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re: Best recipes on a budget?
Posted on 10/2/12 at 8:59 am to Tornado Alley
Posted on 10/2/12 at 8:59 am to Tornado Alley
Chicken thighs are about the cheapest meat I found, this recipe is for a crock pot but if you don't have one, you can do it on the stove (you just have to stir it) or in the oven.
chicken:
5-8 bone in chicken thighs (2.5-5 pounds) remove skin
wash and put in crock pot, add water to cover chicken
1 can tomato sauce
1 can of Rotel
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
salt & pepper
chili powder (just barley covered top - maybe 1-2 tablespoons)
cumin (about 1/4 of what i put of chili powder)
dried oregeno (about 1/2 what i put of chili powder as cumin)
minced garlic (2 tablespoons about)
1 sliced onion
green bell pepper sliced-
cook on low for 8-10 hours
pulled out bones and chipotle peppers, stirred meat, it should be shredded
slaw topping:
cabbage
squeeze of lime juice
apple cider vinegar
parsley
added left over pineapple salsa - crushed pineapple with chopped red onion and chopped jap peppers
spanish fried rice:
chopped and then sauted the remaining bell pepper, equal red bell pepper and 1 white onion in oil and minced garlic
added 2 cups cold cooked white rice
sprinkle of chili powder and cumin
couple of spoonfuls of corn
cranked up heat for a bit
blackbeans
1 can of black beans
sqeeze of lime juice
dried onions
minced garlic
salt & pepper
made tostadas, soft tacos and crispy tacos it was all good! topped with slaw, shredded cheddar, green onions and sour cream
chicken:
5-8 bone in chicken thighs (2.5-5 pounds) remove skin
wash and put in crock pot, add water to cover chicken
1 can tomato sauce
1 can of Rotel
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
salt & pepper
chili powder (just barley covered top - maybe 1-2 tablespoons)
cumin (about 1/4 of what i put of chili powder)
dried oregeno (about 1/2 what i put of chili powder as cumin)
minced garlic (2 tablespoons about)
1 sliced onion
green bell pepper sliced-
cook on low for 8-10 hours
pulled out bones and chipotle peppers, stirred meat, it should be shredded
slaw topping:
cabbage
squeeze of lime juice
apple cider vinegar
parsley
added left over pineapple salsa - crushed pineapple with chopped red onion and chopped jap peppers
spanish fried rice:
chopped and then sauted the remaining bell pepper, equal red bell pepper and 1 white onion in oil and minced garlic
added 2 cups cold cooked white rice
sprinkle of chili powder and cumin
couple of spoonfuls of corn
cranked up heat for a bit
blackbeans
1 can of black beans
sqeeze of lime juice
dried onions
minced garlic
salt & pepper
made tostadas, soft tacos and crispy tacos it was all good! topped with slaw, shredded cheddar, green onions and sour cream
0
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:00 am to Salmon
I've posted this a couple of times, but this is good and cheap!
Oriental Beef And Ramen Noodle Toss
1 lb lean ground beef
2 (3 oz) packages oriental flavor instant ramen noodles
2 cups water
2 cups frozen Oriental vegetable mixture
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs thinly sliced green onions
1. In large non-stick skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or (until beef is no longer pink, breaking up into three-fourths inch crumbles. Remove with slotted spoon, pour off drippings. Season beef with one seasoning packet from noodles; set aside.
2. In same skillet, Combine water, vegetables, ginger, noodles (broken into several pieces) and remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover, simmer for three minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Return beef to skillet; heat through. Stir in green onion before serving.
Yield: 4 cups
Oriental Beef And Ramen Noodle Toss
1 lb lean ground beef
2 (3 oz) packages oriental flavor instant ramen noodles
2 cups water
2 cups frozen Oriental vegetable mixture
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs thinly sliced green onions
1. In large non-stick skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or (until beef is no longer pink, breaking up into three-fourths inch crumbles. Remove with slotted spoon, pour off drippings. Season beef with one seasoning packet from noodles; set aside.
