Cheap dinners

alyssa7

What is one of your "cheap dinners" that you make for your family? Do you always strategize your list so that you are making dinners that have similar ingredients (example: same fresh herb).

I've been put on a STRICT budget and need help in the buying food area.

 

Thanks!

mrscerruti2be

My grandma always gives me the best/cheapest recipes.  They aren't always figure friendly though.  Are you on pinterest?  They have great ideas on there.  If not,  I do tacos.  Grandma's meatballs and mashed potatoes/rice.  Chicken and noodles.  Let me know if you want any recipes.

teambaumer

Meal planning has helped tremendously! I agree with PP, pinterest is a great resource. I have found a lot of resources for personal and business use.

Meritage

Chicken, chicken, and more chicken.  Cheap and healthy too.  Cheesy garlic chicken is a family favorite (although on the less healthy side).  Whole chicken is easy, and I also like lemon rosemary bone in chicken breasts - just season with salt & pepper, fresh rosemary (that we usually pick for free of of random rosemary bushes in town) and lemon juice and olive oil on top.

Here's cheesy garlic chicken:

https://www.goodeatsblog.com/2007/09/garlic-cheddar-chicken.html

Easy side dishes are rice and salad.

BlissfulGurl

Yep grilled chicken and produce from the farmers market is our go to cheap meals.  For instance tomorrow night we will have chicken and a spinach and avocado salad.  The spinach was 1.50 for a big a$$ bag at the farmers market this week.

abvernon

Yes, I agree with chicken. I buy organic chicken from costco and then freeze it.

Actually, salsa chicken goes along way for us. So for example:

Monday-salsa chicken with rice and salad

Tuesday-chicken tacos or burritos

Wednesday-leftover chicken with rice and mixed veggies

GL!

 

oceanangelbeauty

A couple questions first. What do you and your family like to eat? How strict are we talking? How much from scratch are u up for?

alyssa7

mrscerruti2be:

My grandma always gives me the best/cheapest recipes.  They aren't always figure friendly though.  Are you on pinterest?  They have great ideas on there.  If not,  I do tacos.  Grandma's meatballs and mashed potatoes/rice.  Chicken and noodles.  Let me know if you want any recipes.

Yes please! alyssa_hammond7 at yahoo dot com

alyssa7

Meritage:

Chicken, chicken, and more chicken.  Cheap and healthy too.  Cheesy garlic chicken is a family favorite (although on the less healthy side).  Whole chicken is easy, and I also like lemon rosemary bone in chicken breasts - just season with salt & pepper, fresh rosemary (that we usually pick for free of of random rosemary bushes in town) and lemon juice and olive oil on top.

Here's cheesy garlic chicken:

https://www.goodeatsblog.com/2007/09/garlic-cheddar-chicken.html

Easy side dishes are rice and salad.

Great, I'll bookmark that one!

alyssa7

oceanangelbeauty:

A couple questions first. What do you and your family like to eat? How strict are we talking? How much from scratch are u up for?

We will eat most anything except for nuts b/c DS is allergic. I am not up for a lot from scratch. I get overwhelmed if there are more than 10 or 15 ingredients. Our weekly allowance for food/entertainment is $200 for us two and Charlie. Honestly I don't think that should be hard to do but we've been going over that (but this includes DH buying lunch every day at work, etc. and we've been going out to dinner about once every other week and dinner is usually close to $100 after drinks, etc.).

I know once I start cooking more and DH takes lunch to work and we stop going out as much and paying for a sitter, we will be in better shape. DH loves me being home with Charlie but he's talking about how if our spending doesn't get under control, I may have to return to work and I REALLY don't want to go back to work yet. Its tough because I don't feel like either of us have been reckless, but I think we just haven't changed our lifestyle enough after going from 2 to 1 incomes.

Sorry for looooong answer!

oceanangelbeauty

Ok I think you are headed in the right directions. I want to suggest a book called becentsable. It Has great advise on how to lower your bills without lowering you standard of living.

soon2Bkranz

YOu are in the right direction. One huge thing that helps me a ton is meal planning and buying off of sales. Also buying meats in bulk when on sale and freezing them. This summer I have been dehydrating fruits and also freezing them while they are cheaper...

