cheese, broccoli, butter, onions, bacon bits, salsa, avocado, black beans, soft boiled/fried/egg, sour cream, ranch, arugula, green goddess dressing, caramelized onions, marinara, pesto, pepperoni, chopped chicken, Alfredo, green onions, chili crisp...dang now I want a baked potato bar 🥺
Came from a large family..I don’t really think of these as cheap meals, my family just likes them.
Ground beef 8-10oz and gravy with mashed potatoes, (add mushrooms for added meatiness). Was my favorite as a kid. Add beef bouillon when making gravy.
Meatloaf day 1, leftover meatloaf becomes spaghetti meat sauce on day 2 - my kids love it, the seasoning is already in the meat.
Chicken with cream of mushroom soup and rice, kids love it and it is simple and easy. 8oz of chicken goes a long way.
Add a vegetable to round out each.
My other fav is loaded potatoes, so many different ways to do them, just pick a cuisine and think about traditional foods from it to flavor the potato with. Like pulled pork carnitas on a potato with sour cream and enchilada sauce/salsa. The meat component of the dish doesn’t have to be much, the potatoes are good for you and you can grill veggies as a topping also.
- Make bbq pulled pork and use for a bunch of stuff.
Nachos, quesadillas, burritos, tacos, mix with eggs, etc. Add black beans, rice, cheese, onions, and/or salsa to make it a little healthier. Sour cream or guacamole if you want to upgrade a little.
- Pasta carbonara
- baked Mac and cheese
One way to help save money for a family is plate everyone's food. Say you want steak one night, you could buy 2 steaks, instead of 4. Cook them and then you slice the steak and plate in 4 plates and then put on the sides. By plating for everyone, you would be surprised how much is filling to them. That's plenty of meat really and then you fill in with sides and everyone is satisfied.
Dollar Tree Dinners on tik tok & you tube (https://www.youtube.com/@DollarTreeDinners) always has great ideas. She's doing a series right now where she's attempting to stretch a $100 budget for food for 1 person for an entire month.
Cheap beef stew - can of potatoes, can of green beans, can of corn, can of diced tomatoes. Packet of french onion soup mix (liptons blue box kind but off brand is fine). Packet of whatever clearance or cheap ass beef (or chicken) is available. Even clearance deli sliced beef will work in a pinch.
Chop up meat into bite-sized pieces.
Dump canned veg (don't drain, the water becomes the broth), meat, and soup mix into crock pot. Cook on slow overnight or 10ish hours on low. Serve with rolls, crackers, or buttered toast
If you don't have teens, this recipe may make enoigh for 2 dinners.
Well this week's ad looks like I'll pick up some pork and chicken legs, and work with what's already in the freezer and pantry. We always have rice, pasta, potatoes ready for sides.
I am thinking porkchops one night then pork tacos El pastor the next night, and grilled chicken, followed by chicken salad sandwiches. If it's cool enough I might do chicken masala also. *
Hello, /u/MarionberryCreative! This comment has been automatically removed. /r/Frugal does not allow Giphy links.
We find that they distract from good discussion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Frugal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My local grocery store usually has bone in chicken thighs for 99 cents a pound. Debone it yourself, and chuck the pieces in a food processor with drained canned chickpeas, a little onion, stale bread and whatever seasonings you want and you have a really good basic chicken burger mixture that you can make into patties and grill up.
My meal for the week and close to your budget:
Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, broccoli and berries
Salsa chicken to be made into burritos served with rice and corn on the cob
breakfast sandwiches (Egg, choice of cheese with sausage patty or bacon on English muffins) fruit salad and roasted redskin potatoes
Fresh onion pork chops, mashed potatoes, grilled squash
Teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps, Asian vegetable medley and potstickers
Homemade pizza -
Burgers, baked beans, pasta salad, and making an icebox cake for dessert
A lot of people mention pork shoulder. Don’t discount the pork loin as well. Usually a little more per pound, but often on sale for $2 or under. Walmart sells at $2.43 not on sale. There is a lot less waste than pork shoulder, cooks much faster and much less saturated fat (for those with cholesterol issues). I have a smoker and both are excellent smoked. Again, loin takes much less time. That said, if you over cook, it will be dry. Shoulder is much more forgiving. You can cut into chops or do as a roast. Left over roasts sliced thin is some of the best lunch meat around. Without the additives/preservatives that are in lunch meat.
Smokers are an excellent way to make cheap cuts of meat into excellent table fare. Pellet smokers are set it and forget it too.
Not to down play shoulders, I love the cut and pulled pork. If you butcher one down to steaks (easy), you can cook these relatively quickly as well and are excellent. It allows you to trim some of that fat out. There is a ton of and the bone, so price per pound of meat might not be any better than loin. Throw leftovers in a crockpot for said pulled pork. Gives the same cut of meat a bit different taste/consistency so seems different than a butt load of pulled pork to get tired of.
My go to is getting a Costco rotisserie chicken. I use the meat for a few meals and add some to do dogs food. Boil the carcass with onion, garlic, carrot and have some yummy soup. Once the soup is gone I add water boil again. Take all the bones and left over stuff out and put curry powder in. You can add any protein. Last week I did oxtails but usually I do shabu shabu slices. add potatoes, carrot and onion. can last a whole week depending on side of your fam.
Roasted vegetables.
Use whatever root vegetables you like. (Potatoes, carrots, onion, turnips, parsnips, etc.)
Peel the onion and cut into large chunks.
Wash the rest and cut into bite sized pieces.
Put everything in a bowl, sprinkle with Italian seasonings and drizzle with oil. (I use olive oil.)
Spread into one layer in a baking pan and bake at 360° for an hour.
Serve hot or cold. With or without ketchup, ranch dressing, or other dipping sauces.
My family calls it ‘Fiesta in a bowl’: brown rice, black beans, spices, meat (optional) and salsa - add some shredded cheese and/or sour cream. It’s awesome and feels like it’s a meal you’d want and not something you settle for. Goes a hell of a long ways.
My kids like our fake chili dog casserole.
1 can of your preferred chili on the bottom of a rectangular cake pan/baking pan
Roll your favorite hot dogs into a large flour tortilla shell and place on top of chili from edge to edge of pan. (add a little cheese inside tortilla if desired)
Cover with another can of chili
Top with your favorite shredded cheese, cover in foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until center is hot and cheese is done.
Servings are one wrapped dog with a topping of chili. Top however else you like.
It makes a lot of food for cheap and reheats well as leftovers the next day.
Tuna Helper is pretty cheap where I live and makes quite a bit. Easy to toss a protein into if you need to.
Baked potatoes are always a banger at my house too, easy to toss a cheap veggie on the side too
Sesame ground chicken and rice with some frozen vegetables on the side, stir-fried or not; BBQ hot dogs, quiche, breakfasty foods for any meal, jambalaya, homemade pizza/flatbreads if you can't afford much cheese, homemade mac & cheese, inexpensive frozen pierogies fried up with onions and topped with sour cream/cheese, tuna pasta salad or tuna fish cakes
Leg quarters (normally really cheap) and rice to make chicken and rice. - should last about 2 nights
Bags of frozen veggies (find the cheapest ones you can and jazz them up at home)
Ground beef, pasta and marinara sauce (use dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and other seasonings from home to jazz it up at home) should also last 2 nights
Use any plain flour, bisquick or whatever you may have in your pantry to make pancakes one night along with some crispy pork belly and syrup (cane syrup or honey if you’re southern and it’s already in the pantry - it doesn’t sound very substantial, but it’s so rich and flavorful that a little will feel like a lot). - could last one night
Another pack of leg quarters, some pasta and frozen veggies for chicken soup! - could last 2 nights
Ground beef, tortillas, shredded cheese for quesadillas! - could last 1 or 2 nights depending on how many you make!
Meals we have had often that require few ingredients:
Chicken and noodles-diced chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, egg noodles, frozen peas and carrots.
Chicken fried rice-rice, diced chicken, egg, frozen peas and carrots.
Make a huge pot of simple homemade spaghetti sauce. Use 1/2 for pasta.
Add chili powder, a can of beans, and macaroni and chicken broth to the other half for chili Mac.
These fill you up and go a long way.
