Cheap Simple Dinner Ideas

You can go to a website www.e-mealz.com and get weekly recipes and shopping lists. You pick a plan based on where you shop for groceries or other factors. You get seven recipes a week. If you go to Dave Ramsey's website, you can find a coupon code and get a discount! My family loves all of the recipes!

There is a great recipe website at www.allrecipes.com. I use it all the time for ideas for dressing up things like ground beef. In fact, I just found a recipe on there this week called Zippy Ground Beef Skillet. It was cheap to make and even my pickiest eater enjoyed it (for a change). This is a child who hates spaghetti, by the way.

It's nice too because each recipe has a rating and user feedback plus often recommendations on how to improve or alter the recipe.

- Breakfast is a great cheap/balanced dinner! We do this at least once a month- scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, toast and cut fruit. It is fast and my son devours it every time I make it!
- Bake chicken smothered in watered-down BBQ sauce. I cook it at 325 for 20 minutes and then flip it and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Delicious and great with a variety of sides.
- We do mini-calzones all the time. You buy pizza dough and essentially fill it with cheeze and veggies (I will put leftover chicken in too), fold it, brush it with olive oil and bake it. I let my husband, son and whoever is at the house fill their own.
- Grilled kebabs are wonderful in the summer. You can get flank steak, marinate it overnight in some Italian dressing and then slice it thinly and skewer it. Make some veggie kebabs with olive oil, salt and peppper. Grill it and your set!

My family loves taco salad, fajitas and chilli.
Taco salad is easy just use taco seasoning in the browned meat whatever salad ingredients you like and nacho chips, sour cream and salsa.
Chilli
Brown ground beef add chopped onions and gr peppers, add salt, pepper,chilli powder, oregano, and a dash of cheyenne pepper if you like it spicier. cook a few min then add lg can kidney beans and a can of chopped tomatoes or any tomatoe you have. healthy and delicious! I serve this with rice or pasta.

Chicken Alfredo is super easy to make. You can use Classico Alfredo Sauce in a jar or Great Value (Walmart brand) and both are very good. I just cut up some chicken tenders (or boneless/skinless breasts), cook them up in a skillet, add the alfredo sauce and while that's cooking I make the pasta. When the pasta's done, I just combine & eat. If you want to add broccoli to it, I use frozen & just cook it with the pasta. I have also put frozen carrots in with the pasta too for variety & it's very good.

We also like baked chicken breasts either boneless/skinless or bone-in sprinkled with Tony Chacere's Creole Seasoning. Just sprinkle all over & bake till done.

I stock up on boneless/skinless breasts when they're on sale. Right now Kroger & Schnucks has them for under $2.00/lb.

My standby when I don't want to cook is broccoli, garlic & olive oil with whole wheat pasta. I like to use fresh broccoli, but always have frozen in the freezer in case I didn't plan ahead.

Beans and rice! It is a complete protien, and it is cheap!

Take two cups of dry pinto beans, pick through them and take out any rocks or lumps of dirt. Rinse them well. Soak them in 4 cups water for 8 hours or over night, rinse again. Put them in a crock pot, cover with at least 2 inches of water, add on table spoon of bacon drippings or a one inch cube of salt pork, add garlic and salt to taste. Cook on low all day, watch the water level. If you do not have a crock pot, cook on low in a large pot, use more water, keep a close eye on the water level until the very end, when you want to get the beans down to much less water.

Serve over rice (use brown rice to be healthier) sprinkle with cheese, canned chopped green chilis, and chopped onions, tomoato, and lettuce if you like. Simple, cheap, nutritious.

M.

I make stir fry for fast and cheap. I take either chicken breast or beef and slice it. I then put it in a bowl and marinade it in soy and teriyaki with red pepper flakes. I either buy the bag of frozen stir fry veggies at the store or I use fresh...whatever I have. Then you put the meat in your stir fry pan cook it for about 6 minutes and take it out while you stir fry the veggies. Add the meat back until it cooks through. I use instant rice..either brown or white with chicken or beef broth.

Also check out www.kraftfoods.com and www.allrecipes.com

Jen

Baked sweet potatoes (cook until really mushy) topped with BBQ baked beans served with salad.

Firehouse potatoes: Cooked cubed hash browns (either homemade or frozen) topped with black beans, salsa, green chilis and cheddar cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted. Serve with eggs.

Pizza potatoes: Cooked cubed hash browns (I like homemade better with this one, but frozen works too). Top with tomato sauce and mozzerella cheese and whatever other pizza toppings you like. Serve with salad.

Also easy, healthy and not super expensive for dinner are gussied up sandwiches - mozzerella and tomato; ham, cheddar and apple; turkey, havarti cheese and spinach, etc.

Happy dining!

If u go on Rachael Rays website or even watch her show during the day, she has tons of quick and easy recipes that are just delicious....Good Luck

Cheap ($1.00 per person), easy and mostly healthy - based on street tacos in mexico...

