Inexpensive Everyday Meals

[gracebowen]

I am thinking the less we spend every day on food the more money we will have to prep. One if my favorite everyday meals is
1lb hamburger
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can carrots
1 can potatoes

If I feel like using extra effort I can substitute fresh potatoes and carrots for about the same cost.



With this I can feed 5 people 2 meals. The total cost is about $5.

Second favorite is pork roast bought at $1 a lb. Add 3lb fresh potatoes and 3lb fresh potatoes. Total cost about $10. Dinner or meals for 5 three times.

What is your favorite inexpensive quality meal ?

[Lynda]

An inexpensive cut of beef to make pot roast in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. Lasts for a few meals or I can make hash and serve for breakfast or dinner. Same with corned beef and cabbage with carrots and potatoes. We just had this Sunday and had hash for dinner last evening and breakfast this morning with eggs.

[PeachOnEarth]

1lb of Soup Beans with bacon/ham thrown in...makes 3 or more different meals.

Soup Beans and Cornbread the first day.....
Chili the next day....
ChiliMac the third day.....

[PatrioticMom]

A very good idea, Grace! We are also feeding a family of 5 as thrifty as we can. Best to acclimate the family now for hard times ahead and put more $ money into stocking up.

One of our favorite weekly rotations is Chicken Spaghetti:

1 lb home canned chicken breast ($1.50)
2 jars pasta sauce (this can go down to one in harder times) ($1-2)
1 box angel hair pasta ($1)
1/2 lb. mozerella cheese ($1 optional) or shake of Parmesan
garlic bread made from: (butter, fresh garlic, salt on hot dog buns (day old $.49) I melt butter add 2-3 cloves garlic then brush on opened buns then broil for minutes. Makes the house smell divine (of course this might not be an option if we are laying low)

total approx $5-6 for family of 5 makes 1.5 - 2 meals





Beef Stew

1 lb home canned beef roast ($3)
1 can ea ($.49): potatoes
corn
green beans
diced tomatoes
carrots
1 onion
beef bouillon (pennies)

cheddar dumplings (flour, coconut oil, salt pepper, milk (powder or reg) cheese (powder or reg) approx: $1.25

Approx $6-7 for 1.5 meals for 5 people

[Tybee]

Pancakes! My boys will always eat pancakes for dinner.

[ForwardPreppers]

Eggie Pie (or Quiche for the more refined folks)

At this point I use refrigerated pie crust but can make my own when needed - line one pie plate
We have chickens so an abundance of eggs - 3 eggs
We use whatever meats we have like ham, bacon or sausage - doesn't take much - layer on the bottom of the crust
Whatever cheese we have in the drawer - about a cup or so, layered on top of your meat
Chives from the pot on the back deck or green onions or sauteed white onion - sprinkled on top of the cheese
Milk or half & half or cream or whatever mixture you have on hand - 1 cup

Mix the eggs and milk together - add a dash of cayenne and black pepper - pour over prepared crust - bake 375-385 until center is set and not runny.

Super simple and oh so good. Everything I buy is on sale with coupons - the crusts, the meats and the cheeses.

Mrs. ForwardPreppers

[ForwardPreppers]

Fresh tomato sauce and vermicelli

In the summer we had an over abundance of tomatoes so I would saute a couple of fresh chopped tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, a little salt and finish with fresh basil. Toss with vermicelli and top with parmesan cheese.

Simple, fresh and good.

I buy the Mueller's brand pasta when it's BOGOF and I sometimes have coupons to go with the sale. We are cheese snobs in that we buy a big wedge of Parm from Sam's - something we will miss very much if the SHTF!!! I do have some of the jarred grated parmesan though.

Mrs. ForwardPreppers

[pelenaka]

Prepping skills putting food on the table daily -
Dinner tonight was Cube Steak in brown gravy (5 packages of meat for $20 meat sale - used 2 packs), crock pot/slow cook method makes it fork tender.
Gleaned potatoes (free) for children.
Brown rice for us (bought in bulk last year stored prepper style = 30 cents per meal).
Home canned green beans (gleaned = free, canning lid & fuel to can estimated cost 15-20 cents per pint)
Onions & garlic, herbs, ether from garden, gleaned, or bartered. Some are fresh others are dehydrated (prep skill)

[Pedro wyoming]

Beans and rice with Andouille sausage. $5 feeds 2 for probably a week eating it once a day.

Now if only i could eat it only once a day.

pW

[angie_nrs]

Taco's and taco dip:

The taco's are easy and cheap to make.
My taco dip is made in a glass pyrex (9x13) dish. Just use a box of cream cheese (I use low fat) smear it evenly on the bottom of the pan, layer a can of hormel chili (I've always used the no-bean kind), layer a small can of green chiles (adds a lot of flavor but not spicy), add a can of mushrooms, layer an 8 oz bag of mozeralla cheese and top with black olives. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and it bubbles on the sides. Then use tortilla chips and dip away! My kids love this dish and we always make it with tacos. I buy all the ingredients on sale and can make it for less than $5. I can usually get a bag of tortilla chips for $1.50 on sale. Sadly, there are usually no leftovers.....teenage boys and all. But it is good warmed up too....just doesn't look the best the second time around.

Pulled pork sandwiches:

I just throw the pork in the crock pot, come home from work, shred the pork and add katsup, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. It's super easy, inexpensive, and everyone loves it. I buy the buns at the outlet store. And, of coarse stock up on the pork when it's on sale. I love my freezer! A buddy of mine puts his pork in a dutch oven and cooks it outside on a bed of charcoal for a few hours when he's working outside. Pretty clever. Even with teenagers, this will usually last several meals.

[arkieready]

On sale turkey: roasted for Sunday supper. Pick meat off bones & store. Make stock. Make soup, stew, pot pies, sandwiches, turkey n dumplins, cassarole, dogfood/catfood. Save the fat that floats up for greasing pans, frying, flavoring dry pet food.

[Rabid]

Depression Era potato soup
4 medium potatoes diced
2 carrots (penny slices)
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery optional
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1cup flour
put potatoes, carrots and onions in pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water
mix egg and flour and drop little dumplings 1/2" chuncks into pot along with remaining flour when vegetables are cooked.

This got a lot of people through the depression and it got me through my childhood.

[zazzu]

LOL Rabid that must be a Pa soup. You are probably the 3th or4th person I've run into from Pa that mentioned the egg/flour dumplings in their potato soup. I grew up with one very similar, minus the carrots & celery and milk added.
My family is from the Dubois, Punxy area.

[ForwardPreppers]

Depression Era potato soup
4 medium potatoes diced
2 carrots (penny slices)
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery optional
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1cup flour
put potatoes, carrots and onions in pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water
mix egg and flour and drop little dumplings 1/2" chuncks into pot along with remaining flour when vegetables are cooked.

This got a lot of people through the depression and it got me through my childhood.

Good one.

[Das Sheep]

BBQ chicken and steamed brocoli, I make it for myself for about $2 a meal, though I buy BOGO chicken breasts at win dixie.