Wallet Friendly Meal Ideas

I do try to help my daughter and her husband and 3 kids, to cook one meal a week for them as they both work! I usually like to get a rump roast and it an add, carrots and new potatoes and have brown/white rice...everyone loves this and next nice they can have roast sandwich, and if an left over have a beef stew with carrots and potatoes in a couple of nights.

My main thing is to not waste our food. We eat our leftovers, or change them up. Chicken breasts can be shredded up in tacos. Lettuce can go on nachos, salad or tacos. Overripe bananas added to cookie or muffin mix to cut the fat content and add tasty vitamins. In the winter I can literally throw any extra meat or veggies into stew or soups. I try not to buy new items until the old ones are gone, so I don't come across expired boxes.

Crockpots are great in that you can buy a cheaper but of meat and it will still be nice and tender. I believe it's cheaper then running your oven. We do lots of porkchops and chicken breasts. You can buy them in bulk and freeze what you don't use. I am also trying to use more turkey breast that is leaner then ground beef. If it's in a sauce (spaghetti, tacos etc) my picky family never really notices!

I have asked this many times if you want to look in my question history. I also have cut and pasted recipes from this site into a word doc so if you or anyone else sends me your email address, I will send the word doc with all the recipes.

Our latest fav is tostadas. I buy the premade shells (like $2 for 18 or 24), can of refried beans ($1), head of lettuce shredded ($1) and shredded cheese ($2). Hubby uses hot sauce but we don't.

I never go to the store with a list but wander around and grab up all the major sales items and figure out what I will make with them. I also stock up on our faves when they are on major sale. For example, we love one kind of salad dressing that is normally about $3.50 and when it goes on sale for $1.99 i buy about 5 of them at a time.

One meal that we really like is called Tamale Pie. It's easy and not too many ingredients. Brown 1 lb of hamburger (I use boca crumbles), and stir in 1 can rotel tomatoes and 1 cup salsa. Put in bottom of 9x13 pan. Then mix together 1 box jiffy corn bread mix and 1 cup creamed corn. Spread that on top of the hamburger mixture, and bake at 350 until brown and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Then, sprinkle with some shredded cheese and bake about 5 more minutes. It is delicious! I usually serve with a fruit.
I got that recipe from a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade cookbook. I like her recipes because they usually call for simple, inexpensive ingredients.
Good luck!

Crockpot!

Chuck roast & potatoes and carrots (enough for twice), Pork loin & sauerkraut & mashed potatoes, soups of all kinds.

Breakfast for dinner (pancakes/french toast & bacon)

Cabbage & ham.

Spaghetti, salad, bread
Lasagna, veggies
Ground beef tacos, veggies
Taco salad
Salad, grilled chicken, corn
Homemade chili when it's cold, serve w/Jiffy's cornbread
Penne pasta w/alfredo sauce
Homemade pizza loaded w/veggies

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos
this one is my favorite. 2tbsp chili powder, 2ybsp cumin, 1 tbsp paprika, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar, 2 tbs olive oil 2 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pouneded thin(about 4 large breasts), 16 taco size soft flour tortillas.

1. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper, and brown sugar stir in oil; mixture will be moistened but crmbly.
2. generourously rub chicken on all sides with chili mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 mins to marinate(or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day).
3. preheat broiler to high and set rack 6 to 8 inches from source of heat. grill or broil chicken until firm, about 5 mins on each side. let cool for 5 mins, then cut into thin strips.
4. warm tortiillas as packege label directs. serve chicken with tortillas.

I have not actually made the tacos yet. I have made the chicken and used it for quesadillas or cut up the chicken and put it in a salad. It is sooo delicious. Also I didn't have all the ingredients so I ad libbed it a bit. I don't have cumin or paprika so I just added a meditteranian herb spice to it instead. its definately yummy.

I like a lot of the recipes from Bisquick http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick/Recipes mostly because they are relatively quick to prepare. If you are feeling creative, you can make your own Bisquick-style mix by reading the ingredients on the box and experimenting a bit. Preparing a large batch of the mix will save you time later. My kids love breakfast for dinner and "snack dinners" with muffins, cheese sticks, crackers, fruit, raw veggies, etc. You might look for local farms where you can pick your own produce, too. It is fun and encourages the kids to explore new foods. We'll be making peach salsa this summer and spooning over chicken breats before and after baking... yum!

Not exactly meal ideas, but some things to help....

Eggs - not just for breakfast, boiled and cut up to add to a salad or just eat as a snack, an omelette for any meal, egg salad

Boneless skinless chicken breast - it's always on sale in our area for $1.89/lb. There's very little waste. There are tons of ways to cook it. Grill it up, have it for dinner, used leftovers to cut up and add to a salad, or make a sandwich . Make a chicken stir fry. Use the chicken to make chicken fajitas.

Carrots - less than $1/lb for organic. Keep carrot sticks on hand for snacks, or steam for a side dish. Add to a pasta salad, a tuna macaroni salad, soup or stew.

Pork loin - just like boneless chick there's very little waste. A large pork loin is always on sale for $1.99/lb. - make a roast, or cut up into pork chops - very good cooked on the grill.

Pasta -

Waffles or pancakes - have breakfast for dinner. For a special fun meal, fruit is in season, rather than syrup, top the waffle with some icecream and fresh berries.

Stir fry - use whatever is on sale and what you have on hand.

Fresh veggies are in season and there's bargins to be found. We went to the flea market this morning, mostly for something to do. For $5 - 3 med green peppers (that had a few minor sun burn spots), 3 med cucumbers, 3 small zucchinni, 3 large eggplant.

If nothing is planned, we do burritos and/or tacos. We always have salads on hand. We make our own salad dressing. You can put whatever toppings you want on it: cherry tomatoes, red onions, olives, cheese, meats, etc. That always helps provide a healthy side dish. We also often include rice, potatoes, or another type of veggie. We always use wheat flour (home ground) instead of white flours. We use honey instead of sugar, and try to even make chicken stock ourselves (that's mostly a goal right now!)

For meals, these are some that we make:

Chicken Noodle Soup:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-noodle-soup/detail.aspx

Pizza is always fun. Here's a taco one that they all liked:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gregs-taco-pizza/detail.aspx

When I make other pizzas that use pizza sauce, I make the pizza sauce from scratch, using recipes from allrecipes. Quick and easy and yummy and cheaper.

Chicken Breast in Caper Cream Sauce (yummy!):
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-breasts-in-caper-cre...

Cinnamon and Lime Chicken Fajitas:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-and-lime-chicken-fa...

BBQ meatballs (quick and easy and tasty):
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/barbecued-meatballs/detail.aspx

Sausage Corn Chili (very fast and yummy!)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-corn-chili/detail.aspx

Anyway, I could give a million more, but those are some ideas. Once a week, I'll search through recipes, I'll make two lists. One list is the list of meals that I want to do, and the other list is the list of ingredients that I need for those meals. I'll sit those recipes in a pile so that I know we have ingredients for all those meals for that week (or two weeks, whatever you do). It helps make it more doable.

Good luck!

Spaghetti!! Just a thought...when you assemble a variety of meals put them down on paper and just rotate. That helps me with shopping and makes meals a "no brainer". Get at least 20 so you guys don't get "bored".