What are some of your poor man dinner meals?

Question

** Posted in Cooking section but wanted some tips from parents also**

I’m sitting here trying to figure out how we can possibly save more money. I can’t skimp too much on certain things with groceries but I can skimp when it comes to my husband and myself. My son is 21 months old and has to eat properly. I also have to make his lunch for school and I try to buy healthy stuff for him and well, healthy isn’t exactly cheap. And lots of fruits or veggies go to waste because I can’t cook them fast enough.

So my question to some of you is this….

What are your “poor man” meals? What do you guys make for dinner that costs very little but serves a lot? Please provide your recipes if you can.

The one meal that we make a huge portion of is called “American Chop Suey”. It’s nothing like it’s name but we basically just take a huge portion of sauce, tomato soup, elbow macaroni, some diced onions and ground hamburg. Mix it all up and freeze what you don’t use up. Usually one big batch serves us for at least 3 other meals.

So what types of meals do you guys make when you’re pinching pennies??

Answer 1

The chicken pot pie recipe you find on the bisquick box or the campbell's soup can is great.  I'm sure you can find it online.  And as with many other recipes, I cut back the amount of meat by at least a third.

We also make a cold tuna noodle salad/casserole.  We boil rotini noodles, rinse, then add mayo, tuna, cut up olives and season salt.  yum.

Also, do you have a grocery outlet/canned food store nearby?  I used to shop there all the time when I was going to college.  The only thing you have to watch for is expiration dates, and dented cans.

Answer 2

Dirty rice and ground turkey meat.  You boil the dirty rice and it has seasonings already in it.  Fry up your turkey meat.   Drain your rice and add the meat.  It's good, cheap and it fills you up....

Answer 3

Hey Momto2inFL, I can feel your pain.  Just curious, I know that you live in the States but do you have a Lidl or an Aldi close to you?  I'm from Ireland and these stores have been here for years but now more people are shopping there.  Everything is inexpensive and there are special offers every Sunday / Monday and Thursday.  Currently they have an offer in Aldi on fruit and veg, they have a selection for 89c ($1.36).

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Answer 4

Spaghetti is always a cheap meal. At our house we add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to the sauce. Its actually really good and some what healthy for you.

Sheppard's pie is also a hit at my house. Make a big pan full of mashed potatoes, add any leftover meat from another meal (beef, ham, meatloaf, anything will pretty much work) then add vegetable of your choice. Mix it all together, top it with a little butter and you have nutritious meal that's cheap and helps you not waste your leftovers

Answer 5

brown hamburger like you would if you were making tacos, season with salt/pepper/garlic, add a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of cheddar cheese soup then add already cooked noodles.  mix and eat.  (poor man's stroganoff)

Answer 6

This is my tuna casserole that everyone eats. Take a box of macaroni and cheese and fix according to the directions except that you put in 1/2 cup of milk instead of a fourth. Now add one can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of tuna, and some peas. If you use frozen, make sure you heat them up a bit first. Take two slices of bread and toast them. Cut them into squares and soak them in a little melted butter. Place them over the top for a crust. Bake at 350 for thirty minutes.

Oh, and for vegetables, buy frozen whenever you can. They are just as nutritious, if not moreso, than fresh and they certainly last longer. Cheaper, too. As for the fruit, once you determine you budget for groceries, save some back to go to the store to buy the fresh when you need them. Less waste. It also helps to make out a menu for the week before you go to the store. I, too, was wasting fruits and veggies because I was waiting too long. Now I know when I'm going to cook them and how to store them properly.

Answer 7

Potato omelet.  (Fry up a bunch of diced potatoes and onions. While they cook, beat up how ever many eggs you like witha little milk, and season with pepper and herbs .[I don't cook with salt.].  When the potatoes are soft, pour in the eggs and cover.  When set on the bottom, turn and cook until done.   You can also scramble them if it's easier, and add any veggies you like. Peas work well.  (Frying the potatoes in the fat from a couple of slices of bacon (and cutting up the bacon to add to the eggs) isn't super healthy, but makes it all taste better.

Chickpea curry.  (Can of chickpeas [or dried ones, soaked and cooked]. Dice an onion and fry until soft.  Add a can of  tomato sauce, seasoned with curry powder.  Heat chickpeas through in the sauce.  You could also use other seasonings if you don't like curry -- garlic/basil for an italian flavor, cilantro for a mexican taste. Serve over rice. You can also use hard boiled eggs rather than chickpeas.

Beans and greens.  Lot of variation here.  Any dried or canned beans you like.  If dried, cook until soft in the usual way.  Stir fry with garlic and  lots of seasonings (any you like -- I like beans to be highly seasoned) and your favorite green veggies (chard, spinach, kale, etc.).  You could add potatoes for the starch to make a one-pot meal, or serve over rice or pasta.

EDIT:  Wondering where some people live where sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and paremsan cheese meet any remote definition of 'penny pinching.'  :-) .