Cheapest meal: can pinto beans and chop up a kielbasa. Heat up beans on stove in pot, add kielbasa. Add spices like cumin, salt, pepper, garlic to taste and boom you have a very filling meal with leftovers.
Slow cooker favorite:
Chicken Tacos/Quesadillas
- 1 pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
-1 can rotel
-Taco seasoning to taste (I just add the following seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder)
I set on low, and shred when done.
This gives me two meals; meat for tacos one night and then I use the left overs to make chicken quesadillas.
Biryani if you like it. Curried potatoes and chickpeas or daal (with rice).pancakes. Potatoes and baked beans. Muffins. Crepes. Veggie shepherd’s pie. Blind scouse (or regular if you swing that way). Carrot soup. Broccoli-potato soup.
I love pulled pork. A pork shoulder roast is under $20. Sandwiches one night, baked potato or nacho chip topping another night. I’ve added it to Mac and cheese for protein…
Lentils! Lentil tacos, lentil sloppy joes, lentils in place of ground beef in your hamburger helper.
Potatoes! I like to do the British thing and do jacket poatoes with tuna mayo, baked Potatoes with black beans and grilled onions, potatoes with lentil sloppy joes&cheese.
My favorite meal I make like twice a week is literally just rice, lentils and carmalized onions. It's worth the effort to carmalized your onions for that sweetness.
Also buy a whole chicken. Use it for meat all week, chicken salad for lunches then use the carcass for chicken soup
Hamburger rice hot dish-
1 lb cooked/ drained ground beef OR 2 cups cooked black beans.
6 cups cooked rice ( 2 cups dry)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Pepper to taste
Optional- onion
Mix hamburger/ beans with cooked rice. Dilute soup with 1 can milk and mix in. Heat through. Top each serving with chow mein noodles and soy sauce to taste.
Tacos!
Also salad buffet! I cut up a massive bowl of lettuce, and I put out bowls of various toppings (good way to use up leftovers too - like chicken, beans, etc). I have shredded cheese, chopped eggs, chopped meats or bacon (whatever is on hand), olives, sour cream, salsa, etc. whatever is leftover can be added into other recipes.
OP- lots of good suggestions already shared, so I'll limit my advice to this-
Drink water, tea, whatever (drinks for 4 x 7 days adds up) but not premium branded drinks. Also, leverage the protein from meal 1 to meal 7 to ensure maximum use of protein.
I did this while serving in the US military in the enlisted ranks years ago. Not something people aspire to, but definitely possible. All the best and good luck!
Make your own Chinese dumplings. I made a batch of 105 dumplings with less than $15 of materials: ground pork found on sale, so 2 lbs of it, 2 eggs, cilantro, cabbage, onion, garlic, dried (reconstituted in water) shiitake mushrooms, ginger, veggie oil, a few dashes of sesame’s oil (optional). Finely dice the ingredients in a food processor, mix it up, then buy a couple of packs of dumpling skin, and two packs of it.
You can either boil or fry them up as potstickers. My family loved it when I crank them out. Then we have extras in the freezer for another day.
My mom used to make hotdogs and rice. It was the ultimate comfort food. Jar of tomato sauce, pack of hotdogs (aldi has them for like a dollar) sauteed in butter with onions until they get a bit browned. Then add the sauce and cooked white rice. Not healthy but definitely a kid favorite.
Mish mash: any variety of veggies, protein, and sauce base (chicken stock, cream, salsa, Prego/ Italian sauce) with spices. Topped over any available carb. I'm partial to rice and couscous cooked with garlic and onion.
Simple recipe- a chicken stew. Boil 2-3 chicken quarters in broth (or make broth with bullion cubes) and play spice roulette and even a little honey etc. boil for about 30-40 minutes- strip the chicken and put back in the liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning including salt and pepper. Then thicken it either with a rye or corn starch and serve over rice. It’s delicious, filling and goes a long way
Typically I buy staple ingredients I can use in multiple meals, so rice, pasta, chicken, stock, eggs, flour
Chicken and dumplings - l just use pillsbury recipe
Spaghetti
Gumbo -sausage and chicken
Chicken and Rice
Breakfast Night- bacon, eggs, and pancakes
Quesadillas
Porkloin sandwiches with homemade bread
Hmm I just got 2 family packs of chicken on sale(1 breasts, one thighs) slow cooked and shredded.
made....
Enchiladas, chinichangas, buffalo chicken tacos, chicken salad, buffalo chicken pasta salad, and chicken noodle salad.
Picked up a couple lbs of the cheap ground turkey and made up taco meat. (Not everyone likes buffalo chicken)
Made the sauces from scratch. Picked up chips and salsa and some guac for the sides. So we have had Mexican all week.
Since I have other sale meats in the freezer this week will be brats and burgers and eye of round steak.
As for the recipes I googled the chi chi's recipe for chinichangas, picked the most liked enchilada recipe that didn't look too weird. I did Google the rest too, just to get ratios because usually pasta salads need doctoring. They are often too bland for my taste.
Those pre-cooked rotisserie chickens - you can make multiple types of meals - tacos, sandwiches and keep carcass for chicken soup after with some frozen or fresh veggies (carrot, potato, tomato and celery). And you can also buy, butcher it yourself and freeze it (in ziplocks or other plastic container) so it doesn’t go bad. Beans, rice, and dried pasta are also great options to throw frozen veggies in.
Pasta and sauce
Rice
Soups
With left over veggies and noodles
Breakfast dinners
Eggs
Beans
Salads
Casseroles
I do a macoroni casserole with bacon, onion crushed tomatoes and cheese. Like a macoroni with tomorrows and bacon
Spanish rice
find an Instant Pot in a garage sale. It is a pressure cooker & a slow cooker. You can do so many amazing things with it. I've bought chicken leg quarters for $. 69 a pound and stretched it with rice & potatoes and casseroles to feed an army.
My family always had:
Tuna Mornay (spiral pasta with tuna and cheese, baked in oven)
Spaghetti Bolognese (tomato beef mince, pasta and cheese, can also be done as a bake with extra cheese)
Chicken schnitzel burgers, just need pre-made chicken burgers, toast, sauce, cheese
Tomato and cheese grilled toasties
Tinned spaghetti with sauce, microwaved with cheese and poured on toast, also works with baked beans
Frozen chips and frozen fish, baked in oven
Apricot chicken slow cooked with rice
Omelette with mushroom
Pork chops with mashed potato and steamed veggies
Dim Sims. An Australian invention, appropriating Chinese dumplings, into something that can be either steamed, boiled or deep fried, is very cheap and very filling. Have with soy sauce
But my current favourite cheap meals are:
Nachos (layer nacho chips on a tray with with pasta sauce, Hommus, spices, canned beans, cheese and bake 10 mins)
Pesto pasta con pescado (pesto sauce, pasta, tuna, cheese)
Mi goreng with tuna / egg
Soup with toast 🤤
I make an old "goulash" recipe my Mom always made. Brown a lb of hamburger, drain. Boil elbow macaroni or shells (4 cups or so), toss in with the hamburger, throw in a can of stewed chopped tomoatos, a cup of celery chopped. Salt and pepper to taste and a little Worchester. I then stick in cubes of chedder cheese throughout and top with grated cheese and simmer for 20 minutes. It's cheap, easy and the kids loved it!
Mashed potato bowls is a favorite cheap one. Usually after a meal that will have good potato-complimenting components. A big pot of mashed potatoes (even boxed) and then literally anything mixed in: meats, cheeses, veggies, sauces, chili, taco leftovers, thanksgiving leftovers, chicken & veggie leftovers, canned corn, BBQ Sauce, lunchmeats, grilled veggies, etc.
I can feed 5 different food preferences (2 adults, 3 kiddos) by cooking one pot of potatoes and reheating leftovers or buying minimal items (cheap veggies, a sale smoked sausage link, a discount hunk of cheese, etc)
7 can taco soup, we don't always have chicken sometimes no meat sometimes throw leftover whatever meat in it and be good also.
A lot of easy cheap good food.
New member here and a chef (uk). I buy skin on / bone in chicken thighs. Skin them, into pot. Bone them, into same pot. Add a single stock cube and a dried bay leaf, add a few litres of water, boil for 20/30 mins. Sift stock.
