Favorite frugal meals - Page 2

hollyvangogh · 12-31-2007, 07:19 PM

Tater tots, cream of mushroom soup, canned asparagus, frozen peas and carrots in a casserol dish with some dill weed. Stick it in the oven long enough for the tots to get crispy. Yum! And it's probably the easiest meal I've ever made.

coell · 01-01-2008, 09:04 PM

When I'm on the Cheap Eats challenge, I have a few basics:

-- Cook up a pot of RICE and keep it as filler for the week.

You can buy huge bags in foreign food markets (think Mexican or Asian grocers), and kept dry, it keeps for a long time. I have a rice cooker on the counter that makes rice for this meal and some for tomorrow's, and the steamer basket above cooks tonight's veggies too.

1. Use as the bedding for meat/veggie plates.

2. Add it to canned veggie soups.

3. Use it in burritos with eggs/salsa or meat/veggies.

4. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the rice, add an egg and leftover veggies. Fried rice is great for week-old rice, as the last ditch effort to get it made.

-- Meat/Veg + Cream of ____ Soup + On Toast = "S.O.S."

My Depression-era grandmother would mix up anything with a can of cream of mushroom soup and ladle it over toast. ("S*** On Shingles" is the hobo name for it... though you could be polite and call it "chipped beef on toast", etc.)

-- When I cook up Ramen Noodles, at the end I drizzle in an egg and it adds protein to the mix.

-- DUMPLING SOUPS/STEWS

1. Saute leftover meat/veg in a soup pot, add two cans of broth (or brothy soups if that's cheaper, and spoon dollops of BisQuick mix on the top. Cover it, and the steam will cook the mix and create a dumpling crust on top. When making BisQuick mix dumplings, use less water/milk than the pancake/muffin recipe on the side.

2. Saute meat/veg in a soup pot, add two cans of broth/soup, and use the ready-bake biscuits that come in those little roll-cans that pop open. Cut those in quarters and plop them in the boiling water, and they'll boil/cook up to be dumplings.

-- LENTILS/BEANS

When you buy dry beans or lentils, you are saving way more money that buying them pre-hydrated in cans. Follow the directions on the bag to soak and cook them. Add them to soups, chili, or burritos.

Jess · 01-01-2008, 09:46 PM

I never got into the ramen thing. Most of my peers are a big fan of Easy Mac, though

My favorite frugal meal is a lot like that of Julie Rains. I saute garlic in olive oil (two staples that are always found in my suite's kitchen), add salt and pepper, add in a can of crushed tomatoes and let it reduce slightly. In the meantime I boil water for pasta, and voila. Very simple. Altogether it's something like $2 a meal, because I can buy the pasta on my meal plan, and the price hikes up because of the olive oil.

I also enjoy making quesadillas, but depending on what you put in them, they can get expensive (e.g. bell pepper, mushrooms, etc.). That averages more to $10 or so per meal.

Cziki · 01-01-2008, 11:14 PM

Oatmeal I buy in bulk for breakfast.

Greg · 01-01-2008, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coell

4. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the rice, add an egg and leftover veggies. Fried rice is great for week-old rice, as the last ditch effort to get it made.

I love fried rice! And I totally agree -- old rice is much better suited for frying than freshly made rice. Week old rice exists to be fried.

Back in Manila we eat garlic fried rice for breakfast. LOTS of chopped garlic + oil + rice => stir fry until delicious.

Joanne · 01-02-2008, 06:41 AM

Pasta bought at the dent and bent store with my husband's homemade sauce. Yummy!

Add leftover meat or veggies to a box of mac & cheese...my kids love it.

Pasta, with olive oil and whatever meat, cheese or veggies are leftover.

Not a meal but we try to drink water with dinner. With a family of five, that adds up.

