I am trying to find recipes that are yummy but not expensive to make at home.

6/22/2006 1:17:56 PM

I pan cooked some chicken last night and put it on a salad. Just add your favorite spice to the chicken and you're MONEY.

6/22/2006 1:19:21 PM

6/22/2006 1:20:14 PM

eat bugs

6/22/2006 1:27:11 PM

those $0.50 burritos from the grocery store, two of those (cook them in the oven) and you are golden

6/22/2006 1:38:17 PM

Last night for dinner I had a hot sub and 15 tater tots.

I have some chicken breasts left, I think tonight I will cook them and cover them in buffalo sauce.

6/22/2006 1:39:49 PM

Those Homestyle Bakes that Betty Crocker or somebody else makes are pretty good and easy. Cost about 6 bucks and comes with everything you need.

6/22/2006 1:41:21 PM

Those bags of salad plus a couple peices of uncooked chicken that you bake yourself, and some salad dressing.

Makes at least 3-4 one-person meals that aren't terrible for you and taste good

6/22/2006 1:42:47 PM

make rice. open up a can of campbells chunky soup of some kind, my fav with this is the sirloin burger with veggies. put rice in bowl. put soup on top of rice. DELICIOUS. side items of perhaps a fruit. like watermelon omg <3 summer. or you can cut up a few apples into slices, and put them in a skillet with some cinnamon, and have some fried apples. ENJOY.

totally making this tonight.

6/22/2006 2:54:11 PM

pasta is usually rather cheap...I make my own spaghetti sauce for around $15-$20, but you could always just get the pre-made kind and add your own touch...maybe some spices laying around the kitchen, etc.

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 3:58 PM. Reason : as]

6/22/2006 3:57:37 PM

"recipes that are yummy"

6/22/2006 4:16:45 PM

Make macaroni and cheese.

mix in drained, canned tuna.

Put in an 8x10 baking pan

cook @ 325 for 10-20 minutes.

profit$





And it's good when it's re-heated, too.

6/22/2006 4:17:46 PM

genarally unless u're eatin ramen or cooking for a few people , it's cheaper to go somewhere w/ a $.99 menu or get some cheap pizza. i've tried to save money by cooking and i end up spending $15 on making a meal and i have a bunch of left over ish that ends up going bad before i use it agian.

6/22/2006 4:52:53 PM

i usually buy the frozen bagged chicken breast(boneless) this last a week or so. eat that with either a salad(bag) or frozen spinach or whatever.

6/22/2006 4:56:52 PM

My penis, warm, on a plate with some ranch dressing. It'll fill you up, garaunteed

6/22/2006 4:57:58 PM

Pretty much any fresh foods fill this need as long as you avoid expensive meats or buy them on sale.

6/22/2006 5:20:40 PM

i like making a rice a ronni or some other sortta grain and add a can of chicken or tuna to it, very cheap and tasty

Also there are these things called homstyle bakes, its a complete meal(including meat) for like 4 bucks, and theres enough for a second meal too

6/22/2006 5:47:21 PM

There was a thread on this awhile ago in The Lounge ... wish they would only clean up Chit Chat/Classifieds and leave other sections the hell alone .

Quote :

"i end up spending $15 on making a meal "

If you follow recipes exactly as listed, yes this can happen. If you are piss poor, this is unlikely to happen, as you wouldn't be able to afford it


Suggestions for meals for $2.50 or less:
-Michelleno's Lunches ... the "light" ones = less calories = less filling.
-Tuna Salad
-Sphaghetti with Butter + Cheese
-Most simple mexican dishes
-Chicken Quarters, Mac&Cheese, (Veggie), Jiffy Corn Bread
-Chicken Quarters, Salad, Rice, Rolls
-Pork Chops, Applesauce, Mashed Potatoes
-Pork Ribs + Beans
-Hotdogs
-Sloppy Joes + Tater Tots

Those aren't 100% healthy, but none of them will kill you either. Most quality meats you can find for $2.00/pound or less. Most low-quality meats you can find for $1.00/pound or less. I remember buying like 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters when they were on sale for $0.29/pound and freezing them.

