Needed - pennypinching (healthy) recipes

Karen AKA Kajikit said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

i like to cook eggs in a thick tomato sauce in a skillet, covered. very
yummy with a bit of parmesan.

pasta with marinara sauce is cheap, even if you use ready made sauce

fake stroganoff with ground beef and egg noodles

chicken pies and shepherd's pies (you can use frozen veggies to save
time and $$)

stir frys

you don't need to have "gourmet" food every night to eat well.
I, too, have a problem with food going bad before i can use it, so i try
to buy veggies and fruit only every few days. luckily, i am near 3
markets that have good prices, and i can always buy stuff at work if i
don't mind paying a little more.

--

saerah

"It's not a gimmick, it's an incentive."- asterbark, afca

aware of the manifold possibilities of the future

"I think there's a clause in the Shaman's and Jujumen's Local #57 Union
contract that they have to have reciprocity for each other's shop rules."
-König Prüß

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

Got any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

I won't rehash the entire dry beans vs. canned discussion from another
thread, but beans are also cheap, as are fruits and veggies this time
of year. Also, check the sale papers - about every four to six weeks
my grocery store has chicken legs for $.39/lb or less (this is, of
course cheap factory chicken). Ethnic groceries are often cheaper than
the big supermarkets. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite cheap
recipes/menus:

Tuna, white bean and tomato salad - canned tuna (the imported kind
canned in olive oil is best, but the cheap stuff will work), cannelini
or other white beans, chopped ripe tomato, a lemon-y vinaigrette, maybe
a little diced onion, flat parsley and maybe some capers if you've got
them.

Black beans (I can buy them preseasoned in the can in the mexican
grocery and add some more seasoning if they need it). Serve with either
rice or fried plantains and a jicama/orange/radish salad.

Turkey meatloaf with spinach - use 1 lb of ground turkey, a 10 oz box
of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed, a sauteed onion and
some garlic, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Makes really good
sandwiches served cold, especially with a little eggplant/red pepper
spread.

Skin-on chicken pieces well-seasoned with garlic salt and sprinkled
with brown sugar and then baked at 350 until done (sounds weird but is
quite good).

Garbanzo bean soup (or pasta topping) - saute a large chopped onion and
a few cloves minced garlic in olive oil. Add canned diced tomatoes,
about a tablespoon Cajun/chicken seasoning (the actual recipe specifies
Paul Prudhomme chicken majic, but I've used generic cajun chicken
seasoning), about a teaspoon of dried rosemary, and a can of garbanzo
beans. Use as is with some parmesan on pasta or puree and thin with
chicken broth and serve as soup.

Tortilla Espanola - gently fry potatoes and onions in olive oil (do not
brown), drain and mix the cooked veggies with beaten eggs. Cook
mixture on low-med heat (when the bottom is somewhat browned, put a
large plate over the pan, invert the whole thing, and then slide the
tortilla raw-side down into the pan from the plate). You could pretty
much use whatever vegetables you like here in addition to or instead of
the potatoes and onions though you should cook them first so they don't
give off too much liquid into the eggs. This is also very good served
at room temperature.

Hamburger noodle stuff (sounds horrifying, but is actually tasty. Or
maybe, I just grew up eating it...) - brown ground beef, add ketchup
and bbq sauce (equal amounts), and cooked rotini (you could throw some
frozen peas in with the pasta for the last couple minutes of cooking
time). Serve with grated parmesan (the kind in the green can would
definately be appropriate with this recipe...)

Tortilla casserole - tear up some corn tortillas (stale is fine) and
put a layer of tortillas in a casserole dish, top with some corn
kernals, chopped sauteed zucchini, onions, poblano peppers (or canned
green chiles), a little mild cheese, ending with more tortillas and
cheese. Then pour a custard mixture of milk/yogurt/buttermilk and some
eggs over it and bake.