Answer 8

spagetti, hamburger helper, make a stew with your veggies. you can make your child healthy meals and put them in little containers and freeze them. and only buy in small amounts. also if you find a local fruit/veggie stand its cheaper than the grocery store and you can start your own garden

Answer 9

Meatloaf & mashed potatoes. I buy instant potatoes & I buy a big jar of gravy mix at Sam's club. Both make many servings so they last for months.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (taken from a Campbell's Soup cook book)

1 pkg of boneless chicken b*****s

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup of parmasean cheese

1 cup of frozen broccoli florets

1 pkg of fettuccine noodles

Cut chicken into strips and cook.

Boil noodles

When noodles are almost done, add frozen broccoli (about 4 minutes)

Drain

Add the remaining ingredients & heat until hot.

Probably costs about $10 to make.

Ham BBQ's

1/2 lb of chipped ham

Open Pitt BBQ sauce

Relish

ketchup

Hamburger buns

Pour BBQ sauce, ham, couple quirts of ketchup & about 1-2 TBS of relish into a medium sauce pan. Heat until hot--serve on buns.

EDIT: Also, those homestyle Banquet meals are pretty good. I think at Walmart they are less than $4.00 a box. They have many different varieties. I personally love the chicken  dumplings one.

Answer 10

I shop sales and just make whatever is cheap into a meal. Stock up when things like chicken legs go on sale (you can find them for 59 cents usually once a month) and use boxed mashed potato flakes instead of real potatoes. Many stores also sell "pick of the chick" where they cut up a whole chicken and you get bone-in b*****s, legs, and thighs. You can buy several and seperate the pieces out. Then you can have b*****s on night, legs another, etc. Save up for a few months and you will have a bunch of wings for a hot wing night!

This time of year you can get fruits and veggies at farmers markets pretty cheap... Today I found some zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumbers for 33 cents each... green peppers for 50 cents... so I would grill the veggies in a foreman grill, chop the frozen chicken b*****s into small pieces and grill them, then serve with brown rice... nice low calorie dinner that can feed you and your husband for about $2.50 total.

Also watch u-scan checkout coupons... lots of people leave their coupons and when you check out you can get a ton! When I used to have a Kroger by my house we would often find so many coupons for actual free stuff just left there. We drank a lot of free coffee flavored soy milk for months from Kroger...

Do you have a day old bread store? You can get all sorts of hamburger buns and bread and donuts and muffins for super cheap.

Answer 11

We make one which is sort of like yours...It's ground hamburger meat, velveeta (sp?) mac&cheese (its creamier), and salsa all mixed together, and topped with sour cream. To some i'm sure it sounds nasty, however it is so good, and cheap. My mother-in-law introduced it to me. My daughter who is 2 1/2 LOVES it. We also make big pots of soups and chilli, and freeze them.  

Answer 12

I'm surprised that nobody has addressed your fresh produce problem.  If you find that you're throwing alot of it out you need to buy less fresh produce, but shop for it more frequently (if that makes sense).  I do grocery shopping once per week, but only buy enough fruits/veggies for about 2 days.  I make more trips to the store during the week to get more produce.  Also, only buy things that are in season, it will be much cheaper.  Anything out of season will be much more expensive and the quality won't be as good since it has to travel.  I live in the West, so I try to buy things grown in California or Mexico because they will be fresher.  I avoid things from out East because the quality will be lesser.

For instance: right now, melons are in season where I live.  I got a locally grown 4 pound muskmelon (like a cantaloupe) for $2.  A few months ago avocados were in season and cost about $1 each and we ate lots of them.  Now they cost between $2 - $3 each, so I don't usually buy them.

Answer 13

Rice and Hamburger Gravy

Brown1lb hamburger meat and add 1 can cream of mushroom soup (also add a measured can of milk) heat until warm and creamy

Cook white rice according to package directions 1c rice to 2 c. water

Server with Hamburger Gravy over the rice.  Really good if you need a hot, rib sticking meal.

Answer 14

ziti and spagetti...lasts for 3 days in my family

Answer 15

Macaroni Casserole was always a staple my mother made, and that I make now myself. The left overs last a good while too.

1-2 boxes kraft Mac n Cheese (depending on how long you want it to last)

Brocolli

Chopped ham/chicken

Grated sharp cheddar

After cooking the mac and cheese, mix in a sprinkling of your ham and/or chicken and uncooked broccoli. Place in a casserole dish and bake in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes, topping with the grated cheese during the last 5 minutes.

It is pretty good, very easy to make and most importantly quite inexpensive.

Answer 16

Wow, there have been some pretty good suggestions. We've done the American Chop Suey, and a cold tuna noodle thing (tuna and mayo mixed with cold noodles, it's extremely filling). The crockpot, as someone mentioned, is a must. You can make tons of meals with a crockpot, and you'll have warm food all day.