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 6:14 PM. Reason : grammar ninja defense]

6/22/2006 6:10:53 PM

My most recent favorite meal to make: Those grilled tuna things you see on the commercials. They are like 2 dollars a pack, which is a serving and the garden vegetable flavor rice you cook in the microwave for 90 seconds. Sometimes I add a salad. Its about a 3 dollar meal per person and it takes seriously, less than 5 minutes.

6/22/2006 8:33:06 PM

Salads as a meal are always pretty cheap.

The most expensive foods to buy aren't because of the actual food themselves. It's more for those spices and sauces that makes a meal so expensive.

I could buy a boneless chicken breast for a couple of dollars a pound, but pay 10 bucks just to buy all the ingredients for the alfredo sauce. To keep it cheap, try to keep the sauces and the spices simple; don't follow a recipe to the tee, unless you got the cash to shell out for it.

I've always found ham to be a pretty cheap meat. Ham + Velveeta Macaroni = Yum.

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 8:41 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2006 8:41:11 PM

We keep an arsenal of spices in several drawers, we tend to eat more ethnic food in my house because we're vegetarian, helps to brighten up otherwise bland, normal grain + bean + vegetable meals.

Go to the Farmers' Market this time of year, produce is super cheap, as well as the seafood ( I think?).

Also, make stuff in large batches and freeze it. That way you can pull out relatively nifty dishes like lasagna or cooked veggies or fruit smoothies and have it whenever you want, little hassle. Also saves a ton of time.

6/22/2006 8:51:58 PM

I buy canned and frozen vegetables whenever they go on sale. Whenever we're broke or all junk fooded out, I make a huge pot of soup. A little chicken broth, garlic salt, lemon pepper, canned tomatos, and whatever vegetables I have stashed in the pantry. A huge pot lasts us for days and I frequently put some of it away in the freezer for a quick and easy meal.

Any time you can make something in large quantities like soup, chilli, or chicken-n-pastry, it ends up being cheaper in the long run.

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 9:03 PM. Reason : edit.]

6/22/2006 9:01:50 PM

Quote :

"genarally unless u're eatin ramen or cooking for a few people , it's cheaper to go somewhere w/ a $.99 menu or get some cheap pizza. i've tried to save money by cooking and i end up spending $15 on making a meal and i have a bunch of left over ish that ends up going bad before i use it agian."

this is bad, dangerous, wrongheaded advice

you can cook staple foods much more cheaply... a single, very simple meal can cost pocket change
you can work miracles with less than $5

6/22/2006 9:02:07 PM

When me dad was in the army and had 2 stepkids and 2 real kids to feed, making it 6 people, he said they always ate pretty poor. He used to talk about Shit on a Shingle - creamed beef or corned beef or something on toast. They ate a lot of those channed hams, not spam, but the Hormel ones. Buy a few cheap steaks and cut them in half and freeze them.

One of my favorite things that's great for 2-3 meals is homefries.
Get a pack of thick-cut oscar meyer bacon, a white onion and some small red potatoes.
Boil the potatoes, then let them sit in the fridge for a bit to cool down, then peel them, and cut them into little slices/wedges. Keep it thin, but don't worry about uniformity or anything. Slice/cut 5-6 bacon strips into maybe 1/2 inch long pieces and start frying it out some. Keep it on low, and while it's cooking, dice an onion, maybe about half of a large white onion. Add that to the bacon and fry it out a little more until the onions just start becoming translucent, then add your potatoes. Try to use a large frying pan/skillet to make this - a pot will not work. Cook it until the potatoes are heated up and are just starting to brown some, and salt it.
It takes about an hour to make, but it is cheap and damn worth it. One time I made a shitload for myself and ate it for Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner the next day. My dad likes to add Cajun Seasoning or Garlic Powder to his.

I think you should always keep in your pantry by default:
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt/Powder, Season All, Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Baking Soda or Powder, a Boxed Cake mix and a tub of frosting, Italian Seasoning, Sugar and Flour, and Tomato Sauce. Those can get you a pretty much good meal no matter what. Try finding a friend/parents with a Costco or Sam's Club membership and stock up on a buncha cheap stuff.