Deviled eggs
Hummus

Hope that helps!
Melissa

Melissa said:

I won't rehash the entire dry beans vs. canned discussion from another
thread, but beans are also cheap, as are fruits and veggies this time
of year. Also, check the sale papers - about every four to six weeks
my grocery store has chicken legs for $.39/lb or less (this is, of
course cheap factory chicken). Ethnic groceries are often cheaper than
the big supermarkets. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite cheap
recipes/menus:

Thanks for these Melissa... the bean salad variations sound yummy, and
canned beans are cheap! (with only two of us to feed, I don't think
it's really worth the bother of trying to prepare my own dried beans,
besides the one time I tried I HATED the end result!) I'll have to try
these...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com

Hmmmm.

Well several things come to mind:

1. Pasta dishes are fairly economical.
2. Casseroles make very good meals.
3. Eggs are a good source of inexpensive protein.

The first rule is don't purchase processed foods, they're too expensive for what
you get. Want Hash browns? Cool just grate some potatoes.
Second, if you don't know learn to cut up a chicken or how to bone the "split
breasts".
Figure out how long before the move and make room in the freezer if you have
one.
Use coupons (doubled) 3 to 4 weeks AFTER they are issued. I have found the
prices go up the week or 2 when the coupon is issued. If you don't take it buy
the Sunday paper.
Never but something just because you have a coupon - buy only what you use.
Try to stick to in-season produce.

Dimitri

Dimitri said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better.
Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com

Hmmmm.

Well several things come to mind:

1. Pasta dishes are fairly economical.
2. Casseroles make very good meals.
3. Eggs are a good source of inexpensive protein.

The first rule is don't purchase processed foods, they're too
expensive for what you get. Want Hash browns? Cool just grate some
potatoes.
Second, if you don't know learn to cut up a chicken or how to bone
the "split breasts".
Figure out how long before the move and make room in the freezer if
you have one.
Use coupons (doubled) 3 to 4 weeks AFTER they are issued. I have
found the prices go up the week or 2 when the coupon is issued. If
you don't take it buy the Sunday paper.
Never but something just because you have a coupon - buy only what
you use.
Try to stick to in-season produce.

Dimitri

Excellent tips, all, Dimitri!

Jill

Karen AKA Kajikit said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

Here's my version of Bubble and Squeak... I think I got the variation
idea from the Galloping Gourmet.

Bubble and Squeak

Equal amounts of boiled potatoes - with skin/peel/jackets on and
cooked cabbage (or shredded zucchini)

2 slices of bacon (or more if you wish), diced
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, don't mash the potatoes, "squish" them with your
hands. Add the cabbage or zucchini to your potatoes.

Brown the bacon pieces in a large frying pan.
Take out the browned bacon bits and add them to the potatoes
Leave enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan, reserve the rest.
Turn the heat down to medium
Add the onion and cook until soft and transparent.
Add it to your potatoes and cabbage.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
(I add a pinch of dried thyme too)
Mix well.

Add the reserved fat back to the hot pan or coat it with canola or
peanut oil.
Dump the potato mixture back into the pan, cover and cook over a
medium-low heat, for 15 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms on
the bottom.

Scoop out and serve crust side up.
I accompany it with a salad, but you could serve it with eggs.

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit

Karen,
I have to say, for my money, the best cheap eats is spaghetti. I love when
the boxes of Barilla are 10 for $10. Jarred sauce can be flavored up with
pepperoni (diced), diced carrots & zucchini, ground pork/beef, and such.
Mind you, spaghetti has been my favorite food since birth!
The usual advice applies, buy the veggies that are in season. Less expensive
and tastier too. Frozen veggies work for some things too.
Soups are healthy, inexpensive meals too. A big pot of vegetable soup, or
chicken soup or tortilla soup. Stew. I make a very inauthentic tortilla soup
that everyone here loves. I get a stewing hen and some backs and necks from
the butcher once a month and add celery, onion, a couple carrots, a bay leaf
or two, and peppercorns to make stock. I use this as the base for most
soups. For the tortilla, I start with the chicken stock and add ancho chile
powder, a dash of chipotle, garlic, and minced onion. Simmer while grilling
2 chicken breasts. Dice the grilled chicken and add. If I have leftover rice
(especially Spanish rice! yum!) I add some of that too. For the tortilla
part, you can use regular tortilla chips, or get some corn tortillas and cut
into strips and bake until crisp. I serve at the table with a plate of
condiments: cilantro, onion, avocado, the tortilla chips. We're only one
more than you, so it's easy to make just enough for 2 or 3.

