Well simple stuff like tacos, homemade pizza, spaghetti and breakfast for dinner are things we rely on here..Also things that I can get a few cups of leftover meat from, to stretch in a casserole with "inexpensive ingredient" fillers.
Here's some from my site.
Hamburger Stew

Black Bean Soup

That's not terribly ecomomical, estimated cost about $4.oo for 4 servings.
A real DOW-ner dinner might be something like vegitatian pea soup...
A one pound package os dried split peas, a quart of water, 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke, a slice of onion....simmer for about 1 1/2 hours ands erve.
Cost estimate $.25 a serving.
Or chicken stuff...
One 4 pound chicken (estimate $4.00...if you buy on special)
Roast, serve with mashed potatoes( estimate $1.50 for 4 servings) and steamed carrots and frozen peas ( estimate $1.50 for 4 servings).
The next day use the leftover chicken and leftover veggies and make a milk gravy and put it into a casserole and cover with a biscuit crust and bake.
On the 3rd day, boil up the bones, save all meat shreds, add a chopped onion a pound of carrots several stalks of celery cut up....simmer and thicken with a flour slurry and "cream" it with dry milk.
Cost...additional $1.50 after the cost of the original chicken.
Want to save money? Make it from scratch....breads, gravy, soup, salad dressing, cookies....and banish presweetened dry breakfast cereal!
Linda C

Southerners like greens, pinto beans, and cornbread for dinner in good times and in bad. Add a baked sweet potato to that and some cooked apples or applesauce and you have a delicious relatively inexpensive meal.

Most people love the novelty of having breakfast for dinner: pancakes or waffles, bacon, sausage or ham and some type of fruit, maybe a dried fruit compote in cooler weather.

Eggs are still a good value for an omelette or frittata made with veggies and cheese. Add corn muffins or toasted bread and a salad.

I'm going to continue my "vegetable plate" dinner at least once a month. This could be a baked potato with broccoli and cheese, the beans and cornbread above, mac and cheese, or a baked sweet potato - all with another vegetable or two.

Soups are always good this time of year. My favorites lately have been Taco Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, and Clam Chowder. I plan to try some lentil soup recipes over the next couple of months.

I agree with Linda on the pea soup.

Beans were what I was going to suggest. I find that ham is economical to add to soups as we don't care to have a lot of it. I can buy one ham for 11.00 and it will go into a good 10 soups or so (with at least 4 servings each, usually 6).

We also love a good bowl of lima or pinto beans with greens and cornbread. Even when we have plenty of money! lol

Another favorite is Hoppin' John. Black eyed peas with ham or sausage over rice. Hot peppers and hot sauce at the table.

I also think potatoes are cheap and a great meal stretcher if you don't mind the carbs. To cut down on electricity costs I usually try to bake some sort of potato dish if I'm using the oven for roasting chicken or something else. One of my favorites is leftover mashed potatoes mixed with bite sized hot dogs and topped with cheese. Had that as a kid sometimes. As an adult I like to mix in hot peppers from the garden.

For the bean and pea dishes, we don't really miss having meat with them. Sometimes we just want a vegetarian meal. Those always satisfy.

From a NYer in a tight squeee 1lb speghetti a quick marinara and a loaf of italian bread with a tossed salad dinner for 6 under $10.00

The way the DOW is performing, I foresee a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. I just hope I can afford to embellish them with onion slices and mustard. :-)

Other than that, teresa and trsinc have spelled out the tastiest, most nutritious and satisfying menus that can be made on a tight budget. As trsinc says, "Sometimes we just want a vegetarian meal." I want that often and don't consider it a hardship.

It's time to develop an appreciation for beans and grain. They are very good foods, especially if you are hungry.

It's also time to eat what we need for nutrition, not what we need to satisfy dietary habits, one of which is a slab of meat as the centerpiece of every meal. Another is eating whether hungry or not. Those two habits combine to make an expensive, unhealthy diet.

Jim

Here is one we love.....our version of mac and cheese.

1# of cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 to 1# of cubed ham
Green canister parmisan cheese
chopped onions, as much as you like but the more the better

Toss all together, and place in 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with a layer of the parm., dot with butter or spray with Pam and bake until hot and top is browned, about 20 minutes at 400. You can add some quartered tomatoes or zuccini if you like.

Or.. place the mix in a skillet and saute with the tomatoes and serve. It all melts together and browns and is very yummy. Comfort food to me.

You can make the "mix", freeze in a zip bag and have a fast dinner too!

I made the cabbage rolls from Diane/Chase and I think that worked out to about 38 cents per serving. Cabbage was .12/#, pork was .99/#, beef was 1.99/#, rice was .50, and onions were .50. I netted about 12 servings.

Watch for meat sales. Safeway just had assorted pork chops for $1.49/#. Some are not pretty but you can bread them or even grind them for meatloaf.

Eggs, even at the higher prices are still a value. Quiche with cheese and veggies, or breakfast for dinner works too. A pan of a farmers omelette with potatoes and a meat is very filling.

