Hey! Frugal cooks..... ideas please?

Question

I need to spend less money! Can you give me cheap dinner ideas? Thanks so much in advance!
Oh- hamburger helper is not an option!

Answer 1

There are alot of things that you can do--if you have the inclination to cook ahead. The advantages are several...first, it saves you a ton of time in the long run, it will save you money because you won't be tempted to 'eat out' because you don't have time or anything partially prepared, tastes much better.
o.k., now for some ideas that I use:
I buy 2 whole chickens and roast them both at the same time with onion, carrot and celery and seasoning salt over everything. Bake.
Meantime, I bought 3 lbs of lean ground beef and made my favorite meatball recipe. By the time I do all that, make the meat balls and have them about 50-60 on my large cookie sheet, the chicken is almost ready to come out of the oven, and when it does, I put in my meatballs.
With the chicken. I separate the breasts and shred the rest.
I have chicken breasts for dinner that night (wrap and freeze the other 2-3) for another night.
I have made things already done or just put the meat in freezer safe bags and then froze to be used later.
I make:
chicken pot pies, chicken enchilades, chicken and rice casserole, chicken lasagna, sweet and sour chicken.
With the meatballs after they are cooked, I divide them up into meal appropriate sized bags to be frozen and have used them for:
sweet and sour meatballs, italian spaghetti , green bean and meatball with mushrooms, onions and mush soup, swedish meatballs and BBQ meatballs.
I hope this starts the mind thinking of the many other possibilities, and I hope I helped.
Good luck and have some fun with the meal planning. It feels sooo good to know you have done things ahead, haven't spent a fortune and you've already got most of the meal ready--just pull it out!

Answer 2

Try buying larger pieces of meat and use for next day's meals as well. For instance, tri-tip one night, and tri-tip salad with blue cheese and apples (with rasp vinegarette) the next.

Chicken goes a long way, especially if you buy whole roasters and use one night, then maybe mix leftovers with bbq sauce and put on buns (sloppy joe style) the next.

Also, for healthy eating, add more vegetarian dishes, they are usually cheaper as they do not include meats. And/or cut down where the meat is actually the condiment (or side) rather than main course (e.g. spagh and meatballs). You'll also find that many Indian foods are very inexpensive and flling to make and really are great!.

Answer 3

You can never go wrong with pasta. You can put it with butter, garlic & oil or a red sauce (which are pretty inexpensive). You can toss it with vegetables (spinach and broccolli are my fav.) or meat (chicken and sausage especially).

Pasta offers a lot of flexibiliy and can be prepared easily and for a prayer (even without the box of hamburger helper).

Answer 4

Here is one recipe I love! Really, tofu is pretty good, an excellent source of protein, and tastes like whatever you soak it in! You can leave out the asparagus if it's not on sale, but i do find asparagus on sale frequently and plan this dish around that.
Another hint: dishes like lasagne, spaghetti, pastitsio, all use a little meat and a lot of other inexpensive stuff like cheese and pasta.

Chili glazed tofu on rice:
Cooking the rice and asparagus in the same pot of boiling water saves a little time.

4 cups water
1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
2 1/4 cups chopped asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce with garlic (such as KA•ME)
1 pound extrafirm tofu, drained and cut lengthwise into 9 pieces
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup preshredded carrot
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add bag of rice, submerging bag completely in water. Boil 10 minutes. Carefully remove bag from pan, leaving boiling water in pan. Add asparagus to pan; cook 1 minute. Drain.
While rice cooks, heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and chili sauce in a small bowl. Sprinkle tofu with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add tofu to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine rice, asparagus, 1/2 teaspoon salt, carrot, and sesame oil. Serve tofu over rice.

Answer 5

Ketchup 1/2 sandwich

1 slice bread
1 t. ketchup

Answer 6

Chicken soup & biscuits (home made)
Hot ceral vs boxed cereal.
Dried beans to substitute for meats
Fresh fruits and vegetables, stay away from processed and canned stuff.
Bake your own goods, stay away from bakery's.
Buy non perishables in bulk.

Answer 7

make meatballs ( I bake mine, less mess) buy a jar of Ragu Cheese sauce and combine. Simmer a few min, and serve with mashed potatoes and vege.

Answer 8

Go vegetarian... Meat and fish are the most expensive ingredients in a meal. If you don't use them, you save money and gain health points! ;)