Or how about a 3 bean salad? Or tuna salad? Pasta salad?
I'll probably think of others after I send. lol

A couple tips:
If you have freezer room, buy roasts and cut into what you need: steaks,
chops, stir-fry slices, etc. If you have a meat grinder, all the better!
Take a day and make a big pot of stock. Lots cheaper than buying canned
broth, and much healthier and tastier too.
Like I said above, buy what's in season.
Staples like pasta and rice are cheap and good base foods to build on.
Stir-fry is easy, and can be varied tremendously to keep boredom at bay.
Go to Starbucks on Sunday and raid the newspaper basket for the coupons! But
check the sales, and try to use the coupons in conjunction with sales. You
don't have to use a coupon right away.
If you have a farmer's market near you, you can often get good deals. Also
check to see if you have a farmer's coop near you. My Aunt Jeannie and Uncle
Richard joined one when they moved from their farm to be closer to their
kids. They pay $50 a month, and each week they get a basket of whatever is
at it's peak. Costs and selections vary by location, of course, but it seems
like a great deal to me.

Hope this helps.
kimberly

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

Here's a few recipes that might work for you. --- Pam

BEAN AND PASTA STEW (RFR 6/9/98 - Kevin)

1 cup chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup uncooked macaroni shells

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 tsp. each--basil, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce

1 can (16oz) kidney beans, washed and drained

1 can (16oz.) garbanzo beans, washed and drained

3 cup broth (more if desired)

Mix all ingredients in pan. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce
heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes until macaroni is tender, stirring
occasionally. Serves about 6.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE (RFR - [email hidden] (Ross) 9/3/98)

1 large zucchini, sliced (1/4 inch slices)

1 jar spaghetti sauce, your favorite brand, or homemade

1 cup flour

2 cups mozzarella cheese

salt

pepper

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Dip each slice of squash in
flour, coating well. Place one layer of squash in pan, top with some cheese,
add a layer of sauce (thinly--just enough to coat). Repeat layers until pan
is full, top with sauce and remainder of cheese. Bake at 350F until squash
is tender and sauce is bubbly. Serve with garlic bread and a fresh green
salad.

I have also made this recipe using cottage cheese, in which case I would
increase the amount of flour, sprinkling a little extra over the squash
slices. This helps hold it all together, just like starch in pasta.

CHICKEN PERLOO (Ed's and Pam's version)

1 tsp olive oil
4 - 5 pieces of chicken (use boneless/skinless breasts and/or thighs)
2 - 3 slices bacon (cut in 1/4" pieces) or 2 oz diced salt pork

1 med onion, chopped

1 small stalk celery, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

½ tsp dried thyme
1 ¾ c long-grain white rice
1 can chicken broth (1 ¾ c)

1 can Rotel Tomatoes w/Green Chilies (undrained)

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp minced parsley

Heat oil over medium-high heat using a nonstick 12-inch frying pan. Add
chicken and cook about 8 minutes or until golden, turning over once.
Transfer chicken to plate. Reduce heat to medium and add bacon or salt pork,
cooking for 4 minutes until browned. Remove bacon or salt pork with a
slotted spoon to small bowl. Discard all but 2 tsp bacon fat from skillet.

Add onion, celery, and green pepper to same skillet and cook, covered, for
10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and stir until evenly coated.
Stir in bacon, chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Return chicken to
skillet; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low
and cook covered, 10 to 25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is
fully cooked. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Yields 4 servings.

"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dimitri wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Dimitri

Excellent tips, all, Dimitri!