Myscha Theriault · 01-02-2008, 12:52 PM

Fried rice for me too, and tomato soup and grilled cheese for comfort lunch.

vinelady · 01-02-2008, 02:01 PM

Vegetarian Pho

Vegetable Stock (Use up your leftover vegetables) or Veg. Bullion
Rice Noodle ($1-2) for at least 4 servings
A block of tofu
Assorted vegetables (thinning sliced onion, mushrooms, etc)

And the important part – sauces (hoisen, plum, sriracha, chili oil, etc).

lucille · 01-02-2008, 02:22 PM

2# hamburger
about 4 - 6 cups (cooked) of a half-half mix of wild rice and brown rice. We use our rice cooker for the rice part.
2 regular sized cans of diced tomatoes.
1 large onion diced.
Smoked salt or seasoning salt.
Olive oil

Brown the burger and onion with a bit of olive oil in a fry pan.
One the burger is browned and onions carmelized drain off fat.
Mix in the cans of tomatoes.
Add in the cooked rice.
Mix in about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of smoked salt.

Maybe not the cheapest ingredients since wild rice is fairly expensive but the wild rice and brown rice have more nutrients and flavor than if you tried this with white rice. It also makes a lot of food. We actually have leftovers, something rare at our house. The smoked salt is strong enough to really finish off the dish.

Tennessee Riddle · 01-02-2008, 03:11 PM

Buy a $4 whole chicken, simmer for over an hour with chopped onion, garlic, and carrots. Remove chicken, add noodles (or biscuit dough if you're sufficiently south of the Mason-Dixon), salt, pepper, dill weed, and parmesan cheese. Add back about a quarter of the chicken.

Chunk up the rest of the chicken, add some mayo, some curry powder, sliced grapes or craisins, and some sliced almonds. (All bought in bulk, of course.) This makes a great sandwich with many different types of breads. Or you can put it on a bed of lettuce for a chicken salad salad.

It depends on your ingredients sources, but I can make this for $10 or usually less and it makes 3-5 meals. There are a thousand and one recipes for small amounts of chicken (fajitas, casseroles galore, stir fry) so you can mix this up a bit.

01-01-2008, 09:04 PM	#12
coell Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (10)	Cheap Meal Ideas When I'm on the Cheap Eats challenge, I have a few basics: -- Cook up a pot of RICE and keep it as filler for the week. You can buy huge bags in foreign food markets (think Mexican or Asian grocers), and kept dry, it keeps for a long time. I have a rice cooker on the counter that makes rice for this meal and some for tomorrow's, and the steamer basket above cooks tonight's veggies too. 1. Use as the bedding for meat/veggie plates. 2. Add it to canned veggie soups. 3. Use it in burritos with eggs/salsa or meat/veggies. 4. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the rice, add an egg and leftover veggies. Fried rice is great for week-old rice, as the last ditch effort to get it made. -- Meat/Veg + Cream of ____ Soup + On Toast = "S.O.S." My Depression-era grandmother would mix up anything with a can of cream of mushroom soup and ladle it over toast. ("S* On Shingles" is the hobo name for it... though you could be polite and call it "chipped beef on toast", etc.) -- When I cook up Ramen Noodles, at the end I drizzle in an egg and it adds protein to the mix. -- DUMPLING SOUPS/STEWS 1. Saute leftover meat/veg in a soup pot, add two cans of broth (or brothy soups if that's cheaper, and spoon dollops of BisQuick mix on the top. Cover it, and the steam will cook the mix and create a dumpling crust on top. When making BisQuick mix dumplings, use less water/milk than the pancake/muffin recipe on the side. 2. Saute meat/veg in a soup pot, add two cans of broth/soup, and use the ready-bake biscuits that come in those little roll-cans that pop open. Cut those in quarters and plop them in the boiling water, and they'll boil/cook up to be dumplings. -- LENTILS/BEANS** When you buy dry beans or lentils, you are saving way more money that buying them pre-hydrated in cans. Follow the directions on the bag to soak and cook them. Add them to soups, chili, or burritos.