2. In same skillet, Combine water, vegetables, ginger, noodles (broken into several pieces) and remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover, simmer for three minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Return beef to skillet; heat through. Stir in green onion before serving.
Yield: 4 cups
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:24 am to Tornado Alley
Hot dogs and hamburger helper are both ridiculously cheap and it's damn near impossible to get tired of eating them.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:27 am to hiltacular
quote:
Hot dogs and hamburger helper are both ridiculously cheap and it's damn near impossible to get tired of eating them.
Although, I admit that I'm not above eating either, not sure if serious.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:27 am to hiltacular
I make dirty rice about once every two weeks. Soemthing to note, rice is damn cheap when you think about how much a 10lb bag makes.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:28 am to Tornado Alley
40 clove chicken
1 whole cut up fryer
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
dried herbs of choice. (i use thyme and rosemary)
40 peeled cloves garlic (i use 2-3 heads, don't worry about the exact number)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season chicken with your favorite seasoning. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.
If you buy the chicken right, you can do the whole thing for under $10 and eat on it for several days.
1 whole cut up fryer
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
dried herbs of choice. (i use thyme and rosemary)
40 peeled cloves garlic (i use 2-3 heads, don't worry about the exact number)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season chicken with your favorite seasoning. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.
If you buy the chicken right, you can do the whole thing for under $10 and eat on it for several days.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:29 am to Tornado Alley
Tacos
Red Beans n Rice
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Hamburger Helper
Spaghetti
Chili
Chicken Quarters
Red Beans n Rice
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Hamburger Helper
Spaghetti
Chili
Chicken Quarters
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:43 am to Tornado Alley
Here is how you can live on 10 dollars a day, and I'm not talking Ramen noodles either.
Meats:
Chicken is your friend. One chicken can last for 3 days. Day one, cook it and eat it. Day two, break up remaining pieces and mix together with some salad. Day 3, boil it down, strain, and mix the broth and small chicken bits leftover with some rice and veggies and have a nice soup.
Sausage is really cheap also. Much cheaper than ground beef. Use some keilbasa as your meat staple a couple of nights with some rice or noodles. Also, some stores sell ground italian sausage for a reasonable price. Use that instead of beef for spaghetti. It brings more flavor to the party anyway.
Spaghetti. Eat this like once a week. You can make three meals worth of food for about 5 bucks. One lb of spaghetti, plus one can of sauce (store brand) and one l of meat.
Chicken breasts: skip the meat section and go to the freezer section and get the big bag of chicken breasts that are usually about 8 bucks. It should last a single man at least 2 weeks. Once again, salads, wraps, or just grill and mix with some veggies.
Vegatables:
Cans and frozen veggies are your friend. Get the fresh leafy salads in the plastic containers instead of the bagged stuff. They last longer and frankly taste better to me. When you get your chicken breasts from the freezer, walk over and get some big bags of mixed veggies.
Drinks:
You need milk for cereal and for coffee(?), and you need to start drinking Crystal Light instead of cokes. NO COKES!!! Buy the store brand Crystal Light and you will be just fine in the drink dept. Speaking of, if you like beer, stop it. Buy some el cheapo Vodka and have a mixed drink every now and then. Much cheaper. No bottles of water. Buy one of the Brita bottles that has the filter in it. I did this a few months ago. You have to replace the filter every so often though. but it is still better than bottled water or sodas.
Spices:
Salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash. That's it.
Cooking:
Okay, you need some Pam or something like that. And maybe keep a little EVOO around. All you need is a decent sized pot for spaghetti, a hot water heater (looks like a small pitcher but plugs into an outlet), and a 12" electric griddle with sides and a hood. You will use this griddle for almost everything and it is very versatile. Throw a frozen chicken breast in there, when it is mostly cooked, throw your frozen veggies in their, some EVOO and Mrs. Dash and put the hood on. Bam, there's dinner.
Snacks: NO! Learn how to make a cake. A box of cake mix, icing, eggs and milk are cheap. You can spend 5 bucks making a cake and it will be a good snack for you. Only do it about once a week though. Microwave popcorn is acceptable also.
