cheap eats

[zabbazooey]

ground beef is too expensive. Ground turkey is less expensive

They have those Banquet TV dinners for $1 each. Buy some of those and some ramen.

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='zabbazooey' date='Jan 6 2006, 06:35 PM']They have those Banquet TV dinners for $1 each.
[/quote]

I'm betting you could prepare meals for yourself much cheaper. A box of spaghetti costs what.....a dollar? And you'll get how many meals out of that? Ground beef might *look* expensive, but again, how many meals will you get out of a pound? If you're adding it to other things, I'm guessing at least 4.

Making meals only looks more expensive because you buy the food in 'bulk'. It lasts through several meals. The per-meal expense is much more reasonable than you'd think.

[HomeTeamFamily]

2pkg chicken ramen
1 large can chicken
1 small can of green chilies (can substitute for jalapeno peppers if you like spicier)
2 thick slices of velveeta coagulated milk (a bit expensive, can substitute cheaper coagulated milk)....the coagulated milk must be able to melt smooth though
1 small can of black olives*
1 small onion chopped*

*optional items

cook the ramen with less water than suggested.....when its cooked, add the remaining ingredients including the spice packet.....stir and you have a tasty mexican soup/stew




recipie 2
2pkg beef ramen
pepperoni

cook ramen. add spice and pepperoni to taste, enjoy

[missionseeker]

Don't forget rice and beans.

Especially beans

you can make refried beans.

[iggy]

also consider like yakisoba (spelling?)
you need ramen and a bag of veggie mix and some hot dogs
the bag of veggies will last like 4-6 batches, depending on how much you put in each batch, cut up 1-2 hot dogs per batch (i started w/ two, but it always seemed like too much), and then season with the seasoning packet. beef flavor works best.

lets see, pigs in a blanket- 2 hotdogs+ 2 biscuts roll and bake, you can add half a slice of cheap coagulated milk for ritz

um, dog piles- cut a hot dog in half and put a pile of mashed potatoes on top, bake in a moderate oven until hotdogs are cooked, again can add a half a slice of coagulated milk for ritz.

also you can do taco puffs- 2 large biscuts+ a scoop of meat+ some coagulated milk in a 400-425 degree oven for like 10-15 minutes, until biscuts are done. one 33 cent package of taco seasoning can do like 4-5 dinners, at least. when i say "meat" i mean whatever you have. shredded up leftover pork, chicken from a can or whatever, ground beef/ turkey. If you go with the chicken thing, you can add corn right into the meat mixture before baking and it tastes great.

you can also make rice and have that for breakfast, if need be. rice + milk+ cinnamon and sugar= yum and you can do it hot or cold and it is like oatmeal, only cheaper

if you do make the tortillas, you can make peanut butter and jelly burritos for lunch (i love them)

also you can make milk... you know the dried powder milk. it is cheap, easy and tastes mostly normal. i am not saying it tastes the same, but i am saying it is not that different to warrent paying more

bean soup. you can buy like a pound of mixed dried beans for a weency splurge and make a lot of soup with it

freeze all leftovers... you may think you will eat something soon, and the next thing you know it is gross, so even if you think you will be eating it in like 2 days, freeze it just in case.

tuna wraps, like .25-.5 can of tuna+ mayo+ mustred+ any sandwich fixing you can scrounge wrapped in a tortilla

eggs are pretty cheap, too. you can make egg burritos, egg sandwiches, eat them plain, you can add a lot of things to eggs, too, to make them more interesting.

goulosh, maybe i don't know how well it freezes, but shell noodles+ tomato paste and sauces to taste+ ground beef

meatloaf. you know a pound or two of ground meat, 2 or 3 peices of crushed up toast, or .667 of a pack of saltines (stale works) crushed up, or the standard 1 cup of oatmeal, one egg, + like .5 cups of ketchup, any spices you are fond of (you can add more bread to stretch it, but don't do too much or it gets funky) in a loaf pan in a 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes, or until done.

