Cheap meals

[Kaleva]

Being on a fixed income of $1071.00 a month for SSDI, I don't have much in the way of spending money. On top of that, I get $16.00 a month in food stamps (it's actually applied to a debit card issued by the state) and a box of commodities once every three months.

So, I really try to watch what I spend on food and have adjusted what I eat accordingly. Below is a relatively cheap meal that lasts awhile and is one I like.

1 can of tomato juice + 1/2 can of water (more or less)
1 cup dried Northern beans
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 cup dried black beans
3 celery stalks finely chopped
5 carrots finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/3 head of cabbage finely chopped
1 lb. hamburger (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Pour tomato juice and water in pot
rinse beans and add to pot
simmer until beans are almost done (about an hour)
add celery, carrots, onions, cabbage and browned hamburger
continue cooking till veggies and beans are done

On occasion, I've added left over rice or pasta to this.

You'll need to add water as needed during the cooking.

[cbayer]

1. Three bean soup! Sounds good.

You could also put a good old ham hock in there. That would add great flavor and some meat. And if you know anyone with a dog, you will have a great bone for them.

The only other thing I might add here is spices.

[Kaleva]

3. Yes! I've added a ham hock to this in the past.

My pet, The Not So Great Wonder Dog, loved the bone while I enjoyed the soup.

[cbayer]

5. Don't you love that! You and the NSGWD both get a treat.

My mother also lives on social security. I don't know how she does it, frankly, but she does. And she manages to bake and send cookies to her grandsons on a regular basis, bless her heart.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. That sounds downright tasty. I have a suggestion for the times when you don't use the meat.

I keep a package of real bacon bits in the fridge and use them like I would herbs or spices for seasoning. A small package is pretty inexpensive and a little bit goes a long way in adding flavor to a lot of dishes.

I like to take onion, bell pepper, potatoes or whatever vegetables I have on hand, brown them in a little oil and throw in a few of the bacon bits. When the veggies get tender, I beat up 2 or 3 eggs and pour over the veggies in the skillet, slap a lid on it and cook over low heat until the eggs are set. You can melt a little cheese on top if you like and it's like a stovetop frittata. If you like the top browned, you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes.

[Kaleva]

4. Now that's something I'll have to try!

Eggs were on sale for .79 cents a dozen recently and I got four dozen. Just have to buy some peppers and the bacon bits. Green peppers are quite inexpensive this time of year here.

[badhair77]

6. I love to use those bacon bits.

I found a recipe for potatoes in a foil package. Cut potatoes into chunks, add some shredded cheddar cheese, onion, and a bit of butter or oil. I put the foil packs on the grill. The whole thing could go in the oven, also. I use the leftovers with eggs.

I wait till everything (cheese, bacon bits) is on sale and we have this as a treat that last several days.

Thanks for this thread, Keleva.

[cbayer]

7. One of my favorite cheap meals is a roasted chicken.

When on sale, a roasted chicken can be dirt cheap and give you multiple meals.

The first day, eat a quarter. The second day make some other dish (casserole) and make sandwiches. The third day, make chicken stock for soup.

I love wringing everything I can get out of that chicken.

[fizzgig]

8. i always have a big bag of rice, plenty of tomato products and beans in my cupboard

and i have become very adept at cobbling together meals with mostly those three ingredients.

a can of crushed toms, a can of diced, a couple cans of beans of your choice (or equivalent amount dried), some tom paste, can of corn, onion and garlic and the seasonings of your choice and you have chili. i can feed my husband and i for a couple days with that for maybe seven bucks.

i buy the family packs of chicken thighs or legs when they go on sale, portion it out and toss in the fridge. i do my shopping later in the evening so i can hit the markdown meats, not too proud to do so, it keeps just fine in the freezer.

i usually have some ramen lying around, i cook the noodles and toss the msg packet. add frozen mixed veggies, soy sauce, a bit of sesame oil and siracha. i keep a bottle of hoisin, some chili garlic paste and black bean paste in the fridge, too.

i've also started baking my own bread, when i have time or it's not unbearably hot in the apartment. i make a no knead bread that requires very little work, i'm just waiting time.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. A meal I lived on when I was in dire straits

is not exactly good for you (like the beans), but it is very filling and it goes a long way. And it is my favorite meal from my childhood. Great if eggs are on sale.

