Low Cost Survival Meals

[Praying]

With all of the rising in food prices, and the current state of our economy, with no sign of it getting any better, I was thinking it would be nice if we shared some of our low cost meal solutions with one another, and other little money saving tips we may all have.

I know that God will provide for us all during these times, but I also realize, that we all need to be in survival mode. I for one, have come to the realization, that a 3 or 4 course meal is not realistic for us anymore, we just can't afford to eat as we once did. Our meals are much simpler these days, and when in the past, my goal was to prepare an excellent meal for my family, which I would still like to be able to do, our finances no longer support that, so now my goals have shifted to survival, and how to provide a meal that is filling, and nutritious, to the best of my ability.

We still have bigger meals once or twice a week, but for the most part, our meals are very simple, and include one dish, and bread of some sort. Chicken n' dumplings is one of those dishes, and a can of peas can be added to it if desired.

I am hoping that we will all get some great ideas and support from one another to curb our expenses, and lift one another up as we all struggle with this world, while waiting for Jesus to take us out of here!

[Lsfarris77]

I'm thinking we will resort back to meat & potatoes kind of meals.... You can get (at this point) a bag of potatoes and 2 sausage links for about $5 today... That's of course if they stay in range of 2.50 for each. It is not very good for you unless you bake the potatoes and skimp the butter.

[kmendel]

Cream tuna over rice. Mix a can of drained tuna with a can of cream of chicken or asparagus soup and a half a soup can of milk................put it over some cooked rice. It's tasty! and, it fills the tummy rather cheaply.

[Hootmon]

'Dirty' Beans and Rice

[Wally]

Basics:

Beans, rice, potatoes,

Bread, noodles

greens and vegitables from your own garden

These are foundation for soups, stews, bakes.

Now add to them, chicken, eggs, fish --- if you can raise or hunt your own.
Add spices, salt, butter for flavor


For snacks, fruit or make your own.

the final group use as you can get on sale - other meats, sweets

[Praying]

I've gone to using only the canned chunky vegetable style spaghetti sauce(Del Monte or Hunts for about $1.00) over pasta, skipping the meat, and a tossed salad, and garlic toast. I can get a bag of mixed salad for $1.79. Many times, I have made my own dressing, by mixing mayo, ketchup, chopped onion and pickle if we didn't have any commercial salad dressing and my budget was really tight.

4 can eat this for about $ 6.00 and be full, and it's actually really good. I usually add a little more salt and garlic powder to the sauce. I use regular bread, margarine, and sprinkle the garlic powder on top and broil in oven because it's cheaper than actually buying garlic bread and our budget is really, really tight!

[BabeinChrist]

A package of hashbrowns or you can slice up potatos and fry them with chorizo, awesome dinner fills four. About 4.00 or less depending on your grocery, you can usually find a bag of potatoes for .99 and chorizo almost always 1.99,

Also, .89 blueberry muffin mix (about 6 muffins)
large can of baked beans 1.79
mix with 1lb little smokies 2.99
fill four for about 6.00

hot white Rice top with sugar, cinnamon, butter and couple drops of milk
Awesome breakfast for next to nothing

1 package deli ham, 2 boxes mac and cheese, 1/2 cup half and half, salt, pepper, and little grated cheddar, dried bread crumbs/ make the mac and cheese, dice ham and add to mix, pour in half and half and stir well, top with crumbs, bake until slightly crisp on top
roughly 6.00

[Praying]

A package of hashbrowns or you can slice up potatos and fry them with chorizo, awesome dinner fills four. About 4.00 or less depending on your grocery, you can usually find a bag of potatoes for .99 and chorizo almost always 1.99,

Also, .89 blueberry muffin mix (about 6 muffins)
large can of baked beans 1.79
mix with 1lb little smokies 2.99
fill four for about 6.00

hot white Rice top with sugar, cinnamon, butter and couple drops of milk
Awesome breakfast for next to nothing

1 package deli ham, 2 boxes mac and cheese, 1/2 cup half and half, salt, pepper, and little grated cheddar, dried bread crumbs/ make the mac and cheese, dice ham and add to mix, pour in half and half and stir well, top with crumbs, bake until slightly crisp on top
roughly 6.00

This recipe sounds good. I'll try that one out tonight. Thanks for sharing!

Praying to go home soon!

[Praying]

Cream tuna over rice. Mix a can of drained tuna with a can of cream of chicken or asparagus soup and a half a soup can of milk................put it over some cooked rice. It's tasty! and, it fills the tummy rather cheaply.

Hey, this is really good, - and cheap too! I never would have thought of this!
Thanks!

The King is coming!

[kmendel]

Thanks......it is good. First had it in my school cafeteria 56 years ago. I liked it so much, I told my mom about it, and she started making it. When I grew up and married, I fixed it for my family. I never have gotten tired of it.

[Tena]

We do a tuna/noodle salad
Elbow Noodles mixed with a can of tuna and mayo stirred in. You can add some cheese to the top or bread crumbs and bake. Stir in some peas for variety.

When we go camping our favorite meal is fried potatos with a chopped up kielbasa ring and a little onion.

[PSK]

Tell me gals what is chorizo? I have never heard of it.

[jadeeyes]

Tell me gals what is chorizo? I have never heard of it.

It's a type of sausage.

[MidwestMama]

What a great thread. I agree, with all the prices going up, we're trying to tighten our belts a bit just to be prudent. Please keep all the great recipes coming!!

[notdecieved]

Goulash - 4 - 6 med servings.

1 # of hamburger, separated and fry up in enough water to cover.
1 lg onion chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 gloves garlic crushed
salt, pepper and your favorite herbs to taste(I like savory)

Cook this altogether until veggies are tender and enough water still in
pan to make gravey, you may have to add a little water.