Chicken is still a good value too. Buy a whole one at .89/# and cut it up. Save the carcass for stock and soups.

Fish can be a value also, it has very little waste. Shop the outside aisles. the junk is in the middle and watch the sale ads. Onions on sale at .69/#? Buy three bags, slice and toss in the slow cooker to carmelize, freeze, and save for an onoin soup. Or just chop and freeze for stews.

And for storing fresh veggies and fruit, the Green bags do work! Grab greens/veggies and store them or blanch and freeze if you do not home can. Invest in a Foodsaver too, it pays for itself. Aldi just had one for $40, and it looks like a nice starter for newbies.

Can you tell I like to squeeze a penny and make it scream?

I have quite a few leaner days recipes which I learned when I lived in Mallorca. Some are in a little recipe book which was written by an old country woman from there and contains the types of dishes prepared in her childhood as well as those from the era of the Spanish civil war, when food was so very scarce. I can start typing out some of them.

Sopas Mallorquinas is one of those recipes. It uses stale bread as a base.

This is one of those 'survival'-type dishes - it is now served in some of the top restaurants of the Balearic Islands.
It's so easy to make as well.

Vegetable & Bread Stew from Mallorca -

This is a much loved hearty meatless peasant dish from the Balearic island of Mallorca. Although called 'sopas' or soup, it is actually a stew-like combination of available winter vegetables such as chard, cabbage and cauliflower cooked in water, oil, garlic, paprika and salt, which is then poured over thinly-shaven slices of dry salt-free country bread - called sopas - which are a day or two old. These thin bread slices are available in nearly every corner 'colmado' - as the small neighbourhood grocery stores are called. Those who have grown up with sopas Mallorquinas on the table will probably always look forward to having it again, and again. You can prepare this dish and have it ready in less than an hour.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

1/2 lb (200 grams) of thinly shaven slices of country bread (Website showing photos of loaf at top right).
A dense country-style bread is needed for this and it should be stale, dry and sliced paper thin.

- about 8 young leaves & stems - roughly chopped
small cabbage - roughly chopped
1 onion cut in julienne
handful of - roughly chopped - (quantity as in foto)
cauliflower - a few florets broken in pieces
1 ripe tomato, peeled and diced
2 teasp sweet paprika powder
4 TBS olive oil
2 green peppers - cut in large dice
2 - 2 1/2 cups water
optional: chicken stock cube
salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1) Put the oil in a shallow flame-proof earthenware or ceramic casserole (eg Corning Ware or similar). When oil is hot, add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Saut� without browning.

2) Add the tomato and the large diced vegetables. Sweat the vegetables and blend in the paprika powder. Season with salt & fresh ground pepper.

3) Add the water and let simmer gently for about 15 - 20 minutes, then taste to check seasoning. (Note: After pouring in the water I added a Knorr chicken stock cube, broken up and scattered over top.)

4) Once vegetables are tender, turn off stove, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a warm bowl, leaving the broth in the casserole dish. There should be about an inch of broth.

5) Arrange the thin shaven slices of dry bread over the bottom of the casserole dish so the broth is totally absorbed, and put the vegetables back in the casserole on top of the bread. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving at the table.

6) Serve at the table in the same earthenware casserole dish.

NOTES: The bread used in this recipe is typical to Mallorca and is a simple bread made of unbleached partially whole wheat flour, water and yeast. It is therefore dense and able to absorb the broth without becoming mushy.

There are many variations of 'sopas mallorquinas' as the ingredients depend on what is available in the garden at the time. However those listed above are the main ones used and will give the true flavour of this dish.

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Here is another recipe from when I first came to Spain with two small daughters and not much money:

For three people:

3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
rice - three servings
tomato sauce or pur� - about 1 cup
S & P
oil or butter

1) Boil the rice until tender in salted water. Drain.

2) Split the bananas lengthwise and saut� gently in butter or oil.

3) Heat the tomato sauce.

4) Fry the eggs in butter or oil keeping yolks runny.

5) Arrange the rice in the centre of each plate, with a banana half on each side, cover the rice with an egg and pour sauce over top. Add salt & pepper.

Poached eggs instead of fried are also good.

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ARROZ A LA MILANESA - MILANESE RICE (a Spanish recipe)

Serves 4

1 cup long grain rice
2 ounces (about 2 slices) serrano ham or prosciutto, diced
1 fresh spring onion
1 ripe tomato
1 cup peas
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup diced Emmental (Swiss) cheese
6 TBS olive oil
oregano - about 1 teasp dry or to taste
salt - to taste
2 1/2 cups of boiling water

Cast iron pan or casserole that can be used both on stovetop and in oven.
If you don't have one, then use a frying pan to start and then transfer food to an oven-proof casserole to finish.

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Finely dice the spring onion, tomato, red pepper and garlic into a brunoise.

3. Heat the 6 TBS oil in frying pan and saute the vegetables you have just diced.
When they are golden, add the ham and rice and mix well. Season with organo and salt.
Boil the water.

