Give me you best easy and cheap recipe please!

[Megara5115]

Buckling down for Disney in December and I am in a cooking rut. We eat everything and have no allergies. Thank you!!!!!!

 

[verleniahall]

http://www.emilybites.com/2012/12/slow-cooker-balsamic-beef.html

 

[megster1123]

Slow Cooker - just throw in 4-6 boneless chicken breasts, one large can cream of chicken soup, one packet Italian dressing dry mix, one block Philadelphia cream cheese. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with rice and top with broccoli. This is a HIT with my family and makes enough to fill everyone the first night and plenty of leftovers for lunch/dinner the next day.

 

[Minnesota!]

Egg bake (any kind of starch - potatoes, bread, croissants, English muffins, sweet potatoes, radishes, etc.)... Rough cube, toss into a greased 9 x 13. Top with toppings of your choice (we usually do rough chopped deli meat (any kind!), green peppers, onions, and whatever cheese we have). Then in a big bowl mix 9-12 eggs with either milk, cream, or water. Mix in some yellow mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over bread/toppings mix. Let sit on counter while oven preheats to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes until almost set. Top with more cheese and finish baking. Makes enough for dinner and breakfast the next morning!

 

[Minnesota!]

White fish (frozen fillets work well…Costco). I cover a baking pan with tin foil, add a little EVOO where the fish is going to be on there. Top fish with a smear of mayo and some lemon pepper and dill seasonings. Bake for 20 or so (whatever it says on the bag). Meanwhile, I cook quinoa (takes same amount of time as the fish). When it gets to almost done, I throw in a bunch of chopped fresh broccoli (frozen would work, too). Finish cooking till broccoli is the way you want it. Stir in pesto (my fav) or butter and parmesan. Serve with fish.

We buy the rotisseire chickens at Costco. One becomes a massive batch of chicken salad for the weeks lunches (just ring noodles, pulled chicken, celery, and a dressing I make of mayo/salt/pepper/onion powder/Heinz 57). The other chicken gets used for quesadillas and tacos. Then I take the carcass and meat remaining on it (pulling off all skin b/c too fatty), and throw in a crockpot with enough water to cover, some spices, and all the veggie pieces I save in the freezer (celery leaves/ends, carrot tops, onion peels, etc.). Cook all day. Strain broth and I either freeze it or put in fridge. Next day I toss the solid broth back in the crockpot with some fresh veggies, a few more herbs/spices, and a chicken breast or two (frozen) if there was not much meat left on the carcass. Cook all day. When I get home I toss in 2 cups of brown rice (raw), and by the time we are done with homework, etc., soup is waiting. Serve with crackers and salad and you are good to go. Got a ton of meals out of $10 worth of chicken.

I made a small ham "loaf" from the butcher in the crockpot last night. I layered a bunch of sliced yellow potatoes with seasoning, laid the ham thing on top, studded with cloves. Cooked all day. Added in a few cans of green beans. Called it dinner.

Tonight - will blend the potatoes with some cream/butter/veggie stock for a potato soup. Will cube and crisp the ham to add to the soup.

 

[Megara5115]

Wow all of the suggestions are perfect and exactly what I am looking for- thank you!!!

 

[DISbot]

Check out the "Eat at Home" pages (I think there are 3). People post weekly meal plans and there are some really good meals/recipes mixed in.

 

[Callie]

Garlic Lime Chicken
Cut up chicken breast into pieces or leave whole and poke wholes. Place in bowl. Squeeze lime juice and garlic.
Let sit in fridge. Then bake or cook on the stove.
Add in veggies or fruit on the side!

 

[TwoMisfits]

With summer coming, I'd encourage an herb garden and then I'd make a lot of salads/cold soups with the best produce and proteins on sale...some of my cheap favorites...

Chicken salad - Make baked chicken thighs (skin on/bone in if it's cheapest) - eat 1/2 for dinner (with a BBQ or peanut sauce) and save half to deskin/debone and chop. Add your favorite fruit, veg, nut, some mayo and/or yogurt, and some fresh herbs and salt/pepper and serve on toast, lettuce, etc. I like to use chicken (baked with fresh rosemary), halved red grapes, chopped celery, mayo, and salt/pepper as my simple recipe.

Panzanella (or Tomato/Mozza/Bread salad) - Chopped tomatoes, red onions (shocked in cold water if you don't want bite), fresh mozzarella (now found under $3/lb), bread, and a little garlic with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt/pepper, and basil (grow this yourself and use all summer - so much cheaper and so easy to grow) - good enough as a main dish. You can up veggies by adding bell peppers into the mix or serving on a salad green and call it a dinner and you can add a few capers if you like a bite (not needed).

Pasta Salad - we've all got a million ways to make it and it is a very cheap dish that is very easy to turn into a main dish and very satisfying. I like cubing in fresh mozza (using up what I don't use in the panzanella), pepperoni/salami, tomatoes, bell peppers, shocked onions and going with an Italian dressing.

Watermelon Gazpacho or Watermelon-Feta-Mint Salad are other favorites I have and are perfect when Watermelon is on sale - you get so much fruit for so little and turning it into light dinners (with a nice bread or soup) works well...

 

[LJSquishy]

My husband and I love this Lasagna Soup from Skinnytaste: http://www.skinnytaste.com/lasagna-soup/

I never have lasagna noodles around the house (or usually any sort of pasta) but I usually just use gluten free spiral pasta (like brown rice pasta, etc). It's SOOOO good!!! You can omit the ricotta cheese "add-in" if you want -- I've done it with and without.

