~$5 Meal Ideas~

[dirtdartwife]

Wiseolegoat1- that graveyard stew sounds similar to the Bash I listed! Bash is the "po' man soup" from Poland.

And your first recipe sounds awesome!!! I'll have to try that!!!

[laniesmommy]

I made lentil stew last night. It was SO yummy!

1/2 bag of lentils
6 cups of water
a few cloves of garlic
onions
carrots
celery
potatoes
salt
pepper
large can of tomatoes

I put some veggie-base in tonight, but I don't always.

Have fun!

[SugarPlumCompany]

Taco Twist Casserole

1lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 jar taco sauce
1 16oz box rotini noodles
bag of shredded cheddar cheese
sm thing of sour cream

brown the ground beef, drain, add the taco seasoning and 1 cup of water.. let simmer.. also cook your noodles.. when all thats done. mix sour cream and a cup of shredded cheese in with your noodles.. then line a casserole dish with the noodles. put a layer of taco sauce.. add the ground beef, do another layer of sauce. top with cheese, bake until cheese is melted.


Chili Pies

can of chili
corn chips
shredded cheese

cook chili.. top corn chips with chili, add cheese on top.

[dvrgrl38]

Originally Posted by Fiveblessings Here's a quick and easy recipe that my kids and dh love: Brown a pound of ground beef In another large pan or pot, make 1 box of Rice A Roni Mexican flavor When rice has about 10 minutes left, add in a can of corn (drained) and a can of stewed tomatoes (drained). After the rice is done, add the meat, so it's all mixed together. Num Num. There are six of us that eat, so I double the recipe.

I made this last night but i didn't drain the tomatoes and it was GREAT! I will be adding this recipe to my collection, Thanks!!

[mariewes]

This is a fun thread!

not sure exactly on prices, but they are cheap! We always buy our meat when it's buy one get one free too.

Quesdillas

1 pkg flour tortillas
2-3 chicken breast or tenders cooked and cubed
1 can refried beans
1 onion
shredded cheese

These are super simple! We just spread the refried beans on one torilla, and sprinkle it with the cooked chicken, onions and cheese- put the other tortilla on top and put in frying pan until crispy on both sides. Serve with shredded lettuce, salsa and cour cream. YUM


Corn Chowder

1 can of reg corn
1 can of creamed corn
2 cups milk
1 lbs keilbasa cubed
1 onion- cooked first
salt and pepper to taste.

Put all in pot together and bring to boil. This is SO easy and cheap. I am guessing on the milk amount...but You can eye it. Serve it with shredded cheese

This is a dessert, but it is so good and looks like you spent a ton of time on it!

Hazeltnut Chocolate & Strawberry Parfaits

1 box of instand choc pudding (when following directions to make, subistute half of the milk with hazelnut coffee creamer)
shortning cookies crushed(vanilla waffers work good!)
strawberries sliced
chopped almonds (optional)

Basically, you just layer all in a parfait cup. Choc pudding/crushed cookies/sliced strawberries/choc pudding...crushed cookies...strawberries..you get it! Top with alomonds. Put in fridge for 15min before serving.

[MyGlorylife]

This is a great thread!!
So here is an easy, cheapy, feeds a lot one...
breakfast for dinner.

Everyone easts 2 eggs- either scrambled or fried
waffles or pancakes whichever is made
fried potatoes

If I need an easy cheap meal that I know everyone will love this is!! And everyone thinks its great when we do something out of order. Normally too I will make extra on the waffles and so then we freeze those and have them for breakfast later in the week!

By the way 5 dozen eggs cost me I think it is around 6.00 can't remember off hand
the pankcake batter for a huge bag of it is 5
and the potatoes are 3 for a big bag

Of course I do not use all of any of this for one meal- If I had to crunch the numbers I would say that the whole meal for a family of 6 probably cost me around 3 dollars- maybe less than that!

Oh and for a yummy desert that also makes things spread further.

we cut up apples and bananas and then mix with a spoon or two of yogurt. Makes the yogurt go A LOT further and you get the yummy fruit with!...Minda

[mommabug42006]

Dappled Dumplings Fricassee
1 whole chicken I use a roaster 3.00
4 cups water
1 large onion sliced $0.40
1 medium carrot shredded $0.40
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups 6 tbsp flour $0.20
3tsp baking powder $0.15
2 tbsp shortening $0.07
1 c milk $0.23

Dappled Dumpings
Sift 2 c flour 3 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt into med bowl cut in 2 tbsp shortening blend until crumbly, then add 1 cup milk just till flour is moistened.

add chicken water onion carrot 2 tsp salt and pepper in large kettle with tight fitting lid heat to boiling then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs till chicken is tender
remove chicken let cool slip off skin if desired. Strain and measure broth add water if needed to make 5 cups heat to boil
add the flour to 1/2 cup cold water mix till forms a paste stir into hot broth cook stiring constantly until gravy thickens and boils 1 minute
return chicken to gravy in kettle heat slowly to boiling while stirring up Dappled Dumplings
Drop dough in 12 mounds on top of steaming chicken cook covered for 20 mins no peaking or the dumplings won't puff properly
arrange chicken and dumplings on platter and gravy in a seperate bowl

[cameransmommy]

LOVE this thread!

When things are especially tight, we make Red Beans and Rice.

I soak a package of kidney beans overnight, rinse and put in crockpot. Cover beans($.59) with water (or chicken stock if you have any handy), add some onion, celery, garlic and a package of smoked sausage($2), let cook on low all day.
I cook some brown rice and serve with nice french bread (homemade if we are really short on $ or i just can't get out to the store) and a green salad

A variation on that is black beans seasoned with a little bit of bacon,cilantro, garlic, served over yellow saffron rice with some left over chicken that i stripped off the bones. I top that with tomatoes and peas.

[bellbanzhof]

A couple of my favorite chicken breast recipes... Not sure of the cost...
buy it all on sale!!

Princess House Cranberry Chicken- so quick & easy!
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Can of cranberry sauce
1 Package dry zesty Italian Dressing Mix
3 tablespoons soy sauce

In baking dish, brush chicken w/ soy sauce. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Mix cranberry sauce & Italian dressing & pour over chicken. Bake another 15 mins.

Greek Chicken

Place chicken breasts, potatos (chopped into 1/4's or smaller), 1 stick of butter (chopped up), oregano, salt & pepper in baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

[bellbanzhof]

Shephard's Pie Rocks!... a great way to use up leftovers!

Just spoon some leftover stew or leftover shredded meat (chicken, beef, pork) and cooked veggies into a baking dish and top with leftover mashed potatoes. Cover with cheese if you'd like. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until heated through. All done and yum!

I made this for dh last night using leftover pintos, stew, cous cous, mashed potatoes and cheese- basically this week's leftovers. Dh actually said it was good & asked for seconds. I said "wow- you don't usually compliment my cooking". He said "well, it's better than what you usually make". Hmmm.... I guess he didn't realize that it WAS everything I usually make!