4. Add the boiling water to the frying pan and let all cook together for 10 - 15 minutes or
until rice is tender. Add the peas and the diced cheese. If the pan is ovenproof, put it into the preheated oven.
If not, transfer food to oiled ovenproof casserole....and put into oven.

5. Cook for 10 minutes in oven then remove and let dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: translated from:Consumer.es Eroski

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More simple Spanish recipes:

1 lb dried chickpeas
1/4 lb diced smoked pork or 1/2 lb meaty pork ribs
1 onion - chopped
1/2 head garlic - peeled and chopped
tomato sauce or puree - about 4 oz or 1/4 cup
1 teasp paprika
2 TBS olive oil
1 bay leaf
salt

1) Soak chickpeas overnight. Next day drain and cook in salted water together with pork.

2) Add onion, garlic, tomato pur�, paprika, bay leaf and oil to pot. Simmer until tender.

3) Remove any bones and season with salt.

*************************************************

- Ropa Vieja

1 lb dried chickpeas
2 lb potatoes - diced and fried (see step 4)
1 lb cooked beef or pork - (preferably roasted) and diced
olive oil - 4 TBS
1 small glass (4 oz) dry white wine
2 tomatoes - chopped
1 onion - finely chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
3 cloves garlic - diced
thyme
pinch of cumin
1 bay leaf
2 or 3 threads saffron
flatleaf parsley
black peppercorns
paprika - 1 teasp
salt

1) Soak the chickpeas ovenight in cold water. Add the drained chickpeas with the meat to a saucepan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Put lid on pot and simmer for about 1 hour. Once all is tender, remove the meat and chickpeas from the pot and keep the liquid.

2) Put garlic, peppercorns, saffron, salt, cumin and paprika together in a mortar and crush.

3) Fry the chopped onion, tomatoes and pepper together in a frying pan with a little oil, and add to it the mixture from the mortar.

4) Dice and brown the potatoes in another pan in some oil.

5) When onion-pepper mixture is almost cooked, add the wine, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, chickpeas and meat and 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the liquid from step one. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. There should be some sauce below.

6) Add the fried potatoes to the pot 5 - 10 minutes before stew pot is ready. Garnish servings with chopped parsley.

Sources : adapted from "The Best of Canary Island Cookery" and "Cooking in the Canary Islands"

CHICKPEA & SPINACH POTAGE - Potaje de Garbanzos y Espinacas

1 lb dried chickpeas
spinach - 3/4 lb (300 grams) - cleaned and chopped
3 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
1 TBS sweet paprika
one small hot chili pepper
2 slices bread, fried until crisp and brown
1 vegetable stock cube
small 4 oz glass white wine
10 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 quarts water (about 1 1/2 liters)
salt

1) Soak chickpeas overnight.

2) In a large pot heat up the oil and add sliced garlic. Crush the fried bread to a paste in a mortar, add the paprika and the chili.

3) Add to the pot the spinach and the contents of the mortar and stir until partially cooked. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Cover with water and add the chickpeas, the stock cube and salt.

4) Cook for about 45 minutes.

Source: Translated from Comidacasera.com

CREAM OF CHICKPEAS - Crema de Garbanzos

3/4 lb chickpeas (300 grams)
5 cloves garlic - peeled
1 medium onion - peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
fresh ground black pepper
tarragon - to taste
salt

1) Put chickpeas in a pot, cover with cold water and let soak about 12 hours.

2) Once that time has elapsed, drain chickpeas and cover with fresh cold water again, adding the onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf and salt.

3) Cook for about 2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender.

4) Drain chickpeas, keeping some of the cooking liquid and put into blender together with tarragon and a little pepper.

5) Blend, adding some of the cooking liquid until you have the desired consistency.

6) Pass through a sieve, gently reheat and put into a soup tureen, garnishing with chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Source: Translated from CocinaHoy S.L.

STEWED CHICKPEAS AND SAFFRON - Garbanzos Estofados al Azafran

1 lb chickpeas - soaked overnight or tinned
1 tomato - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
2 small courgettes - diced
2 small eggplants - diced
1 onion - chopped
1 leek - chopped
1 thread of saffron - ground
1 sprig of thyme - ground
1 bay leaf
salt - as needed
water to cover

1) Chop vegetables and put into a large cooking pot together with chickpeas. Cover with water, adding saffron, thyme, bay leaf and salt.

2) Bring to boil and simmer 40 - 50 minutes. Drain and serve.

Source: Translated from Comidacasera.com

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(Potaje de Lentejas y Verduras)

2 cups raw lentils or chickpeas
assorted diced raw vegetables: carrots, cabbage, onion, cauliflower, garlic, green beans, potatoes.
1/2 cup rich tomato puré
1 small peeled tomato
1 chicken stock cube or 1 cup chicken broth
cooking oil
salt & pepper

Soak lentils or chickpeas in water the night before with a teaspoon of baking soda. (Note: small, fine lentils will not need overnight soaking.)
Next day rinse well. Put in large pot (if possible earthenware) and cover with water to cover 2 to 3 inches above lentils.
Boil gently for 1 hour or until tender. Add extra water and stock cube or chicken stock.