Jill

Thanks

Dimitri

e

Nexis said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit

Karen,
I have to say, for my money, the best cheap eats is spaghetti. I love when
the boxes of Barilla are 10 for $10. Jarred sauce can be flavored up with
pepperoni (diced), diced carrots & zucchini, ground pork/beef, and such.
Mind you, spaghetti has been my favorite food since birth!
The usual advice applies, buy the veggies that are in season. Less expensive
and tastier too. Frozen veggies work for some things too.
Soups are healthy, inexpensive meals too. A big pot of vegetable soup, or
chicken soup or tortilla soup. Stew. I make a very inauthentic tortilla soup
that everyone here loves. I get a stewing hen and some backs and necks from
the butcher once a month and add celery, onion, a couple carrots, a bay leaf
or two, and peppercorns to make stock. I use this as the base for most
soups. For the tortilla, I start with the chicken stock and add ancho chile
powder, a dash of chipotle, garlic, and minced onion. Simmer while grilling
2 chicken breasts. Dice the grilled chicken and add. If I have leftover rice
(especially Spanish rice! yum!) I add some of that too. For the tortilla
part, you can use regular tortilla chips, or get some corn tortillas and cut
into strips and bake until crisp. I serve at the table with a plate of
condiments: cilantro, onion, avocado, the tortilla chips. We're only one
more than you, so it's easy to make just enough for 2 or 3.

Or how about a 3 bean salad? Or tuna salad? Pasta salad?
I'll probably think of others after I send. lol

A couple tips:
If you have freezer room, buy roasts and cut into what you need: steaks,
chops, stir-fry slices, etc. If you have a meat grinder, all the better!
Take a day and make a big pot of stock. Lots cheaper than buying canned
broth, and much healthier and tastier too.
Like I said above, buy what's in season.
Staples like pasta and rice are cheap and good base foods to build on.
Stir-fry is easy, and can be varied tremendously to keep boredom at bay.
Go to Starbucks on Sunday and raid the newspaper basket for the coupons! But
check the sales, and try to use the coupons in conjunction with sales. You
don't have to use a coupon right away.
If you have a farmer's market near you, you can often get good deals. Also
check to see if you have a farmer's coop near you. My Aunt Jeannie and Uncle
Richard joined one when they moved from their farm to be closer to their
kids. They pay $50 a month, and each week they get a basket of whatever is
at it's peak. Costs and selections vary by location, of course, but it seems
like a great deal to me.

fifty bucks a month? that's more than half my grocery bill! (for two
people)

clip coupons. use coupons... with sales.

Lena

Ben and Jerry's for $1.60 a carton! yay!

pjjehg said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

There is always the classic Pinto Beans and Cornbread. Or Red Beans and
Rice.
Feed the family for a buck, if you don't waste money on canned beans.
Cook from dry with some onion, and maybe some bacon ends and pieces if
they are in the budget.

--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”

pjjehg said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

There is always the classic Pinto Beans and Cornbread. Or Red Beans and
Rice.
Feed the family for a buck, if you don't waste money on canned beans.
Cook from dry with some onion, and maybe some bacon ends and pieces if
they are in the budget.

--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”

Here in Scotland we have a cook book called the Paupers Cook Book by
Jocassta Innes. try and source a copy, it is so so excellent.

Chhhers

Here in Scotland we have a cook book called the Paupers Cook Book by
Jocassta Innes. try and source a copy, it is so so excellent.

Chhhers

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

e

Nexis said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit

Karen,
I have to say, for my money, the best cheap eats is spaghetti. I love
when
the boxes of Barilla are 10 for $10. Jarred sauce can be flavored up with
pepperoni (diced), diced carrots & zucchini, ground pork/beef, and such.
Mind you, spaghetti has been my favorite food since birth!
The usual advice applies, buy the veggies that are in season. Less
expensive
and tastier too. Frozen veggies work for some things too.
Soups are healthy, inexpensive meals too. A big pot of vegetable soup, or
chicken soup or tortilla soup. Stew. I make a very inauthentic tortilla
soup
that everyone here loves. I get a stewing hen and some backs and necks
from
the butcher once a month and add celery, onion, a couple carrots, a bay
leaf
or two, and peppercorns to make stock. I use this as the base for most
soups. For the tortilla, I start with the chicken stock and add ancho
chile
powder, a dash of chipotle, garlic, and minced onion. Simmer while
grilling
2 chicken breasts. Dice the grilled chicken and add. If I have leftover
rice
(especially Spanish rice! yum!) I add some of that too. For the tortilla
part, you can use regular tortilla chips, or get some corn tortillas and
cut
into strips and bake until crisp. I serve at the table with a plate of
condiments: cilantro, onion, avocado, the tortilla chips. We're only one
more than you, so it's easy to make just enough for 2 or 3.

