Help I need cheap meal ideas.

[cdubbie]

I eat lots of eggs and egg dishes - whether I'm broke or not. Always a good cheap meal.

Also, anything with beans, esp. soup is economical. I make a great veggie chili - filling and yummy.


One of my favorite cheap (and super easy and fast) dishes:

Mexi-lasagne:

15oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
14oz can diced tomatoes
4oz can of chopped green chilies
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 green onions, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
8 corn tortillas
1 ½ cups greated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese


Preheat over to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, chilies, corn, green onions, cumin and oregano; mix thoroughly.

Oil a 2 quart casserole or baking dish (I use cooking spray).
Line baking dish with 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary.
Spread half of bean mixure in a layer over tortillas, then sprinkle with half of cheese.
Repeat.

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 1-2 minutes, then cut into squares to serve. (I find I need 20 minutes usually for the cheese to really melt). Highly recommend serving with sour cream and tortilla chips of course.


The packages of corn tortillas I find have 10 tortillas, so I have 2 leftover.
To make your own chips: Cut into fourths (a pizza cutter works great). Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 375degrees for 8-10 minutes, until chips begin to color.

I have doubled this recipe and frozen with success.
I think using black beans are way better than pinto (no meat so I need the umph). You can use dry beans for added value. I freeze the rest in 16 oz increments. Less than a $1 for dry beans and I get 5-6 cups from it (with added onion, garlic, and seasoning). A 15oz can is what, $1 also?

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[AbbysMom]

Bumping up this thread because I came across a list of cheap meal ideas.

http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight/c...383x1200828934

 

[white cat lover]

I will make a pork or beef roast - then use leftovers to make more meals out of them. Like egg noodles, peas, & then the meat diced & tossed in.

"Hobo hotdish" is a fave of mine....hamburger on the bottom, onions, potatoes, then some tomatoes & carrots on top. I make a big roaster full of that & frozen into meals for 1 I can get I think 6-10 meals out of it.

 

[fastnoc]

SPAM, while sounding pretty nasty, is actually a pretty good suggestion.

Contrary to the popular myths, it's not made of 'bad things'.

The common assumption is that Spam is made of stuff even pigs don't like to admit they've got. Not so, says a spokeswoman for Hormel Foods, which manufactures Spam. It contains a mixture of ham and chopped pork shoulder. (Ham is the pig's thigh; pork is everything else.) Ham is Hormel's top-of-the-line product, and Spam was created in 1937 partly to use up what was left of the pig after the ham had been removed. But only the wholesome parts.

 

[sakura]

I like baked potatoes with black beans, salsa, and cheese on top.

 

[calico2222]

When I was growing up a "treat" was a fried spam sandwich with egg, tomato and cheese on toast. It is actually very tasty! I admit, I still crave it sometimes.

 

[rahma]

According to a story I heard on the local public radio station, tuna sales are way up, as people are looking to cut down on food costs. Tuna salads are relatively cheap - macaroni, mayo, tuna, and whatever frozen veggie is on sale that week mixed together.

When we were struggling, we only ate meat a few days a week. Other than that, we ate filling vegetarian dishes - lentils are good and cheap, as are lots of dried beans. Even now, we think of meat as a side dish, rather than the main course. Fill up the plate with rice/pasta and veggies, and stick just a small piece of meat in the corner.

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/ <--- lots of good vegetarian recipes from around the world.