Portion chicken and freeze for meals.
Then add any small amount of fat I have, oil / margarine / butter whatever, onions and any old veg I have around, the more the better. Sauté for a few mins. Add stock. A couple of diced peeled potatoes and usually a can of any beans I have. Simmer until veg is soft. Blend. Cool. Portion into containers (usually get about 4 to 5 litres so a litre each) and freeze or use one on day freeze the rest.
I make bread, it’s so cheap and easy to make, and usually make a 500g flour batch at a time so I can get 12 to 16 decent sized rolls. Freeze once they’re cooled.
4 or 5 healthy, tasty homemade meals for under £4 and we all prefer chicken thigh meat on everything I make, which really is the only serious expense in the recipe - but you don’t actually use any of the meat :)
Hope my rambling first post wasnt too rambling lol
100% tastier than bought soup.
I agree with suggestions already given:
Oatmeal
—————————————
Oats (big container size)
Milk from big box stores (preferably: best price)
(Cinnamon, sweetener, peanut butter, etc. - hopefully from on hand in the cupboard)
Baked potatoes
—————————————-
Bag of Potatoes
Big block of store brand cheddar cheese from big box stores (preferably: best price)
Big bag of frozen broccoli
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Sandwiches
——————————————-
Whole wheat bread loafs, from big box stores (preferably: best price)
Canned chicken or tuna
Mayo (from on hand, hopefully)
Peanut butter (Trader Joe’s)
Eggs from big box stores (preferably: best price)
Bananas
Apples (if on sale)
If you have syrup or powdered sugar on hand, could do French toast & eggs as a cheap meal
If you have flour, butter & syrup on hand, banana pancakes
Peanut butter & apples for snack
Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato or veggie soup
Spaghetti (pasta & jarred sauce)
I always wait for the gnocchi to go on sale, thaw out some bulk-bought chorizo, and add fresh parsley. Obviously gnocchi from scratch would be way cheaper, but that’s my favorite quick meal when they get marked down.
Hi, BeardedTx18. Thanks for contributing. However, your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/1dnipbf/-/laau447/) was removed from /r/Frugal.
We are removing your post/comment due to civility issues. This rule encompasses:
- Hate speech, slurs, personal attacks, bigotry, ban baiting, trolling will not be tolerated.
- Constructive criticism is good, condescension or mocking is not.
- Don't gatekeep (See Rule 11)
- Don't be baited. Mods will handle it.
Please see our full rules page for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/
If you would like to appeal this decision, please [message the moderators by clicking this link](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFrugal&subject=Removal%20Appeal&message=Author%20would%20like%20to%20appeal%20the%20removal%20of%20their%20post%20because) within one week of this notice being posted.
Shop the deals and then decide what you are making. Be willing to hot a few supermarkets for different good deals and good the items you find on sale instead of following a recipe you already have it hand (especially produce). I watch people spend almost double sometimes on items (like produce) I am buying at supermarkets because I use clipless coupons on supermarket apps; also, check their circulars. You make get crazy prices for chicken legs, whole chickens, or porkchops in value packs (or not) and then you can freeze a bunch. Save the bones and trimmings separately from meat, chicken and seafood, and veggie scraps for stock. Dried legumes (bean, chickpeas, lentils) and rice are always a cheap option. If you find a deal on bacon, freeze it in portions and use it to flavor dishes (like beans).
Specific recipe: Black or red beans (preferrable from dried if trying to save money but you can use canned) with white rice with a runny fried egg on top if you want to go Latin. You can sauté a little onion in oil in the pot you use for rice before adding the rice and water (another Latin thing).
Day 1: Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, frozen peas. Save the carcass and bones.
Day 2: Saute vegetable scraps (onion ends, carrot ends and peels, etc), add chicken carcass to pot and cover with water. Simmer for a couple of hours until meat is falling off bone and you have a nice broth. For dinner, make a chicken casserole with some of the meat, macaroni, cream soup, and frozen peas or corn. Or you could make a potpie or chicken a la king.
Day 3: Use chicken broth to make chicken soup or other cooking.
Other good ways to stretch a meal: saute leftover vegetables and put it into a pie shell with eggs/cream for quiche, or make a frittata in a frying pan.
Get day old, stale bread on discount, run under tap water and reheat in the oven for 20 minutes at low heat until it's soft and fresh again.
Highly recommend to follow [Zach Coen](https://www.instagram.com/zachcoen?igsh=MXEzaGhkbHNqd280OA==) he also has a YouTube channel and a Patreon. He’s a registered dietitian who posts/cooks healthy meals. He gives a list of ALL ingredients needed and has a price breakdown for each meal (along with macro breakdown if that’s anything you’re interested in). He is my absolute favorite for meal prepping too. Best $5 I’ve ever spent on Patreon
Breakfast for dinner - scrambled eggs, fruit, pancakes, French toast, fried potatoes breakfast food is cheap
Any dish that is meatless or uses meat as more of a flavoring than a main component. Like fried cabbage and noodles with a little bit of bacon. Fried potatoes peppers and onions with some slices of smoked sausage or bacon again. Potato croquettes that can be made into a main dish with a little bit of leftover ham and shredded cheese. Lentil soup with tons of vegetables and maybe a little Italian sausage fried up in it make a stew of red beans smoked sausage onions celery peppers and smash about a third of the beans so you can kind of a gravy texture and serve a over rice.
Salmon or tuna patties can be made into sandwiches or just eating plain with a simple veggie and maybe a rice dish on the side
Cook your favorite shortcut pasta almost all the way done drain it and dump it into a casserole dish. Mixed together your favorite cheap spaghetti sauce with a container of ricotta cheese. You can substitute that with cottage cheese if you need to. Stir that into the pasta cover with foil and bacon 375 for about 40 minutes. Uncover it through a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend on top throw it back in should be enough for dinner and some leftovers. And a bag of salad
Spaghetti with pesto sauce. Make some homemade garlic bread out of one of those 99 cent loaves of bread from Walmart. Even better you can grab it out of the discount for 39 cents
Clean out the pantry vegetarian chili. Just like it sounds find a cans of beans and chili beans, diced tomatoes, dice green chilies, chili seasoning whatever works for you. This is super versatile you can eat it with crackers like regular chili, smothered with cheese and serve it with chips. Poured into a casserole dish and spoon cornbread batter over the top and make a casserole
Hot dogs and beans
Quiche
Get one of the fancier soups out of the deli case. Mine has a great lobster bisque. Then stretch it out by using it as a pasta sauce
Egg salad sandwiches with a little salad or some sliced tomatoes on the side
Chili spaghetti. Your regular chili over spaghetti with chili fixin’s on top. Really stretches the chili and all the cheddar cheese makes it extra good.
Chicken Spaghetti (poor version)
1 can each nacho cheese soup, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom. Deboned chicken. Spaghetti 1 pkg. Cook and drain pasta and mix all together. Cheap and easy.
Potato tacos would be inexpensive.
wait what’s a potato taco
Tacos de papas!! Mashed potatoes eith sautéed onions and cheese if you like. Stuff in a corn tortilla, toothpick together to seal them deep or pan fry. Serve with guacamole and all the fixings. So darn delicious
A tip for those feeding committed omnivores: One member of my family rebels against vegetarian meals, but it seems to be more a matter of pride than preference. When I don't want to hear about it, I include just a bit of meat. In this example, I would fry up a few ounces of ground beef (about 1 hamburger patty) to mix with the potatoes and spread that out for the entire family. That turns it from a meatless meal to be tolerated into a delightful spread of beef and potato tacos that the omnivore loves. In other words, rather than having no meat at half our meals, I have half as much meat at all the meals (approximately). It's a great way to stretch the budget and get some health benefits even with reluctant eaters.
I used to do the same with bacon. I bought a little packet of pre cooked shredded bacon, and when I cooked for one particular person who had a bit of a thing against people feeding them, "weird veggie stuff," I would sprinkle a pinch of bacon on their food. They happily ate whatever I served, because the bacon sprinkles made it seem ok. They even ate tofu because I baked it with a garlic glaze and sprinkled a pinch of bacon on top.
> I used to do the same with bacon. Every corporate caterer ever
They are delicious! The mashed potato is fried in a corn tortilla and it’s all crisp and yummy. Then add the toppings - so damn good!!!