Breakfast:
Eggs, cereal, toast, oatmeal. all real cheap and easy.
Lunch.
Eat leftovers form dinner. the little bowls of Ramen aren't a bad idea here either. Ramen plus a bag of microwave popcorn is more thanenough for lunch and would cost a grand total of about a buck.
Anyway, let me knwo if this helps or if you have any other questions.
Meats:
Chicken is your friend. One chicken can last for 3 days. Day one, cook it and eat it. Day two, break up remaining pieces and mix together with some salad. Day 3, boil it down, strain, and mix the broth and small chicken bits leftover with some rice and veggies and have a nice soup.
Sausage is really cheap also. Much cheaper than ground beef. Use some keilbasa as your meat staple a couple of nights with some rice or noodles. Also, some stores sell ground italian sausage for a reasonable price. Use that instead of beef for spaghetti. It brings more flavor to the party anyway.
Spaghetti. Eat this like once a week. You can make three meals worth of food for about 5 bucks. One lb of spaghetti, plus one can of sauce (store brand) and one l of meat.
Chicken breasts: skip the meat section and go to the freezer section and get the big bag of chicken breasts that are usually about 8 bucks. It should last a single man at least 2 weeks. Once again, salads, wraps, or just grill and mix with some veggies.
Vegatables:
Cans and frozen veggies are your friend. Get the fresh leafy salads in the plastic containers instead of the bagged stuff. They last longer and frankly taste better to me. When you get your chicken breasts from the freezer, walk over and get some big bags of mixed veggies.
Drinks:
You need milk for cereal and for coffee(?), and you need to start drinking Crystal Light instead of cokes. NO COKES!!! Buy the store brand Crystal Light and you will be just fine in the drink dept. Speaking of, if you like beer, stop it. Buy some el cheapo Vodka and have a mixed drink every now and then. Much cheaper. No bottles of water. Buy one of the Brita bottles that has the filter in it. I did this a few months ago. You have to replace the filter every so often though. but it is still better than bottled water or sodas.
Spices:
Salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash. That's it.
Cooking:
Okay, you need some Pam or something like that. And maybe keep a little EVOO around. All you need is a decent sized pot for spaghetti, a hot water heater (looks like a small pitcher but plugs into an outlet), and a 12" electric griddle with sides and a hood. You will use this griddle for almost everything and it is very versatile. Throw a frozen chicken breast in there, when it is mostly cooked, throw your frozen veggies in their, some EVOO and Mrs. Dash and put the hood on. Bam, there's dinner.
Snacks: NO! Learn how to make a cake. A box of cake mix, icing, eggs and milk are cheap. You can spend 5 bucks making a cake and it will be a good snack for you. Only do it about once a week though. Microwave popcorn is acceptable also.
Breakfast:
Eggs, cereal, toast, oatmeal. all real cheap and easy.
Lunch.
Eat leftovers form dinner. the little bowls of Ramen aren't a bad idea here either. Ramen plus a bag of microwave popcorn is more thanenough for lunch and would cost a grand total of about a buck.
Anyway, let me knwo if this helps or if you have any other questions.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:49 am to alajones
Damn that explanation should be a show called "$1 a day"
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:50 am to alajones
quote:
Spices: Salt, Pepper, Mrs. Dash
Spices are damn expensive, so I would kige that.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:52 am to alajones
quote:
Microwave popcorn is acceptable also.
Cheapest and super easy way to do microwave popcorn:
Buy small brown lunch bags
Buy pop corn kernels
Buy pop corn topping (this seems expensive but its good and $5 will last you a year)
put 1/4 to 1/3 cup of kernels in the paper bag, tape it shut, microwave it, pour it in a bowl and add the topping and salt - yummy, and super CHEAP
Posted on 10/2/12 at 9:53 am to Tornado Alley
just get some chicken thighs, season em, and throw them in the oven at 375 for about 40 mins. Can get like 4 thighs for 4 or 5 dollas
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:08 am to hiltacular
quote:This is why poor people are usually fat. It is possible to eat cheaply and not use a bunch of boxed meals that are super high in sodium and calories. It just takes some preperation. Having said that, when you are young, you can get away with this stuff. Not so much when you are older.
