Cheap Meals At Home

Discussion in Food & Drink started by Alexandoy • Feb 25, 2017.

  1. Alexandoy

    AlexandoyWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    250
    Messages:
    1,459
    Likes Received:
    415
    I am one who is always mulling of how to cook cheaper meals. Corned is one because it is to add extenders like cabbage or broccoli. A can of corned beef that is good for 4 can be good for 6 with the extender. For broiled fish, a filling of tomatoes and onions not only will enhance the flavor but will also serve as extenders. For the meat, it is always better to cook into a soup so you can freely add vegetables as well. Even an omelet can taste better with extenders like potatoes or green leafy vegetables.

    Any other ideas you have there?
     
  2. Decentlady

    DecentladyActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2016
    Threads:
    53
    Messages:
    681
    Likes Received:
    177
    Actually left overs make precursors for a new dish. A little modification in a day old rice can give you a variety of dishes like tamarind rice, lemon rice or fried veggie rice with minimum cost.
     
  3. Jamille

    JamilleActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2016
    Threads:
    11
    Messages:
    727
    Likes Received:
    111
    I, too, like to extend meals by adding value to it or making it more filling. For example, I would make a mixture of ground meat, shredded carrots, onions, celery, and a little salt. From this simple mixture, I can prepare several types of meals such as hamburger patties, lumpia or spring rolls filling, fried meatballs, and meatballs soup. My son won't even realize that he's eating from the same food mix.

    For meatballs soup, I make the soup more filling by adding misua. We rarely eat corned beef, but when we do, we fry it with scrambled eggs which we top with shredded cheese. Now, that one looks like a pizza. And when there's excess lumpia wrapper and cheese, I make cheese sticks. There's always an extra challenge of making it more appetizing for my young child.
     
  4. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    I think we all are same when it comes to cooking food at home. We all try to invent newer ways to cut the cost short as much possible by finding alternates and recipes that will reduce the cost. I bought a pack of mushrooms only last weekend and my wife added lots of additives like tomato , capsicum, onions and spinach. The pack of mushroom meant for two is only half used and half of it remains in fridge for another helping.
     
  5. Jason76

    Jason76Active Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2015
    Threads:
    156
    Messages:
    888
    Likes Received:
    131
    Sometimes a pack of hot dogs for 1 dollar or a pack of organic chicken for 2 dollars will make excellent meals. With the hot dogs, I would normally bake them because those cheap ones lack a good taste when boiled. With the chicken, being cooked in any form is fine, but will normally take at least an hour. Anyhow, other ideas for cheap and very quick meals include canned meat, boiled eggs, and tuna.
     
  6. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina IsobeWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2015
    Threads:
    18
    Messages:
    1,787
    Likes Received:
    505
    Wonderful way to stay healthy and save money. I buy corned beef in the can on sale, locally now it's $3.79. I like making corn beef hash with Yukon potatoes on sale for .99. Sometimes we have corned beef with sliced onions, and julienne potatoes, plus seasoning to taste of the corn beef with salt and pepper and rice it's terrific. Fresh corned beef is outrageously expensive now. Soon it's going to be Saint Patrick's day. We usually have fresh corned beef and cabbage with carrots and potatoes. But for the past 2 years it's canned corned beef because it's too expensive even on sale for our home for fresh corned beef. If you're lucky Safeway has deli corn beef on sale, but it usually sells out fast.
    [​IMG] from

    Log In

    .
     
  7. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    I am a vegetarian so I buy a lot of veggies from farmers' market on weekend which last us for entire week or even more. That is way cheaper than what we buy in supermarket or in surrounding stores. I find the rates so astoundingly less that I feel like buying everything every time I visit that market but my car has a limited capacity LOL.
     
  8. anupamas2

    anupamas2Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2016
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    263
    Likes Received:
    29
    We add coriander leaves and tomatoes to the omelette. Then there is also adding potatoes and other vegetables to meat curry. Making curries instead of fried items or dry items also reduces the cost and the quantity of veggies or meat required.
     
  9. janemariesayed

    janemariesayedActive Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2016
    Threads:
    18
    Messages:
    303
    Likes Received:
    58
    @Alexandoy@Alexandoy My mom used to make us a roast pork some weeks for our Sunday dinner. There was always a little left over meat and on the Monday afterwards she would make a casserole dish with the leftovers. The dish was called poor man's goose' which was cooked in the oven. The left over pork was added with potatoes and vegetables and a tasty stock. For a family of five, it was a good idea to make the Sunday roast stretch to a second day.
     
    #9Mar 27, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2017
  10. to7update

    to7updateActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    Threads:
    56
    Messages:
    609
    Likes Received:
    183
    @Decentlady@Decentlady That's what I do too. For example, if I have leftovers of rice or chicken (what is pretty common) I just add some olive oil in a frying pan, but the rice in, the chicken, some mixed eggs and there we go, a simple meal in under 10 minutes using the leftover. I hate wasting food!
     