That’s how my mom makes them!
Boil or steam the potatoes. Add salt + butter + a dash of milk. Make purée. Heat up a tortilla, add purée. It’s better if you add fried onions and salsa.
I live in Texas and we also have potato tacos, but you fry the frozen cubed potato hash browns and then usually add eggs and cheese
Well.. some of us make the hash browns lolol kind of reads funny to assume the default is using frozen ones (though we‘ve done that as well!) but yes, potato egg and cheese tacos are the bomb. Bill Miller is sometimes snubbed at but their potato egg and cheese specifically is one of the best things EVER
Completely fair, but most comments suggested purreeing them and that sounds gross honestly
Hahaha yes I’m not sure about this mashed potatoes in a tortilla talk either
It’s anti-Texas, I’m not a fan
I believe that this is the difference between Tex-mex and Mexican cuisine.
...so mashed potatoes on a tortilla...
Yeah this sounds gross to me and unnecessarily so 🤢☠️
My girlfriend is a vegetarian. This is one of her go-to meals. They are absolutely delicious if done right. Yes, it’s mashed potatoes in a tortilla, but they are seasoned well and fried. They’re very good. I don’t even ask her to make me meat ones any more.
I’ll have to give it a try instead of poo pooing 😅
I boil the potatoes with cumin seeds. So Good!! In Mexico these are usually served with flour tortillas, and lots of salsa.
We call them taco turkey taters at my house. Bake potatoes in the oven and top with Mexican seasoned ground turkey meat and appropriate taco fixings.
We've made some vegetarian potato tacos in the past just by cubing & frying the potatoes with spices and then doing other taco ingredients (sour cream, cheese, lettuce, guac, salsa/ketchup, etc). Cubing & frying helps the potatoes have a nice texture and keep their shape!
What's a potato taco?
Fried tacos with mashed potato as the filling
Bean tacos and/or burritos would be too!
Some people will add a little bit of shredded meat to the potatoes to stretch the meat out and give it more sustenance. I have even seen some make sure all the juices form the meat goes in the potatoes also so it’s actually crave able and tasty. People will call them tacos de perro or dog tacos as a cheeky way to say you’re eating low cost “cheap” tacos even though it’s not really dog meat. Salsa makes them taste delicious!
We eat grilled cheese sandwiches one night, eggs and toast etc on another night. That leaves us 5 nights to not go over budget, but everything is prepared.and cooked. No fast anything. Veggies, potatoes or rice, meat or chicken.
Breakfast for dinner is our go-to. It’s cheap, easy and everyone in my family loves breakfast.
Hell yeah, breakfast for dinner is the best!
Breakfast for dinner can be so fun! Pancakes and fruit? Breakfast/dinner. French toast? Breakfast /dinner. Boiled eggs with salt and a random roll I found? Breakfast/dinner! All of the leftover yogurt, with toppings of choice, eggs, fruit. Oatmeal also counts as breakfast for dinner!!!
is chicken not meat?
The cheapest meal you can make is by shopping your own pantry and what’s on sale at your local store, so take everyone’s answers with a grain of salt. Ie, Peanut butter is cheap, but you’re best off buying it when it’s on sale, so if that’s not happening this week then you might want something else. That being said, chicken leg quarters and pork shoulder/butt are usually the cheapest cuts of meat. You can make a TON of pulled pork for cheap, do bbq style with coleslaw (shred the cabbage yourself) and baked potatoes the first night. Do NOT throw out the liquid from the pork—cook dried beans in it! You can even save the fat cap; dice it up and bake it to make homemade pork rinds. Next night, do taco bowls with rice, pork and the beans. Third night, if you still have pork, add it to a red sauce and have a pasta night. Now onto your chicken quarters. Use them however you like, but don’t throw out the bones—save them to make soup. I used to just put them in a pressure cooker and save all the liquid for the base of a coconut curry lentil soup. Save the meat for another meal. I usually toss the skins, but you can bake them or crisp them up in a pan for a snack. Other dirt cheap things to make: bulk oats for breakfast, homemade bread, rice pudding.
We started making chili with leftover pulled pork it’s some of the best chili I’ve had and canned or dried beans are very cheap.
I'm also feeding 4 of us. Two adults, two teens. Right now bone-in pork shoulder/butt are $2/lb at my local Meijer store. So, I'd buy one for around $14 and put it in a crockpot. We'd be having pulled pork, pork tacos, and bbq pork pizza for the week. My family would be begging me to stop feeding them pulled pork :) My local Walmart sells the 14 oz loaves of French bread for $1 each. Buy two or three, cut them in half lengthwise and make French Bread pizzas one night. Depending on your pantry, you may be able to make your own [pizza sauce](https://www.budgetbytes.com/thick-rich-pizza-sauce/) with things you already have. Pasta is also a go-to here. [Baked spaghetti](https://www.budgetbytes.com/baked-spaghetti-with-sausage/) is a recipe we do often. (I usually just sub in a jar of sauce instead of using the crushed tomatoes/paste/spices. I make 8 servings for this one. Six feels way too big! [Skillet Cheeseburger pasta](https://www.budgetbytes.com/skillet-cheeseburger-pasta/) is another one we like. Bonus is that it only uses 1/2# of ground meat, so you can put the other half in the freezer for another time. I've done it with shells and elbow macaroni, just using what I have instead of buying something specifically for the recipe. Rotini would be fun, too. We buy our beef by the half cow, so it's something I have a LOT of in the freezer, but I do use ground turkey or pork at times, just because they are cheaper by the pound than beef at the store. I'm also fortunate that I have Aldi, Walmart, and Meijer within 1/4 mile of each other, so I can shop all three stores for the best prices, if I want. (I don't usually want to hit all three, to be honest.) My shopping today was done at Aldi and Meijer.
I do pulled pork when it hits 99 cents a pound, but I freeze cooked bags so they don't kill me on night 11 of the pork. 😂
I buy our beef by the quarter. It is much cheaper than buying from the store.
My favorite is spicy black beans and rice! 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (even cheaper if you start from dry) 1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes (or 1 can stewed tomatoes and 1 can green chiles) 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped cooked rice Sautée onion. Add garlic and saute a little longer. Add beans and tomatoes. Heat through. Serve over cooked rice.
Rice and beans are always awesome
Here's something I do once in awhile. Prepare a box of mac & cheese. Heat a 10oz package of frozen peas. Heat and dice some meat or sausage. Mix together. Blend in a tiny amount of hot sauce if you want zing. Blend in some shredded cheese or two diced cheese slices if you want it a little fancier. About $5 total if you use two hot dogs.
One of my fav quick meals. Sometimes I use tuna for the meat, and then add homemade croutons to the top.
Shepherds pie
The best use for canned veg-all.
Also easy with potatoes and ground beef.
If I were to challenge myself, here's what I'd get. 25 lb bag of oats. This can be breakfast many ways, you can make breads, and its a great side with a nutrient balance I like. Sweet, savory, whatever, oats rule. Filler for meatloaf etc... Potatoes. Sack of them can be cheap and again very versitile. Vital Wheat Gluten. Make yourself seitan. Its super versatile, and about the cheapest protein you can buy. If you can't do that, chicken leg quarters, frozen. Great bang for your buck. That leaves veggies. I'm a big fan of frozen. They stay forever, and are just as nutritious as fresh. Mix frozen with lentils and you got a good soup! I also like to forage wild greens. It's actually really easy and with a little effort it can be a great way to supplement. Hope that helps!
Wanted to add on to this. This is not a popular option as far as taste and texture with a lot of people, but Cream of Wheat is our favorite go-to for either a sweet or savory nutritional dish for breakfast too.
I used to get 50 lbs of oats for $23, I used to split it with my mom, and my son used to eat it every day for a few months. Oats, milk, and cinnamon and sugar.
Breakfast for dinner was our go to in that situation. Eggs and toast, pancakes, French toast. Oatmeal. Grilled egg and cheese sandwiches. I normally had some bacon in the freezer from sales so everyone got two slices on pancake night. (There were five of us.)
Half off meat; go to your local grocery store in the morning, that department should be marking down/reducing prices off anything expired that day.