Hot dogs and hamburger helper are both ridiculously cheap and it's damn near impossible to get tired of eating them.
To the OP, one more thing. Cooking is a craft. You are always learning. Make mental notes in your head and try to get better at everything you do or you never will get better. I've eaten food from plenty of grammas that frankly tasted like shite.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:12 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
Get a crockpot and a good bit of tupperware. Make a huge meal for $10 and then freeze servings. My girlfriend and I can get three meals out of a crockpot recipe, sometimes more, so 6 servings.
Good advice here. My local grocer marks down meats in the AM and puts them back out for sale (meats that are nearing or passed the recommended sale date). They do the same for produce. Check with them and see when they do their mark downs for some good deals.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:19 am to Aubie Spr96
quote:This is a good point. Go to the grocery store 3 or 4 times a week. But just take like 15 bucks with you. You will be much more creative, much more frugal and you will start to notice trends. Like some items will eventually go on sale. And if they aren't on sale, don't get them that day. Those who make the big bi-weekly trip to the store every payday spend a lot more and buy more crap than if they would just take a limited amount of money with them and buy for a couple of days at a time.
My local grocer marks down meats in the AM
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:21 am to Tornado Alley
There is a reason so much of the world subsists on beans and rice.
Cheap as hell and healthy.
/thread
Cheap as hell and healthy.
/thread
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:26 am to Tornado Alley
Chicken and Rice that will feed you a few times over.
One pack of boneless chicken breasts
Soy Sauce
Tabasco
Pinch of cayenne
1 cheap bottle of dry white wine (I use Oak Leaf Sauvignon Blanc from Wal Mart $2.75)
1 container of Guidry's creole seasoning
Rice
Trim the chicken. wash it and put in a bowl. Marinate it in about 6 TBLS of soy sauce, a few dashes of tabasco, and a pinch of cayenne. Let it sit while doing the next step.
In a large skillet pan, coat the pan with a little veggie oil. Pour in the whole container of creole seasoning veggies. Throw in a few TBLS of minced garlic. Cook til translucent. Pour in whole bottle of white wine and simmer veggies for 10 mins. Then put the chicken in the pan, pour in the marinade as well. Cover the pan and cook on medium low for 2 hours, flipping the chicken over halfway through.
Serve over rice with. It is very tasty. I make it all the time. Takes about 20 mins to get going, the rest is just waiting. All in all it costs about $20 or less if you have the spices and i get like 2-3 meals out of it.
One pack of boneless chicken breasts
Soy Sauce
Tabasco
Pinch of cayenne
1 cheap bottle of dry white wine (I use Oak Leaf Sauvignon Blanc from Wal Mart $2.75)
1 container of Guidry's creole seasoning
Rice
Trim the chicken. wash it and put in a bowl. Marinate it in about 6 TBLS of soy sauce, a few dashes of tabasco, and a pinch of cayenne. Let it sit while doing the next step.
In a large skillet pan, coat the pan with a little veggie oil. Pour in the whole container of creole seasoning veggies. Throw in a few TBLS of minced garlic. Cook til translucent. Pour in whole bottle of white wine and simmer veggies for 10 mins. Then put the chicken in the pan, pour in the marinade as well. Cover the pan and cook on medium low for 2 hours, flipping the chicken over halfway through.
Serve over rice with. It is very tasty. I make it all the time. Takes about 20 mins to get going, the rest is just waiting. All in all it costs about $20 or less if you have the spices and i get like 2-3 meals out of it.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:50 am to Tornado Alley
Check the recipe thread and the recipe book in the sticky at the top of the page. There are quite a few wallet friendly recipes in the book and the thread. If you have any amount of freezer space, the freezer is your friend. As someone suggested, if you prefer chicken breasts, you can buy the large bags of frozen breasts pretty cheap and they will go a long way for one.