Pasta is a big one. Depending upon what brand you use, pasta is pretty cheap, and if you go whole wheat, it's even good for you. My aunt lived on pasta for quite a while. You cook up the pasta, and then you can add frozen vegetables, you can add italien dressing (makes a great pasta salad), and then there are infinite sauces to choose from.

It's nice because even though it's still pasta, if you change what you add to it, you don't get tired of it.

Oatmeal is good to have around too. It's good for you, and it's filling, although you get bored of it pretty quick.  

Answer 17

first one:

A packet of ranch dip mix (the powered kind, it's like a dollar)

sprinkle it on top of some thin chicken b*****s (now a days you can get a back for like 4 dollars a pound. the really think ones, comes in like a four plus pack)

put chicken in oven until done (about 30-45 minutes)

cut chicken into strips/bites, put on top of some salad (salad mix like 3 dollars if you don't want to buy your own veggies).  

second choice:

cream of celery chicken casserole

one can cream of celery.  put chicken breast (or even cheaper, bone chicken such as wings, etc) in pan.  pour cream of celery on top of chicken.  add some milk or water to make thinner.  add cheese on top if you like.  bake for about 45 minutes.  (you can also add rice on the bottom, so dry rice, chicken on top of rice, cream of celery.  if you do this, you'll have to add in a lot more liquid, so that the rice can cook).

third choice:

beans and rice

but black beans in crock pot (you can use any type of bean, or mix various types together).  rinse off beans, make sure there's no twigs or any non bean things in it.  afterwards, pour water on top of the beans until covered and let sit over night.  The next morning, pour the water out, and add new water until beans are covered.  add whatever spare veggies you have in the house, tomatoes, okra, whatever.  season to taste (seasoning salt will do, mrs dash maybe).  add in some bone meat such as smoked turkey leg, etc).  this with a side of rice will last for a long time.  turkey legs are very cheap, a pack of beans is around a dollar.

Answer 18

Rice and beans

Pasta with marinara sauce

soup and sandwich

Vegetable stew (using frozen stew vegetables from the supermarket)

Grilled cheese and tomato

Entree Salads

Answer 19

Ramen Noodles;; N ii am not poor. LOL =]

Answer 20

If you dont already have one you need to invest in one...crock pot. it WILL be worth it gauranteed. Ive got 2 boys that will soon be big starving teenagers and I fear of how often I will be at the grocery store. Anyway, just buy a big hunk of meat brown it and throw it in the crock pot with any veggie you can possibly think of. I use sweet potatoes, green snap peas, carrots, onion, turnips, zuccini, yellow squash and more i'll just use any veggie I currently have in the fridge. I throw a couple beef boulin cubes and some water, and cook it on high for about 7 hours (I usually use a chuck roast). Just grab a spoon and fill up a bowl with this hearty stew, I like to crumble some goldfish ontop of it as well. Healthy as can be, super filling and super tastey, and awful cheap.  

Answer 21

I make this more when I want to save time- it's very healthy too, and vegetarian- but you can throw in sliced ham if you want.

Box of pasta

Salt

Can artichoke hearts

Can chopped tomato (basil or garlic flavor)

Box of frozen spinach (or bag fresh)

1/2 jar sundried tomato

Red pepper sprinkles- we like a generous sprinkle because we like hot food!

Make pasta according to box. Salt the water while cooking.

Put all the other ingredients together in small saucepan and heat until warm.

Mix altogether! Even if you don't have all the ingredients, it's just as good without or with substitutions.

Yum!

Answer 22

chicken,rice,frozen broccoli, and cheese and use the left over chicken for chicken salad

Answer 23

If you have a Grocery Outlet in your area (Or a liquidation place) you can usually find cans of beef stew. Get some biscuit mix and follow the recipe for drop biscuits. Place the stew in a casserole dish and drop the biscuit dough on top and bake for 12 minutes, or however long it is to brown the biscuits. The stew has veggies in it so it is something your son can eat. For his lunches you can make your own breakfast cookies. The have a lot of vitamins in them and no preservatives like the store bought one and you can make a bigger batch and freeze them for cheaper than you can buy them and he will think he is getting a treat. One thing my husband used to make when he was a single dad (He was a widower) was make mashed potatoes (Not instant) and cut up hotdogs (You can try the low-fat or veggie hotdogs). He would mix the hotdogs in with the potatoes and bake it in the oven. It is actually pretty good. I add garlic and I put frozen corn in with the potatoes before putting it in the oven. feel free to email me as I have a whole lot of recipes that can be done cheap and made ahead to freeze to save time during a hectic work week. I am actually thinking about turning it into a business to go into people's homes and do this for them.

Answer 24

My dad used to make my sister and I spaghetti-o's with chunks of hot dog mixed in.  Not very nutritious (no veggies) but very good and very cheap!  And you can find store brand spaghettios for cheap and a 10 pack of ballpark hot dogs for 2 bucks.