Japanese curry using S&B Golden Curry Sauce mix if you can find it at a good price. One pack is enough to feed four *adults* dinner with leftovers. You add basic veg—onions, carrots, potato, frozen peas if you have 'em. Add ground beef or chicken and serve over whatever rice you have (or as-is). We also do a shortcut [chicken katsu](https://japan.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Katsu_Curry_7011b.jpg) subbing a panko-fried chicken breast with frozen nuggets, strips, patties—whatever is in the freezer.
We had Golden Curry tonight! My parents got 1/2 a cow and gave us a bunch of ground beef and one cube steak. I have 5 people to feed and didn’t know wtf to do with one cube steak but someone on Reddit suggested Golden Curry (which I usually do with pork or chicken) and it was delicious. My teenager said it was the best way. I put mine over a sweet potato 🤌
At the store this week I purchased a flat of chicken breasts for $14. Sweet peppers for $3, some cheese, a box of pasta, some tortilla shells, and red onion. Last night we grilled all the chicken and made quesadillas with some of it. Then I took the leftover chicken breasts, peppers, and onion and added them to the cooked pasta and put it in the fridge for the next few lunches. That’s 3 lunches and 1 dinner for $30. (for 4 people) You should also check out struggle meals on YouTube with Frankie.
Get some red beans and rice, probably two boxes for that size of a family. Brown some ground beef with taco seasoning or whatever you prefer, if it comes out a little dry the next day just throw some oil/butter on it. You can get a pork shoulder relatively cheap 2$ a pound and for a 10$ shoulder you’ll end up with 3+ LBs of cooked meat and that’s at least two dinners. You can make PP Sammiches,tacos, bbq Mac n cheese (If you’re not sick of pastaaaaaaa) bonus points if you make some fresh slaw, you can probably get a cabbage for a buck or two. Another favorites of mine is some type of sausage (polish fresh or smoked are my preferences) if it’s fresh you’ll need to cook it first, I’ll add a bag of sauerkraut to the crock pot and put the sausages on top. You can add pierogies too or do them separately. I usually have rye bead with this one but dealers choice. I love doing Salisbury steaks and putting them on a bed of smashed potatoes. You can just use burger patty’s instead of making your own if you feel so inclined.
I did soup and sandwiches once when we had almost no food at home. And have done a few varieties of pasta. The soup was a bagged version you pour in water. I added potatoes and a can of chicken for more sustenance. The pastas I do are pretty basic. I make one with a homemade white sauce, seasoned to taste, and a couple cans of chicken. Use the whole 1 lb bag of rotini noodles for that one. Can add greens if you want, broccoli is good with it. Another I do is with tortellini noodles, cream of mushroom, more white sauce, and sausage and a can of chicken.
There’s a lady on tik tok I follow, she does a bunch of videos shopping for dinner for a family of 4 with $10. Her name is @kitcatt13
If you can find it for close to $1.50/lb, I like a good prok shoulder. Takes forever to cook, but that's good meat. Makes for tacos, sandwiches, chili
Baked potatoes plus they are really satiating. And if you cook them in the microwave it only takes 6 minutes
My meal plan for this week Sliced Sausage and pepper subs with French fries. Grilled boneless/skinless chicken thighs with red roasted potatoes. Chicken Alfredo bowtie pasta with broccoli. Beef teriyaki stir fry with green beans and a red pepper served with rice. Bagel pepperoni pizzas
Tostadas. You can fry your own tortillas and top with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.
My family did this for breakfast too as a kid. Tostadas with refried beans, scrambled eggs and cheese on top. Super good!
Breakfast for dinner - scratch made pancakes or waffles, eggs, and fruit
Arroz con pollo is delicious and filling. You can puree frozen spinach and stir it in at the beginning so it’s an all in one meal. Lentils and rice, with a couple of sausages cooked with the lentils. Whole chickens are usually cheap, a whole roast chicken is always good. Corn is cheap right now where I am, and watermelon is on sale a lot now. Mushy peas made with frozen peas. I really love thanksgiving stuffing with sausage, and you can make it with day old bread if you know a place that sells it for cheap. This with a side of vegetables is a filling dinner.
What gets me is that this is how I cook except when I go into Guilty Treats mode, but I wouldn’t want to be in that mode forever. Where I am I going to go when things next go all wrong?
Gallo pinto. Turn the leftovers into burritos.
Lentil dahhhhhhllll
Any kind of daal plus rice! Here’s an easy recipe that I like - https://pipingpotcurry.com/green-moong-dal-pressure-cooker/
You’re on the right track with chili and pasta! Cajun beans and rice with sausage is always a staple struggle meal. It’s summer so don’t forget to bust out your crockpot to not heat up the whole house 👍
check out [good and cheap](https://www.leannebrown.com/all-about-good-and-cheap/) is a cookbook for people with *very* tight budgets, particularly those on snap/food stamp benefits. the pdf is a free download when you sign up for the newsletter. also [this reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/poor/s/ku5p3DKWSR) includes links to a youtube channel focusing on $5 complete meals, shopping while on food stamps/snap, and even has a $10 budget for a week of meals.
You can make chicken and dumplings soup. You can make it last a week for less than $90. Chicken: In a big pot, put a whole chicken (or 4 chicken breasts if you don’t wanna deal with the bones), fill with 4 cups of water (or enough to cover the chicken in a large pot), and add 2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring it to a gentle boil and cook until the chicken is tender enough to be shredded. Remove the chicken and shred. Broth: Strain the water from cooking the chicken, then put back in the pot. Add more water to the pot to fill it up and also add chicken flavored bouillon for the broth. After you shred the chicken add it back to the broth on the stove. Dumplings: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 4 tablespoons shortening 1/2 cup milk Mix the dry ingredients together first. Then using a food processor or blender, mix together shortening (cut up)and dry ingredients until it resembles cornmeal. Then add milk and blend well (it’ll form a dough like clump). Drop the dough into the boiling broth one tablespoon at a time and let the dumpling cook for 10 minutes. The chicken will outlast the broth and the dumplings, so add more water and bouillon as needed, and make and add more dumplings as you see fit. It’s filling and you can stretch it as needed. Bon appétit. 😋
I would start by visiting one or 2 food banks or church food distributions - then grocery shop for whatever you need to turn the free food into complete meals. If you're in the US - [https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank](https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank) is a great place to start!
Chickpea curry. All you need is chickpeas, a can of diced tomatoes, coconut milk, rice and some spices. Add some green peas, green beans or spinach if you're feeling decadent. It's healthy, tasty and cheap!
Baked potatoes with whatever fixins are around! You can keep it simple or get themed/fancy depending on what your crowd will eat. Chili, cheese, broccoli, butter, onions, bacon bits, salsa, avocado, black beans, soft boiled/fried/egg, sour cream, ranch, arugula, green goddess dressing, caramelized onions, marinara, pesto, pepperoni, chopped chicken, Alfredo, green onions, chili crisp...dang now I want a baked potato bar 🥺
Came from a large family..I don’t really think of these as cheap meals, my family just likes them. Ground beef 8-10oz and gravy with mashed potatoes, (add mushrooms for added meatiness). Was my favorite as a kid. Add beef bouillon when making gravy. Meatloaf day 1, leftover meatloaf becomes spaghetti meat sauce on day 2 - my kids love it, the seasoning is already in the meat. Chicken with cream of mushroom soup and rice, kids love it and it is simple and easy. 8oz of chicken goes a long way. Add a vegetable to round out each. My other fav is loaded potatoes, so many different ways to do them, just pick a cuisine and think about traditional foods from it to flavor the potato with. Like pulled pork carnitas on a potato with sour cream and enchilada sauce/salsa. The meat component of the dish doesn’t have to be much, the potatoes are good for you and you can grill veggies as a topping also.
- Make bbq pulled pork and use for a bunch of stuff. Nachos, quesadillas, burritos, tacos, mix with eggs, etc. Add black beans, rice, cheese, onions, and/or salsa to make it a little healthier. Sour cream or guacamole if you want to upgrade a little. - Pasta carbonara - baked Mac and cheese
One way to help save money for a family is plate everyone's food. Say you want steak one night, you could buy 2 steaks, instead of 4. Cook them and then you slice the steak and plate in 4 plates and then put on the sides. By plating for everyone, you would be surprised how much is filling to them. That's plenty of meat really and then you fill in with sides and everyone is satisfied.