EmmieB

what are you making that has more than 10-15 ingredients?

We make from scratch 90% of the time and it's never that complicated. 

Some ways I save money: I buy (and use) whole chickens. Alton Brown has a great youtube tutorial for piecing them, and then we bake or fry the legs/thighs/wings, and I do something with the breasts and then I use the torso/bones for stock....which I then use to make risotto or soup. - it's *at least* 3 meals from one bird.

I make all of my tomato sauces from scratch. My basic recipe: a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes, some red wine (whatever is on hand) a few spices - basil, oregano, salt, pepper. Put in crock pot. Add sauteed onions and garlic (it is key to cook them first) and let it simmer for hours and hours. Then you put it into mason jars, let them cool, and freeze. One crock-pot batch makes several quarts, and then you're good for several meals. You can add meat or cream - put it on pizza or pasta dishes....or leave out the spices until you know what you're doing with it - in case you want chili.

I *highly* recommend The Art of Simple Cooking by Alice Waters.

Also - check into a CSA. We use farm fresh to you and have found a box size/schedule that fills what we need and is cheaper than I could get at the store. If not that, then the farmer;s market. 

I also second having a menu - less wasted food = less wasted money and if you know what you're making, you can utilize what you have on hand and then head to the store with a specific list and you won't stray as much. 

Plan leftover nights into you menu, and make enough for an extra serving or two at each meal. Then you've got at least one night of "free" food. Or lunches on the weekends. I prefer that to having a freezer full of food.

I buy everything I can in bulk - again, when you know what you're buying and how much you need, you spend less and waste less. 

My next step is bread, but all of my baking lately has been one fail after another, so I'm gonna stick to chocolate chip cookies until I get my mojo back.

 and I'm on pintrest, too!

EmmieB

PS - I am happy to walk you through any of the from-scratch stuff. We can have a play date - the kids can torture the cats and we can make a mess in the kitchen.

alyssa7

EmmieB:

PS - I am happy to walk you through any of the from-scratch stuff. We can have a play date - the kids can torture the cats and we can make a mess in the kitchen.

Ha! This is a great idea. I'll send you a message in the next week to get something on the calendar.

I appreciate all of the responses!

One of the other things that is hard is DH eats A LOT so we often don't have leftovers. I'm actually a little excited for this challenge, wish me luck!

EmmieB

alyssa7:

EmmieB:

PS - I am happy to walk you through any of the from-scratch stuff. We can have a play date - the kids can torture the cats and we can make a mess in the kitchen.

Ha! This is a great idea. I'll send you a message in the next week to get something on the calendar.

I appreciate all of the responses!

One of the other things that is hard is DH eats A LOT so we often don't have leftovers. I'm actually a little excited for this challenge, wish me luck!

I'm feeding a cyclist - we know about a lot. The key is to have filling food, rather than a lot of food that isn't going to be satisfying, if that makes sense.

And yes- let's plan it!

CCwithkids

I agree wtih using chicken.  Buy in bulk at Costco, that helps.  Also try a turkey dinner once in a while (its not just for Thanksgiving).  Its at least 2-3 dinners, and sandwichs, and the leftover mashed potatoes can go well with just about anything else.

EmmieB

oh also - you can buy the chicken whole and have them piece it at the butcher counter for no additional cost. Then you can skip steps :-)

And every now and again, Whole Foods has a $5 whole chicken sale.  I always stock up.

Roni.Cedra

Another item that I haven't seen on here is pork. DH buys a big pork butt from Costco (also known as pork shoulder, but it is the butt...) and he slows roasts it for a long long time. It makes the house smell wonderful. He has a great rub that I can get the recipe for, or the jest. Then we have pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. Then we have carnitas tacos. Then we have carnitas soup. The great thing about it is that once you get it cooked, you can freeze it, and it unfreezes really nicely. So next time DH says we are getting two big ones and going HOG WILD (GET IT) and freezing a ton.