Im in need of a cheap menu ideas!! All are welcomed !
~Michele~

My cheapest one is hamburger helper which we are having tonight.I got ground beef for .88 a lb( we use a lb)and milk for .19 a half gallon and kroger brand ham helper after using the upons website for free.So tonight we will be eating well for under a $1

When planning my menu specially dinners , I try to follow some general rules like:
Use less meat in meals
Make more vegetarian dishes
Use beans a lot as a good source of protein
Plan my menu depending on whats on sale.
Pasta ...Pasta...Pasta:D its cheap..yummy and with vegetables it is really a good meal.
When making cassarols that require ground beef, I reduce the meat and use mushrooms...the cans work well and is you like the fresh go ahead but its cheaper than meat.
Soups with homemade fresh bread is also a great cheap meal.

Some examples of cheap dishes:
Fettuchini Alfredo....I make a while sauce , you also can use cream of mushroom soup..I add some cream cheese [ about 3 ounces ] or parmesane...I serve it with fresh homemade bread or garlic bread and a salad...or add some vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, peas , bell peppers to give it a new look and taste.

Also chili...We prefer it vegetarian...beans, bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms

Another dish is chicken parmesane...I split the chicken breast in half and I pound it a bit..it looks big and its enough for a portion.

Macaroni and cheese is also a great cheap dish...if you add few things to it like a Rotel can or leftover chili..you can make a totaly cheap new dish.

Anyways..the way my menu is planned is 2 days a week meat [ mostly ground beef ] 2 days chicken and 3 days vegetarian meals. You also can make theme nights like
soup and bread night [ make your family's favourite soup]
pizza night
breakfast for dinner night [ omelet is a great dinner at least in my house ] I saute some onions,bell peppers, mushrooms and put it in the center of the omelet before folding it , I also sprinkle some cheese...mmm.
Good Luck:)

Today I made the leftovers in the refrigerator into hot pockets.

I had leftover turkey breast (1.5 cups). I added maybe .5 cup of mixed veggies and homemade cream of something soup. I turned this into turkey potpie hot pockets.

I also had some shaved turkey that needed to be used up. I cubed it, added cheese and made turkey cheese hot pockets.

Countrymom, do you use a pastry crust to make them into hot pockets? This sounds like something my family might like (but then again, we've never bought hot pockets, so I can't say for sure :) )

I do a lot with whole chickens when on sale. The lowest I've seen them here is $.79/lb. I make sticky chicken, chicken salad, and chicken soup out of one chicken, so I get a few meals out of say a 4 or 5 lb chicken for relatively little money or fuss.

Chelle, here is my crust recipe. I'm usually a bread machine makes the dough girl, but this recipe is really easy to hand make.

Calzone/Hot Pocket Dough
1 TBLS Yeast
1 TBSL Sugar
1 C warm water
2 TBLS oil
1 Tsp salt
2 3/4-3 1/4 c flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let set for a few minutes until foamy. Add oil, salt and flour. Knead 5 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a 6" circle. Top half of the circle with filling, leaving room at the edges. Fold over unfilled part and seal the edges. Poke holes in the pastery to vent. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I always double or triple this and just use what is on hand for the filling.

Thanks for the recipe, Christy :)

WOW! Thanks so much ladies! Dh wants to definetly have the hot pockets LOL But I love the idea of more pasta dishes. Thank you for all of your great ideas!!

I make my own lasagna(with veggies not meat) and also other casseroles like lentil loaf, or we have soup and bread for dinner, I just made this really good rice dish with a cheese gravy mmmmm it was yummy.

I usually make these from my head and not a recipe book so sometimes it takes me a couple tries to get it *just right.

The rice dish, I just made some rice, then mixed in some cheese, a couple eggs, salt, shredded carrots and corn ( the only veggies i had on hand that sounded like it'd be good with rice) then i made them into patties and fried it with PAM, and then put them in a casserole dish ( and had one in a sandwhich for lunch) then i made some cheese sauce with four oil salt pepper and poured it over the top. I was surprised at how good it was! Then again if your not a rice fan it won't be good period :D

:bump:

I try and make it a point to not spend over 1.00/lb for meat of any kind, then stretch that a lot.

Today I'm finishing up a turkey that I made Monday. We ate it hot then, Sandwiches Tuesday and Wednesday, hot again yesterday, and I've got a cp of jerk turkey curry going, as well as a huge pot of turkey and vegetable stew with barley in it. I'll be freezing the most of the stew and the curry, will make most of about 6 more meals.

For normal cheap meals, everyone here loves Yorkshire pudding with either sausages, seasoned ground beef, or veggies in a sauce/gravy. I use 1 1/2 cups each of milk and flour, 2 eggs, a dash of soysauce, and a bit of salt for this.

I'm about out of my next to free pasta, so we've been eating super cheap Sam's rice instead, along with cheapo couscous. Something everyone here loves is a can of New England Clam Chowder heated and poured over either the rice or couscous. Chili is good that way, too, or just salsa and cheese heated up together.

We also eat a lot of ground turkey/hamburger meals. For sloppy joes, I add grated zucchini or carrots, as well as whatever relish/sauces I just have dabs of left in the fridge. This really adds to the flavor and a little goes a lot further. If you make or can get tofu cheaply, adding that to the leftovers of the sloppy joes and heating through is really good. DH refuses to eat tofu, but he thought it was just scrambled eggs with the meat through them until I told him otherwise.