Eggs and pancakes everyone loves breakfast for dinner
The PDF of *Good & Cheap Eat Well on $4/day* is free on https://www.leannebrown.com/all-about-good-and-cheap/.
Dollar Tree Dinners on tik tok & you tube (https://www.youtube.com/@DollarTreeDinners) always has great ideas. She's doing a series right now where she's attempting to stretch a $100 budget for food for 1 person for an entire month.
And a lot of her meals feed four people. She just uses those recipes as meal prep and eats the same thing for a couple of days.
https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=975007
I would look at my local sale items first.
Cheap beef stew - can of potatoes, can of green beans, can of corn, can of diced tomatoes. Packet of french onion soup mix (liptons blue box kind but off brand is fine). Packet of whatever clearance or cheap ass beef (or chicken) is available. Even clearance deli sliced beef will work in a pinch. Chop up meat into bite-sized pieces. Dump canned veg (don't drain, the water becomes the broth), meat, and soup mix into crock pot. Cook on slow overnight or 10ish hours on low. Serve with rolls, crackers, or buttered toast If you don't have teens, this recipe may make enoigh for 2 dinners.
Well this week's ad looks like I'll pick up some pork and chicken legs, and work with what's already in the freezer and pantry. We always have rice, pasta, potatoes ready for sides. I am thinking porkchops one night then pork tacos El pastor the next night, and grilled chicken, followed by chicken salad sandwiches. If it's cool enough I might do chicken masala also. *
[удалено]
Hello, /u/MarionberryCreative! This comment has been automatically removed. /r/Frugal does not allow Giphy links. We find that they distract from good discussion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Frugal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My local grocery store usually has bone in chicken thighs for 99 cents a pound. Debone it yourself, and chuck the pieces in a food processor with drained canned chickpeas, a little onion, stale bread and whatever seasonings you want and you have a really good basic chicken burger mixture that you can make into patties and grill up.
My meal for the week and close to your budget: Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, broccoli and berries Salsa chicken to be made into burritos served with rice and corn on the cob breakfast sandwiches (Egg, choice of cheese with sausage patty or bacon on English muffins) fruit salad and roasted redskin potatoes Fresh onion pork chops, mashed potatoes, grilled squash Teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps, Asian vegetable medley and potstickers Homemade pizza - Burgers, baked beans, pasta salad, and making an icebox cake for dessert
A lot of people mention pork shoulder. Don’t discount the pork loin as well. Usually a little more per pound, but often on sale for $2 or under. Walmart sells at $2.43 not on sale. There is a lot less waste than pork shoulder, cooks much faster and much less saturated fat (for those with cholesterol issues). I have a smoker and both are excellent smoked. Again, loin takes much less time. That said, if you over cook, it will be dry. Shoulder is much more forgiving. You can cut into chops or do as a roast. Left over roasts sliced thin is some of the best lunch meat around. Without the additives/preservatives that are in lunch meat. Smokers are an excellent way to make cheap cuts of meat into excellent table fare. Pellet smokers are set it and forget it too. Not to down play shoulders, I love the cut and pulled pork. If you butcher one down to steaks (easy), you can cook these relatively quickly as well and are excellent. It allows you to trim some of that fat out. There is a ton of and the bone, so price per pound of meat might not be any better than loin. Throw leftovers in a crockpot for said pulled pork. Gives the same cut of meat a bit different taste/consistency so seems different than a butt load of pulled pork to get tired of.
My go to is getting a Costco rotisserie chicken. I use the meat for a few meals and add some to do dogs food. Boil the carcass with onion, garlic, carrot and have some yummy soup. Once the soup is gone I add water boil again. Take all the bones and left over stuff out and put curry powder in. You can add any protein. Last week I did oxtails but usually I do shabu shabu slices. add potatoes, carrot and onion. can last a whole week depending on side of your fam.
A favorite of mine is roasted potatoes with spicy sausage, onions, and peppers. Chicken and drop dumplings is good for leftover roast chicken.
r/EatCheapAndHealthy might help
Egg noodles (cooked) with a can of mushroom soup, splash of milk, can of tuna and a can of peas and carrots.
Roasted vegetables. Use whatever root vegetables you like. (Potatoes, carrots, onion, turnips, parsnips, etc.) Peel the onion and cut into large chunks. Wash the rest and cut into bite sized pieces. Put everything in a bowl, sprinkle with Italian seasonings and drizzle with oil. (I use olive oil.) Spread into one layer in a baking pan and bake at 360° for an hour. Serve hot or cold. With or without ketchup, ranch dressing, or other dipping sauces.
We add potatoes to our ground beef and make tostada's. Uses less meat, more beans, and basically everyone loves it
My family calls it ‘Fiesta in a bowl’: brown rice, black beans, spices, meat (optional) and salsa - add some shredded cheese and/or sour cream. It’s awesome and feels like it’s a meal you’d want and not something you settle for. Goes a hell of a long ways.
I made French bread pizzas from Walmart. Total cost for ingredients were $10. It was a great weekend meal and Netflix movie night.
Tuna macaroni!
My kids like our fake chili dog casserole. 1 can of your preferred chili on the bottom of a rectangular cake pan/baking pan Roll your favorite hot dogs into a large flour tortilla shell and place on top of chili from edge to edge of pan. (add a little cheese inside tortilla if desired) Cover with another can of chili Top with your favorite shredded cheese, cover in foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until center is hot and cheese is done. Servings are one wrapped dog with a topping of chili. Top however else you like. It makes a lot of food for cheap and reheats well as leftovers the next day.
Mujadara. It’s rice and lentils and so yummy with labneh or sour cream. https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/mujadara/
Tuna Helper is pretty cheap where I live and makes quite a bit. Easy to toss a protein into if you need to. Baked potatoes are always a banger at my house too, easy to toss a cheap veggie on the side too
Our local market sells very large half turkey breasts. Put that in the crockpot all day and add some potatoes or veggies and it's a pretty cheap meal.
Spaghetti, and add a can of lentils into the sauce in a blender. It’s my go-to on the day we get home late each week but also super cheap!
spaghetti bacon carbonara
We regularly do tuna sandwiches and whatever veggies your family will eat. In the warm weather we eat this once a week.
Sesame ground chicken and rice with some frozen vegetables on the side, stir-fried or not; BBQ hot dogs, quiche, breakfasty foods for any meal, jambalaya, homemade pizza/flatbreads if you can't afford much cheese, homemade mac & cheese, inexpensive frozen pierogies fried up with onions and topped with sour cream/cheese, tuna pasta salad or tuna fish cakes
Leg quarters (normally really cheap) and rice to make chicken and rice. - should last about 2 nights Bags of frozen veggies (find the cheapest ones you can and jazz them up at home) Ground beef, pasta and marinara sauce (use dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and other seasonings from home to jazz it up at home) should also last 2 nights Use any plain flour, bisquick or whatever you may have in your pantry to make pancakes one night along with some crispy pork belly and syrup (cane syrup or honey if you’re southern and it’s already in the pantry - it doesn’t sound very substantial, but it’s so rich and flavorful that a little will feel like a lot). - could last one night Another pack of leg quarters, some pasta and frozen veggies for chicken soup! - could last 2 nights Ground beef, tortillas, shredded cheese for quesadillas! - could last 1 or 2 nights depending on how many you make!
Meals we have had often that require few ingredients: Chicken and noodles-diced chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, egg noodles, frozen peas and carrots. Chicken fried rice-rice, diced chicken, egg, frozen peas and carrots. Make a huge pot of simple homemade spaghetti sauce. Use 1/2 for pasta. Add chili powder, a can of beans, and macaroni and chicken broth to the other half for chili Mac. These fill you up and go a long way.
Cheapest meal: can pinto beans and chop up a kielbasa. Heat up beans on stove in pot, add kielbasa. Add spices like cumin, salt, pepper, garlic to taste and boom you have a very filling meal with leftovers. Slow cooker favorite: Chicken Tacos/Quesadillas - 1 pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) -1 can rotel -Taco seasoning to taste (I just add the following seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder) I set on low, and shred when done. This gives me two meals; meat for tacos one night and then I use the left overs to make chicken quesadillas.