Look at the recipes for potato soup, for example. Throw in some hunks of ham and you have a full meal if you add a salad of some sort. It freezes well. Same with bean soups or bean based dishes. Dried beans are cheap and go a long way.
Look for sales in nice bell pepper and eggplant. You can make a pound of ground meat go far by stuffing those. They also freeze well. If you don't find a recipe for those and you're interested, we can give you recipes or methods. None of those things have to be exact.
Tomato basil soup with a grilled cheese is a fine meal. The soup will freeze if you want a little for future reference.
Spices can be expensive, but also essential in making cheap meals taste better. Check Dollar stores for those and even other dry ingredients are sometimes cheaper at those places like canned soups. You could make a good French onion soup with a lot of onions, beef broth, some bay leaf, thyme and a little butter. If you can spring for cheap sherry or brandy, it would enhance the flavor, but you can make that work without it. Day old/on sale bread works great for the croutons and with cheap swiss cheese, you're good to go.
I think someone suggested a roast. You can make a simple roast and gravy with chuck or rump. Have that with rice and veggie and make poboys with the leftovers.
I see things like pork chops and round steak etc... on sale quite often. They can be smothered to make a gravy to have with rice. Bagged frozen greens are pretty decent. Check prices for those to have as sides.
Roast a chicken and use leftovers for chicken salad.
Breakfast for supper is easy and can be cheap. Eggs, a loaf of bread (on sale is fine), a roll of sausage, an onion, cheddar cheese and some milk and you can bake a breakfast souffle. Add a little fresh fruit of your choice for a side and you've got a few meals right there.There are simple recipes for those all over the internet. Omelets are good as well.
Turkey wings are often on sale. If you like turkey, wings have a good bit of meat on them, more than some think.
If there are certain dishes or foods you prefer, specifically, ask and maybe we can suggest some cheap ways of making dishes.
Look at the recipes for potato soup, for example. Throw in some hunks of ham and you have a full meal if you add a salad of some sort. It freezes well. Same with bean soups or bean based dishes. Dried beans are cheap and go a long way.
Look for sales in nice bell pepper and eggplant. You can make a pound of ground meat go far by stuffing those. They also freeze well. If you don't find a recipe for those and you're interested, we can give you recipes or methods. None of those things have to be exact.
Tomato basil soup with a grilled cheese is a fine meal. The soup will freeze if you want a little for future reference.
Spices can be expensive, but also essential in making cheap meals taste better. Check Dollar stores for those and even other dry ingredients are sometimes cheaper at those places like canned soups. You could make a good French onion soup with a lot of onions, beef broth, some bay leaf, thyme and a little butter. If you can spring for cheap sherry or brandy, it would enhance the flavor, but you can make that work without it. Day old/on sale bread works great for the croutons and with cheap swiss cheese, you're good to go.
I think someone suggested a roast. You can make a simple roast and gravy with chuck or rump. Have that with rice and veggie and make poboys with the leftovers.
I see things like pork chops and round steak etc... on sale quite often. They can be smothered to make a gravy to have with rice. Bagged frozen greens are pretty decent. Check prices for those to have as sides.
Roast a chicken and use leftovers for chicken salad.
Breakfast for supper is easy and can be cheap. Eggs, a loaf of bread (on sale is fine), a roll of sausage, an onion, cheddar cheese and some milk and you can bake a breakfast souffle. Add a little fresh fruit of your choice for a side and you've got a few meals right there.There are simple recipes for those all over the internet. Omelets are good as well.
Turkey wings are often on sale. If you like turkey, wings have a good bit of meat on them, more than some think.
If there are certain dishes or foods you prefer, specifically, ask and maybe we can suggest some cheap ways of making dishes.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 10:54 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
Get a crockpot and a good bit of tupperware.
This and this.
Posted on 10/2/12 at 11:03 am to Bear Is Dead
Spices are expensive when you buy them at a normal chain grocery in teenie weenie jars. Cheaper by a mile are the loose spices at a Whole Foods or just at Spice vendors. Penzeys catalog is a thing to have next to what ever cook books you have.
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