Low Cost Survival Meals

[Praying]

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.

Oh, I love buying the chicken leg quarters. You can't go wrong with these. I buy the 10 pound bag sometimes, and separate them into smaller packages. I use these to make oven barbecued chicken, by just brushing barbecue sauce on both sides and baking in the oven. I usually brush more on while it's cooking. Absolutely delicious. I'm a big chicken fan, so it's kind of hard to make a chicken dish I don't enjoy!

[IamHis]

Layer cooked rice, tuna, spinach and cheese in alternates
in a casserole dish that is lightly greased with butter.
Bake at 350. I use the frozen spinach in a box. You can
use any cheese that is your favorite, but the sharper
cheeses seem to work best.

[Tiffiney]

Our “cheap meal” night recipe for 3:

We cook 6-8 chicken ramen noodle packages (without seasoning) boiled together
with a bag of frozen broccoli. In a skillet we brown 1 medium onion and 1 package of sausage ( I use Hillshire farm Polska Kielbase cut up) Drain noodle and broccoli combo,
put in large bowl and add onion and sausage mixture. Add the Ramen chicken seasoning packets to your taste, mix and enjoy : )

[kathy56]

I try to use what's in season to help stretch our meals. The local market had lots of spinach at low cost this week. We had spinach salad with strawberries (also in season) and I mixed some shredded spinach in our Easter corn casserole. We'll have a spinach lasagne later this week and may use the spinach in place of noodles.

Like many of you, I buy what's on sale that is shelf stable for later on. Our local grocery has rice mixes 10 for $10.00. Stretch one rice mix with beans and a few vegies; dinner for 4. Gluten free is expensive but I have found I can wrap a hotdog with a gf pancake (homemade) for much less than buying gf hotdog buns. The rest of the family has bread store buns at a fraction for what the grocery asks for them.

If anyone has other gluten free low economy tips I'd love to try them out.

[fl2007rn]

We have made a lot of poor man' stroganoff . A lb of hamburger, can of mushroom soup (store brand) sour cream, dash of milk to thin out. We serve on egg noodles or toasted bread. Also as hamburger is browning I sprinkle garlic salt to taste. Sour cream 1/2 cup and 1 can soup. My kids ate a lot of this growing up.

Hi Jackie - I have been making this dish for almost 30 years now. I learned how to make it when I was a starving college student but it is a dish I still like to make now and then. I can make this meal for about $ 5 and it feeds 4 people.

[JackieJ2]

. we still eat this from time to time too.

[Dusty]

Good thread!

I, too, try to stretch our food dollars out as much as possible by cooking from scratch, making most of our mixes and sauces instead of using bottled or packaged, and using lots of vegetables and rice to make meats go farther. We eat a lot of chicken, made a bazillion different ways, lol. My pressure cooker barely has a chance to cool down between uses, lol, and most days there's rice being kept warm all day in the rice cooker.

Some of our favorite meals for $3 or less for our (all adult) family of 4:

Egg drop soup
Lemon chicken
Gingered Rice
Fried cabbage

Chicken vegetable stew
Garlic Noodles
Cornbread muffins
Green salad

Teriyaki Bowls:
Teriyaki pork, beef, or chicken
Stir fried vegetables
Jasmine rice

Baked chicken
Roasted root vegetables
Chive drop biscuits
Green salad

Egg foo young with sauce
Steamed rice
Stir fried vegetables

Steak fajitas
Grilled peppers & onions
Spanish rice
Sliced cucumbers

Wow, I just realized there's too many of our favorite cheap meals to pick "favorite-favorites", or to list. LOL
3 of my favorite inexpensive comfort-foods are chicken and dumplings, pot roast, and biscuits and gravy.

[IMSAVED]

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

Yes,veggies and fruits from your garden then get a cow and you have milk and then get a chicken and you have eggs.Hmmmm I guess you could get alot of chickens and have some chicken dinners and buy a pig and have alot of pork.But then who in the heck is going to pluck the chickens and butcher the pig.NOT ME

[Praying]

This is a super-easy dish to make and it is very savory and filling. Absolutely delicious. Not very expensive to make at all, and it tastes like it took all day to make. My family loves it. This recipe will serve about 4 people.

Ingredients:

12 chicken tenders uncooked
5 medium potatoes - peeled and sliced into thick circles (about 1/4")
salt/pepper
gravy (below)
pats of margarine (about 1/2 stick total)

gravy
3 cups water
1 knorr chicken bouillion cube (or 2 of another brand)
2 tbs. flour
4 tbs. oil

Directions:

Peel and slice potatoes and place in 8.5x11 (or similar size) baking pan
sprinkle with salt/pepper
Salt/pepper raw tenders, and place on top of potatoes, arranging evenly.
Pat with butter/margarine
Prepare gravy, and pour over chicken/potatoes
Pour remainder of broth over all.

Cover with foil, and bake 350 degree oven 45 minutes. Remove foil, bake another 10-15 minutes.

To make gravy:

Dissolve chicken bouillion cube in 3 cups of water to make broth. heat oil, and add flour. Stir constantly on medium heat, until begins to brown. Add salt. Pour in broth, a little at a time, stirring with whisk, and allow to thicken. Pour more broth as needed, until a thickened, smooth consistency, similar to unset pudding. Pour over potatoes/chicken. Pour remainder of broth over all.

[JoyJoyJoy]

Red Chicken Stew

You can make this recipe in any amount.

8 thighs
equal amounts of ketchup and cola ( approx. 3-4 cups of each)

Put the chicken in a pot and season with a little salt and pepper
Pour equal amounts of ketchup and cola in pot to cover the meat
Bring pot to boil then turn it down to a low boil

You may be surprised at how fast the chicken cooks. Guess it is the cola. BTW, I use store brand cola and ketchup.

Serve over rice. Good and tender chicken.