Homemade noodles:

Any pieces of chicken that are on sale----boil to make stock.

For noodles, mix flour and eggs and add a little salt. You can use as much as you want, I usually use 6 eggs and enough flour to make the dough stiff enough to roll out.

Separate into baseball sized balls and put more flour down on a surface to roll them out. Add flour if it sticks. Let it sit a while on newspaper. Roll it like a jelly roll and cut, unroll the noodles. Cook the noodles in the stock until done (mine are rather thick so it takes a while). You can test to see when they are done by cutting one and seeing if it is cooked through.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

This will give you lots of leftovers. Filling and cheap. And I know it sounds like too much starch, but it is so good.

[Kaleva]

10. Another recipe I'll have to try!

[Kaleva]

11. Here is a link to a similiar thread in the Lounge

Many good ideas and recipes there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018133285

Learned some things in that thread. Especially about dried beans and bagged (not instant) rice.

[Kaleva]

12. Microwave pickles

Some years ago I did a job for an elderly lady whose young grandson broke thru the bathroom floor while he was using the toilet. She was so happy after I repaired the floor and fixed the toilet so it wouldn't leak anymore and rot the floor out that she give me a few bottles of microwave pickles she had just made and the recipe on how to make them.

For those with a garden and possibly lots of cucumbers, this is something you may want to try.


1 large cucumber, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions

In a medium microwave safe bowl, mix cucumber, salt, onion, mustard seeds, white sugar, distilled white vinegar, celery seed and turmeric.

Microwave on high 7 to 8 minutes, stirring twice, until cucumbers are tender and onion is translucent.

Transfer to sterile containers. Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

[Kaleva]

13. An easy cabbage and potato dinner

Ingredients:

1/3 to 1/2 cabbage-finely chopped
4 or 5 medium to large potatoes-peeled and cut into chunks
2 packages Ramon noodles
1 onion-finely chopped

Put cabbage, onion and the seasoning of the Ramen Noodles into a pot of water.

Bring water to a slow boil

When veggies are close to being done, add potatoes and continue cooking till they are just about done then
add the 2 packages of Ramen Noodles and continue cooking till they are done.

drain

serve-add salt, pepper and/or butter to taste.

I've made this a couple of times already and it's quite good.

[Worried senior]

16. My grandparents made a similiar

dish with cabbage and potatoes as they were poor too.

They just boiled potatoes and cabbage together with a little bacon. I loved it growing up.

[SmartyCookie]

14. can Tuna with egg and spinach + rice/ macaroni

I use can tuna in olive oil sauteed with eggs and spinach - Just add rice/ pastacosts last than $6 -

[loli phabay]

15. cheapest meals are free meals, get friendly with someone with varmint problems

gives you a fresh meat supply, befriend hunters more meat, grow stuff if you have space, if not learn whats edible in the forests. I highly recommend puffball fungus, i love these but if you dont know what one is dont try to guess.

[Kaleva]

17. Spanish Rice?

Looked in the fridge and cupboards to se what I could make for dinner and this is what I came up with:

1 green pepper-finely chopped
1 large onion-finely chopped
4 cups of long grain rice
2 cans of whole tomatoes
5 cups of tomato juice plus the liquid from the 2 cans of whole tomatoes ( I got 1 cup of liquid from the 2 cans for a total of 6 cups))

I first sauteed the onion and green pepper and set that aside in a bowl.

I cooked the rice in the tomato juice and liquid from the cans of whole tomato.

While the rice was cooking, I emptied the cans of whole tomatoes into the bowl with the onion and green pepper and cut up the tomatoes with a pair of scissors.

When the rice was nearly done, I emptied the bowl of onion, green pepper and chopped up tomatoes into the pot with the rice and continued to cook til the rice was done. I then added pepper and stirred.

It's actually quite good.

[Kaleva]

18. A BLT sandwich without the B & L

Had bought a couple of loaves of whole wheat bread from the bakery at the local store for .99 cents each and then my ex-wife brought me over a bunch of tomatoes from her garden that had some bad spots on them. She knew I'd use them right away before they went completely bad.

After I found a good movie to watch on Netflix, I rinsed the tomatoes and cut off the bad parts, sliced them and made several pieces of toast which I buttered with margarine. I added the sliced tomato which I lightly salted and peppered and also added some onion to each sandwich.

