Inexpensive meal ideas?

[Anonymous]

It seems like the prices are going up all over the place. Our budget is feeling it, big time. I'm looking for inexpensive, yet healthy, meal ideas. It seems like many of the recipes I see online that are geared towards being low budget include a ton of junk. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I meant to mention that I'm a SAHM so recipes that are a bit time consuming are okay. I enjoy cooking and don't mind making things from scratch. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I have been making a lot o f lentil soup lately. Tastes really good when topped with avocado and plain yogurt. I also make this rice dish:

1/2 cup pearl barley (par boil for 10 minutes in veg broth)
1/4 cup bulgur
2 med carrots, halved and sliced
1 cup quartered mushrooms
1 cup corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/3 cup snipped parsley

Combine everything (except cheese) in baking dish. Bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour (stirring once halfway thru). Top with cheese and let sit 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

I think it can stand alone as a meal (especially lunch), but you could also add a salad to make it more filling. I've also added chopped bell pepper which is good. And, I've topped with walnuts which makes it even more filling.

I also like to make creamed tuna on toast. It's not all that healthy, but it's fast and cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been making a lot o f lentil soup lately. Tastes really good when topped with avocado and plain yogurt. I also make this rice dish:

1/2 cup pearl barley (par boil for 10 minutes in veg broth)
1/4 cup bulgur
2 med carrots, halved and sliced
1 cup quartered mushrooms
1 cup corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/3 cup snipped parsley

Combine everything (except cheese) in baking dish. Bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour (stirring once halfway thru). Top with cheese and let sit 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

I think it can stand alone as a meal (especially lunch), but you could also add a salad to make it more filling. I've also added chopped bell pepper which is good. And, I've topped with walnuts which makes it even more filling.

I also like to make creamed tuna on toast. It's not all that healthy, but it's fast and cheap.

Should be 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on ingredient list.

[Anonymous]

One thing I enjoy are eggs mixed with all the odds and ends that are left over.

An example

One zucchini
quarter onion
left over ham (turnkey, chicken, what have you)
half a green pepper
teaspoon of minced garlic
Colby and Jack cheese (shredded, and optional)
Mushrooms (4 cap with stem)
two potatoes

In a skillet cook all above ingredients (except the cheese). When all are soft add three to four eggs (or six or seven egg whites) stir until the eggs are cooked, add the cheese.
It is simple, easy, not junk food, and not that expensive, because you are using what you already have.

Sometimes I serve with rice, other times in pita, or with nothing at all.

[Anonymous]

we don't spend much on food and here are some things I make:

chili, cornbread, and baked potatoes (we get veggies into the chili)

tuna salad, baked beans, french fries (put hard-boiled egg, green peppers in the tuna)

enchiladas made w/ mostly refried beans, veggies, chicken (take it or leave it), and rice

[Anonymous]

Since it's summer, it's really easy to grill a whole bunch of stuff and have it throughout the week.

Flank steak (eat hot off the grill or cold on salads during the week)
Chicken (make chicken salad, use in the chicken pie recipe on the bisquick box...btw--impossibly easy cheesburger pie on the bisquick box is great...we add frozen veggies to both these recipes)
Salmon --hot and cold

[Anonymous]

There's a nice summery salad (of the mayonnaisey variety) called Salade Olivier:

1 whole chicken breast, cooked, cubed, cooled
6-10 hardboiled eggs, chopped
1 large can diced potatoes (or 3-4 potatoes you cooked and cubed yourself)
1 can fancy baby peas
diced dill pickles
squeeze of lemon
2 large spoonfuls of mayo

I serve this on a bed of lettuce, or in a pita with lettuce and cucumber; it really sticks to the ribs. The above quantities feed the three of us for two generous meals. It costs about $7-8 for a big batch, and it's easy to increase the quantity for a bigger group.

I also make a lentil salad which even my meat-loving husband finds sufficient:
1 pound lentils, cooked and cooled
+ any other salady thing you have on hand!
I like shaved fennel bulb, celery, grated carrot, diced bell pepper, jicama, lemon juice, cucumber... anything, really. The fennel makes a nice flavor departure from the ordinary. Toss it all with vinaigrette, serve alone or on a bed of lettuce.

Black bean soup is great, with onions and garlic cooked in the beans, and topped with sour cream, diced onion and tomatoes, cheese, etc.

Four dollars worth of pasta and cheap block cheese (grate it yourself in the food processor to save a buck) makes two days worth of mac & cheese. Make the white sauce yourself with butter, flour and milk, then melt in the cheddar. Garlic powder and/or white pepper is a nice addition. Throw in some frozen peas or broccoli. If your family is veggie-averse, grated carrot hides nicely in the cheese sauce, as long as it's cooked ahead.

Oh, and you can use the same white sauce base, with parmesean instead of cheddar, nutmeg and white pepper, to stick together chicken, broccoli and penne pasta. That's the hands-down favorite around here.