swellmomma Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have had to become quite creative this month in coming up with meals to prepare with and fridge, freezer and pantry getting quite bare. I thought I would share some of our successes and hope that other post their frugal recipes too for those of us that have a small grocery budget Last night was a soup that all kids including my picky eater declared delicious. Simple as can be, chicken boullion, water, 1 package of lipton sidekicks country mushroom rice. As a side dish the sidekicks would not give enough food, but in a soup it made a very flavourful mushroom rice soup. Breakfast this morning Pumpkin pie oatcakes Cold Cooked oatmeal pureed pumpkin(frozen from this past fall) pumpkin pie spice Mix the 3 together, form into patties and fry up. easy peasy and suitably tasty. So what simple frugal recipes have you made while clearing out the little things in the back of the pantry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Those pumpkin-oatmeal pancakes sound good; we eat oatmeal a lot, and that would be a nice variation on them. Great northern beans (I use dried, but canned would work), canned diced tomatoes, and frozen spinach, sauteed in a bit of oil or butter, mixed together, with rigatoni if you eat grains, seasoned with crushed red pepper to taste, topped with a bit of parmesan cheese if you want -- filling, nutritious, tasty though simple, and a large batch (enough to feed all five of us plus leftovers) is only about $7 if the ingredients were bought on sale. (Canned tomatoes are about the only canned item I use, and I do stock up on them when they're on sale for a dollar a can.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Last week, I scrounged up bean burritos from odds and ends found in the pantry. Made the refried beans from scratch myself and added in ground beef to make my scant beans stretch, since we beef farm, we've got gobs of ground beef. My dd said she liked it even better than the fajitas that I normally make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 My best tip is to make homemade pizza crust, or biscuit dough, fill with whatever is on hand, fold over and bake. My kids will eat stuff like ham and broccoli with a white sauce in a "calzone" that they wouldn't eat on pizza. You use less cheese and less/no sauce like you would on pizza and you can fill it with all kinds of toppings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I don't have any great suggestions swellmomma, but just wanted to encourage you to check out food banks in your area. I've seen you post a couple times this month in other threads about your small grocery budget this month. I pray there are food pantrys around you that you can access. If you'd like my help googling, pm me your city. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Well, I generally just keep basic staples in my pantry so my cheap go-to meals consist of some combination of beans and rice. Tomato soup from canned tomatoes is another we like that is surprisingly filling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Fried oatmeal is very good too. Shape the cold oatmeal into patties and fry. If you don't have enough grease to fry in or don't like to fry, you can bake these too. We ate this OFTEN growing up - delicious with honey or jam and very filling. Fry-up leftovers. Virtually anything left over goes in the fry pan. Pour a little broth or leftover soup on top and cook it. This is how we stretched three eggs to feed a family of six on a regular basis. Biscuits in place of bread. Homemade flat biscuits don't take many ingredients (flour, baking powder or soda, a little oil or grease), are cheap and are easy to make even for kids. Filling and make great sandwiches or cook longer for crackers for soup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I don't have any great suggestions swellmomma, but just wanted to encourage you to check out food banks in your area. I've seen you post a couple times this month in other threads about your small grocery budget this month. I pray there are food pantrys around you that you can access. If you'd like my help googling, pm me your city. :grouphug: :iagree: :grouphug: I have ever only had to be creative for a couple days at most. Im sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 (edited) Salerno Spaghetti. Recipe-1egg (always available at my house-just go move a chicken.) Spaghetti Parmesan Cheese (always available because we love it and nearly always have a rind hanging out somewhere in the fridge.) Garlic and Olive Oil Piece of any available bread that is not moldy Bacon if you have it. It's pretty simple. Cook the minced garlic in the olive oil. Reserve and wipe the skillet for the eggs. Boil up the spaghetti, and grate up whatever is left of the cheese. Whip up the bread into bread crumbs and toast them up with some salt and pepper in the oven. When all is almost done, cook the egg to runny yolk status. Pour the garlic oil and grated parm into the drained spaghetti, thin out with some reserved pasta water if needed. Top with the egg, then sprinkle bread crumbs on top of that and bacon if using. Garnish with more parm if you have it. Hand bowl to person eating, break the yolk, stir and dinner is served. I've never tried it with other cheeses, but I'm betting it would be delicious, it's pretty good just with the garlic and a few herbs. Pinto Beans are another standby, and my mother always used to make red beans and rice for us when our grocery budget was gone. We also used to eat a lot of pancakes, and potato soup. Edited May 30, 2012 by Critterfixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Homemade noodles have become a lifesaver, because we ALL enjoy them. The formula is so simple- 1 beaten egg, 1 cup of flour, pinch of salt per person. Because we have 2 little people, for our family I go with 3 eggs, 3 cups of flour, plus about a teaspoon of salt. Throw all these in the food processor and turn on. Slowly drizzle in water until the dough comes together in a ball. 2 eggs takes about 1/2 cup of water, 3 eggs closer to 3/4 but this does vary. When done, the dough should be slightly tacky. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Then, slice of pieces, roll out and cut as desired. I've used both a pasta roller and a rolling pin and knife- both turn out delicious homemade noodles. With these noodles I can stretch just about anything. A small portion of Italian sausage (for example) can be used to stuff homemade ravioli, which can either be floated in a chicken broth or tossed with marinara. Chicken broth plus homemade egg noodles makes the best soup ever. Cheap, filling, and delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I made a delicious vegetable 'beef' soup the other night and served it with corn muffins. 1 cup dry barley, cooked and drained 6 c beef stock (found bullion cubes in back of cupboard) 16 oz bag frozen black eyed peas with snaps 16 oz bag frozen carrot slices 3 tomatoes, roughly pureed in processor italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 I don't have any great suggestions swellmomma, but just wanted to encourage you to check out food banks in your area. I've seen you post a couple times this month in other threads about your small grocery budget this month. I pray there are food pantrys around you that you can access. If you'd like my help googling, pm me your city. :grouphug: Thanks, I haven't meant to make my budget come up so much, just been a big issue this month. I wanted this thread to be good for everyone with small grocery budgets not jsut me. As for food bank, our tiny town has one. I called it 6 times this month and never got a call back(the way it runs here is a volunteer is given the cell phone for 1 month, it is generally left off, once a day they are to check messages and then call the person back to confirm what help they need), anyway after the 6th time I called the office in town that has the master list of volunteers. They gave me the homoe phone number of this months volunteer. I left her 3 messages at home, last night when I called a 4th time She says "Oh I have been meaning to call you back, did you need some help". So she is supposed to come by some time today with a couple bags of groceries. Payday is tomorrow which means I will have survived the whole month, and have grocery money again. I hate that I needed the help this month, this month was nuts with expenses and tomorrow won't be much different, it will be time to renew my driver's license, my plates and my mailbox. So extra expenses that are not there all the time. But I will have enough left after that for groceries. It has been over 10 years since my pantry got this bare. We have always struggled but have always made it work and had enough. This month was tough, but we made it through. I put off the rest of my blood work until I get proper groceries again so they are not skewed due to poor diet for the month. On the plus side this week alone I am down 5 lbs. I need to lose a heck of a lot more so this 5 lbs was a silver lining. Anyway, Back to writing down recipes so that I have some ideas when I go to get groceries tomorrow. It will be a small budget again but nothing at all like this month. I will have $100 to get food and paper products for 2 weeks, with the frugal recipes being gathered here I will have no problem making that work for us. The kids have asked if we can have fruit tomorrow. I can't wait. So keep the recipes coming ladies. I know I am not the only one with occasional tiny budgets and many mouths. It is rare to be this bad off and be at the mercy of needing charity. I am so thankful that most of the time we do okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 The year we got married we were very skint due to various things beyond our control. We ate an awful lot of noodles in soupy stock type things. Then put what ever cheap vegetables or meat we could get on it. Soups work well too, particularly anything with potato in it as they are filling. Potato and leek is super filling and cheap but possibly not at this time of year. Also jacket potato with things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 No, don't be worried about mentioning it. Times are TOUGH. We all are struggling. And I ALWAYS read these threads, copy down the good ones (like the pumpkin friend oatmeal! AWESOME!) Fact is, when my pantry gets bare, I panic. My mind locks up and I cannot get creative. Actually, when it comes to cooking, I'm rarely creative anyway, LOL but it seems worse when stressed. So I love having threads like this to come to for ideas. I'm thankful you started this thread, and will definately be using many of the ideas/recipes posted! Bad storms today, power keeps going out. I will probably do something simple and cheap tonight. Looking here first for ideas! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 We have a family tradition of cleaning out the fridge and freezer once a month or so. That way we don't waste food, and the fridge gets empty so it can be cleaned. With the things we have on hand, I make *Shanty Town Surprise*. :D It is sorta like a stir fry or casserole, depending on what I have. It's never the same, and is always fun for the kids to try and figure out what is in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 When we get low on food before payday, I like to stir fry whatever we have left- those couple of carrots that always get left in the bag, leftover chicken (or anything else that's leftover), frozen peas, etc. Then serve with brown rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 (edited) A cheap staple passed down from my great-grandma is "chipped beef gravy on toast." If my milk is about to expire or I have stale bread I make this. Sometimes I even intentionally buy the marked-down bread knowing it's going to become toast anyway. It's just a white sauce (I use the one in the Betty Crocker cookbook) with shredded chipped beef ($.50-$.80 per package here) served over toast. Sometimes we add hard boiled eggs. I like mine with peas on top and lots of pepper. It's cheap and filling and has fond childhood memories for me.:001_smile: We've substituted ham and leftover sausage or ground beef before too. I bet if you added beef bullion to the sauce it would be pretty tasty w/just veggies and eggs instead. Edited May 30, 2012 by AndyJoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 When making homemade noodles, I find it really easy to cut them after rolling them out with a pizza cutter. It makes fast work. When things get tight around here, we have soup and sandwiches. Then soup and crackers, then just soup! I make a cream of vegetable soup that my kids will eat. You throw your veggies (frozen,leftover, whatever) in the soup pot with oil (grease, butter) and cook a little. Then you sprinkle flour over that to make a paste thickener. Then add broth (canned, homemade, bouillion) or even water and stir till smooth. Then add milk (fresh, canned, reconstituted powder) until you get the consistancy you want. Season to taste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Here are some of our favorite bare-cupboard recipes... Garbanzo & Tomato Curry 1 can garbanzo beans 1 can diced or petite diced tomatoes in juice 1 onion, chopped Olive or other oil Curry powder to taste Optional: ground cumin; chopped fresh cilantro; grated fresh or powdered ginger; minced garlic or garlic powder Brown or white rice *Start cooking rice. While that's going, saute the onion for about 3-5 min., then add beans, tomatoes, curry powder, and any optional ingredients EXCEPT the cilantro. Simmer about 15 min. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro. Egg Burritos Tortillas Scrambled eggs Optional: Black beans; salsa; cheese; spinach (sauteed, can use frozen but heat thoroughly) *Heat tortillas in dry pan. Fill with scrambled eggs and toppings. Fold over, and enjoy! Asian-style Noodle Bowls 1-2 pkgs ramen noodles (the "Oriental" flavor works well for this) 1-2 boullion cubes 1 pkg frozen mixed veg A dash of soy sauce Optional: (frozen) edamame beans; leftover meat, chopped up; chopped green onions; minced garlic; fresh or powdered ginger Cook the noodles according to the pkg directions. Meanwhile, heat up veggies and optional ingredients, except soy sauce. Mix all together, and top with chopped green onions. Pass around soy sauce to add to taste. Mexican-style Bean & Rice Bowls Brown or white rice 1 can black or pinto beans (or you can use 1.5 cups cooked lentils) 1 can diced tomatoes Salsa About 1/2 cup frozen corn Optional: frozen/fresh spinach, broccoli, summer squash, and/or bell pepper; cheese; avocado *Cook the rice. Cook together the beans, tomatoes and corn, plus any optional veggies. Top rice with bean mixture, add salsa, cheese, etc. to taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 A cheap staple passed down from my great-grandma is "chipped beef gravy on toast." If my milk is about to expire or I have stale bread I make this. Sometimes I even intentionally buy the marked-down bread knowing it's going to become toast anyway. It's just a white sauce (I use the one in the Betty Crocker cookbook) with shredded chipped beef ($.50-$.80 per package here) served over toast. Sometimes we add hard boiled eggs. I like mine with peas on top and lots of pepper. It's cheap and filling and has fond childhood memories for me.:001_smile: We've substituted ham and leftover sausage or ground beef before too. I bet if you added beef bullion to the sauce it would be pretty tasty w/just veggies and eggs instead. i though I was the only person who ever knew what "chipped beef on toast was!" IT's like the inexpensive deli meat right? My mom learned from my g-ma, and I too, have fond child hood memories of this. I make my own version of this now, but I still remember the roots :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I have been thinking about this topic all day, since I haven't been paid in 3 weeks (another story entirely :glare:) and my grocery money is mostly going to pay for the swim lessons I had planned to pay for with that money. I have gotten some good ideas - thanks! Our go-to bare pantry, no budget meals are eggs and whatever (grits if we have them, biscuits if we have stuff to make them, leftover veggies, etc) because we have chickens, so we always have eggs. Also, if I have leftover meat/veggies to use up and need to stretch them, I add them to a couple of packs of ramen noodles. It isn't the healthiest meal, but it is filling and cheap. I have even bought a can of veg-all and a few packs of ramens to feed the 3 of us for about $1.50. Fortunately it has been a while since the cupboard was that bare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 We have a family tradition of cleaning out the fridge and