Or how about a 3 bean salad? Or tuna salad? Pasta salad?
I'll probably think of others after I send. lol

A couple tips:
If you have freezer room, buy roasts and cut into what you need: steaks,
chops, stir-fry slices, etc. If you have a meat grinder, all the better!
Take a day and make a big pot of stock. Lots cheaper than buying canned
broth, and much healthier and tastier too.
Like I said above, buy what's in season.
Staples like pasta and rice are cheap and good base foods to build on.
Stir-fry is easy, and can be varied tremendously to keep boredom at bay.
Go to Starbucks on Sunday and raid the newspaper basket for the coupons!
But
check the sales, and try to use the coupons in conjunction with sales.
You
don't have to use a coupon right away.
If you have a farmer's market near you, you can often get good deals.
Also
check to see if you have a farmer's coop near you. My Aunt Jeannie and
Uncle
Richard joined one when they moved from their farm to be closer to their
kids. They pay $50 a month, and each week they get a basket of whatever
is
at it's peak. Costs and selections vary by location, of course, but it
seems
like a great deal to me.

fifty bucks a month? that's more than half my grocery bill! (for two
people)

clip coupons. use coupons... with sales.

Lena

Ben and Jerry's for $1.60 a carton! yay!

You're an anomaly. My mom just cooks for her and my dad and spends more than
$100 a month. $100 a month just wouldn't cut it here in SoCal, coupons or
not...at least not eating dinners that contain good fresh foods. Hell the
college kids here can't make it on $100 a month eating mac& cheese and top
ramen.

kimberly

Nexis said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote:
> We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
> save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
> budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
> fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
> because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
> any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

You're an anomaly. My mom just cooks for her and my dad and spends more than
$100 a month. $100 a month just wouldn't cut it here in SoCal, coupons or
not...at least not eating dinners that contain good fresh foods. Hell the
college kids here can't make it on $100 a month eating mac& cheese and top
ramen.

Seems to me she wrote "$100 a *week*". I can feed two adults very well
on $100/wk.

Sheldon

Nexis said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

e

Nexis said:

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
>save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
>budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
>fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
>because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
>any favourite cheap recipes I can try?
>
>We don't eat much beef or pork (it's expensive) but lots of ground
>beef, ground turkey, chicken and eggs.
>
>--
>~Karen aka Kajikit

Karen,
I have to say, for my money, the best cheap eats is spaghetti. I love
when
the boxes of Barilla are 10 for $10. Jarred sauce can be flavored up with
pepperoni (diced), diced carrots & zucchini, ground pork/beef, and such.
Mind you, spaghetti has been my favorite food since birth!
The usual advice applies, buy the veggies that are in season. Less
expensive
and tastier too. Frozen veggies work for some things too.
Soups are healthy, inexpensive meals too. A big pot of vegetable soup, or
chicken soup or tortilla soup. Stew. I make a very inauthentic tortilla
soup
that everyone here loves. I get a stewing hen and some backs and necks
from
the butcher once a month and add celery, onion, a couple carrots, a bay
leaf
or two, and peppercorns to make stock. I use this as the base for most
soups. For the tortilla, I start with the chicken stock and add ancho
chile
powder, a dash of chipotle, garlic, and minced onion. Simmer while
grilling
2 chicken breasts. Dice the grilled chicken and add. If I have leftover
rice
(especially Spanish rice! yum!) I add some of that too. For the tortilla
part, you can use regular tortilla chips, or get some corn tortillas and
cut
into strips and bake until crisp. I serve at the table with a plate of
condiments: cilantro, onion, avocado, the tortilla chips. We're only one
more than you, so it's easy to make just enough for 2 or 3.

