Cheap but Nutritious Meal Ideas HELP

There is always shepherds pie (brown hamburger meat. Grease casserole dish. Layer meat in the bottom. Then layer 1 can creamed corn and 1 regular can of corn. Then add mashed potatoes or 1-2 boxes of Betty Crocker instant mashed potatoes(already made on the stove). Sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top. Cook at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. It is a hearty meal and makes quite a bit.

What about baked spaghetti? We make this wil gralic bread. You make the spaghetti noodles. Grease a casserole dish. Mix spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce together and put in casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cook at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Chili in a crockpot is easy and cheap. You will need 1 lg can and 1 sm can Bush's chili beans, 1/2 cup chopped green peppers, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup zucchini squash(optional),1 packet chili seasoning mix, 1 sm can sliced mushrooms, 1 lg can petite diced tomatoes, 1-2 lbs of browned hamburger meat. You throw all these ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low 4-8hrs. To make this meal more filling, serve over white rice and top with shredded cheese.

Mahogany Glazed Chicken is one of my husband's favorites. You would need to make sides with it. We use chicken thights or breasts. You can use 4-8 pieces with this sauce. Grease casserole dish or cover with aluminum foil. Place uncooked skinless boneless chicken in casserole dish. In a small saucepan combine: 1/4 cup maple flavored syrup, 3 tablespoons margarine, 3 tablespoons orange juice, and 2 teaspoons molasses. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until margarine is melted. Pour entire glaze over chicken. It should all collect at the bottom. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

Angel Chicken- You will need: 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2lbs), 1/4 cup butter, 1 (7oz) pkg Italian salad dressing dry mix, 1 can golden mushroom soup, 1/2 cup dry white cooking wine or sherry or marsala wine, 1/2 of 8 oz tub cream cheese with chives and onion, hot cooked angel hair pasta or white rice.
Place chicken in the crock pot. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in dry italian dressing mix, mushroom soup, white wine, and cream cheese until combined. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Serve chicken over rice or pasta.

I like pork chops cooked on the stovetop seasoned with whatever spices you like. Once they are cooked, add creamed corn and worchestershire sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Hope these help. If you need anymore recipe ideas or have any questions my email is ____@____.com.

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There is a web site called "Living on a Dime". Lot of good tips, recipes. There are cookbooks offered too...one called 'Dining on a Dime'. THey have something going on now about cutting your grocery bill. Sounds like it right down your alley.

B., my DH is vegetarian and will not eat any prepackaged or processed foods so we eat a LOT of beans. I serve these with rice, cornbread or tortillas. Usually I cook a large batch of some bean concoction once a week in the Crock-Pot and he eats on that all week. A pound of dry beans usually lasts us a week and since beans are cheap, I'd say that's the best deal of all. For variety I throw in different spices, maybe salsa or BBQ sauce, vegetables like tomatoes, green bell peppers or onions.

Today we have less than $25 until payday which means I cannot buy any food, even milk, so we'll be using powdered milk until Friday. Breakfast the next few days will consist of yogurt (bought in bulk), oatmeal, homemade bread and maybe an egg if our hen will get back to laying.

Lunches for the kids and I are whatever leftovers we have or canned soup and a sandwich. I volunteer at a local food bank and recieve a large box of food...mostly the types of foods DH won't eat. That's fine 'cause the children and I don't mind canned soups, Hamburger Helper and the like.

K.

-Rice & beans with a vegetable side
-Spagetti with marinara sauce, cheese and a vegetable side
-apples with peanute butter and sandwiches
-any small meat portion with rice or baked potatoes and a vegetable are healthy and inexpensive.
-packets of gravy are quick and inexpensive

I hope this helps. We aren't big eaters.

B., Just a tidbit I learned. I buy a prepared chicken from the barbeque at the local market around dinner time and at some markets when you buy a chicken for $2.oo more you can get 2 side orders and 4 rolls. I take the meal home and we eat what we want then and after the meal I slice it and put it in ref. I then cook the carcass and make stock for noodle soup and we can get many meals out of a $6.99 chicken.

Good Morning - I expect you have already heard so many good ideas, but here goes. Spaghetti, casseroles using cheaper cuts of meat, soups (what I call stoups), thicker than the average soup. I use instant potato flakes (store brand for that). Utilize a farmers market if you can for fresh veggies and fruit. try to get veggies and fruit that are on their way out as you can save a bundle and they are still good to eat and cook with. Use coupons, and if items are on sale, you can do really well. If you can, make your own bread (not in a machine). If you buy bread, hie thee to the bread store for day old and more, bread, etc. I raised nine children on a budget with a hubby who also expected huge evening meals. I had to educate him in the ways of reality and food prices. Take him shopping with you once or twice, he may agree to tomato soup and sandwiches once a week (everybody likes this and it is cheap - grilled cheese). It's hard I know with skyrocketing prices, but it can be done. Even now, on my own, I scan the newspaper, magazines, and on-line sites.Good luck honey, you can do it.

