What are your stretch the food meals ....

**jamie79** · 07-12-2007, 07:37 PM

when money is tight and a paycheck will not be seen for 3 weeks? Looking for inspiration. TIA

**joyofsix** · 07-12-2007, 07:46 PM

Pasta w/out meat, just tomato sauce
ramen noodle soup w/ frozen peas&carrots added
Rice&Beans
PBJ sandwiches
Pancakes
eggs&toast

This is my emergency menu I use for such instances. These are homemade items purchased at Aldi. Alot depends on what you have on the shelf.

Breakfast:
toast and cocoa
oatmeal
muffins
hash browns and spam
cinnamon bread
oatmeal
eggs & toast

Lunch:
peanut butter sandwichx3, banana,apple, orange
crackers and leftover soup from dinnerx2,canned fruit or fresh
any leftover from dinnerx2
tomato soup, grilled cheese

Dinner:
lentil soup, home made bread
chili soup, corn bread
spaghetti and home made sauce, broccoli, home made garlic bread
ground beef casserole
ramen noodle with peas/carrots
chicken and home made noodles
vegetable soup

Snacks:
leftover muffins
crackers and peanut butter
popcorn
apples,bananas, oranges in moderation
graham crackers
ramen noodles

**sunshine** · 07-12-2007, 07:47 PM

Tuna noodle casserole

egg salad sandwiches

potato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

1/2 lb hamburger browned and added to a box of Rice-A-Roni (I use Aldi's brand)

SOS

Any leftovers to make soup, pizza topping or wraps.

**Radish4ever** · 07-12-2007, 08:12 PM

anything with ramen, pasta, and rice!

We also love to stretch meals out with the crockpot - and lots of cheap veggies like carrots, corn (it's been on sale 10/$2 a lot locally lately), potatoes, etc.

Loss leaders are essential! When we're broke and I simply MUST buy stuff to supplement what we already have, I will ONLY buy stuff that's either practically free or a loss leader

**sunshine** · 07-12-2007, 08:45 PM

MEAT SUBSTITUTE

1 cup rolled oats (long cooking oatmeal)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sage
2 eggs- beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 beef bouilloncube.

Mix the oats, salt, sage and eggs; form into four flat patties. Fry inthe butter
until browned on both sides. In a kettle or saucepan, boil 1 qt.water and add
bouillon cube. Pour mixture over patties; simmer, covered for 30
minute.

Doubles or triples easily. I've froze them and they freeze just fine too! The
first time I fixed them for my kids they enjoyed them and did not suspect
anything.

**pip** · 07-13-2007, 12:11 AM

Good ideas, everybody!

**Radish4ever** · 07-13-2007, 12:24 PM

I certainly agree with sandwiches! I was typing one-handed with the baby on my lap yesterday so my answer was short!

We love sandwiches and try to get creative with WHATEVER we have on hand...........whether it be grilled cheese (and add in some meat if we have it), peanut butter, pb & banana, pb & jelly, chicken salad (usually made using leftover chicken from putting a whole chicken in the crockpot), tuna salad, or whatever else we have! Bacon, lettuce, and cheese is pretty tasty too.

Soups are great if you have lots of odds and ends and don't know what to do with them! Thrown together for a soup or stew, you can make a HUGE quantity of foods using things that would just have gone bad or gone unused otherwise!

(beans, rice, veggies, canned tomato products, broths, bouillon cubes, etc)

**FrugalMomof3** · 07-13-2007, 06:59 PM

When money is really tight here like it is now, we usually make meals last that have meat in it we also love:

White rice with beans
Mac & Cheese
Spaghetti with meat sauce (no meat)
Grilled Cheese sandwiches (store brand bread and cheese)
Top Ramen noodle soup

I hope this helps but for us this works out great for us since we're always on a very tight budget, even more so now than before.