If your bread goes stale, just do french toast, and you can put a cinnamon sugar mix on that to make it taste sweeter. I use about 1 tablespoon of cinn to 1 cup of sugar in an old spice container, so it sprinkles well

bread freezes great, too. you can freeze the whole loaf when you buy it and defrost a couple slices at a time, or if you don't like the chewy texture bread takes on when nuked, you can defrost in in toaster set around 1 or 2 darkness, depending on the toaster.

if you are bored of the normal mac and coagulated milk, you can add a browned, ground meat (or tuna) and green beans to it to make it taste more interesting. if you really want that casserole feel, sprinkle some broken up toast on top.

That is all I can think of off the top of my head. I let you know if I remember more later.

[qfnol31]

Quesadillas are really cheap.

[she_who_is_not]

[quote name='Laudate_Dominum' date='Jan 6 2006, 04:58 PM']Another possible option (depending on where you live) would be gathering wild foods. Depending on how far north you live it might be a bit too late to harvest most things, but there are always certain root vegetables and things which can be gathered through the winter.
Also trapping small game may be an option. Wild turkey is pretty good, as are duck and goose. I also know a pretty phat way to make woodchuck blood sausage which you can store through the winter.
It might also be good to invest in some chickens if you like eggs. I'm also quite an advocate of raising goats.
Finally, no matter how far north you are, there is likely the option of fishing. I know some old school techniques for catching large amounts of fish in the winter (a way of ice fishing with a net), some can be frozen, or you can dry and smoke the meat for storing more long-term.
If you live in a proper region, you might want to consider hunting large game such as deer. If you bagged a deer you would have enough meat to last quite a long time (assuming you have the freezer space).

If none of these ideas appeal to you, I might suggest buying beans and rice in bulk.
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Unfortunately, there is an ordinance against keeping livestock within city limits but there are some wild turkeys on the golf course at local hotel/resort. My nephew shot a squirrel over Christmas, but my mom would not let him bring it in the house. Deer is an option, but I can't shoot. I grew up in rural NC and have feasted on wild game and canned beans many a winter, but rice and beans is more in keeping with my crazy urban youth lifestyle. Thanks.

[HomeTeamFamily]

youre from NC?????

[zabbazooey]

[quote name='Cow of Shame' date='Jan 6 2006, 09:43 PM']I'm betting you could prepare meals for yourself much cheaper.  A box of spaghetti costs what.....a dollar?  And you'll get how many meals out of that?  Ground beef might *look* expensive, but again, how many meals will you get out of a pound?  If you're adding it to other things, I'm guessing at least 4.

Making meals only looks more expensive because you buy the food in 'bulk'.  It lasts through several meals.  The per-meal expense is much more reasonable than you'd think.
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I never think about those things because I can't cook

[Sojourner]

I made a beef stew yesterday that fed approximately 15 people and I spent probably about $15 on meat + all the fixings. And I shopped at a more expensive store and didn't buy generic, so I probably could have gotten everything for less than $10 with a bit more effort.

[Dreamweaver]

Load up on meat that is labeled Manager's special (nearing the "Sell By" date) and stick it in the freezer.

I advocate shopping at an import/Asian food market nearby. You can get huge bags of rice for $15. Rice is filling and goes with anything. Get cheap meat and some cheap frozen veggies and you can have a nice stirfry. You can also get noodles for really cheap, along with a gazillion types of sauces and bullion to season it up and make soups. (just yesterday I made a shiitake egg drop soup).

Frozen premade dinners are handy, but expensive in the long run. Instead of buying individual pre-packaged portions, buy a larger jar of something and package it in individual cup-sized tupperware (like with applesauce or pudding).

Don't forget to shop for fresh fruits and veggies in season. Bananas are always cheap; if you don't eat them before they overripen, just freeze them and make banana bread later.