Lentils are the cheapest and quickest beans I've found, and they cook down to a nice mash that you can use to extend just about anything. I also use TVP to extend the meat I use for hamburgers and meatloaf/meatballs, as it really helps lighten the meat and helps it cook quicker.

Tuna burgers are quick and easy, not to mention cheap. Just mix the tuna with oatmeal or breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, or whatever. Shape and fry or bake until the egg is all set. I top these with cheese slices for our own version of tuna melts and they disappear really fast. You can also used canned salmon, jackmackeral, or even plain baked fish for these. I've made them with catfish and trout that have been baked whole, then I deboned them for the burgers.

I do chicken legs or thighs (remove skin)in the lg fry pan with olive oil, garlic and onion, when they are cooked through I add a can or two of black beans, make rice in the microwave, mix in any leftover veggies and dinner is ready in about 35 minutes, two dirty pans for about $2.35 for dh myself and 3 littles.

I love the hot pocket one. we make alot and then freeze them. never had the store brand. we even do egg one for bkft. ~Kyria

www.miserlymoms.com Scroll down on the left until you reach the frugal recipes section.

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalrecipelist.htm
http://www.mommysavers.com/cooking_on_a_shoestring.htm
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/frugalrecipes/
http://www.cheapcooking.com/recipes.htm
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/recipes.htm

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/rec-thrifty/thriftym.pdf Meal plans, recipes and more

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4330.htm

http://www.hoptechno.com/book28.htm

http://www.health2fit.com/recipesandtipsforhealthythriftymeals.htm

http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Pubs/PubsFN/QEMbro.pdf

http://www.budget101.com/ Scroll down on the left side for the $10 grocery list, or the free ebook on cutting your grocery bill to less than $200/month.

http://www.justpeace.org/better.htm tons of recipes, shopping lists. etc.

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn529w.htm

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn530w.htm

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn531w.htm

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn532w.htm

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn533w.htm

Cheeseburger Pasta

1 pound ground beef
1 can Cheddar cheese soup
1 can tomato soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta

Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.

Add soups, water and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cook over medium heat 10
minutes or until done.


Easy Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cube beef bouillon
1 package onion soup mix
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup (dilute 1/2 can of milk)
1 can cream of celery soup (dilute 1/2 can of milk)
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained

Directions
1. In a large skillet brown beef in oil over medium high heat. When meat is browned, drain excess fat from skillet. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir in.

2. Add bouillon, cream of mushroom and celery soups, onion soup mix, and mushrooms to skillet and saute until onions are translucent. Remove from heat (very important) and add sour cream. Stir all together and serve over hot cooked egg noodles.

Variation: Use ravoli instead of noodles.


STROGANOFF BEEFBURGERS

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
3 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
10 hamburger buns

Brown ground beef with bacon and onion in skillet, stirring frequently; drain. Add flour and seasonings; mix well. Stir in soup. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream; mix well. Heat to serving temperature; do not boil. Serve on toasted buns.

PIZZA DOGS

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. chopped onion
2/3 c. tomato sauce
1 c. chopped American cheese
garlic salt to taste
8 hot dog buns

Bronw ground beef with onion in skillet, stirring frequently; drain. Add tomato sauce, cheese and seasoning; mx well. Spoon onto buns. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 small onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup margarine
3 cups broth or freezer stock
1 cup uncooked rice
4 cups cooked chicken or turkey
1 can cream soup ( or cream soup master mix
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 t. liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Saute onion and celery in melted margarine
until tender. Add broth and rice. Cook until rice is tender. Stir in
remaining ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Bake uncovered
20 minutes.








From: "Lachie & Jarrod's Mama" <mamadarlene@d...>
Date: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:03 pm
Subject: Banana Rice Pancakes





* Exported from MasterCook *

Banana Rice Pancakes

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Puddings & Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Cup Cooked Rice
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
2 Eggs -- beaten
2 1/2 Cups Milk
2 Mashed Bananas
Cinnamon Sugar, to Serve

Combine all ingredients except cinnamon sugar, and mix well. Spray a
little oil in a pan and drop in tablespoons of mixture. Fry on each side
once only until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Pile on plates,
sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Incredibly Easy Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 3 (14.5
oz) cans chicken broth (use the low sodium), 2 cupps diced cooked
chicken breast meat, 2 t. onion powder, 1 t. seasoning salt, 1/2 t.
garlic powder, 2 (9 oz) pkgs frozen egg noodles


Directions:
In large pot mix soups, chicken broth, and chicken meat. Season with
listed seasonings. Bring to a boil and then stir in the noodles.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes. This is ABSOLUTELY
delicious. It is a thicker broth so if you want to serve it on top of
mashed potatoes it would be great that way






Kool Aid Sherbet
1 pkg. Kool Aid, any flavor
1 cup Honey

3 cups milk

Beat all together until honey is mixed in. Partially freeze in a shallow pan. Turn out into a chilled bowl and beat until fluffy. Refreeze until set. Serves 6.

:bump:

Country Mom---the calzone/hot pocket dough recipe is a keeper!!!

My cheap dish is as follows:

'HAMBURGER' GRAVY
2 lbs hamburger or ground turkey (as cheap as 69cents/lb for
turkey
salt/pepper/garlic to taste
1 can cream of something soup (40 cents)
1 can milk or water

Brown meat in skillet, drain if necessary. Mix soup and milk/water and add to meat. Simmer till thickened.

Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, toast, biscuits.
Serve with canned veggie (49 cents).

Yummy

Kim :angel:

Love the rice idea recipe. Will have to give it a whirl! Thanks