Meanwhile sauté all the raw and diced vegetables in oil in a frying pan, adding tomato sauce and diced fresh tomato,
simmering and stirring until all is golden and cooked. When lentils (or chickpeas) are tender, add the vegetables to the lentil pot, along with salt & pepper.
Simmer a few minutes until flavours are blended. Allow to cool, then reheat later for maximum flavour.

SharonCb

It's easy to delve into the past for ideas for economical meals. The big hunk of meat or poultry with two or three sides was Sunday dinner, not everyday fare.

A good cook can make delicious croquettes, souffles, crepes, stuffed vegetables, timbales, quiches, loafs, frittatas, soups and stews with only a small portion of meat, poultry or seafood. They were standbys in cooking booklets with suggestions for stretching rationed foods during WWII. In those days, baked beans were a main course, not a side dish, as were twice-baked potatoes with ham or dried beef added to them.

I first started searching those sources about 20 years ago when I was looking for recipes with less meat to control DH's cholesterol and was surprised to find how many recipes used smaller quantities of it than I was used to using. That's when we began eating at least one meatless dinner each week. Here's a typical one with spinach timbales, rices with mushrooms and broiled tomato halves.

If I could suggest one cookbook with many easy and economical recipes that taste good, it would be "Kate Aitken's Canadian Cook Book". No fancy ingredients but basic home cooking and family-friendly cake and cookie recipes to pack for lunches. I made her ham souffle this week with leftover ham and served it with glazed baked acorn squash. I baked an orange cake from the same book along with it.

One tip: If I'm using a small quantity of mushrooms in a recipe like the rice in the photo, adding some chopped fresh spinach to lentil soup, or a bit of chopped red peppers for color to a dish, I buy just the quantity I need at the grocery store salad bar. They're all light in weight so don't cost much.

Years ago, I was a frequent watcher of Frugal Gourmet. He always used to say meat should be used as a flavoring.

DH is a meat lover and likes nothing better than a slab of meat with potatoes on the side. Through our 40 years of marriage I have tried to modify this. We have a bean dish once a week, and though he prefers it with so much ham you can barely taste the beans, I cook it the other way around as that's how I prefer it and I know it's better for us that way. I make huge pots of spaghetti using only a pound of lean ground beef and usually incorporating about 3-4 cups of shredded zucchini into the sauce. No matter how much I make, I never have to freeze the leftovers. The teen-aged grandson will even eat it for breakfast! When I roast, bake or boil chicken, I save the dark meat, which we don't really care for, to use in chicken enchiladas (by the way did you watch Oprah on Friday? That was the topic, and nothing new to me, but I thought the marinade was simple and interesting.) or in fried rice. One chicken, as many others will tell you, will provide the base for several good meals.

When I do serve a slab of meat, I make sure to have several side dishes AND dessert! I didn't realize it when I was a child, but I do now, that when Mom would say, "Save room for dessert!" What she was really saying was, "Don't pig-out on the meat!" LOL

I guess I'm lucky that my husband is not one that prefers a huge slab of meat as the major part of his meals. It's amazing how little meat we actually go through in this household. I only buy about 30 pounds of beef a year (from a fried who raises a couple head a year for their own consumption). If I make pork chops for dinner, the two of us will split one and add a fair amount of steamed broccoli and rice to round out the meal. We do eat out, but there are always leftovers and we can usually make at least two meals out of one. It may not be as inexpensive as eating at home, but sometimes it's nice to not have to come up with meal ideas!

My favorite cheap meal is rice and beans with steamed veggies. So simple it doesn't really need a recipe.

Bri

Bri, you are lucky..
My husband is a MAJOR meat eater..beans are a side dish, unless I load it with lots of meat. He loves beans and hamhocks and cornbread and biscuits, but he wants to have meat chunks to bit into, not bits of flavor. LOL
I usually use about 2lbs of meat at each dinner meal. For a family of 5..of course I'm the only female..:o)

Here's a recipe I just came across on a blog I read.

Turkey and stuffing!... LOL! Lots of birds got the stuffing knocked out of them by the falling DOW. Okay... I'll be nice. Like crashing your bicycle the first time an investors first bloody nose is the first step in really learning how to ride or invest. Ignoring price to earnings ratios is very similar to getting your pant leg caught in the chain.

When I was younger and poorer but oh so much smarter...

Eggs, bacon, and potatoes. The bacon provides the grease for frying the eggs and potatoes. Making toast by frying it in the pan will help soak up the last of the grease. Hungry people don't have to worry about getting fat so the extra grease is delicious nutrition.

Fresh fruit and vegatbles are hard on a budget. Around here growing your own and roadside stands are popular. I think canned pineapple and cabbage are probably the cheapest sources of store bought fruit and greens. Boil a sausage with cabbage and potatoes for a fine fine meal as fit for a king as a hungry peasent... fancy folks can have a slice of buttered rye bread and bottle of dark beer. My sisters used to use the greasy water from the top of the boil pot as "gravy"... they are still skinny as toothpicks decades later.