6/22/2006 9:02:52 PM

^don't forget Bisquick! If you have a box of Bisquick around, it seems like you can make just about anything. And they always have easy, handy dandy recipes on the box.

6/22/2006 9:04:33 PM

I don't think olive oil is all that important..

6/22/2006 9:13:11 PM

Eh, I don't know, I'd rather cook msot food in Olive Oil before butter or vegetable oil. You can use it to add base to sauces and to help ake marinades. It's not like it's expensive, either.

6/22/2006 9:16:25 PM

Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea...yummy, and even if a box of bisquick is too rich for your wallet, some flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and some dried milk for pancakes. Depends on what you already have.

I prefer to use dried milk + water in lieu of regular milk because it's cheaper, but use it in baked goods/dishes. Don't use it in soups or things like mac and cheese or stovetop pasta things like that

When I lived in the dorm, I found that instant potato flakes were a godsend: sea salt, pepper, dried milk, and a little dried basil if I felt like it.
I also like to make pizzas on english muffins and pitas. Sometimes they'd be less like pizza, though, because I'd use some lunch meat i'd torn up, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and feta cheese. Oh, yummy.

If you have any amount of sausage around, you can make a sausage gravy and put that on biscuits, either the rolled or drop kind.

Something I grew up with is what we call tamale pie, which is a very misleading name. You take some ground beef/TVP/other ground meat, make it as taco meat, add an extra taco seasoning packet, a can of refried beans, a can of corn, and mix that all up. Bake it til it's hot, sprinkle cheese on top of it, and mix up two boxes of jiffy cornbread, and pour on top. Put it back into the oven til the cornbread is done (just called mom up for that...by the way, those quantities feed 8-12)

I don't know if ground beef is more or less expensive than ground turkey and chicken, because I avoid using it at all costs, but when I do, I like to cut it with TVP (textured vegetable protein). Something I grew up with, and I just do it. No particularly compelling reason to do it, but certainly no real reason to not do it.

I like to make couscous, too - boil some chicken soup base, thyme, sage, and ground rosemary, and then add your couscous. My bf says it's too bland, but I like it that way. I imagine some garlic and pepper would add some more interest.

Quote :

"I think you should always keep in your pantry by default: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt/Powder, Season All, Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Baking Soda or Powder, a Boxed Cake mix and a tub of frosting, Italian Seasoning, Sugar and Flour, and Tomato Sauce. Those can get you a pretty much good meal no matter what. Try finding a friend/parents with a Costco or Sam's Club membership and stock up on a buncha cheap stuff."

Add rosemary (by the way, there's a shitton behind Patterson Hall ), basil, cayenne, thyme, sage and some other stuff that I'll post when I get home. Kroger had all their spices on a major sale a while back (I think $1.33, no matter what the spice), and I set us up in that dept.

If you get someone with one of those memberships (hit me up...my dad has a day guest membership that he's set aside for me and matt, and you're welcome to give me a list), get spices in bulk, particularly taco seasoning, dried onions, minced garlic, and quality black pepper.You can use taco meat as a basis for lots of stuff, and the others are handy in most anything. These things are hella expensive at the grocery store. The taco seasoning takes a hit on quality though, so be prepared to either keep regular packets to mix with it (think standard amt of bulk taco seasoning + qtr packet of the good stuff + pinch cayenne).

Beef and chicken soup base are cheap staples as well. Think boullion, but less a solid, and more a paste. When I moved out, because a little goes so far, mom just packed up little containers of it for me.

^^yes, it is. A little bottle of the HT "good" stuff is $1.89, and if you use vegetable oil for baking, and greasing pans, and other instances where the moisture/grease is the intent, and not flavor, it'll last a long time.

[Edited on June 22, 2006 at 9:29 PM. Reason : lkj]

6/22/2006 9:28:37 PM

Yeah, I was going to suggest tons of stuff like that, but for a basic basic pantry, you NEED to have that kinda stuff, but if you're broke you can hold off on too many spices. You can survive on buttered noodles with garlic salt for days. Mmm...

6/22/2006 9:31:23 PM

Stuff like that sits on the need/want line.

Of course, even cheaper than buying the spices is buying the seeds to grow them.