I know about being on a budget. Do you clip coupons? using coupons along with a sale can save a little. Also, I found boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be versatile. You can use them with veggies, cut them up in salads, use with rice, in casseroles, make fajitas and quesadellia with them. Also, potatoes can be used in a lot of ways -- baked, mashed, chunked, herbed, etc. I also found out making too much is a waste (especially if your hubby doesn't like leftovers) so go with smaller casseroles, crock pot recipes, and just do one meat, one veggie and one bread.

You are not the only one struggling!! Here are some things that have worked for me over the years:

Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!!! Once your meals are planned, make your grocery list. Then snack plan. Think about what snacks you are buying and when the kids will eat them. Then stick to your plan. Add all that to the grocery list. Then go to the store without your husband and/or children and stick to the list. STICK TO THE LIST!!! If you suddenly need to buy something else, pull your cart over and add it to your list before you put it in the cart. This will curb impulse buying.

Try never cooking one meal. If you are making tacos, make three batches and freeze 2 for another night. Reheat in the crock pot or a pan or the microwave. This is an initial investment upfront, but you'll save money later when you have options for dinner in your freezer and you don't have to call and order a pizza or drive through McDonalds for dinner. Also, you save time!!

Pick things that you can buy anytime and only buy them on sale (then stock up). I only buy cereal on sale, but when the kinds we eat are a good enough deal, I buy 10-12 boxes. Never EVER do I pay more than $2.50 for even the biggest box of cereal...that has saved us hundreds of dollars over the years!

Bake more/Cook more - buy fewer pre-cooked things. It is much cheaper to make your own cookies than to buy them packaged. It is much cheaper to make your own pan of lasagna (or 3 pans, remember!) than it is to buy Stouffer's from the freezer section.

Hope these ideas help and hopefully our ecomony will recover soon and we'll all breathe a grocery sigh of relief!

Get your meats and section them off in bags after you get home. Stretch the meat by adding less in tacos or whatever you are cooking. Ground meats and chicken is easy to do that with. Also go to somewhere likes Sams and buy in bulk so you can get more for less money. Buy store brand and use a lot of rice, potatoes, and veggies because they are cheap!

Since I quit working to be a stay at home mom, we have understandably had to cut back and be careful how we spend money. So this is what has helped keep our grocery bills down...Beans and rice! And cornbread! Also Walmart has huge bags of Great Value (store brand) frozen mixed veggies for very cheap. Also lentils - you can make soooooooo many things with lentils from big hearty soups and stews to pot pies. Or spaghetti is always pretty cheap. Also, buy generic whenever possible. We hardly ever buy "real brands" of anything, like canned goods, pasta, legumes, rice, jars of spaghetti sauce, oatmeal, etc. Also, we always try to be healthy and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but half the time the fresh veggies go bad before we use them, so that wastes money. That's why we switched to bags of generic frozen veggies.

Use the store sale flyers to plan your menus. Find the best prices, then make a meal around that. Also, learn what a good price is (though that's skyrocketing now). For example, you should never pay over $1.99/lb for boneless/skinless chicken breast. But if you just buy it when you want it, you'll pay up to $4.50/lb. Watch for the sale, buy several packs, and freeze the extra. I do all my shopping this way. If I want something that's too expensive, I just wait. It'll go on sale in a few weeks.

We get by with lots of beans, cornbread, rice, and hamburger meat, generic brands, and eat whatever produce is the cheapest. Look up Angelfood.org to save on groceries.

Wow! This one really hits home! My husband is a very difficult man to feed, he grew up with a german mother (meat and potatoes every meal)

I have found a few ways around him!

First of all, cheap meat is not always bad. If you buy cheap beef or pork, just marniate it in a blend of strong coffee, garlic, onlion, soy sauce and whatever else trips your trigger. The key is the coffee, it tenderizes but does not leave the flavor behind. Sometimes, i also put about 1/8 cup of italian dressing in with it (the vinegar makes it more tender too)

when you are buying your chicken, you can usually get leg quarters in a 10 lb bag for MUCH less money than a whole chicken or even breasts. I usually divide this bag into 4 or 5 portions, so that I can thaw it out for a meal. Take 3 leg quarters and put them into a gallon sized zipper bag, label and freeze immediately. defrost in the microwave, spray a 13x9x2 pan, season your chicken with some garlic, onion and seasoned salt... then cover in bbq sauce and bake for 45- 60 minutes (or leave the bbq off, and bake it with the seasonings)

have some rice on the side and green beans-- that meal is about $1.50 a serving.

i have recipes out my butt- i was a professional cook for 15 yrs LOL

how about taco casserole?
use a jify cornbread mix to make a crust- just mix it up like it calls for on the box (i add a single packet of artificial sweetner) bake it for 10 mins in an 8x8 pan

then top with 1 lb hamburger (cooked) that you have added 1cup salsa to. cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is fully melted.

serve with sour cream, salsa, green onions, and whatever else you like on tacos

First off, buy generic as much as you can. You can also get good deals on dented cans (as long as they are ballooning, they should be fine) and meat that is coming up on the sell by date. Just make sure to freeze the meat right after you get it. I am also a big fan of the Homestyle Bakes, the all in one box. You can get them on sale 2 for $5 and all you need with them is a can of vegetables and some bread and it's a full meal. Of course, if you really want to cut back, you could always go with Ramen noodles.....lol!