For those us with plenty of belly fat and budgets not so tight planning is key. The food you throw away is some of the most expensive you will every buy. For most of us times are still very wealthy and we should be careful to enjoy a couple steaks while we can still afford them. The coming months are going to be history in the making. Probably going to be more CF theads on different ways to enjoy plain rice... hot, cold, rewarmed... on a spoon, fork, chopsticks, or off the fingers.

Think back to what grandma had for meals. Lots of ideas on how to eat very well with very little. Much of it being more labor intensive but producing a quality that far exceeds most of our "modern" fare. Annie1992 has posted dozens of great threads on making amazing wonderful food from what grows in her garden and local area. I suspect in the near future local food that comes without the added costs of processing and transportation will become vital to our waistline.

: )
lyra

It is really amazing how when you get older you really don't need that much food to sustain you. People eat for entertainment far too much. A simple garden and some beans and fresh veggies is usually enough. Heck, a good loaf of homemade bread (for pennies!) can last the average person several days. Buy on special and stretch meals.

Seriously, I think I spend more on pet food and treats than on food for our family.

An egg and toast and a piece of sausage can be breakfast. A half tuna fish sammie can be lunch and a simple dinner with a salad or soup can be dinner.

Splurge occasionally, but for those of us who had almost nothing (at certain times in our lives) the reality of eating cheap is pretty easy to obtain.

Duane

I don't think the ramen dish would be all that unhealthy if you skip the flavor packet, which is largely MSG anyway. My granny opened cans, so I can't say that I want to emulate her cooking.

I think that making stuff from scratch, not wasting leftovers, etc., which is what I see most people on this forum doing anyway, keeps the food budget manageable.

I buy in bulk, shop the sales, etc.

Another good money saver is to grow your own herbs. I guess you could say to grow all your food, but that is debatable and not so easy. Herbs are easy to manage for a lot of people and even in cold climates you can grow them in the summer and dry them or freeze them. I would grow Basil every year, even if I hated gardening. One packet of seed costs 2.00 and yields at least 20 batches of pesto (modestly). I know I've saved hundreds of dollars on this alone.

Thanks for all the ideas! It is very helpful. Unfortunately, eggs and nuts are out for us (also makes b'fast and lunch a challenge) but I think they are a great resource for those that can have them. We do have a garden and my nature is not to waste anything but it is not always easy.

Grandma always told me the best way to prepare for unemployment or a recession was to act like you were already unemployed.

There are a lot of good ideas here and frankly, eating more cheaply sometimes translates into eating more healthily. Oatmeal is healthier than bacon and eggs and nuts can be left out of nearly anything.

My standy-by staples for those weeks when the paycheck doesn't stretch? Oatmeal, pasta, beans, cornmeal, rice, peanut butter (I know that's probably out for you), eggs. Soup is a great way to stretch expensive protein, so is a stirfry. Cabbage is cheap and very under utilized, in my opinion. Don't go the "boneless/skinless" route, I can skin and bone a chicken breast in a matter of seconds and use the skin and bones in a pot of soup.

Don't forget to shop the sales and remember that the date on many foods is a "sell by", not a "use by" date. That half price pork roast with tomorrow's date can easily be frozen or stuck into the oven tomorrow, depending on your mood.

Beans don't HAVE to have ham in them and bread is easy and cheap, my favorite just has water, yeast, salt and flour. Add some cheese (check that nearly expired stuff!) and you have an awesome grilled cheese with a bowl of soup.

People don't HAVE to have chicken breast, tenderloin, seafood. They can be luxuries and treated as such. Dessert can be a baked apple as easily as it can be cheesecake and a plate should really be 75% vegetables and 25% meat/protein anyway.

OK, so some of my favorite "cheap" meals? Roasted chicken for day one, chicken sandwiches for lunch on day two, chicken pot pie for day three and the bones go into the soup pot for a big pot of chicken vegetable soup on day four. Ifyou have big eaters, you might not get those sandwiches, but you can still get three days out of them. Beans and cornbread, greens as a side dish, I love it. Goulash, the Michigan way is just pasta, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, some seasonings. Kids and guys seem to like it best.

Cabbage rolls are always good, and my kids always liked this spanish rice. Cut the ground beef down to 1/2 lb. and the rice still makes it stretch nicely, and you can add a can of corn or beans for a bit more. I sometimes add a little cumin, but the girls didn't like that as much as I did, LOL.

Spanish Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 quart stewed tomatoes or canned tomatoes
1 tbls chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
In a large saucepan over medium heat brown the ground beef with the onion, pepper and rice until the onion is tender and the beef is browned. Drain excess oil and fat. Add the tomatoes, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. I usually have to add some more water before the rice is done, for some reason.Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Serve this with some chedar beer bread or a nice piece of onion rye, some green beans on the side.

Annie

Thanks for the rice recipe Annie.