6/22/2006 9:32:19 PM

yeah, i think it's worth it for the hit on the wallet to do some basic stocking of spices and herbs. i've grown to love fresh herbs (MMM basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, etc), so if you have any outdoor space, doing a small herb garden might be suggestable. I'm actually tempted to look into doing one of the herb pots for when I head back to Wolf Village. And I agree that olive oil is important to have. (But I think it depends on what you grew up on and what you like).

But spices are a must, IMO. Couscous, rice (brown rice is more filling, i think, so you could/would eat less of it), and pasta are all fairly inexpensive. With some herbs/spices, you can pep up the flavor and keep it fairly cheap. I agree with Ambrosia about the potato flakes. They won't be the best mashed taters you'll ever have, but it suprised me how easy and good they were. Box mac and cheese is an easy thing to fix up with some added flavor and veggies.

Chicken legs, thighs, and quarters are always on sale somewhere. A few weeks ago, FL had thighs for $ 0.39. The only problem is that anything with a bone in it is going to take a bit longer to cook. The leg quarters you end up having to bake more or less no matter what. But they're good, tender, and you can experiment and do different flavors (do an italian chicken w/basil, oregano, etc, do an 'oriental' chicken with soy sauce, ginger, etc etc). pork chops are always cheap too. they're not always the most flavorful, but they can be spiced up and be an easy protein additive to a meal. (Cumin, paprika, garlic rubbed chops pan cooked are really good. sort of an indian/morrocan/somethin flavor.)

ramen is also a cheap carb. even though it's fattening, using ramen as you would pasta works. well, more like when you wanna do something lo-mein like, or otherwise oriental flavor-based.

6/22/2006 11:52:56 PM

instead of buying spices one by one, try going to walmart and buying this spicerack thing that I have seen in the dishes section. It comes with like 20 spice bottles and a rack, filled with all the spices you can imagine for like 15 bucks.

6/23/2006 12:37:04 AM

Those spices are usually stale.

6/23/2006 12:38:25 AM

Make stirfry, chicken breast is always on sale somewhere, if not you eye of round, then throw whatever you want in there the color code is usually green and white, tho.

And rice, it's cheap and easy, asians know it now you do, too. read directions, throw it under a lid for 20 minutes additional on low, and profit.

Also, some spices taste digusting so sample stuff first before you go berserk.

6/23/2006 12:42:18 AM

^^i was about to rag on you because i thought you said "those spices are usually stable"

i was going to be like "dude, those spices are probably old as shit"

then i became unilliterate.

6/23/2006 1:03:39 AM

i'll cook you dinner ANY time you want. just hurry because i'm moving to wisconsin in 4 days.

(i tried to find a picture in your gallery of what i'd like you to wear, but i couldn't decide on just one. or five.)

6/23/2006 1:53:02 AM

unless you are eating the spices plain, how would you know they were stale?

6/23/2006 9:44:50 AM

Pepperoni quesadillas.

Anyone have any crockpot suggestions? I just got one and plan on hittin it up this weekend.

6/23/2006 10:48:15 AM

Quote :

"unless you are eating the spices plain, how would you know they were stale?"

Smell and lack of potency are the main two.

^pork roast/loin/whatever its called with sprigs of rosemary on top. cook until it's falling apart.

6/23/2006 10:51:12 AM

Also, if the spices are powdered and they are all cake-y it means they are old.

6/23/2006 11:01:18 AM

6/23/2006 11:02:40 AM

Here are a couple of ideas:

I Always have some potatos on hand as well as yellow onions.

Dice potatos and fry in a skillet with peanut oil, add chopped onions and saute a little more.
I like to mix some chili powder in as well. Lay a slice or two of cheese over the top and let melt in.
( I use Havarti )

or

do the same without the chili and add a tin of corned beef, now you have corned beef hash.
It goes great with cheep baked beens on the same plate. The hash makes a whole lot that also re-heats very well.

Or do the same and break an egg over the top.

