I need frugal meal ideas that don't involve beans, soy, or peanuts. Any ideas?

Question

My children are allergic to beans, soy, and peanuts, but too many frugal meals call for those ingredients. Does anyone have any cheap meal ideas that don't involve any type of beans or legumes?

Answer 1

Both recipies below are from  http://www.kraftfoods.com/

I get their magazine at my home and the email site also......love the ideas they offer and such a good variety of things to cook .

Bruschetta Chicken Skillet

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing 4 small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.) 2 large red peppers, chopped 2 cloves  garlic, minced 2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) pasta-style or Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained 1/2 cup  water 2 cups instant white rice, uncooked 1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese 1 large tomato, chopped 2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh basil HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, peppers and garlic; cover. Cook 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF), turning after 5 min. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.

ADD canned tomatoes and water to skillet. Stir in rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 10 min. Meanwhile, combine cheese, chopped tomatoes and basil.

RETURN chicken to skillet; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Cover. Cook 5 min. or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

Taco Bake

1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner 1 lb.  ground beef 1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix 3/4 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream 1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided 1 cup  TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa HEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.

STIR sour cream into prepared Dinner; spoon 1/2 into 8-inch square baking dish. Top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup cheese and remaining Dinner mixture; cover with foil.

BAKE 15 min.; top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Answer 2

Pizza

or

Kid Cuisine it is healthy and not very expensive

or

If you have older kids like maybe 9 and up a frozen dinner of mashed potatoes chicken and corn

Answer 3

You're up the creek. To provide protein needed for your children's growth, you need either animal protein in the diet or a combination of grains and legumes to provide all the essential amino acids. What you might get away with is cutting back on portion size. A portion of meat is the size of a pack of cigarettes, not a steak that laps over the plate all around. Try oriental-style dishes, particularly Chinese and Indonesian, where meat is used more as a flavoring than as the centerpiece of a meal.

The other approach is to trade in your children on new models. ;=)

Answer 4

I've made this recipe, and my kids really enjoyed it (I have 4). Smoked mozzerella can be pricey, so I used regular, and it still tasted wonderful.

***Baked Ricotta and Spinach Rigatoni***

1 pound rigatoni

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour  

3 cups milk

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 ounces smoked or fresh mozzarella, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook rigatoni for 5 minutes in a pot of boiling, salted water. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

To make the bechamel sauce:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Sweat the shallots and garlic for a few minutes until softened and but not colored. Add the flour and stir until a smooth paste forms. Gradually whisk in  the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste. Let cool slightly.

Transfer cooled bechamel to a large mixing bowl and add the spinach, ricotta, and eggs. Mix in rigatoni and transfer to a greased 9 by13-inch baking dish. Top with grated mozzarella. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned on top, the center is no longer runny, and the sides are bubbly.

Answer 5

Macaroni and cheese mix, a can of tuna, a can of cream of mushroom soup with some french fried onions on top - nutritious and cheap.

  

Answer 6

Use less-expensive cuts of meat and meat subs for your protein.  Things like eggs, lowfat cheeses, chicken legs/thighs, turkey (buy a couple this fall when they go on sale in Oct.), ground meat, roasts bought on sale (sirloin, chuck, butt, shoulder, etc) that are kind of tough and take awhile to cook to be tender.  These are the cheapest but, honestly, taste the best.

Use up leftovers.  What's a slice of meat on a plate one night (leftoves) can be a sandwich filling the next night, or a casserole or soup component.  Save all l/o veggies and freeze.  When container is full, make veggie soup (and toss in chicken or beef or turkey as you have it).

Also, buy frozen fruits and veggies when on sale; stock up then, and you'll always have them.

For bread, buy frozen bread dough (Bridgeford is one brand) and bake your own.  Tastes much better and way cheaper than sliced bread these days (Unless you find store-brand for $1/loaf-- those freeze well, too)

Answer 7

I get a large package of chicken legs and boil them in a big pot of water with diced onions and celery until they're done. I then remove the chicken meat and cut it in medium small pieces.

I use a third of the meat for chicken and dumplings with 1/2 of the stock (with the onions and celery) from boiling. I get the stock boiling and then drop the dumplings (I use the Bisquik recipe) in to cook. When they're done, I add 1/2 a can of peas. It's super yummy, especially on a cold day. 6 adult servings.

A third of the meat is combined with cooked pasta, cut up tomatoes, green onions, black olives (or seedless grapes), and celery for a cold chicken pasta dish. If you use black olives, make a dressing from 1/4 cup of sour cream & 1/4 cup of mayo with italian spices, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Toss it all together and refrigerate for an hour or two. If you use the grapes, then do the same dressing but substitute a little dill and add a teaspoon and a half of sugar to the dressing instead of the other spices. Yummy!!  6 adult servings with a side dish or 4 if served alone.

The last third of the chicken meat is combined with the remaining 1/2 of the stock to make chicken soup. I add noodles or macaroni to the boiling stock until done, then I add the chicken & a can of mixed veggies. Sometimes I add a bouillon cube to give a more rich chicken flavor to the stock and sometimes I add 1/4 cup of condensed milk for a cream of chicken soup option. 6 adult servings

If your kids have problems with peas, too, then you can substitute carrots in these recipes!! : P

Answer 8

You can't go wrong with pasta.  It's versatile too, you can do almost anything with it.

Answer 9

How about a german boiled dinner. Just some boiled hocks and veggies. You will have lots of leftovers to freeze. Or corned beef and cabbage. Same deal.