 

[jmmess]

My husband and I love this Lasagna Soup from Skinnytaste: http://www.skinnytaste.com/lasagna-soup/

I never have lasagna noodles around the house (or usually any sort of pasta) but I usually just use gluten free spiral pasta (like brown rice pasta, etc). It's SOOOO good!!! You can omit the ricotta cheese "add-in" if you want -- I've done it with and without.

Thanks for this link, going to have to try this!

 

[lorijohnhill]

One of my favorite comfort food meals...

Brown ground beef (or turkey, whatever your preference). Season with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, etc.. We also add chopped bell pepper. Once it is cooked, drain the grease, add brown gravy mix and a cup of water. Stir to be sure there are no chunks of gravy mix. Let this simmer to cook down the gravy. It should not be soupy. While this is cooking, make rice (any kind of your choice) and steam broccoli. Serve the beef and broccoli over the rice.

Edit: you can also serve this over potatoes.

 

[jevs]

My kids are constantly asking for the following which changes every time I make it.
Mince beef (ground beef) browned
Onion
Any veg you want to add (carrot, capsicum etc)
Some kind of Mexican mix - we use Taco seasoning and sometimes Burrito
Tim of chopped tomatoes (or fresh)
Cook it all up and serve with:
Rice and/or corn chips.
ETA: And cheese and sour cream

 

[Minnesota!]

Two things I grew up on that are special treats for me now:

Mac n cheese with 2 cans of stewed tomatoes within. Make the mac n cheese, add in drained tomatoes, throw in a greased casserole. Top with bread crumbs or buttered cracker crumbs. Bake till brown on top. You can add protein within or on the side (ham, usually...but chicken would go, as well).

The other one... brown however much ground beef you need for your family. Make a few cups of white rice. Heat 2 cans of stewed tomatoes. Layer on your plate rice-beef-tomatoes. Top with lemon pepper. Serve with peas and buttered bread.

Both are comfort meals for me...I cook them for my momma when I see her because she loves them, too...her mom made them for her

 

[pjlla]

It will really depend more on what you have available for "cheap".... for some people it is produce, for others it is pasta, etc. I'll offer up just a few basic suggestions that I find helpful.....

buy in season produce.... zucchini and tomatoes in the summer, greens, peas and asparagus in the spring, etc. Buying strawberries in January is expensive!

buy frozen....sometimes frozen is cheaper than fresh and is almost equal in nutritional value. Also nice and handy to have on hand!

plan meals around sales and clearance, rather than meal planning and then shopping. I tend to get an "idea" of what I want to make, but then may change that if certain things are on sale/clearance. Last week DH found 5 nice looking cauliflowers on the clearance produce rack.... so he grabbed them and I reworked the menu to include roasted cauliflower, mashed cauliflower, and also made an outstanding meatless Monday curry that had cauliflower and chickpeas as a base.

Your freezer is your friend! I freeze so many things! Knowing that, I'm not afraid to buy in bulk when I find a good sale..... butter, milk, eggs (out of shell and frozen in small individual containers), meats, greens and fruit (for smoothies and yogurt), bread (we don't eat much bread so I take out just what I need for the day.... I never have to throw away bread because it got stale or moldy).

Cook in bulk....makes life MUCH easier on the busy days.... make a double batch of stew or soup or casserole for the freezer and LOVE yourself when you pull out a ready-to-heat meal on a crazy day!

Cheap ingredients.... find yummy recipes that the family looks forward to using inexpensive ingredients like beans (cooked at home from dried for the cheapest option), brown rice, carrots (regular large carrots....not those overpriced baby carrots), celery, potatoes, whole wheat pasta, apples, oatmeal, onions, chicken thighs, pork loin, eggs, canned tomatoes..... those are some things that tend to be pretty universally inexpensive here in the US.

Make your own.... soup stock, pizza crust, refried beans, smoothies, coffee/tea, etc.

Experiment.... don't be afraid to try new things! I made a curried carrot recipe a few years ago that I wasn't holding out much hope for.... but it turns out it was a HUGE hit in my house! It is super inexpensive, since I use bulk whole carrots (yes, I peel and chop, but it is worth it) and homemade vegetable stock. I serve it with some cheese cubes (for protein) and sliced apple (to cool the heat of the curry) and we all love it.

And save every penny in your vacation fund!!.............P

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Hash - ground meat (I use turkey), a bag of frozen diced potatoes with onions and peppers (I usually add a few more diced up vegetables depending on what I have getting ready to go bad in the fridge). Cook in a skillet until the meat is done and the veggies are soft, then top with some shredded cheese.

 

[wilkeliza]

A go to for me is turkey chili. Even in the summer it can be great.

In a crop pot throw in browned ground turkey, can of chopped tomatoes, can of black beans, can of pinto beans, onions, celery and let sit on low 6-8 hours. You can also throw in corn or any other hearty veggie you want.

The other cheap thing we do is taco night. Always a favorite and super easy.

 

[HeatherC]

French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole

1pkg egg noodles
2 can cream of chicken
16 oz French Onion Dip
Cooked chicken..any kind
1 cup cheddar
1 cup French onion Crisps...like you use for green bean casserole.

Mix everything..top with onion crisps and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 9x11 casserole size

 

[100AcreWood]

Tacos and Spaghetti are my go to cheap meals.

 

[Minnesota!]

One more thing - sorry!

When our meat market has Italian sausage on sale, I buy quite a few pounds of it. I make them into meatballs, freeze on cookie trays (raw), then put into freezer bags.

Then, in the mornings, I toss (in a crockpot) one big can of crushed tomatoes, 1 big can of tomato sauce, 1 tomato paste, and then a whole mess of spices and green can parm. Throw in some of the meatballs and a whole spaghetti squashed (not cut). Cook all day. Take out squash, cut in half, take out seeds, shred "meat". Serve sauce/meatballs over. 1 dish, really easy, super cheap!