New budget

[baymule]

I got hungry reading Baymule's list.

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Thanks @FarmerJamie!!! We eat darn good around here! My DH is always amazed how I can walk in the kitchen and make supper out of whatever we have.

 

[Marianne]

Wow, some great ideas here. We're going more meatless as time goes on. I buy bulk lentils, beans, etc from Azure Standard. Most of the time, I can get better quality or organic for same or less than the local grocery store. Even if you don't want to go totally meatless, you can do what Moolie suggested, add lentils to any hamburger dish to stretch it. I make a mean lentil patty with fried onions and pepper. DH loves those things. Also red bean Italian meatballs (except there is no meat). Just hit the computer and start taking some notes or bookmark.
Ditto on soups, even skillet bread is easy to make and really good. Frittatas are cheap to make with whatever leftovers you have, too.

 

[tortoise]

I might try chili tomorrow! I didn't go grocery shopping today, so no peppers for fajitas.

 

[tortoise]

hmmm.... I could make chili tonight and reheat tomorrow, right? I won't want to cook after a long day at work. And getting in the kitchen would warm up my cold toes tonight!

 

[Hinotori]

I add cooked barley or rice to my meatloaf instead of bread or crackers. Usually it ends up being about half grain before I begin adding anything else. We have chickens, so plenty of eggs in it for a binder. Chopped broccoli is my favorite veggie to add.

Growing up, when it was really tight on money after my youngest brother was born with health issues, we ate lots of potatoes cooked all sorts of ways. There were always some veggies, and usually a few bites of meat. I do mean lots of potatoes, since my Great Uncle gave us all the potatoes we wanted. We ate them every cooked meal.

 

[moolie]

I know pasta is a cheap filler, but for those of trying to go low carb, it's not necessarily a good option.

I make my own, with fresh-ground organic wheat, spelt, and kamut, so not the same as store-bought at all. But when one is on a budget...

 

[tortoise]

We had chili and garden squash for supper. I even ate some of the squash and it didn't kill me. Tomorrow is chicken thighs and leftover rice.

I really hate meat on the bone. Unfortunately for me, chicken legs are on sale again. : pout :

 

[baymule]

Boil the legs and pick the meat off the bone. Make chicken and dumplings, chicken soup, chicken tacos, chicken lasagna, chicken salad, chicken casserole......freeze the broth for later.

 

[Marianne]

We have egg drop soup made with chicken broth, soy sauce, onion and an egg or two.
I get more mileage out of a whole chicken than any other cut of meat. I used to make BBQ chicken pizza with the meat from boiled thighs and legs. You don't need a lot of meat, add red onion, bell peppers (or whatever you like), use homemade or bottled BBQ sauce, a bit of shredded cheddar and the homemade pizza crust recipe on here somewhere.
Moolie, weren't you the one that posted an easy, no fail recipe for pizza crust?

 

[baymule]

Several weeks ago, I fried onions. I sliced them very thin, dredged through flour and fried them crispy. I was left with a skillet of browned flour and oil and a bowl of flour. I dumped the flour in the skillet and browned it too. I made a roux (pronounced roo) which is the base for gumbo. Why waste the flour and oil? I put it in the freezer. Took it out last night and made shrimp gumbo.