Gravey mix: In pint jar fill about 2/3 with cold water and add 3 tbs.
heaping of flour. Put lid on jar and shake until flour is dissolved. Pour
into meat and veggie mix and stir until thickened.

Meanwhile cook 1 1/2 cup dry macaroni in about 6 cups of salted water
until macaroni is tender. Drain and place in pan with meat and veggies.
Ketchup tastes wonderful over this.

While my 6 kids were growing this one was their favorite and they gave it
the name of Goulash.

[Windsong]

when my kids were young.. i used to brown hamburger add a chopped onion and when the onion was soft add a can of pork n' beans. serve with potato and vegie... one of my kid's favorite meals.

another is.. forgot chicken

1 cup long grain rice
2 cups boiling water
1 can of whole mushrooms
1pkg onion soup mix
salt pepper and garlic
mix together... place bone in chicken pieces on top... cover and bake at 350 for two hours

[Praying]

Okay, here is something I do when I have family or friends come over un announced.
I make bbq chicken sandwiches.

3-4 leg quarters (I get them for $1 a pound, which makes this around $3.50-$4.00)
bbq sauce - homemade or store bought. The store brand is around $1.39 here.
potato chips(store brand)
onion
pickles

Season chicken and bake in 350 degree oven until done. Debone the chicken, and cut up rather fine. Stir in warm bbq sauce. Serve on bread or on buns, with chips, onion and pickle on the side. Make some iced tea and kool-aid and you have a meal for about 8 people for as little as $10.

This prepares enough for about 8 people. Be sure to chop the chicken really good. The better chopped, the farther it goes.)

These make really good bbq chicken sandwiches. I make some of this chicken to keep in the fridge, and eat it all week long for lunch, dinner, etc sometimes.

[Mighty Dust]

Our family favorite for a quik meal is ...

brown ground beef and onion
cook macaroni and cheese according to directions
add tomato soup
put in oven for 30 min. I buy organic mac and cheese at costco and organic tomato soup. Works out almost the same price as campbells. I am also fortunate to have an organic beef farm close by. So I don't have to pay those high prices at the regular stores.

[Acts5:41]

We lived poverty-level for quite a while.

Food combining: Protein is very important, especially for children. But meat is expensive.
All of the following provide a complete protein:
Beans + rice, bread, pasta, or dairy
Bread, pasta, or rice, + dairy or beans
Dairy + beans, or pasta, bread or rice

For instance, cooked beans on a tortilla, with a little salsa. My husband loves them, and they are pennies per serving. I prefer corn tortillas, they are whole grain.

Any kind of cooked bean with dairy; a pot of beans and a glass of milk, or some grated cheese. Cornbread with milk. Beans and rice. Rice and cheese. Mac and cheese. Grilled cheese.

When I can, I buy clearance ground beef, at the sell-by date, cook it, and can it. I freeze it, too, but I have a very small freezer. A small amount of cooked ground beef on a salad and my husband is happy.

If you have a slow-cooker, you can also buy tough cuts of meat and slow-cook them. They are delicious. I like pork neckbones cooked with a can of tomato sauce. My husband teases me relentlessly because they are seen as a "Black" ethnic dish; I'm white, he's black, and he wouldn't eat them if you paid him. More for me. And plenty of bones for the cat or dog. My cat loves a neckbone, once I get the meat off.

Chicken leg quarters are always cheap, my husband and I used to buy a 4 pound bag of chicken leg quarters, a bag of potatoes, and eat them all week. They were very cheap, and you can serve them many different ways.

Milk is going to be expensive, but for children I think it is mandatory.

[fl2007rn]

Instead of buying luncheon meat, I buy a ham or turkey (when they are on sale - have to watch the store fliers for the best deals), and cook it up with all the fixings on a Sunday evening. I cook them in the reynolds cooking bags which make them nice a juicy! We use the left overs to make ham or turkey sandwhiches for the next few days. It is alot cheaper and better than buying luncheon meat from the deli. I also make turkey or ham pot pies from left overs which the family loves. Last year I bought four 11-12 pound turkeys after the holidays at 69 cents a pound, making each turkey $ 7 to $ 8 each.

Sometimes I also make spagetti with ground turkey. I can get a 1lb pack of ground turkey for about $ 1.50, add onions, garlic, seasoning and cook till no longer pink. Add a jar of spagetti sauce and simmer. Serve over cooked noodles of choice, with some garlic bread and a small salad. I can make this quick and easy meal for $ 5 (about $1.25 per serving) and the family likes the ground turkey as much as hamburger.

Grilling is pretty cheap to do also. I like grilling chicken breasts/leg quarters, pork chops, and sirloin steak that I have marinated from the night before. I usually serve with a baked potatoe and/or steamed rice, bread, and/or vegi/salad. Each meal is around $ 6 to $ 8 (around $ 1.50 to $ 2.00 a serving) Making chicken or steak cabobs is always a lot of fun too.

My husband loves me to make Purto Rican beans with ground sausage mixed in and served over white rice. It costs around $ 4 to make a huge kettle of beans and rice with sausage.

I have also broke out the bread maker and can make a loaf of bread for around 50 cents. I slice up the bread and sprinkle garlic salt and butter, cook for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Easy way to make super cheap garlic bread. I also use my rice steamer alot. My family likes steamed long grain white rice mixed with a little butter and salt. Since I always buy a 10 lb bag of rice, it is about 10 to 15 cents to make a small kettle of rice.

And of course be sure to use coupons and to buy meat from the clearance section! It makes a huge difference in the price!