I'm about to make a 3rd meal with an $11 pork loin roast. I think it was $1.99lb. Thursday night roasted the whole thing. We ate slices with roasted cauliflower and mashed potatoes.
Lastnight we had fried rice with half of the left over half cubed up.(Very simple veggies, half a red pepper and a large handful of baby carrots chopped, plus a bit of fresh garlic and ginger.)
Tonight will be a pot of beans with the remainder tossed in.

My dh doesn't eat much meat at all-tiny quantities- but he does want fresh vegetables all the time which I find cost a lot more than most slabs of meat. Oh well! It's much healthier.

I don't find it cost conscious to cook stuff we don't love. We're not inspired to eat the leftovers!
I save more by not wasting any food, cutting out pricey extras like pine nuts and gourmet cheese, and shopping loss leaders diligently.
And, entertaining less.

Bumblebeez, it must be the area, but no way are fresh vegetables here more expensive than meat. Even cheap cuts like pork roast at $1.29 per pound are far more expensive than, say, broccoli or brussels sprouts at less than $1 per pound. Winter squashes are 59 cents a pound, cabbage I just bought for 15 cents a pound. Tenderloin, though? That goes for $12.99 a pound, flounder is $9.99 a pound ON SALE!

Which brings up another point. Eat what's local, it's usually cheaper and of better quality. And don't cook more than you're going to eat, as Bumblebeez says, don't waste any food, make sure you can use it. Americans waste a LOT of food, some sources say between 14% and 17% of what they buy and/or prepare. That's wasteful and expensive.

Annie

1992, you are so right. Most of our meals are from scratch and we rarely have steak or BBQ meats. Staples are onions, garlic, EVOO, bell peppers (or any), carrots, salad greens, cabbage, tomatoes, and pastas (pref. tricolor), beans and rice. I freeze meats in small packages and add to whatever combinations strike me that day. It's just the two of us most of the time it doesn't take much to put on a meal. I planted a small garden this summer, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, basil. But tomatoes and zucchini are both gone now so it's back to the local grocers. Sometimes I just get tired of my own cooking and I lurk this forum for renewal of ideas.

Geez, Annie, your produce IS cheap!
Apples, plain ol' apples (in the grocery store) are going for anywhere from $.99-$1.80 a pound here! Highway robbery I tell ya!!

Thank goodness for neighbors with trees and no fear of ladders! LOL

I do think prices vary by region! But...we should be one of the lowest on most things because they grow so many within 50-100 miles of here. Those prices aren't dropping as fast as gas, and that's not dropping as fast as a barrel of oil, so somebody's sneakin' in a little more profit while they can!

Deanna

Grandma always told me the best way to prepare for unemployment or a recession was to act like you were already unemployed.

Annie, how many people have 3 to 6 months salary tucked away for the rainy day? Very few. Most impulse buy at the grocery store also and that will $kill$ you.

Deanna, prices do vary by region. Here in Chicago I can grab some asparagus for .99/#, grapes for .59/#, bananaa for .39/# granny smith apples for .59/# and head of leaf lettuce for 89 each this week at the produce market. If I hit the grocery store, such as Safeway, the price is way higher. Some things I buy and use right away, some I will freeze or even can. For meats, the smaller co-op market have better prices and better quality too for the meats.

Now gas prices are another story here. We just now went to $2.97 per gallon this morning. Amen!

Peppi, I know I don't have 6 months salary tucked away, or even 3 months, and that's an issue for a lot of people. It's one of the reason that people don't buy beef by the half or quarter, even if it's much cheaper. That original $400 outlay for a half a beef isn't possible for many who are living paycheck to paycheck, even though it would save them quite a lot in the long run. they just don't have the resources to make that one-time big outlay.

Things aren't always cheaper locally, I can get bananas (which I detest and abhor) for 49 cents a pound but locally grown HoneyCrisp apples are 67 cents a pound. The local apples, though, are much cheaper at my farmers market than at the grocery store.

I still think that Grandma's thinking is valid, prepare for unemployment by acting like you already are. Cut back, watch your expenditures, do away with frills and get a good grip on the difference between "need" and "want".

Oh, and for what it's worth, gas is down to $2.59 a gallon here, less than it costs for a gallon of milk which was on sale this week for $2.99.

Annie

Yesterday I paid .99lb for locally grown green cabage!!!!!! in the grocery store. (we don't have a produce stand, that has variety) But I had to have it! LOL I have red cabbage growing in the garden..but slow...probably will loose it before it's got a head big enough to use. LOL

Honeycrisp apples cost almost $2lb and they are grown in state!!!!!

DH and I only prepare what we will eat (1 pork chop each, 1 hamburger each, etc.) If the piece of meat is large, we split it. Unless we are making a "pot meal" in which case we make a huge quantity and make sure it lasts at least 3-4 meals. Anything left over from that goes to DS and my precious grandchildren so they get some good food too. I occasionally make a double meal and deliver the other half to them. Some weeks for them it is a decision of "a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk". Sad, but true. I try to help out a lot when I can. However, the meals are healthier. Nothing processed, everything homemade. I also half the meat. Where we used to use a pound of burger to make a pot of spaghetti, we now use 1/2 pound. With the wonderful pasta sauce we made and canned (thank you for the recipe readinglady)we don't need as much meat. It's so good we don't need any meat, actually.
I made manicotti the other night (meatless) and took half of it to work to a girl here who was out of food and not getting paid for 5 days. It was enough for her to eat on for two days. I also made a huge meat loaf, and took half of that to her.
So, we are doing what we can to conserve, stretch and still be actively helping those who are not as fortuante as we are.

