The "~$5 Meal Ideas~" thread...

[korinn1384]

Thiis is REALLY AWSOME for WIC mamas but still super cheap for non wic families too!
Quiche
5-6 eggs
1/3 C miricle whip
1 C cheddar cheese shredded
1/3 C milk
1 C mushrooms
1 C onions
1 C broccoli
1 frozen pie shell or make your own pie shell

cook until tender the onons mushrooms and broccoli in a saute pan. Mix the eggs milk miracle whip & cheese in a bowl then add in the onions mushrooms & broccoli. pour into the pie shell place on a cookie sheet (in case it spills out)& bake 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center is set & the top is browned. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

The great thing about this recpe is that if you don't like an ingrediant you can skip it (for example I hate mushrooms so I just leave em out) or you can substitute something else for the mushrooms onions or broccoli. You can also add extras too such as ham, sausage, bell peppers, etc. I make this all the time with all my wic stuff & it is sooo good I can eat the whole thing myself! Let me know how u guys like it!!!

[elenasmommie]

heres mine
PORK STROGNOF

1lb wide egg noodles
2 lds pork chops
1 can of mushroom soup
1/2 can of water
1 small can of mushroom halfs and peices
salt and pepper to taste
1 med oinon (or use some onion powder)
3-5 finley choped cloves of garlic (or garlic powder)

cook pork chops in a pan with water, some salt and pepper, while you are doing that boil the egg noodles with oilve oil (1 tbs) and salt, then when the pork is dont cut up into bite sized peices. mix all ingresened togher. and simmer for about 10-15 min stirring occanily.

it will only lake you like 20-25 min to make it tasets sooo good!!!!! add as much salt and pepper as you will need (according to taste) also the garlic use according to taste!

[Lilybugsmama]

Hi! I just posted these in a "Rice & Beans" thread, but they are definitely meals under $5...

Easy Black Beans & Rice

1 T. oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) sliced, stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 c. water
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 1/2 c. Minute Brown Rice, uncooked (instant) -- anyone able to help me convert this recipe so I can use regular brown rice?

Heat oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender (but not browned). Stir in tomatoes, beans, water, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice, return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

We top ours with shredded cheese and sour cream. Or, if you are my dh, you add Tabasco sauce and roll it all up in a tortilla.

Black Bean Quesadillas adapted a bit from Allrecipes.com

1T vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced (or about 1 T minced)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans (or 1/3 package of dried, soaked and cooked)
1 green bell pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced)
1/2 pkg frozen corn
12 flour tortillas (I use whole wheat)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oil in skillet and add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn; cook until heated through. Heat a separate skillet. Lightly butter one tortilla and place butter-side down in the skillet (like a grilled cheese sandwich). Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on the tortilla followed by about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little bit more cheese on top of the beans and place another buttered tortilla over everything. Brown the tortilla and flip to brown the other side. Remove quesadilla from the pan to a cutting board. Repeat. Cutting the quesadillas with a pizza cutter works beautifully. Serve with salsa and sour cream (if you like it).

Or, use the quesadilla filling separately and mix with brown rice (along with cheese and sour cream) for a filling meal.

Enjoy

[iamawahm]

My home made tuna helper

1 box of 25 cent mac and cheese
1 can of 59 cent tuna
1 can of 49 cent cream of chicken soup

cook the mac as stated on box, drain than add tuna and soup.
Your done!!

Yummo

we eat ours over crushed crackers!!
Serve it with green beans!

[maisiedotes]

I have a good one- it is from Weigh****chers Versatile Vegetarian.

Southwestern Casserole- serves 4

1 can (approx 15 oz) yellow or white hominy (usually in the Goya section)
1 can (12 oz) mexi-corn or regular corn
1 can diced tomatoes (I use chili-style if I am using mexi-corn)
1 can black beans
shredded cheddar
flour tortillas or tortilla chips- optional

This is SO EASY. Drain your black beans, hominy, corn, and some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Throw it all in a casserole dish- I use a 9x9 inch pyrex. Heat in the oven on 350 for about 30 min or until hot. Top with cheddar, throw it back in the oven to melt the cheese, and voila! I chop a flour tortilla if i have one or crunch up a few tortilla chips.