I made 6 sandwiches which I ate during the movie. They were very good and quite cheap considering I got the tomatoes for nothing and the whole wheat bread for .99 cents a loaf.

[cbayer]

19. You ate six sandwiches!?! Wow.

You must have been hungry, lol.

I love a sandwich with cheese, tomatoes and cucumber.

I just got a shipment of cheese from igourmet. Their sale section often has some great deals on some really good cheeses. You do pay for shipping, but it's a flat rate, so I often coordinate my order with friends and neighbors.

[Kaleva]

20. I'll check out igourmet as I do enjoy cheese!

I usually eat only one meal a day so it's a big one. It's a habit I've had since I was a teenager. It's not healthy but I rather eat when the work day is done so I can relax and enjoy the meal without thinking I need to get back to work.

It's about 3:30 in the afternoon right now and I haven't eaten yet today but I don't feel the least bit hungry.

[TheKentuckian]

21. I do something similar but more bean soupish, I guess.

I use usually just use the white beans but mix it up sometimes, chicken and stock, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, poultry seasoning, celery, a little crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes, diced potatoes, at least a quarter stick of butter, and pasta (usual tube or spiral).

Sticks to the ribs like little else and light on the meat and can be omitted. I usually use 2-3 thighs and a breast fillet or two for a huge pot, easy 12-15 servings.

I get some hot water cornbread fried up (another super frugal delight) and am good to go. No serious vegetable component like yours with the cabbage and carrots (these I might try adding in, the cabbage won't fit in) but it reminded me of a cousin I like to make.

[pengillian101]

22. Here's some inspiration - Cooking with Clara. Depression-era recipes - more episodes at youtube.

[TexasBushwhacker]

23. Isn't it crazy that they give you $16 in food stamps?

That's what my disabled roommate gets and she only gets $811 in SSDI.

I'm big on stocking up when things are on sale. In Texas groceries are probably cheaper than many places, but I always check the sale ads every week. The grocery stores put up new ads on their websites every Wednesday. So when hamburger goes on sale for $2.50, I buy 4 or 5 pounds. When chicken goes on sale for $1, same thing.

Here's my shepherd's pie.

1 to 1 1/2 ground meat
clove of garlic, minced
1 envelope beefy onion soup mix
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Seasonings for meat - salt pepper, thyme, whatever you like
2 cups warm water
3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
butter
milk
1 12 to 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables (peas and carrots works well too)
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
Shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. You'll need a large casserole (3 qt. or so).

Start a pot of water to boil while you cut up your potatoes. Peel your potatoes if you want or leave the skins on. That's where most of the vitamins are, so I leave my skins on. Cut the potatoes in roughly 1 inch cubes. Put the potatoes in the boiling water.

Start browning the ground beef. Keep the chunks pretty small. If there's a lot of fat, transfer the meat to a colander and rinse with hot water. Return the meat to the skillet and add garlic, seasonings and Worcestershire. Sprinkle the envelope of beefy onion soup mix over the meat and add 2 cups of water. Stir the meat mixture. When it gets bubbly, add the frozen vegetables. Add more water if necessary, but the veggies don't have to be totally covered. Put a cover on the skillet and let it all simmer for a few minutes.

Check your potatoes to see if they're mashable. If so, drain them, add butter and milk and mash by hand of with an electric mixer. Nothing fancy, however you like to make your mashed potatoes.

Check your meat and veggie mixture. The veggies should be tender, but not mushy. The onion soup mix should be dissolved and the onions should be getting soft. Put the flour or corn starch into about 1/2 cup cold water and stir so there are few lumps. Pour into the meat mixture to thicken the gravy. Cut a few minutes longer until the gravy has thickened.

Spoon the meat and veggie mixture into the casserole, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Spoon the mashed potatoes onto the meat mixture in small spoonfuls so that the meat and veggies are totally covered. Top with shredded cheese if you like,or some folks just like a little paprika. Put the uncovered casserole in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it. You want the cheese to melt and brown a bit, but not burn. Bon appetit!

4 big servings or 6 small. Leftovers microwave well.

[Kaleva]

24. Tomato soup and petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

1 can of Family Dollar tomato soup -50 cents
1 can of Red Gold diced tomato with garlic and olive oil-bought on sale for 60 cents
1 can of water

Mix and heat in microwave.

Just had it for lunch with crackers and it's pretty good!