I am looking for easy dinner recipes that can be made on a tight budget. I would really like some recipes that include using canned chicken since this is inexpensive and we like to use it. Also, anything using Cheddar cheese would be great too!
Thanks and God Bless!
A H
Go to www.kraftfoods.com
They have a Food & Family free magazine with easy and simple things to cook! And you don't necessary have to buy the "Kraft" items, you can by the store brand product and it saves you even more money!
Hello AH,
For quick and easy recipes check out www.anniesrecipes.com I use this site a lot with 3 small kids and a limited budget this is a great site for yummy recipes. Many Blessings!
Try www.Hillbillyhousewife.com
It has some great recipes! and how to buy on a tight budget!
Cooked rice (4 - 6 cups) + a can of cream of chicken soup + shredded cooked chicken (canned is fine) all mixed together with 1/2 cup or so of cheddar melted on top = creamy chicken and rice casserole.
Poverty: 1 lb elbow macaroni + 2 cans V-8 juice (or wal-mart brand) + 1 can crushed tomatoes + 1 can french style green beans + 1 can corn (both drained)+ spices as needed (I use italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste). Cook vegetable juice + seasoning + noodles + I also usually make meatballs out of ground turkey (85% lean, 1.76/lb) and pan fry them before adding them to the pot. When almost done, add vegetables.
Chicken and dumplings: Pot almost full of chicken stock (made with boullion paste is best - it's $3.78 for a jar next to the cubes). Boil. Roll canned biscuits flat, cut 'dumplings' out and drop into pot. Try to be kind to the dumplings - don't stir or they die. Add shredded canned chicken 5 minutes before serving.
Chicken spaghetti: When all the dumplings are gone, cook 1/2 a box of spaghetti in chicken stock. Drain and add to the left over chicken and dumpling juice. Add some cheese, if you want.
S.
Kraftfoods.com Most of their recipes call for basic stuff that you might already have. They also show you how to cook one thing but make two meals out of it. If you sign up with them they send you a recipe magazine several times a year great pictures. I keep these with my cookbooks so I have them to go back to.
Rather than use canned chicken I like to use frozen chicken. Buy a big bag at Wal-mart of whatever parts you can afford. I use brest meat since there are only 2 of us to feed. I put 2 or 3 pcs. in a casserole bowl with 1/2 inch or so, cover and cook until tender. Use to make your chicken salad, spaghetti, quesadellias,(SP),or whatever you like to use cooked chicken. I think the fresh frozen are much cheaper than canned.
One dish my family loves is Corned Beef Hash.
One can of corned beef---not the canned hash.----less than $3
Diced potatoes
Onion to taste
Cook and brown you potatoes in small amount of oil. Add chopped onion. Push to one side of your skillet and add corned beef from can. You will have have to break this up with a fork into pieces about the size of your potato pcs. Stir all together and cook until beef is hot and a little browned. We like it cooked until the potatoes and beef are kind of cruncy. This is like the recipes your mother gives you where she says " add flour until it looks right" or just cook it (or stir etc) until it looks right". LOL It is a taste treat that most people haven't tried. I think you will like it. Just experiment until you get it just right. ENJOY
I also like to make corned beef salad. You make it just like you would tuna or chicken salad---pickles, 3-4 boiled eggs, chopped celery, mayo and just a tad of mustard. Sometimes I put a bit of horseradish in it. This you really have to do til it looks or tastes right. Add enough mayo to make it almost soupy as it will kinda gel in the fridge. The celery also breaks up the firmness of the meat and you can add extra celery to stretch. A bowl of this will make about a dozen sandwiches and is great in fresh tomatoes.
Use more or less potatoes for 2-6 servings.
Dried beans are cheap and a good source of protein as well as other nutrients we need. Any beans have to be well seasoned! My personal favorites are pintos and baby limas. I like to brown 1/2 lb of ground meat for 1/2 lb of dries pintos. Add a can of stewed tomatoes, some onion, garlic, salt to taste. Simmer slowly over low heat with tilted lid on pot. (Keeps water from boiling away or boiling over) Serve with cornbread and salad. Yummy--especially on a cold winter night.
I make a bean soup with the limas using chopped carrots, celery, onion, of course some garlic--fresh or powder--, salt to taste.
the biggest thing that cuts the cost of these recipes is the fact that I usually havthe basic seasonings. Buying expensive seasoning that will be out of date before you use them really jacks the price up. So if you don't like onions and garlic, experiment with the spices you keep on hand.
For a small family hamburger helper may be an economy.
Enough from me!! Happy tasting and have fun.
go to www.allrecipes.com.....you can type in key ingredients and they will list for you all possible recipes. it's a great website!
Hi there! I love canned chicken, too...how easy can you get?! Here a couple of recipes that my whole family enjoys - note: the green chili's in the chicken enchilada casserole; I bought the Wal-Mart brand last time and they were SO HOT that we wound up throwing away a lot of the casserole - not a good money saver! I'll go with name brand from now on!
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
14 corn tortillas
2 large cans white chicken, drained and flaked
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 small jar pimentos
1 to 3 small cans diced mild green chilis - this is to taste
1 onion, chopped in small pieces (I use a large one because we like a lot of onion - it's up to you!)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar
salt & pepper to taste
Saute chopped onion in a little butter w/a little salt until the onion is transparent. (I often saute it in lightly salted water instead to save the fat - just be sure to drain it really well!). In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, sour cream, green chilis, pimentos, cream of chicken soup, onions & spices to taste - be careful w/the salt - heat through. Tear up 7 of the corn tortillas into bite-size pieces and layer in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Cover with 1/2 of the chicken mixture, then repeat the layers. Top with the sharp cheddar cheese. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. This is yummy straight out of the oven, but is even better the second day!
Chicken Salad
I used to love to go to Jason's Deli for their chicken salad, so I finally tried to figure out what was in it. This may not be it EXACTLY, but it's close!
2 large cans white chicken, drained and flaked
1 small can crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks, drained (save the juice!)
1 small package chopped walnuts (I think they're about 2 ounces at the grocery store)
Mayo - here's where I don't have an exact amount - I mix everything else together, then add enough mayo to make it spreadable. I also add in a little of the pineapple juice to really pop up the taste of the pineapple. Just keep adding the mayo a couple of tablespoons at a time, then a little of the juice until you have a consistency that works for you. This is good on just about any kind of bread, but we especially like it on toast. It's also good on crackers.
Enjoy! Oh, by the way, someone else said to order the free magazine from Kraft Foods - I love that magazine! It only comes out every 2 months, but it's just jammed full of great recipes and serving ideas. A lot of kid-friendly stuff, too!
God bless! S.
i know allrecipes.com has already been suggested, but not only can you type in an ingredient and pull recipes up that way, but even BETTER: there's a tab that says "budget cooking" that you can browse through, not just for recipes but money saving ideas, too. the broiled tilapia parmesan that i got from that "budget" site off allrecipes.com was really great and super fast. when fish is on sale, this is definately something i do since i always have every ingredient at home anyway:
ingredients:
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets
DIRECTIONS
1)Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2)In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3)Sprinkle fillets with Old Bay seasoning, then arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan VEIN SIDE UP (first).
4)Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.
You can serve this with mixed veggies, or some rice a roni and green beans, for a good meal very fast.