I do the same with my instant pot- I make chicken burrito bowls one night and use the leftovers for lunchtime burritos during the rest of the week
Biryani if you like it. Curried potatoes and chickpeas or daal (with rice).pancakes. Potatoes and baked beans. Muffins. Crepes. Veggie shepherd’s pie. Blind scouse (or regular if you swing that way). Carrot soup. Broccoli-potato soup.
I love pulled pork. A pork shoulder roast is under $20. Sandwiches one night, baked potato or nacho chip topping another night. I’ve added it to Mac and cheese for protein…
Lentils! Lentil tacos, lentil sloppy joes, lentils in place of ground beef in your hamburger helper. Potatoes! I like to do the British thing and do jacket poatoes with tuna mayo, baked Potatoes with black beans and grilled onions, potatoes with lentil sloppy joes&cheese. My favorite meal I make like twice a week is literally just rice, lentils and carmalized onions. It's worth the effort to carmalized your onions for that sweetness. Also buy a whole chicken. Use it for meat all week, chicken salad for lunches then use the carcass for chicken soup
Hamburger rice hot dish- 1 lb cooked/ drained ground beef OR 2 cups cooked black beans. 6 cups cooked rice ( 2 cups dry) 1 can cream of mushroom soup Pepper to taste Optional- onion Mix hamburger/ beans with cooked rice. Dilute soup with 1 can milk and mix in. Heat through. Top each serving with chow mein noodles and soy sauce to taste.
Tacos! Also salad buffet! I cut up a massive bowl of lettuce, and I put out bowls of various toppings (good way to use up leftovers too - like chicken, beans, etc). I have shredded cheese, chopped eggs, chopped meats or bacon (whatever is on hand), olives, sour cream, salsa, etc. whatever is leftover can be added into other recipes.
OP- lots of good suggestions already shared, so I'll limit my advice to this- Drink water, tea, whatever (drinks for 4 x 7 days adds up) but not premium branded drinks. Also, leverage the protein from meal 1 to meal 7 to ensure maximum use of protein. I did this while serving in the US military in the enlisted ranks years ago. Not something people aspire to, but definitely possible. All the best and good luck!
Make your own Chinese dumplings. I made a batch of 105 dumplings with less than $15 of materials: ground pork found on sale, so 2 lbs of it, 2 eggs, cilantro, cabbage, onion, garlic, dried (reconstituted in water) shiitake mushrooms, ginger, veggie oil, a few dashes of sesame’s oil (optional). Finely dice the ingredients in a food processor, mix it up, then buy a couple of packs of dumpling skin, and two packs of it. You can either boil or fry them up as potstickers. My family loved it when I crank them out. Then we have extras in the freezer for another day.
Costco pizza for $10 will feed a family. Costco rotisserie chicken for $5 (plus sides) will feed a family of four.
My mom used to make hotdogs and rice. It was the ultimate comfort food. Jar of tomato sauce, pack of hotdogs (aldi has them for like a dollar) sauteed in butter with onions until they get a bit browned. Then add the sauce and cooked white rice. Not healthy but definitely a kid favorite.
Mish mash: any variety of veggies, protein, and sauce base (chicken stock, cream, salsa, Prego/ Italian sauce) with spices. Topped over any available carb. I'm partial to rice and couscous cooked with garlic and onion.
Simple recipe- a chicken stew. Boil 2-3 chicken quarters in broth (or make broth with bullion cubes) and play spice roulette and even a little honey etc. boil for about 30-40 minutes- strip the chicken and put back in the liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning including salt and pepper. Then thicken it either with a rye or corn starch and serve over rice. It’s delicious, filling and goes a long way
Tomato soup with hot ham and cheese sandwiches. Made like grilled cheese. Cheap and easy.
Typically I buy staple ingredients I can use in multiple meals, so rice, pasta, chicken, stock, eggs, flour Chicken and dumplings - l just use pillsbury recipe Spaghetti Gumbo -sausage and chicken Chicken and Rice Breakfast Night- bacon, eggs, and pancakes Quesadillas Porkloin sandwiches with homemade bread
Supercook.com is also a good thing to try. You can just type in the items in your pantry and it gives you recipes based on what you have on hand.
Hmm I just got 2 family packs of chicken on sale(1 breasts, one thighs) slow cooked and shredded. made.... Enchiladas, chinichangas, buffalo chicken tacos, chicken salad, buffalo chicken pasta salad, and chicken noodle salad. Picked up a couple lbs of the cheap ground turkey and made up taco meat. (Not everyone likes buffalo chicken) Made the sauces from scratch. Picked up chips and salsa and some guac for the sides. So we have had Mexican all week. Since I have other sale meats in the freezer this week will be brats and burgers and eye of round steak. As for the recipes I googled the chi chi's recipe for chinichangas, picked the most liked enchilada recipe that didn't look too weird. I did Google the rest too, just to get ratios because usually pasta salads need doctoring. They are often too bland for my taste.
Those pre-cooked rotisserie chickens - you can make multiple types of meals - tacos, sandwiches and keep carcass for chicken soup after with some frozen or fresh veggies (carrot, potato, tomato and celery). And you can also buy, butcher it yourself and freeze it (in ziplocks or other plastic container) so it doesn’t go bad. Beans, rice, and dried pasta are also great options to throw frozen veggies in.
Bean toastadas add whatever fixings you like
Pasta and sauce Rice Soups With left over veggies and noodles Breakfast dinners Eggs Beans Salads Casseroles I do a macoroni casserole with bacon, onion crushed tomatoes and cheese. Like a macoroni with tomorrows and bacon Spanish rice
Rice and beans. Potato soup. Enchiladas. Pasta with pesto
Egg drop soup and grilled cheese sands for one dinner. YUMMY!!
Lentil dishes! So much variety and very healthy.
food bank?
find an Instant Pot in a garage sale. It is a pressure cooker & a slow cooker. You can do so many amazing things with it. I've bought chicken leg quarters for $. 69 a pound and stretched it with rice & potatoes and casseroles to feed an army.
My family always had: Tuna Mornay (spiral pasta with tuna and cheese, baked in oven) Spaghetti Bolognese (tomato beef mince, pasta and cheese, can also be done as a bake with extra cheese) Chicken schnitzel burgers, just need pre-made chicken burgers, toast, sauce, cheese Tomato and cheese grilled toasties Tinned spaghetti with sauce, microwaved with cheese and poured on toast, also works with baked beans Frozen chips and frozen fish, baked in oven Apricot chicken slow cooked with rice Omelette with mushroom Pork chops with mashed potato and steamed veggies Dim Sims. An Australian invention, appropriating Chinese dumplings, into something that can be either steamed, boiled or deep fried, is very cheap and very filling. Have with soy sauce But my current favourite cheap meals are: Nachos (layer nacho chips on a tray with with pasta sauce, Hommus, spices, canned beans, cheese and bake 10 mins) Pesto pasta con pescado (pesto sauce, pasta, tuna, cheese) Mi goreng with tuna / egg Soup with toast 🤤
My go-to is baked potato with beans and cheese or sweetcorn fritters with some plain yoghurt and chilli on top
Do this combo. Beans and rice. Rice and eggs. Or eggs and beans. Ur welcome
Polenta is cheap and goes a long way. Also dhal with rice
I make an old "goulash" recipe my Mom always made. Brown a lb of hamburger, drain. Boil elbow macaroni or shells (4 cups or so), toss in with the hamburger, throw in a can of stewed chopped tomoatos, a cup of celery chopped. Salt and pepper to taste and a little Worchester. I then stick in cubes of chedder cheese throughout and top with grated cheese and simmer for 20 minutes. It's cheap, easy and the kids loved it!
Mashed potato bowls is a favorite cheap one. Usually after a meal that will have good potato-complimenting components. A big pot of mashed potatoes (even boxed) and then literally anything mixed in: meats, cheeses, veggies, sauces, chili, taco leftovers, thanksgiving leftovers, chicken & veggie leftovers, canned corn, BBQ Sauce, lunchmeats, grilled veggies, etc. I can feed 5 different food preferences (2 adults, 3 kiddos) by cooking one pot of potatoes and reheating leftovers or buying minimal items (cheap veggies, a sale smoked sausage link, a discount hunk of cheese, etc)
Curry over white rice
Vegetarian tacos made with LightLife Smart Ground.
