Quick & Inexpensive Meals?

Question

I've realized many times of this past year that we rely too much on fast food and dining out. Unfortunately, this shows when you look at our bank balance!

A lot of the time my husband doesn't get off work until 8:00 PM, so that leaves me to pick up the kids and get dinner which means we're lucky to eat by 7:00 PM (hence why we eat out so much). I'm tired of spending so much money on restaurants. I want to start eating more at home. So, I'm making a list of simple meals that we can start choosing from and making menus for the week to try to keep us on track with this goal.

What are some cheap, inexpensive meals that you enjoy?

I have an 8 year old and one that just turned a year old.

Answer 1

Chicken Cassarole

1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 can cream of chicken soup (store brand is fine)
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
( add more or less chicken, cheese to taste)

Mix it all together in a cassarole dish and cook at 350 for about 45 min.


Pizza Burgers

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 jar pizza sauce
1 pkg shredded mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning
1 pkg hamburger buns

Brown onion in a little oil. Add ground beef and cook until done; drain well. Stir in pizza sauce. Separate hamburger buns and lay halves on baking sheet. Divide hamburger mixture over bun halves. Top each bun with shredded cheese then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

Tuna casserole:
1 pkg egg noodles
1 can mushroom soup
1 can peas (or other vegi)
1 can tuna (or a cup or so of cooked leftover chicken or turkey)

Cook Noodles as directed, add peas and soup, and half a soup can of water. Mix together, put it in a casserole dish, top with cheese or crushed potato chips and bake at 350 till browned.

Variations: use a cup or two of leftover chicken or turkey.

Answer 2

Stews or casseroles are some of the easiest time saving, money saving meals. They are all in one, can be cooked in a crock-pot saving you time and money as crock-pots use up so little energy and you can add your veggies all in one go. With stews you usually use some of the cheapest cuts of meat which are the tastiest and you can add potatoes or have mash on the side. It can be frozen for another meal and kids usually love them. Other quick and money saving meals are pasta meals. Put a little cut up bacon, garlic and black pepper saute till bacon and garlic are cooked. Add olives or mushrooms saute till soft then add your pasta and a handful of flat leaf parsley. Toss then add a little more extra virgin olive oil so that the pasta isn't too dry and serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese. Cheap and yummy. You can add cherry tomatoes cut up or sun dried tomatoes. Roasted meats are also easy and cheap. Roast a chicken with lemon, thyme and a little garlic serve with any veggie in season and mash. Excellent. A roast chicken for 4 people will cost you only a few dollars and you could probably put a decent meal together for around $10.00. Leftover chicken can be picked and made into great chicken salad sandwiches. I could go on and on, but these are a few ideas.

Answer 3

I'm a little of a food snob so I only like to cook what tastes good to me. Here is a alfredo sauce that is easy and tastes great.

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

To prepare alfredo sauce: Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. gently toss the noodles to coat in the alfredo. Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Easy and great with any pasta

Answer 4

Check out food network's Quick fix meals with Robin Miller. She does a lot of "do ahead" things.

Also, when I buy a lot of either ground beef or chicken when I go grocery shopping on the weekend, I will go ahead and cook and freeze for later use in casseroles.

Answer 5

Hope this helps you out:

*********CHICKEN CACCIATORE
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 sm. can sliced olives
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 each celery stock, sliced
1 c. mushrooms, slices
1 c. carrots (optional) or any vegetable desired
1 pkg. macaroni (shells, elbow, etc.)
Cut chicken in bite size pieces. In crock pot, combine chicken, spaghetti sauce, olives, onion, celery, mushrooms and carrots. Cook on low 6 to 7 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Cook macaroni. Place macaroni in bowl, spoon Chicken Cacciatore over. Great with french bread and a salad.

************Quick and easy Lasagna

2 containers (15 oz.ea) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
2 jars (1lb. 10oz each) Ragu Old World Style
12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 375. In bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and eggs.

2. In 13x9 inch baking dish, spread 1 cup pasta sauce. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, then 1 cup pasta sauce and ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 uncooked noodles and 2 cups pasta sauce.

3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining pasta sauce, heated.

* or use 1 jar (2 lbs. 13 oz..) Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce.

VARIATION: For a twist on classic……. Add 1 lb. ground beef or sausage, cooked, to Pasta Sauce.

NOTE: Recipe can be halved. Bake in an 11x7 inch baking dish 1 hour. Continue as above, omitting last 10 minutes of baking.


******Beef Stroganoff Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb. Ground beef
1 can Cream of mushroom soup; condensed
8 oz. Sour cream
1 can (small) black olives; sliced
1 can (small) mushroom stems and pieces
12 oz. Egg noodles
Directions
Cook egg noodles according to directions and set aside. Cook ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain off grease. Add soup, sour cream, olives, mushrooms, and noodles and cook until heated through.

Serves 4

Answer 6

spaghetti and meatballs.... buy hambvurger meat, add 1 egg per lb, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley, worchestershire sauce,
buy a jar of spaghetti sauce, season to taste, a box of macaroni or spaghetti....
macaroni and cheese with hamburger or hotdogs cut up in the mac n cheese
chili not spicy over elbow macaroni
tuna fish sandwiches with inion, lettuce and tomato with tomato soup

Answer 7

my best advise is to get a crock pot and a good crock pot recipe book. they even have those crock meals. make some frozen biscuits and you are good to go. here are some other meals i have used often..................and all of children loved them. the famous "tuna casserole". then you can make baked potatoes (in the microwave) top with brocalli, ham and cheeze. always a good meal. i make homemade biscuits and gravey, but you can always use the frozen biscuits and package or canned gravy. then heat up a can of vegetables, and you are done. all of these meals take 30 minutes or less. easy. you are doing a good thing for you and your family............dont give up.

Answer 8

I suggest you buy one of Rachel Ray's "30 Minute Meals" cookbooks. Her recipes can be economical (I don't buy pre-shredded veggies!) and are almost always tasty. And, best of all, they're MOSTLY ready in 30 minutes!

Answer 9

spaggetti,
skillet sensations (frozen),
betty crocker oven bakes (boxed),
soup and sandwiches,
grocery fried chicken (about $9 feeds 4)