Pasta with tomato sauce, scramble egg with green onion, rice, Costco frozen broccoli, banana shank slow cooked in a braise (Osso Buco or Taiwanese noodle), Costco $5 chicken, Trader Joe Norwegian salmon for sashimi, etc.
Good food to make on a budget.
- Thread starter WillBrinkhoff
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My wife does the Pernil (pork shoulder picnic) cooked slow all day with yellow rice with either peas or beans. Last one we got was 12 lbs for $18. She shreds it up totally afterward and it feeds 4-5 of us for multiple days and we are not "small portion" eaters.
She'll make a nice salad with it or other vegetables depending sales.
When we had some some money issues we ate pasta with homemade sauce for a long time. The sauce was very light on the meat. I went and got a part time job and worked a bunch. First paycheck from second job you would have thought we hit the lottery. We went and got still cheap meats to cut up. We did splurge and bought a steak to share. We still tell the kids as they are doing things and they still laugh. Being able and willing to cook at home while shopping in sale helps A LOT.
She'll make a nice salad with it or other vegetables depending sales.
When we had some some money issues we ate pasta with homemade sauce for a long time. The sauce was very light on the meat. I went and got a part time job and worked a bunch. First paycheck from second job you would have thought we hit the lottery. We went and got still cheap meats to cut up. We did splurge and bought a steak to share. We still tell the kids as they are doing things and they still laugh. Being able and willing to cook at home while shopping in sale helps A LOT.
Grill or smoke some chicken quarters.. Doesn't get any cheaper for how good they are.
Hermann
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Ham and beans or beans and ham for the more frugal meal.
Cheap is more important than yummy, I say this since you said cheap 1st
Oatmeal for breakfast, it will fill you up!
Peanut Butter for Lunch
Dinner is a hard 1, since I normally do the Liquid Thing.
What I listed for breakfast and Lunch is healthy, the older you get it is more important to eat healthy.
I prefer the flat egg noodles, like you make chicken soup from. Wide seems to work. And don't forget, you can fancy it up a bit with bacon, saved bacon grease, ham chuncks, etc.
My Father always liked his a bit sweet, so he'd sprinkle a little sugar on too.
It takes a lot more cabbage than you think, since it cooks down. Heap that skillet up with cabbage and fry it while you're making the noodles.
Not cheap at $5/lb but Costco use the leftover rotisserie chickens and does hand pulled, all meat, 2 lbs 14 oz for 15.99.
My wife uses it for chicken salad for sandwiches. Chicken on her salads for work and did some rice dish last time that was very good.
Costco/BJ's/Sams often have pretty good deals for these things.
Quick weeknights I'll make this marinated pork tenderloin which is not expensive and feeds all of us with some roasted mini potatoes and roasted asparagus .https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/176359/easy-marinated-pork-tenderloin/
My wife uses it for chicken salad for sandwiches. Chicken on her salads for work and did some rice dish last time that was very good.
Costco/BJ's/Sams often have pretty good deals for these things.
Quick weeknights I'll make this marinated pork tenderloin which is not expensive and feeds all of us with some roasted mini potatoes and roasted asparagus .https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/176359/easy-marinated-pork-tenderloin/
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Pasta, 99 cents can feed 5 people. It's so versatile, you can make it a different way each day.
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Seems like pork chops have been $1.99/lb here for 5+ years. Seems crazy cheap. I like to marinate in Italian dressing then grill. Admittedly pork chops are not my favorite and conjur up memories of my mom cooking them well well done and being dry like shoe leather. But beef is really expensive.
Still thinks its hard to beat ground beef if you consider actually absorbed nutrients into account.
Simple recipes with either chicken breasts or ground beef. Just finished a burger and two homemade salads for dinner. For the two of us the cost was probably around $5.00 Got hamburger rolls on sale for $2.00 a pack of 8.
Buy a qtr beef. Some places gets you down around $5 pound, plus the freezer you will require allows you to buy stuff on sale and freeze it.
Then buy only in season green veggies, and a few fruits.
THAT is all you need. Rice, bread, pasta is not really good for you anyway.
Then buy only in season green veggies, and a few fruits.
THAT is all you need. Rice, bread, pasta is not really good for you anyway.
Chili with ground beef or chicken goes a long way and is generally good for your.
I generally avoid carbs, but on occasion I make a lasagna stew - 2 lbs ground beef, onion, celery, green pepper (holy trinity) large can crushed tomatoes, large can diced tomatoes, beef broth, box of spiral noodles, tub of cottage cheese. Season to preference - I make mine with fresh Jalapenos. Goes a really long ways. Google for a real recipe - my recipes change every time
Something similar but much simpler and cheaper is "depression goulash" - essentially noodles, crushed tomatoes and ground beef. You can sub black beans for the ground beef. My mom fed it too me often growing up.
Beans and rice - make your own black beans - tasty.
I agree that chicken, especially bone in whole are really hard to beat for price / nutrition.
If you search out depression era recipes you find a lot of stuff. Unfortunately many are mostly carbs.
I generally avoid carbs, but on occasion I make a lasagna stew - 2 lbs ground beef, onion, celery, green pepper (holy trinity) large can crushed tomatoes, large can diced tomatoes, beef broth, box of spiral noodles, tub of cottage cheese. Season to preference - I make mine with fresh Jalapenos. Goes a really long ways. Google for a real recipe - my recipes change every time
Something similar but much simpler and cheaper is "depression goulash" - essentially noodles, crushed tomatoes and ground beef. You can sub black beans for the ground beef. My mom fed it too me often growing up.
Beans and rice - make your own black beans - tasty.
I agree that chicken, especially bone in whole are really hard to beat for price / nutrition.
If you search out depression era recipes you find a lot of stuff. Unfortunately many are mostly carbs.
I occasionally go the store only for veggies. Its amazing how many veggies you get for little money. Its the packaged and meat that kills the budget.
Zee09
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I have Walmart + and quit going to the grocery store. When I did go people would look at the meat selection and just keep going...very
Zee09
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How's the Tilapia?
Zee09
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depression goulash? I ate way too much of that crap as a kid...i.just got the shakes reading thisChili with ground beef or chicken goes a long way and is generally good for your.
I generally avoid carbs, but on occasion I make a lasagna stew - 2 lbs ground beef, onion, celery, green pepper (holy trinity) large can crushed tomatoes, large can diced tomatoes, beef broth, box of spiral noodles, tub of cottage cheese. Season to preference - I make mine with fresh Jalapenos. Goes a really long ways. Google for a real recipe - my recipes change every time
Something similar but much simpler and cheaper is "depression goulash" - essentially noodles, crushed tomatoes and ground beef. You can sub black beans for the ground beef. My mom fed it too me often growing up.
Beans and rice - make your own black beans - tasty.
I agree that chicken, especially bone in whole are really hard to beat for price / nutrition.
If you search out depression era recipes you find a lot of stuff. Unfortunately many are mostly carbs.
Google "Appalachia recipes." Good food by poor folk.
Me too! I have never made it since. But better than going hungry.
I mean even stupid grits are expensive now days.
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