    #10Mar 27, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2017
  11. Nakitakona

    NakitakonaActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Threads:
    22
    Messages:
    898
    Likes Received:
    153
    My wife and I are mixed eaters. We eat meat and we vegetable. As far as cost saving conscious is concerned, we would prefer meals with veggies. Beans, leafy vegetables are abundant in our place, especialloy during out market day. What we get from meat could be supplied by beans and enhanced by veggies.

    When my late mother is living, she won't let us eat veggies during night time for they couldn't be easily digested. I didn't know the reason why. But now, we eat them even at night and nothing happened to our tummy.
     
  12. thisnthat

    thisnthatActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    124
    Messages:
    592
    Likes Received:
    174
    I like to make a roast too when I can find it on sale. There is always some left, which can easily be made into soups, stews, or sandwiches for another meal. Two meals for (nearly) the price of one is always a good thing to me.

    Soups and stews are my "go to" meals when trying to stretch the groceries. You can make the main ingredients go much further this way. I know a lot of people do the same with casseroles, but my family isn't real big on that kind of meal. They'd rather have soup and some bread or crackers (both of which I can frequently find discounts on either locally or at Walmart).

    Adding vegetables to your meat dishes as fillers is a great idea, in my opinion. I like veggies anyway, so it works for me. I stock up on the frozen ones when they are on sale or I have a coupon, so I usually always have some available.

    I always shop for interesting herbs and spices when I can get good deals on them too. You can do a lot with leftovers, just by spicing them differently.
     
  13. to7update

    to7updateActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    Threads:
    56
    Messages:
    609
    Likes Received:
    183
    Just now I am about to cook dinner. I will just peel some potatoes, boil them along with some eggs, mix everything together with some canned tuna, olive oil and some chopped raw onions. Cheap, quick, and let me tell you, delicious! :)
     
  14. FolkArtist

    FolkArtistActive Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2017
    Threads:
    6
    Messages:
    488
    Likes Received:
    34
    A good cheap side dish to eat with any kind of meat is black beans and rice,this combination is very popular in caribbean and southern cooking. The carribean people make red beans and rice also,but add a lot of spices to them as well. These flavors include garlic ,onions and creole spices,also they add bay leaves and thyme with scotch bonnet(a red carribean pepper),and coconut milk to the rice.
     
  15. tonyb

    tonybActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    36
    Messages:
    901
    Likes Received:
    152
    I have discovered that with just small amount of money I am able to cook a very good meal at home. What I noticed me is the fact that money I would spend at a sitting eating at some restaurants, especially the exotic ones, is enough to cook some food at home. When I cook at home I get plenty of food and get to feed myself sufficiently enough.
     
  16. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    You guys motivated me enough to give you a quick vegetarian dish recipe which is basically known as Gobhi (Cauliflower) Manchurian but I have simplified it. I suggest take enough Cauliflower, potato, beans in equal quantity and onions according to your need and after making them in proper size put them all in microwave for 3-4 minutes. Let them fry in oil and add spices of your choice (I do that in butter adding salt and pepper) for few minutes. It's great lunch or dinner for me and wife while we are in no mood of formal meals.
     
  17. thisnthat

    thisnthatActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    124
    Messages:
    592
    Likes Received:
    174
    Thanks for sharing your recipe, @Ray1@Ray1. It sounds very filling. I'd have to leave off the potatoes, since I"m cutting back on starch. Beans would be fine though, since they are packed with fiber. I have never tried them with cauliflower. Is there a certain type of bean you use?

    I have learned that simply adding onions to something can totally change a dish. I recently made some pork chops for dinner, and there was one left in the package. I made it for my husband the next evening, and all I did was fricassee it with some onion. It was a completely different meal.

    Getting a little bit creative can go a long way.
     
  18. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    @thisnthat@thisnthat Yes, we use different beans but I used Frans Bean in this particular recipe. Sometimes when cauliflower is either unavailable then we use broccoli instead which taste little different but serves the purpose all right. Yes, as you said experimenting with recipes gives you wonderful result besides you can use your leftover food. My wife and me have experimented with different recipes of green peas, frans bean, cauliflower and rice and in our case potato was one of the main ingredients as we are vegetarian and generally wheat eater.
     
    #18May 5, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: May 5, 2017
  19. Aaliyah Montes

    Aaliyah MontesNew Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2017
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    @Decentlady@Decentlady I totally agree with you. A little creativity will make an old dish a new delicious meal. Its always a great idea of saving your budget to eat the left overs instead of throwing it away because its still a food and there's a different dish you can bring out of it.
     
    #19May 5, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: May 5, 2017