freezer once a month or so. That way we don't waste food, and the fridge gets empty so it can be cleaned. With the things we have on hand, I make *Shanty Town Surprise*. :D It is sorta like a stir fry or casserole, depending on what I have. It's never the same, and is always fun for the kids to try and figure out what is in it. My dad use to make a casserole or pizza with the leftovers but he called it Surprise pizza or Surprise casserole (surprise sometimes it tasted good, sometimes it didn't) Bean quesadillas, tortillas with refried beans on them then topped with another tortilla and browned on each side in a skillet. My kids love this. Rice or diced pan fried potatoes, add seasoning and if you have a little cooked ground beef or scrambled egg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralloyd Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Fideo: broken up spaghetti noodles about a pound 15 oz can of tomato sauce 3 1/2 cups chicken stock or water olive oil (can use veg. oil also) oregano cumin garlic salt Brown the noodle in the oil. Then add the stock, tomato sause, and seasonings. Stir to mix well, bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring once in between this time. Mexican cheese tastes great on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Our dinner last night was one of those...I had a package of chicken thighs. Four tiny thighs for 5 people. :confused: Throw it in a pot with some water, a bit of diced onions and peppers (the cheap, diced frozen kind) and a couple of diced carrots. I simmered it all until the chicken would come off the bone, and threw in a half box of broken up fettucine noodles. Then I split some left over sub rolls and toasted them. It was delish. I've found that I can stretch about any leftover into a meal by turning it into soup. Leftover mexican? Add chicken broth, a can of tomatoes and some extra seasonings and serve with tortilla chips. (And if you have stale chips, drop them into the soup and it becomes tortilla soup!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 We stretch a lot of meat by serving it over or with rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Tonight's dinner is a freebie, using everything I have on hand and adapting the recipe a bit. It's a Lasagna Soup with homemade bread. Basically whatever veggies on hand with garlic and seasonings, and I added canned tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and broth from the freezer. I'll be adding lasagna noodles that I'll break into pieces, as well as a small bit of homemade Italian Sausage. Oh, and I'm also adding a few handfuls of spinach from the garden. I was inspired by a recipe from $5 Dinners. I've had quite a few good recipes from there- many times I adapt them to use what I have on hand. The only problem I've had with the recipes is that some of them are no longer available online because they are now in one of her books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 My go-to recipe is pretty simple: 1 c lentils (dry) 1 c rice (whatever kind is fine) 1 large onion salt, pepper, cumin, garlic Cook the lentils in water until done. Cook the rice in another pan until done (cooking times vary on the rice you use, of course). While the lentils and rice are cooking, slice the onion thinly and caramelize it (it is easiest if you have some oil to cook it in, otherwise, cook it slowly with a bit of honey or other sweetener and some water). Mix the lentils and rice when they are done, add seasoning. Caramelized onion on the top. Yum. Or Mexican: 1 can black beans 1 can diced tomatoes (or dice them yourself, either way) 1 onion, diced / some garlic, diced / or both sweet potato, corn, peppers, or other veggies (if you have them) rice, cooked Saute the onion/garlic for a few moments. Add any veggies, if you have them, and let cook until fork-tender. Add the black beans and tomatoes. Heat thoroughly and season. Serve over rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I was going to suggest learning to make "no kneed bread" if you don't already bake bread. It's super easy! Not to mention cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I remembered seeing this dear lady last year. Her name is Clara, and she made some videos on Great Depression recipes. I got some inspiration from her wisdom. Here is the link to one of them: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 A cheap staple passed down from my great-grandma is "chipped beef gravy on toast." If my milk is about to expire or I have stale bread I make this. Sometimes I even intentionally buy the marked-down bread knowing it's going to become toast anyway. It's just a white sauce (I use the one in the Betty Crocker cookbook) with shredded chipped beef ($.50-$.80 per package here) served over toast. Sometimes we add hard boiled eggs. I like mine with peas on top and lots of pepper. It's cheap and filling and has fond childhood memories for me.:001_smile: We've substituted ham and leftover sausage or ground beef before too. I bet if you added beef bullion to the sauce it would be pretty tasty w/just veggies and eggs instead. i though I was the only person who ever knew what "chipped beef on toast was!" IT's like the inexpensive deli meat right? My mom learned from my g-ma, and I too, have fond child hood memories of this. I make my own version of this now, but I still remember the roots :D When I was a kid and we were too poor for chipped beef, my mom would make creamed green beans over toast. I actually liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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