Or how about a 3 bean salad? Or tuna salad? Pasta salad?
I'll probably think of others after I send. lol

A couple tips:
If you have freezer room, buy roasts and cut into what you need: steaks,
chops, stir-fry slices, etc. If you have a meat grinder, all the better!
Take a day and make a big pot of stock. Lots cheaper than buying canned
broth, and much healthier and tastier too.
Like I said above, buy what's in season.
Staples like pasta and rice are cheap and good base foods to build on.
Stir-fry is easy, and can be varied tremendously to keep boredom at bay.
Go to Starbucks on Sunday and raid the newspaper basket for the coupons!
But
check the sales, and try to use the coupons in conjunction with sales.
You
don't have to use a coupon right away.
If you have a farmer's market near you, you can often get good deals.
Also
check to see if you have a farmer's coop near you. My Aunt Jeannie and
Uncle
Richard joined one when they moved from their farm to be closer to their
kids. They pay $50 a month, and each week they get a basket of whatever
is
at it's peak. Costs and selections vary by location, of course, but it
seems
like a great deal to me.

fifty bucks a month? that's more than half my grocery bill! (for two
people)

clip coupons. use coupons... with sales.

Lena

Ben and Jerry's for $1.60 a carton! yay!

You're an anomaly. My mom just cooks for her and my dad and spends more than
$100 a month. $100 a month just wouldn't cut it here in SoCal, coupons or
not...at least not eating dinners that contain good fresh foods. Hell the
college kids here can't make it on $100 a month eating mac& cheese and top
ramen.

kimberly

i find that very hard to believe. around here, mac and cheese is .29 a
box for the cheap brand and ramen are .10 each if you buy them in bulk.
pasta, eggs, and fresh veggies are not expensive.

--

saerah

"It's not a gimmick, it's an incentive."- asterbark, afca

aware of the manifold possibilities of the future

"I think there's a clause in the Shaman's and Jujumen's Local #57 Union
contract that they have to have reciprocity for each other's shop rules."
-König Prüß

Sheldon said:

Nexis said:

Quoted message said:

>"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote:
>
>>We have to find a large sum of money for moving costs, so we have to
>>save cash somewhere and the most obvious place to do that is our food
>>budget. We spend about $100 a week on groceries for two people, but a
>>fair bit winds up going on luxuries, impulse buys, or being wasted
>>because we don't eat it before it goes off... I have to do better. Got
>>any favourite cheap recipes I can try?

You're an anomaly. My mom just cooks for her and my dad and spends more than
$100 a month. $100 a month just wouldn't cut it here in SoCal, coupons or
not...at least not eating dinners that contain good fresh foods. Hell the
college kids here can't make it on $100 a month eating mac& cheese and top
ramen.

Seems to me she wrote "$100 a *week*". I can feed two adults very well
on $100/wk.

Sheldon

and i feed two adults and a toddler on less than that. in "serious
budget" mode, i was spending about 50 a week, not including paper products.

--

saerah

"It's not a gimmick, it's an incentive."- asterbark, afca

aware of the manifold possibilities of the future

"I think there's a clause in the Shaman's and Jujumen's Local #57 Union
contract that they have to have reciprocity for each other's shop rules."
-König Prüß

Nexis said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You're an anomaly. My mom just cooks for her and my dad and spends more than
$100 a month. $100 a month just wouldn't cut it here in SoCal, coupons or
not...at least not eating dinners that contain good fresh foods. Hell the
college kids here can't make it on $100 a month eating mac& cheese and top
ramen.

Umm... you misread me. It was a hundred dollars a WEEK. If we could
get by on a hundred bucks a month we'd be pennypinching geniuses! Food
in South Florida doesn't come cheap...
I told my husband that we're going to try to cut our food bill to $75
a week... he thinks we can do $65 but I told him he's dreaming! He
used to only spend about twenty bucks a week on 'groceries', but then
he'd a)only eat two meals a day, b)eat out for at least one of them
and c)live on sandwiches and fried chicken for the other one.
I don't buy preprocessed foods. The big expenses are meat, vegetables
and dairy products. And bread of course...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com