01-02-2008, 12:52 PM	#17
Myscha Theriault Wise Bread Blogger Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 65 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (15)	Fried rice Fried rice for me too, and tomato soup and grilled cheese for comfort lunch.

01-02-2008, 02:01 PM	#18
vinelady Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (10)	Favorite Frugal Meal Vegetarian Pho Vegetable Stock (Use up your leftover vegetables) or Veg. Bullion Rice Noodle ($1-2) for at least 4 servings A block of tofu Assorted vegetables (thinning sliced onion, mushrooms, etc) And the important part – sauces (hoisen, plum, sriracha, chili oil, etc).

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12-31-2007, 07:19 PM	#11
hollyvangogh Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (10)	Tater tots, cream of mushroom soup, canned asparagus, frozen peas and carrots in a casserol dish with some dill weed. Stick it in the oven long enough for the tots to get crispy. Yum! And it's probably the easiest meal I've ever made.

01-01-2008, 09:46 PM	#13
Jess Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 81 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (20)	I never got into the ramen thing. Most of my peers are a big fan of Easy Mac, though My favorite frugal meal is a lot like that of Julie Rains. I saute garlic in olive oil (two staples that are always found in my suite's kitchen), add salt and pepper, add in a can of crushed tomatoes and let it reduce slightly. In the meantime I boil water for pasta, and voila. Very simple. Altogether it's something like $2 a meal, because I can buy the pasta on my meal plan, and the price hikes up because of the olive oil. I also enjoy making quesadillas, but depending on what you put in them, they can get expensive (e.g. bell pepper, mushrooms, etc.). That averages more to $10 or so per meal.

01-01-2008, 11:14 PM	#14
Cziki Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: washington Posts: 22 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (10)	Oatmeal I buy in bulk for breakfast.

01-02-2008, 06:41 AM	#16
Joanne Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Originally from New York City, now in Florida since 2002. Posts: 131 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (43)	Pasta bought at the dent and bent store with my husband's homemade sauce. Yummy! Add leftover meat or veggies to a box of mac & cheese...my kids love it. Pasta, with olive oil and whatever meat, cheese or veggies are leftover. Not a meal but we try to drink water with dinner. With a family of five, that adds up.

01-02-2008, 02:22 PM	#19
lucille Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 676 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Reputation: (38)	2# hamburger about 4 - 6 cups (cooked) of a half-half mix of wild rice and brown rice. We use our rice cooker for the rice part. 2 regular sized cans of diced tomatoes. 1 large onion diced. Smoked salt or seasoning salt. Olive oil Brown the burger and onion with a bit of olive oil in a fry pan. One the burger is browned and onions carmelized drain off fat. Mix in the cans of tomatoes. Add in the cooked rice. Mix in about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of smoked salt. Maybe not the cheapest ingredients since wild rice is fairly expensive but the wild rice and brown rice have more nutrients and flavor than if you tried this with white rice. It also makes a lot of food. We actually have leftovers, something rare at our house. The smoked salt is strong enough to really finish off the dish.

01-02-2008, 03:11 PM	#20
Tennessee Riddle Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (10)	Buy a $4 whole chicken, simmer for over an hour with chopped onion, garlic, and carrots. Remove chicken, add noodles (or biscuit dough if you're sufficiently south of the Mason-Dixon), salt, pepper, dill weed, and parmesan cheese. Add back about a quarter of the chicken. Chunk up the rest of the chicken, add some mayo, some curry powder, sliced grapes or craisins, and some sliced almonds. (All bought in bulk, of course.) This makes a great sandwich with many different types of breads. Or you can put it on a bed of lettuce for a chicken salad salad. It depends on your ingredients sources, but I can make this for $10 or usually less and it makes 3-5 meals. There are a thousand and one recipes for small amounts of chicken (fajitas, casseroles galore, stir fry) so you can mix this up a bit.