I'll sometime buy some ground beef and make pattys to freeze. Here's something I do with that.
Go to Nur deli and get a bag of medium cracked bulgar wheat (very cheap) and also some
middle eastern seasoning. Get some pita bread. It freezes very well.
Throw one of the pattys into a skillet and saute. Break the patty back up into ground beef
as it cooks. Cut up a medium yellow onion in not to small pieces and saute in. Add the bulgar
wheat as the "filler" (you take this stuff and soak it in water 2 or 3 hours before draining and cooking) with a small can of tomato paste and some of the seasoning. Mix in water if it get too dry.
load up the pitas and enjoy. Stuff also freezes and heats up in microwave.
If you like that yogurt stuff they put on gyros just take some plain yogurt and mix with some garlic,olive oil, chopped cucumber and a squirt of lemon juice.

One last easy cheepie:
Get a can of cambell's soup and dump an extra can of water in it. Stir in 3/4 cup of rice and cook
as you would rice (bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and don't peak until 20 minutes are up)

Hope you find this useful.

6/23/2006 12:56:05 PM

As for stirfry, I'll do the frozen bag of stirfry veggies (food lion brand usually) + precooked chicken breast strips. I usually add a little garlic olive oil, and spices include adobo seasoning, salt, pepper, a little ginger, and anything else you feel like trying out. Cook it all up in a frying pan and boil some rice up with it. I usually get the refridgerated chicken so I have to cook the veggies for a bit first, then add the chicken. It's a great meal.

Otherwise, pasta in various forms is great, with a salad.

Those are pretty much the main staples in my diet if I'm actually cooking. I don't have the time or money to get really awesome stuff for meals. Yet.

6/23/2006 1:08:48 PM

Quote :

"He used to talk about Shit on a Shingle - creamed beef or corned beef or something on toast."

hehe, funny you mention that. It reminded me of "Woof Woof," which my grandpa used to make my mom when she was little. From what I remember, it was macaroni, ground beef, and god knows what else mixed with a tomato based sauce.

6/23/2006 1:13:12 PM

A rice cooker is also a really great thing to have in your kitchen. For $30 you can get one from Targét that has a vegetable tray in it, as well as a the ability to keep the rice warm after it's cooked also. Just toss water, rice, and veggies in it, and listen for it to switch over to warming mode, and you're good to go. Hell, you could probably even broil salmon or something in there too.

6/23/2006 1:13:32 PM

go to the farmers market and buy 1 bunch of basil ($3)
get clove of garlic, italian or sweet parsley, and olive oil

mix together in right proportions in food processor or blender
cook noodles and mix with some of the pesto you just made

you can store the rest of the pesto in the freezer
it'll make about 6 meals out of ~$5-$6 worth of ingrediants

you can add a few chopped pine nuts but they can be expensive

6/23/2006 1:42:40 PM

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf100670.tip.html

6/23/2006 7:45:07 PM

get a box of oatmeal cream pies for 1.19, can of ravioli, and a pack of hotdogs

then eat one oatmeal cream pie, one can of ravioli, and 2 hotdogs for a filling lunch all for less than about 2 dollars

6/23/2006 7:51:13 PM

Chilli can be made cheaply, very much so. Just get the dried beans and some ground beef, diced tomatoes, etc. The whole shebang should run you under $10 (likely 8) and make at least 4-5 servings. Just dont go for the expensive peppers or meat and it's pretty good.

Another general idea is, cooking more than one serving at a time can def. save you money, and there are some things that freeze well. Basically you make something in a big batch, divide out into servings, the freeze. I know that there's books on this (and browsing at the B&N or library is free). Me and my roomate did and still do this when we need to save money.

Grand Asia also has one type of ramen that isn't too bad for you- it's like 25 calories of fat in a 220 calorie package? It's not *good* for you, but it's better than the normal ramen. My friend in boston takes those kind of noodles and adds frozen veggies (also very cheap), and almost any kind of meat you have on hand can be added as well (cook seperate).

Last idea for getting recipies, if you have any grandparents who cook, ask them. Both my grandmother and mother have a stock of recipies that can be made on the cheap, that they got when they were newlyweds, or money otherwise sucked for them.

6/23/2006 9:45:38 PM

Quote :

"i'll cook you dinner ANY time you want. just hurry because i'm moving to wisconsin in 4 days."

bring drugs

6/23/2006 10:06:10 PM