The whole shebang costs about $4 total, depending on how much cheese you use. I got the corn at PriceRight, and it was only $.33 a can.

[angelmama1209]

we had these tonight. yummo!

Black Bean Quesadillas adapted a bit from Allrecipes.com

1T vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced (or about 1 T minced)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans (or 1/3 package of dried, soaked and cooked)
1 green bell pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced)
1/2 pkg frozen corn
12 flour tortillas (I use whole wheat)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oil in skillet and add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn; cook until heated through. Heat a separate skillet. Lightly butter one tortilla and place butter-side down in the skillet (like a grilled cheese sandwich). Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on the tortilla followed by about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little bit more cheese on top of the beans and place another buttered tortilla over everything. Brown the tortilla and flip to brown the other side. Remove quesadilla from the pan to a cutting board. Repeat. Cutting the quesadillas with a pizza cutter works beautifully. Serve with salsa and sour cream (if you like it).

Or, use the quesadilla filling separately and mix with brown rice (along with cheese and sour cream) for a filling meal.

Enjoy

[momma4of6]

its prob already been done, but..

chili mac....

box of mac and cheese (prepared)
small can of chili

mix together, heat sever.....this cost less then $2.00 assuming you get cheap mac and cheese...sever with biscuits

[imasupernova]

ok, this recipe is so thrown together but when the budget is tight...this meal is oh so yummy....................

2 lbs ground meat/turkey
3 cups brown rice
2 cans cream of mushroom (bigger cans, i think 18ish oz...)
1 or 2 cans of corn (depending on how much you like it)
2 cups shredded cheese

cook the rice per the directions on the package...

brown meat with the corn together in frying pan...

use a 9x12 or so casserole type dish and mix all the above ingredients together along with 1 c. of cheese and then top with the remaining 1 c. of cheese...

bake @ 400 degrees covered with foil till slightly brown on top...and serve this EASY yummy dish...

ok, my husband just read over the recipe and reminded me to mention that this feeds 7 people PLUS leftovers for the next day!!!

[MommyScott]

as of late a great lunch we've had is what I like to call "Beanie Bowls"

What you need....

A few cans of refried beans (cheap store brand!)
a little bit of shredded cheese & sour cream if you can afford it
tortilla chips

So simple and so filling - provides a good dose of fiber

[zachabbycole]

Here are some meals my dh and kids love. We like to eat alot of hotdishes here. I get all of my meat in the reduced meat section at our grocery store-usually about .99/lb. So I think these are all about $5.00 per meal.

Pasta Bake

1 lb. grd. beef or turkey
1 jar spaghetti sauce
16 oz. egg noodles (or I use whatever noodles I have in my pantry)
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (optional)
mozzerella cheese

Brown meat, Cook noodles as directed on pkg. In 9x13 pan combine, browned meat, cooked noodles, spaghetti sauce, & grated parmesan cheese. Top with shredded mozzerella cheese. 350 degree oven 15-20 minutes or til cheese is melted. Add a salad and bread for a complete meal.

Taco Rice Skillet

1 lb. grd beef or turkey
1 pouch taco seasoning
1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c minute rice
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef, drain. Add water, taco seasoning and bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Sprinkle top with cheese, cover. Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes til rice soaks up water.

This has so many uses. You can dip tortilla chips in it and serve with sour cream and salsa. Our favorite way to eat this is in burritos, soft tacos, or taco salads. Top with all your favorite taco toppings.

Tator Tot Hotdish

1 lb. grd beef or turkey
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can of peas or corn
16 oz. tator tots

Brown meat, drain. Combine soup with 1/4c water in a small bowl, set aside. In 9x13 pan dump meat and mix in can of peas/corn. Put half of soup mixture over meat mixture. Top with tator tots. Pour rest of soup mixture on top of Tator Tots. Bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes or til tator tots are browned.


Another cheap meal we do is when we make chili. We always make a double batch of chili so we have leftovers for the next day. We then add 2c. cooked minute rice to the chili for a great chili rice hotdish.