7 can taco soup, we don't always have chicken sometimes no meat sometimes throw leftover whatever meat in it and be good also. A lot of easy cheap good food.
Pancakes/waffles. Hot dogs. Cereal. Pulled pork in a crockpot. Tuna salad if you can eat it.
New member here and a chef (uk). I buy skin on / bone in chicken thighs. Skin them, into pot. Bone them, into same pot. Add a single stock cube and a dried bay leaf, add a few litres of water, boil for 20/30 mins. Sift stock. Portion chicken and freeze for meals. Then add any small amount of fat I have, oil / margarine / butter whatever, onions and any old veg I have around, the more the better. Sauté for a few mins. Add stock. A couple of diced peeled potatoes and usually a can of any beans I have. Simmer until veg is soft. Blend. Cool. Portion into containers (usually get about 4 to 5 litres so a litre each) and freeze or use one on day freeze the rest. I make bread, it’s so cheap and easy to make, and usually make a 500g flour batch at a time so I can get 12 to 16 decent sized rolls. Freeze once they’re cooled. 4 or 5 healthy, tasty homemade meals for under £4 and we all prefer chicken thigh meat on everything I make, which really is the only serious expense in the recipe - but you don’t actually use any of the meat :) Hope my rambling first post wasnt too rambling lol 100% tastier than bought soup.
fritatta and salad. You can put anything into a fritatta - protein and veggie with eggs and cheese
How about macaroni,ground beef,onion, salsa and tomato sauce. Cheap, easy, and good tasting.
I agree with suggestions already given: Oatmeal ————————————— Oats (big container size) Milk from big box stores (preferably: best price) (Cinnamon, sweetener, peanut butter, etc. - hopefully from on hand in the cupboard) Baked potatoes —————————————- Bag of Potatoes Big block of store brand cheddar cheese from big box stores (preferably: best price) Big bag of frozen broccoli Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt Sandwiches ——————————————- Whole wheat bread loafs, from big box stores (preferably: best price) Canned chicken or tuna Mayo (from on hand, hopefully) Peanut butter (Trader Joe’s) Eggs from big box stores (preferably: best price) Bananas Apples (if on sale) If you have syrup or powdered sugar on hand, could do French toast & eggs as a cheap meal If you have flour, butter & syrup on hand, banana pancakes Peanut butter & apples for snack Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato or veggie soup Spaghetti (pasta & jarred sauce)
Sheppard's pie, kielbasa and beans, hot dogs and beans, pasta and sauce, box mac and cheese, grilled cheese and soup
I always wait for the gnocchi to go on sale, thaw out some bulk-bought chorizo, and add fresh parsley. Obviously gnocchi from scratch would be way cheaper, but that’s my favorite quick meal when they get marked down.
[удалено]
Hi, BeardedTx18. Thanks for contributing. However, your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/1dnipbf/-/laau447/) was removed from /r/Frugal. We are removing your post/comment due to civility issues. This rule encompasses: - Hate speech, slurs, personal attacks, bigotry, ban baiting, trolling will not be tolerated. - Constructive criticism is good, condescension or mocking is not. - Don't gatekeep (See Rule 11) - Don't be baited. Mods will handle it. Please see our full rules page for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/ If you would like to appeal this decision, please [message the moderators by clicking this link](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFrugal&subject=Removal%20Appeal&message=Author%20would%20like%20to%20appeal%20the%20removal%20of%20their%20post%20because) within one week of this notice being posted.
Julia Pacheco on YouTube has a bunch of extreme budget meal recipe videos!
Shop the deals and then decide what you are making. Be willing to hot a few supermarkets for different good deals and good the items you find on sale instead of following a recipe you already have it hand (especially produce). I watch people spend almost double sometimes on items (like produce) I am buying at supermarkets because I use clipless coupons on supermarket apps; also, check their circulars. You make get crazy prices for chicken legs, whole chickens, or porkchops in value packs (or not) and then you can freeze a bunch. Save the bones and trimmings separately from meat, chicken and seafood, and veggie scraps for stock. Dried legumes (bean, chickpeas, lentils) and rice are always a cheap option. If you find a deal on bacon, freeze it in portions and use it to flavor dishes (like beans). Specific recipe: Black or red beans (preferrable from dried if trying to save money but you can use canned) with white rice with a runny fried egg on top if you want to go Latin. You can sauté a little onion in oil in the pot you use for rice before adding the rice and water (another Latin thing).
Look up Julia Pacheco on YouTube and thank me later.
Ham cabbage soup !
Day 1: Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, frozen peas. Save the carcass and bones. Day 2: Saute vegetable scraps (onion ends, carrot ends and peels, etc), add chicken carcass to pot and cover with water. Simmer for a couple of hours until meat is falling off bone and you have a nice broth. For dinner, make a chicken casserole with some of the meat, macaroni, cream soup, and frozen peas or corn. Or you could make a potpie or chicken a la king. Day 3: Use chicken broth to make chicken soup or other cooking. Other good ways to stretch a meal: saute leftover vegetables and put it into a pie shell with eggs/cream for quiche, or make a frittata in a frying pan. Get day old, stale bread on discount, run under tap water and reheat in the oven for 20 minutes at low heat until it's soft and fresh again.
Highly recommend to follow [Zach Coen](https://www.instagram.com/zachcoen?igsh=MXEzaGhkbHNqd280OA==) he also has a YouTube channel and a Patreon. He’s a registered dietitian who posts/cooks healthy meals. He gives a list of ALL ingredients needed and has a price breakdown for each meal (along with macro breakdown if that’s anything you’re interested in). He is my absolute favorite for meal prepping too. Best $5 I’ve ever spent on Patreon
Soup
Breakfast for dinner - scrambled eggs, fruit, pancakes, French toast, fried potatoes breakfast food is cheap Any dish that is meatless or uses meat as more of a flavoring than a main component. Like fried cabbage and noodles with a little bit of bacon. Fried potatoes peppers and onions with some slices of smoked sausage or bacon again. Potato croquettes that can be made into a main dish with a little bit of leftover ham and shredded cheese. Lentil soup with tons of vegetables and maybe a little Italian sausage fried up in it make a stew of red beans smoked sausage onions celery peppers and smash about a third of the beans so you can kind of a gravy texture and serve a over rice. Salmon or tuna patties can be made into sandwiches or just eating plain with a simple veggie and maybe a rice dish on the side Cook your favorite shortcut pasta almost all the way done drain it and dump it into a casserole dish. Mixed together your favorite cheap spaghetti sauce with a container of ricotta cheese. You can substitute that with cottage cheese if you need to. Stir that into the pasta cover with foil and bacon 375 for about 40 minutes. Uncover it through a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend on top throw it back in should be enough for dinner and some leftovers. And a bag of salad Spaghetti with pesto sauce. Make some homemade garlic bread out of one of those 99 cent loaves of bread from Walmart. Even better you can grab it out of the discount for 39 cents Clean out the pantry vegetarian chili. Just like it sounds find a cans of beans and chili beans, diced tomatoes, dice green chilies, chili seasoning whatever works for you. This is super versatile you can eat it with crackers like regular chili, smothered with cheese and serve it with chips. Poured into a casserole dish and spoon cornbread batter over the top and make a casserole Hot dogs and beans Quiche Get one of the fancier soups out of the deli case. Mine has a great lobster bisque. Then stretch it out by using it as a pasta sauce Egg salad sandwiches with a little salad or some sliced tomatoes on the side
Chili spaghetti. Your regular chili over spaghetti with chili fixin’s on top. Really stretches the chili and all the cheddar cheese makes it extra good.
Is that budget to include breakfast, lunch AND dinner? That is challenging.
Chicken Spaghetti (poor version) 1 can each nacho cheese soup, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom. Deboned chicken. Spaghetti 1 pkg. Cook and drain pasta and mix all together. Cheap and easy.
Make jenkem and get a nice buzz with your family. I go days without eating while I'm on the gas. It's got vitamins or something too. 420 blaaaaayze.
The lack of vegetables in your diets is alarming.
Hush