Looking for cheap, healthy recipes that my husband can cook?

Question

I'll be starting my last year of grad school in a few weeks and this year will be more broke than ever since I won't be working. I have clinicals up to 3 days a week and class 2 days a week, so my husband may be cooking more often. He's pretty good as long as he has very specific directions. I'm looking for recpies without ground beef and Ramen! He really likes casseroles and one-pot dishes, so if you have any ideas for those, please include them. Meatless meals are a plus. Thanks!

Answer 1

Oh, I know the feeling. It's only been two years since I have been in the situation, but I remember it clearly. My husband loves Italian food, and I know how "interesting" a cook he is.

My first recommendation is to get a sale ads from whatever supermarket you shop in. Sometimes you can eat pretty decent food cheap.

I taught him how to make a basic simple tomato sauce. 1 small diced onion, a few cloves of garlic (depends on your taste) sauteed in a pan with olive oil. Then add 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of whole tomatoes. We like the texture, but whatever you like. Make sure you season with salt and pepper. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes.

We love this sauce because it's great with pasta for a light lunch/dinner topped with a little parm and if you have it fresh ripped basil. For something a little more substantial throw some non starchy veggies (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc), in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and toss them in the sauce. I like to toss this with a little ricotta cheese, the simple sauce and top with parm cheese baked in the oven. I can eat this all by itself, buy mine likes it with pasta. If there is some seafood on sale put this in the sauce and top pasta with it. Mine really likes clams (yuck) in the sauce. It's really limitless.

My husband loves meat, I could care less, not a vegetarian, but just don't have the need. So I make a lot of soup. People are scared to make soup, but it's not that hard. One of my favorite soups to make is cream of mushroom because I use it again in a totally different recipe. Now this is something that I do by eye, but I will give you the basics. It's really easy to fix if you mess it up.

1/2 yellow onion and about 2/3 a pack of sliced mushrooms that you have sauteed in one tbsp. of butter or olive oil. Just until they are clear you don't want them brown. Don't salt and pepper until they are cooked through. Then add 3 tbsp. of butter and 3 tbsp. of flour and cook for about 2 minutes, then add 1 quart of chicken stock. Let this simmer with salt, pepper and a sprig of thyme for about 1/2 hour. Then take half the mixture and blend it smooth. Add it back to the soup pot and turn off the heat. Then add 1 cup of cream to the pot. Taste for seasoning. Oh, make sure that you remove the sprig of thyme. The next day you can add sauteed beef or the rest of the mushrooms with sour cream and top egg noodles.

Another thing I often had him do was cook 1 chicken breast in a foil pack with different flavors and make things with them. For example I would have him season 1 with Chinese 5 spice. Then dice it up and toss with salad greens, sesame seeds, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, crispy noodles and an Asian dressing. Bake another with Italian dressing, top with fresh tomatoes and cheese and heat on a crusty roll. Make sure you season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Do the same with a Mexican spice mix. I make my own, but you can buy one in a pack. Make a salad, or a super huge burrito.

This is easy, but can be somewhat time consuming, however, if you cook them all at once, it makes it easier. Slice length wist a eggplant (or zucchini), brush with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 oven for about 15 minutes. Once they have cooled roll them up with ricotta (or goat) cheese. You can any seasoning to the cheese you like. I like basil or oregano for both of them. Then just roll them up. Yum! I like the eggplant roll with a little simple sauce on them.

Another is my bean nachos. Again, I use my own spices for mexican food because I like mine spicy, but you can you can use a mix. Add this to 1 whole onion that you have sauteed. Then add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes. Top tortilla chips with this cheese, avacado, fresh cilantro and/or sour cream.

If you have a crock pot, in the morning add 1 pack of stewed beef, 1 thinly sliced each carrot, pepper and onion, 2 cloves of garlic, seasoning salt, 1 can of whole tomatoes and 1 clove of garlic. Top the whole thing off with water. Cook on low for about 6 hours. It's really good, although it looks like dog food. Put it on rice.

Answer 2

There is a website called www.miserlymoms.com. About halfway down the home page, on the left, is a link for frugal recipes. These recipes are very cheap. Some might have meat but can easily be adapted to your specific needs and tastes. I have made several dishes and all came out well. I have any made a few substitutions and still had success.

Good luck with grad school and with hubby-cooked dinners!

Answer 3

Here's a great and easy one :
Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

3 lbs chicken pieces
1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
4 tablespoons melted butter (divided)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth

Place chicken pieces in crock pot and sprinkle Italian seasoning over chicken. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan and saute onion and garlic. Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Stir until smooth.
Add this mixture to crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour.

Answer 4

If you want to eat truly healthy, lose body fat consistently, normalize your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, prevent cancer, and even boost your brain health and energy levels, you may have heard all over the news that the Paleo Diet has been found to be one of the best methods of achieving all of these benefits compared to any other popular "fad" diets out there. Go here https://bitly.im/aMGym

The truth is that the Paleo Diet will never be considered a fad because it's just simply the way that humans evolved to eat over approximately 2 million years. And eating in a similar fashion to our ancestors has been proven time and time again to offer amazing health benefits, including prevention of most diseases of civilization such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, and other chronic conditions that are mostly caused by poor diet and lifestyle. One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Paleo Diet is that it's a meat-eating diet, or a super low-carb diet. This is not true

Answer 5

You want something really easy and cheap? Quesedillas. If you've never had one a basic one easy: a flour tortilla folded in half with cheese in the middle, grilled on a skillet or griddle. I prefer them with some butter cooked on the outside and with sour cream and salsa to dip in. You can also throw in any extra meats or veggies you have lying around. Add a little mexican seasoning if you want some spice and there you go!

Answer 6

Good luck in your last year.


Taco Macaroni Skillet

12 ounces extra-lean ground beef
2 cups water
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
1 (4-ounce) can ORTEGA® Diced Green Chiles
1 (1.25-ounce) package ORTEGA® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni
2/3 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
Cook beef in a large skillet, stirring frequently, until brown; drain. Stir in water, tomatoes with juice, chiles and seasoning mix. Cook until mixture comes to a boil.
Add pasta; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 14 to 16 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Stir in evaporated milk. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Cover; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 4 servings.

Answer 7

i have a simple and surprisingly tasty dish.

cook two cups of small shrimp.
in a pot, stir together two cups of water and one and a half cups of Pacos chunky salsa
mix it all together for ten minutes, or about two minutes after hot.
serve of spaghetti.

believe me, it's good. you can also add curry for a spicy kick.

Answer 8

email me and i can send you a few hundred casseroles, crock pot and 1 pot meals.
i have zillions of quick easy and cheap meals in word format but not saved on the pc i'm at right now....
will be worth it!
[e-mail]