Inexpensive Meal Idaes For Tough Times! (reheat, preheat, homemade, butter)

[Katsmeeyow]

One Day At a Time - great idea! Probably you should open a new thread for all the responses you will get on this though, otherwise it will hijack this one!

[OneDayAttaTime]

Originally Posted by Katsmeeyow

One Day At a Time - great idea! Probably you should open a new thread for all the responses you will get on this though, otherwise it will hijack this one!

My most humble apologies. I was not thinking.

I did start a new thread.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by CheyDee

Just this weekend, I cooked and canned almost 20# of ground beef. (The supermarket had boneless beef round steaks on sale for $1.49/#, so I had the butcher grind it into chopped meat.)

That is an awesome price here if I buy a 10# bag of ground beef it was $1.99# now it is $2.29 for about 85/15 ratio. If I buy less than 10# I am paying $2.69 from my butcher I always buy the 10# bag at a time then break it down into 1-1.5 packages in freezer zippies. Tip: When freezing ground beef I make a slit in the middle of each clump of flatten down burger so it thaws faster than a solid hunk of burger.

Tonight Wal Mart wanted $3.50 for one green bell pepper I let them keep it. I have some out of our garden frozen in strips but when I want a fresh one to eat raw I usually buy one. Not tonight.

Did you put up your burger in pints or quarts and how many jars did you get from 20#? Man you got a bargain!

[Katsmeeyow]

Originally Posted by OneDayAttaTime

My most humble apologies. I was not thinking.

I did start a new thread.

Hey, I am so glad you did! I hope what I said about starting a new thread did not seem rude! It was just such a great idea, I thought it needed it's own thread! Please forgive me if I sounded rude!

[OneDayAttaTime]

Originally Posted by Katsmeeyow

Hey, I am so glad you did! I hope what I said about starting a new thread did not seem rude! It was just such a great idea, I thought it needed it's own thread! Please forgive me if I sounded rude!

I didn't take it that way at all. I appreciate you reminding me. It really was a much better idea instead of hijacking a good thread.

[RdytoGo]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

Tonight Wal Mart wanted $3.50 for one green bell pepper I let them keep it. I have some out of our garden frozen in strips but when I want a fresh one to eat raw I usually buy one. Not tonight.

You are kidding!!! The other day I looked at green bell peppers at both Target and the local grocery, and it was about $1.50 for one. I didn't buy them then because I thought THAT was expensive!

This may not be super cheap, but I wouldn't think it would cost all that much. It's my great-grandmother's recipe & delicious & easy.

Chicken Casserole

1 stewing chicken (you could also use leftover chicken or canned chicken)
1 large bag potato chips, crushed (just whatever is cheapest - I prefer the wavy ones)
2 cans mushroom soup
1 can water

Boil chicken and remove from the bone. Layer the chicken and potato chips in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the soup and water together and pour over the chicken & chips. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

[the one]

black bean soup. gets some blacks beans. cook them up, with some lemon grass, basil or other herbs, toss in some carrots, then some fish (tilapia will do, anything cheap), add a bit of sirracha chili and voila. a nice hearty black bean spicy stew.

[southdown]

Bit of a side issue - but grow what you food you can, especially green leafy stuff; herbs, lettuce, spinach - anyone can grow these. Saves money, more healthy and yummier by far!

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

That is an awesome price here if I buy a 10# bag of ground beef it was $1.99# now it is $2.29 for about 85/15 ratio. If I buy less than 10# I am paying $2.69 from my butcher I always buy the 10# bag at a time then break it down into 1-1.5 packages in freezer zippies. Tip: When freezing ground beef I make a slit in the middle of each clump of flatten down burger so it thaws faster than a solid hunk of burger.

Tonight Wal Mart wanted $3.50 for one green bell pepper I let them keep it. I have some out of our garden frozen in strips but when I want a fresh one to eat raw I usually buy one. Not tonight.

Did you put up your burger in pints or quarts and how many jars did you get from 20#? Man you got a bargain!

Hey Jaxon!

I put the cooked ground round into pint jars and got 20 pints out of it, so there is approx. 1# in each. There are just 2 of us here, so each pint will probably be one to two meals. That comes out to $ .75 for TWO people's meat, if we get two meals out of each jar for the both of us. If I am extravagant, it comes to $1.49 for two.

For a couple of months leading up to Thanksgiving, the stores here were using ground beef as a loss leader. The best I had gotten was $1.97/# and knew I was getting a steal then. This was just unbelievable. I am sure most people don't even think to ask the butcher to grind the steaks up for ground round.

I don't blame you re the green pepper. For that price, I would never buy them again.

My next venture will be blackberries. They're going on sale tomorrow for $ .69/container.

[hutch5]

Great thread and great ideas too.

I think that in these times of difficulties the best thing is to try and remember what our grandparents used to cook and get some inspiration from to the simple peasant recipies.
So lots of pulses (beens, grains, etc.) pasta, rice.

With the help of the internet there is almost an unlimited number of possible recipies.

As for the pasta, some mentioned buying already made sauces but I feel that they all taste the same and many times they can be more axpensive than what one can cook from scratch.

-For example for a simple tomatoe sause:

One tin of crushed tomatoes (or if you have fresh tomatoes available just blend a few)
1 tbs olive oil
one clove of garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
some salt
Basil or oregano

Cook together for 15 minutes and you have a very simple cheep and tasty sauce.

You can add some red wine and butter as a variation. Or you can add with tune and olives to the sauce.

-Another cheap and healthy sauce which I call "The Italian Flag"
Cut in cubes some fresh tomatoes
Cut in cubes some Mozzarella Cheese

Put them in a bowl with fresh garlic, basil leaves, salt and olive oil and leave to marinate 1 hour.

When the pasta is cooked just mix all together.

Often I add some cooked peas or some steamed broccoli.

-Another easy and cheap pasta sauce:

Cook in a pan with some olive oil frozen peas,some ham or bacon cut into cubes and a bit of onion.

Add some cream and when the pasta is ready mix all together.
For a variation you can add some mushrooms or some sweetcorn.

These are just some examples of how versatile pasta can be.

Some of these sauces can also be used with jacket potatoes or rice or polenta.