I'll occasionally go on a vegetarian kick and eat lots of rice and beans. The rice is extremely cheap and filling, and beans can be spiced up without any need for meat (although throwing in a sliced up piece of andouille is always nice). When I was an impecunious student I ate tons of rice & beans. Great stuff.

Historical note: during the Great Depression, jackrabbit was referred to as 'Hoover steak'. Now I love fresh rabbit, but unless you're a hunter or raise your own bunnies it isn't economical; in this area rabbit runs about 7 to 8 bucks a pound. So a nice sized dressed rabbit could easily top $20, not exactly economical.

Maggie, you might want to look for a jar of ginger purée at your local Indian or Middle Eastern market. It's much better than powdered ginger when spicing up Ramen soup. You can also find the ginger/garlic combination, but I prefer to use fresh garlic (since it keeps so well), although I do admit to using ginger in a jar. It tastes fine in soup and is a lot cheaper than buying fresh ginger (which I keep in the freezer).

Here's my recipe for bean dip, which I use almost as a condiment. It's great in burritos, and you can add whatever else you want, such as beef, cheese, rice, etc. In Mexico, puréed beans are put on sandwiches, or tortas, instead of mustard or mayo. I'm in the middle of making some bean dip now.

Lars

Good tip on freezing fresh ginger, Lars. Do you freeze it peeled and chopped?

I freeze ginger whole - it is easier to peel when it is frozen - at least for me, and it is easier to chop or grate.

Lars

Thanks!

Lars, thanks for the reminder on your bean dip. I like it for lunch, with some tortilla chips if I'm going to splurge, a whole wheat tortilla spread with bean dip and rolled if I'm being "good" and as a dip with celery sticks if I'm feeling particularly righteous, LOL.

In a pinch I've even used canned beans for your dip, but it's way better with freshly cooked beans, of course.

Annie

Teresa and trsinc, I'd happily put my feet under your table anytime. You do my kind of cooking.

Jude

I posted this recipe on the "Soups and Stews" thread on the Harvest forum. It's economical, really tasty and you can stretch it to feed several people. Add cole slaw and cornbread or extend the meal even more by adding pinto beans. My mother would have loved it.

Hungry Man's Stew

Brown together:
1 lb. ground chuck, 1/4 lb. hot pork sausage & 2 lg. onions, chopped.

Add:
1/4 teas. cayenne pepper, 1 teas. garlic salt, 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or frozen), 2 C. water and 1 1/2 teas. worcestershire sauce.
Simmer for 2 hours. Last 30 min., add 3 med. potatoes, diced and 1 can cream style corn.

You can always feed more by adding more potatoes. I have found children as well as adults really like it. I would imagine it would work with less ground chuck as well.

Jude

Here's a recipe my mother used to make when I was a kid. My sister and I loved it, as did our friends. I don't make it very often now because I can't really eat pasta, but this is very good, filling, and cheap.

Tuna Tempter (my mother called it tuna casserole)

1/2 c diced celery
1/4 c chopped onion
2 TBs butter or margarine
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 7 ounce can of water packed tuna, drained
8 ounces (6 cups) Mueller's egg noodles (note: my mother always use one small box of Prince elbows instead because that's what she had on had. It doesn't matter, just don't use a larger)
1/4 c bread crumbs (Mom often skipped this since she didn't usually keep bread crumbs in the house. You could also use toasted and buttered stake bread, I know some people use crushed crackers)

Cook celery and onion in the butter until tender but not brown. Add soup and milk, then tuna (flake the tuna up), mix. Boil noodles as directed (note: don't overcook, they should be al dente or just a little under done), drain well. Butter a 2 quart oven proof casserole. Add noodles and soup mixture, stir. Top with bread crumbs. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Serves 6.

This is a very interesting and timely thread. Interesting to see what different areas eat for "poor" food.

I was raised by parents who went through the depression.
Growing up our staples were very basic. Steak was served as a treat and was always round steak. I didn't know what a rib steak or t-bone was until I was married! A standard supper meal was macaroni and tomatoes, brown beans (pinto), and fried potato and onions. In season we had wilted lettuce from the garden. It is still one of my favorites.

Beans should be a staple food for most of us. It is inexpensive and high on any heart healthy diet. I try to serve them 2-3 times a week. I have a wonderful Bean Soup recipe.

Stir fry meals are wonderful, one pan meals, lots of vegetable and a cup full of meat, either fresh or leftover, over rice. Inexpensive, heart healthy.

Pastas are great, but I am using less of them due to the carbs they contain and just serve them now and again.

