Quick, easy and frugal meals

[Barbmouse63]

Hi! I know most of us on this board are always looking for ways to save money and meals are a big way to save! If interested please post your frugal meal ideas here! I can always use new ideas and who knows it could really help us plan ahead instead of calling for take-out or the drive thru.

A meal we like for summer is BLT sandwiches....quick, easy and yummy! Serve with chips and veggies w/ dip.

Any others?

 

[MyGoofy26]

My latest addiction is tomato sandwiches. Toast, a lil mayo, and tomato and I'm set! hah!!

One of my favorite dinners, is actually a recipe I learned in Italy. And it's SO ridiculously easy and with tomatoes being in season you can find some good deals. Actually it's 2 recipes - spaghetti pomodoro and bruschetta - they both start pretty much exactly the same way, except you cook one of the mixtures, haha. It's a little late in the season now, but something to keep in mind for next summer, is to grow some cherry tomato plants - once they start to ripen you can get enough for dinner at least once if not twice a week. That's what makes it a HUGE budget saver idea. Otherwise find a good sale on tomatoes. Also if you can grow some basil you're set even more.

It's a VERY simple recipe. Cut some tomatoes up (cherry tomatoes for example, in 1/4ths - cut them fairly small so they don't take forever to cook) For the spaghetti, warm up some olive oil and toss the tomatoes in. You want them to cook, not fry, so don't turn them up too high - although they will hold up with the heat set pretty close to high. Then depending on taste, add garlic and basil. Let that all sit until the tomatoes are practically melted into the oil. Then just cook spaghetti like you normally would and add the sauce.

For the Brushetta, cut up a loaf of Italian bread and place it in the oven (directly on the racks is good) All it takes is 5 minutes or so til it's a lil crisp. The mixture, which you can do ahead of time is the same as above. Cut up the tomatoes into small pieces (the smaller, the better it stays on the bread) Add olive oil to the tomatoes, as well as basil and garlic. Investing in a garlic press if you don't have one already will save you a LOT of time and stink, LOL. Once the bread is toasted, take a garlic clove and rub on one side of the bread, then scoop the mixture onto that side. Voila!

They're both SO good in the summer since the tomatoes are so much more flavorful. And it's not TOO heavy when it's hot. Especially the brushetta if you let the mixture sit in the fridge for a bit so that it's nice and cold and the bread it just warm enough. .. mmm.

 

[EeyoreJMH]

We buy skinless/boneless chicken at BJ's and freeze portions in freezer bags. DH and I make a batch of blackened chicken from each portion and slice the chicken for use in several recipies during the week. It's less expensive than using the Purdue Short Cuts and tastes better, too.

Quick n' Easy Blackened Chicken

2-3 tsp Montreal STEAK seasoning (tastes better then the chicken version)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cayene pepper
1 tsp paprika
dash of salt

Mix seasonings in shallow dish (like a pie plate). Flatten chicken a bit by hand and coat on each side with seasonings. Add 1 tsp olive oil to skillet and heat. Add chicken, cooking on both sides until fully cooked. Let cool and slice.

Quesidillas (for Forman Grill owners)

Add 1 burrito-sized tortilla to warm grill. Add sliced blackened chicken, sliced onions, sliced peppers, and cheddar cheese to taste. Top with another burrito-sized tortilla, close grill and cook for about 5 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and cut into 8 equal pieces. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Fajitas

Saute sliced onions and peppers in skillet until heated through. Add blackened chicken, a dash of lime juice and a dash of cumin, and fresh cilantro to taste. Cook until heated through. Remove to serving dish and serve with warm tortillas, source cream, salsa, and shredded cheddar.

We also use the blackened chicken to top store-bought cheese pizzas and to make sandwich wraps.

 

[gdulaney]

Super Easy Chicken Salad --- perfect for a hot, steamy night (when you really don't want to heat up the kitchen). First, a bag/box of pre-cooked chicken strips (any variety of pre-cooked chicken strips works fine, I usually get Purdue)...open and pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes, until heated. Then open a bag of pre-made salad (we like romaine lettuce, but any variety works), then top the salad with the warm chicken strips. Top with any salad toppings and your favorite dressing. It's like Applebees without the expense.

Ginny

 

[Danemom]

Super Easy Chicken Salad --- perfect for a hot, steamy night (when you really don't want to heat up the kitchen). First, a bag/box of pre-cooked chicken strips
Ginny

I was watching 30 minute meals and the host suggested buying one of those whole chickens that are already roasted at the grocery store for this. I thought that was a great idea! Lots of flavor and they are cheap, cheap, cheap.

One of the cheap, fast meals my family likes is black beans and brown rice. Add a little taco seasoning, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc. YUM! Canned black beans and instant rice and this is ready in less than 10 minutes.

 

[stahshee]

My family loves ground beef with Raman noodles. I drain the water from the noodles and stir with the beef and then add the seasoning.They love it

 

[tiff211]

My family loves ground beef with Raman noodles. I drain the water from the noodles and stir with the beef and then add the seasoning.They love it

Any particular flavor?