Cook from scratch, garden if you can, can what you grow or freeze, visit local orchards ask for price on seconds (always a bargain since most want picture perfect fruit).

Hamburger can be stretched so many ways to serve lots of people or to freeze : Hamburger soup, goulash (anyway that is what mom called it), hamburger steaks, hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes (Dh's favorite), meatloaf, meatballs, and the list goes on.

Roasts on sale are a bargain. All Mom ever bought was chuck roast. You can get at least two meals from one, maybe more.

We are fortunate to live on a farm. We put beef in the freezer, I have a large vegetable garden, raise strawberries, blackberries, and have planted some fruit trees that might produce some next year.

I just bought a milk cow; I am so thrilled with her. We had one when we first moved to the country so I knew what I was getting into. I just used the last of the store milk this morning.

These are just some rambling thoughts I wanted to share.

'Tis the season! Friday I found huge turkey wings packaged two to a pack for a little over $2 a package. I wrapped each separately and put in the freezer for roasted wings, soup, or baked bbq wings.

gldno1, would you share your bean soup recipe?

Thanks!

The first thing I did when times got tough was to start making my own bread. Good bread cost over 3 bucks a loaf, and I can make it for about one dollar. Ohiomom was kind enough to send me an extra bread maker she had so I now make bread on Sundays, along with my old tradition of making "clean out the fridge" soup in the crockpot.

I've lived without meat for years as a vegetarian, so I already was experiencing that cost cutting measure. I don't like the rich expensive cuts of meat anyway. But to cut down further, I have taken to cooking dried beans in the crockpot instead of the canned. I have to freeze them afterwards though, because it would take me a month to eat all those beans! Luckily beans freeze well.

I've also cut way back on the produce. Now I only eat apples and bannanas, and then whatever else is in season and cheap at the market. My homeade preserves are the only way I get to taste off-season fruits nowdays, but that's fine. I also mostly eat cabbage salads--lettuce is a rare treat for me. A lot of root vegetables and then frozen for the other off season stuff like corn, peas and green beans. Peppers are a rare treat, and then only green ones nowdays!!

Today I'm making coleslaw and yellow split pea soup. That's a typical Sunday cooking routine for me. I also have kasha varnishkes to eat up. That was a weekday experiment but I have to finally admit after many attempts, that I just don't like buckwheat! I'm also making oatmeal cookies which I can grab for breakfast on my way out the door.

Teresa, glad to. I use whatever white beans I have on hand, Great Northern or Navy.

White Bean Soup

1/2 lb white soup beans (rinsed well)
1 lb stew meat
6 cups boiling water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped potato
Salt and pepper
1 stick butter

Soak beans overnight (dont drain water).
Add rest of ingredients and cook several hours until soup is thick and mushy. Add butter.

Note: I never soak beans.

Thanks again for all the great ideas and recipes. Tonight is black lentil soup. I only had lentils for the first time this year!

Lars, funny you brought up freezing ginger. I had a hunk of ginger in the freezer but opted for the powdered in the recipe which did absolutely nothing. You are right. No heat whatsoever. I have had your bean dip recipe saved for some time. I need to make that.

Teresa, I have never seen turkey wings or maybe I never looked. I'll have to check that out.

I stumbled across this site which has a lot of great ideas for eating budget friendly meals.... THought there might be something of interest here.

Alexa

Funny how many of the least expensive dinners are comfort food-ish.

We shop sales and buy in bulk...I think that will always be a habit and a good thing with DH out of commission for two months. We picked up several pounds of Boston butt for $1.05/lb. and after a day of slow roasting in my cookstove oven I have lots of shredded pork in the freezer.....mmmm. We make big meals and rework the leftovers into a casserole or stew and freeze some for nights I work late.

We ate mostly vegetarian in our very poor days....lots of lentils. Cooked and mixed with some taco seasoning, rolled in homemade flour tortillas and topped with homemade salsa and homegrown lettuce. We didn't think we were poor, lol.

These are recipes from our Extension Nutrition Program.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Surprise Burgers

Recipe By : Katie, from a grocery store recipe card
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs -- more if necessary
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano -- * see note
1 egg -- optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, margarine, or oil
cheese slices

Wash lentils. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Add onions and carrots. Cook 15 minutes or more until lentils and vegies are tender.

Stir in bread crumbs, seasoning and egg.

Drop lentils by rounded 1/3 cupfuls into hot oil. Flatten with pancake turner. Cook until firm and brown on both sides. Top with cheese slice and cook until cheese is melted.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : * I use sage and a little thyme...use whatever herbs you like for meatloaf.
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This stuff is good...smells wonderful...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Meatless Lentil Chili

Recipe By : Katie, from the Nutrition Advisor program
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
5 c boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/3 c lentils -- washed
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
1 pkg dry onion soup mix -- (I use beef base and
chopped onions)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder -- or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin

Simmer lentils, salt, and water for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes more.

Serve as is or over spaghetti, rice or corn chips (top with shredded cheese). Use for pizza, tacos, or serve as a dip.

Spread on plate and top with diced onions, tomatoes, chiles and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.
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