 

[tlbwriter]

I like to marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce or Italian dressing. Put a couple in a Ziplock bag with the marinade and toss them in the freezer. Then pull them out to thaw as needed. You can grill them, but I usually saute them in a little bit of olive oil. For even faster cooking, cut the chicken into strips before putting it in the bag.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

They all sound very yummy.

 

[off to neverland]

Thanks for all the ideas!

We eat a lot of beans and rice as well. It's healthy and cheap, especially if you get the dried beans.

 

[Jellybeana]

I like to buy huge packs of ground beef at Sam's Club. It's cheap (especially if you go early in the a.m.) and very nice ground meat. I make hamburger patties, sprinkle a little seasoned salt and freeze them. Or I'll brown the meat with onions and celery and freeze it in 1 lb packs. Sometimes I do taco seasonings and freeze small packages. Makes it really easy on baseball nights to whip something together. The frozen burgers work great on the grill and the little packages of browned meat thaw in the microwave in a snap. I do have a vacuum sealer which makes the packaging easy and the meat does not get freezer burn.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Any good recipes for pasta salads out there? We like to eat that with sandwiches.

 

[amwhitaker]

Any good recipes for pasta salads out there? We like to eat that with sandwiches.

Easiest thing I do is spiral noodles, cut up my favorite veggies and add Wishbone ZESTY italian dressing. People love this and I didn't even have to make the dressing!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I like to marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce or Italian dressing. Put a couple in a Ziplock bag with the marinade and toss them in the freezer. Then pull them out to thaw as needed. You can grill them, but I usually saute them in a little bit of olive oil. For even faster cooking, cut the chicken into strips before putting it in the bag.

Great idea, I always forget to put my meat in the marinade in time.

My kids love Bagel Pizzas. Just put pizza sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni (or whatever pizza topping) on lightly toasted bagels or english muffins and put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Another easy one is speedy chicken nachos. You spread out tortilla chips on a cookie sheet, then top them with canned shredded chicken (I use Tyson), some diced tomatoes and shredded cheese. Put them in the oven on broil enough to melt the cheese, a couple minutes. You could use salsa instead of the tomatoes and/or use other taco toppings, but that's the way we like it.

 

[kandeebunny]

Easiest thing I do is spiral noodles, cut up my favorite veggies and add Wishbone ZESTY italian dressing. People love this and I didn't even have to make the dressing!

we do this but with tortilenni (sp) and throw in some feta cheese!

 

[geetey]

Salsa Chicken is quick and easy!

Take some frozen chicken breasts, throw them in a crockpot, add salsa (recipe calls for 1 cup, I add more because I like to cover all of the chicken), cook on low for 6 hours. This makes some delicious and tender chicken. I always throw in extra chicken which I 'shred' for another meal - chicken soft tacos!

 

[Miniefan]

I make basicly the same recipe as the last post, only I take the chicken breast and add a can of Campbell's southwest style pepper jack soup and the salsa, it is really good and we have it over instant rice from the microwave, add a side of salad from a bag and you've got a meal that is really good but doesn't require much effort at all. I also make chicken in the crock pot with just bbq, same sides, still really good and effortless.
Kim

 

[onlyoneforme]

Chicken BLT pasta salad
(a favorite around here!)
precooked chicken cut into chunks (1 10-12oz.bought or 3 breasts prepared at home)
3 cups cooked Pasta (shape of your choice)
2 cut up tomatoes or 10+ cherry cut up tomatoes
lettuce
6 slices bacon
Dressing
1/2 c. mayonaise
3 tbs BBQ sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp Celery Salt or Salt and Pepper

Mix the dressing together, add the cooked pasta, lettuce, chicken, bacon, and tomatoes and Mix well.
As a side...the tomato bruscetta another poster added earlier...YUMMY

 

[jeminni]

My husband and son love what his mother calls Slummgoen. You take a pound or so of ground meat, brown it and drain off the fat. Sprinkle it with some garlic salt then add 2-3 cans ( depending on how far you wish to stretch it ) of Franco-American spaghetti...retails for less than a dollar a can around here. Heat that through and serve with a salad and garlic bread.

 

[EeyoreJMH]

I like to buy huge packs of ground beef at Sam's Club. It's cheap (especially if you go early in the a.m.) and very nice ground meat. I make hamburger patties, sprinkle a little seasoned salt and freeze them. Or I'll brown the meat with onions and celery and freeze it in 1 lb packs. Sometimes I do taco seasonings and freeze small packages. Makes it really easy on baseball nights to whip something together. The frozen burgers work great on the grill and the little packages of browned meat thaw in the microwave in a snap. I do have a vacuum sealer which makes the packaging easy and the meat does not get freezer burn.

We do this, too, only with ground turkey (love the BJ's 3 lb size!). We add a package of Lipton's Beefy Onion dry soup mix to 1lb of ground turkey-- makes the yummiest turkey burgers!