Grilled chicken tacos

chicken thighs (package of 6 skinless, boneless)
fresh cilantro
fresh onion
cabbage
lime juice
salt & pepper
corn tortillas
corn oil

Salt and pepper chicken thighs and place on grill. Cook until done. Slice into bite size pieces when cool.

(The wonderful thing about chicken thighs is that they do not get dry if you accidentally over cook. I supposed you can use breast but they are more expensive and to make it taste good you usually have to marinate thus adding to the cost.)

Julienne cabbage, place in bowl and season with salt, pepper and fresh lime juice.

Dice onions and cilantro.

Heat corn tortillas in corn oil or microwave or grill depending on your preference. Pile on the chicken, onions, cilantro and cabbage mixture.

Do you mean for kids? Or for the fam? (or both?)

I love my crock pot for the family! Soup, roast, pulled pork - all of it works wonderfully and it's done when I get home from work.

For my son, who generally eats on his own earlier than we do (DH and I get home about 2 hrs apart from one another), he loves pasta. I'll cook up penne pasta and put a little garlic powder and a little parmesean on it. Then give DS some fresh fruit or carrot sticks with it. That's a favorite of his. He also loves yogurt.

Along the pasta lines, I'm a BIG fan of Lipton sides. Butter noodles, chicken/broccoli, stroganoff, etc... he loves all of that stuff. I also keep a healthy stock of chicken nuggets and fish sticks in the house. And when you're stumped for variety, Stouffer's or Lean Cuisine meals offer a lot of variety. As you can see, I'm not much of a "cook from scratch" kind of mom. I just don't have time. But these are all things I do to switch it up for DS. I just always make sure that he's eating fruit or veggies with his meal, instead of chips or something like that. Fortunatley for me, DS loves fresh fruit.

I love flylady.com and the sister website savingdinner.com. I recommend signing up. Here is a past email that might help.

Dear Friends,

According to the USDA, the average American family of four is spending
$80 a month more on groceries than they did a mere 2 years ago. For a
lot of families, the upturn in grocery spending does not reflect an
upturn on family income. Clearly something has got to give!

We've all noticed how much food has gone up—I can't think of one thing
that hasn't. And while I cannot control food prices, I can control my
own budget and as it becomes necessary, cut back to keep my food
expenses in line. Here are 10 ways to cut back without sacrificing
nutrition:

1) Eat vegetarian one night a week (rice and beans is a favorite with
my kids).

2) Eat breakfast for dinner one night a week (pancakes and eggs are
way cheap). Light candles and serve juice in wine glasses for fun.

3) Eat greens and beans one night a week (I use frozen collards,
turnip greens etc. on sale to keep the cost down). Give your big guys
Tabasco sauce to bump it up!

4) Eat homemade soup one night a week (try the one below!).

5) Cook with your crockpot one night a week (utilizing inexpensive
cuts of meat and poultry).

6) Only buy meat and produce on sale and/or marked down.

7) Eat from your freezer one night a week (you'd be surprised at how
many meals are in there just waiting to be thrown together!).

8) Buy dried beans and make your own instead of buying canned
(instructions on how to cook them are right on the bag).

9) Make your own chicken broth from your leftover roast chicken (throw
the carcass, an onion, carrots and celery into a pot, cover with
water, simmer for an hour or so).

10) Pack sandwiches, some carrot sticks and waters for dinner the
night you're all running all over the place (nixing the drive thru).
No one will die from not having a "proper meal".

This is all easy stuff and doesn't require a lot of thought. Eating
vegetarian for example, could be combined with eating greens and beans
for dinner or eating soup, or breakfast for dinner. The point is the
thought process of cutting back, making do and using up what you have.
You can live on less than you think, that includes food.

Try some of these suggestions. Go shopping in your freezer and fridge
before you even begin to plan your menu this week. Likewise, check out
that pantry for anything that might turn into dinner this week.

Keeping clutter at bay requires cutting back on unnecessary purchases.
This includes food!

Crock Bean Soup with Kale
Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium onions, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 bunch kale, trimmed and sliced
(or use 2 cups frozen greens)
1 pound cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can also use white beans)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
(make your own or buy canned)
1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste



In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot
and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add kale and cook till
wilted, about 3 minutes.
In a crock pot, place soaked, drained beans;
add crushed red pepper flakes and the contents of the skillet; cover
with broth (add a little water if necessary, but crockpot should be
3/4 full).

Cook on high for 8 hours, or until beans are tender. Once beans are
tender, add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste.



Per Serving: 349 Calories; 8g Fat; 19g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 13g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 85mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain
(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.


SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Some whole grain rolls and a big salad.

Love,
Leanne

Creamed chicken/turkey, stove-top stuffing and a green veggie;
Baked beans (out of a can), corn dogs and spinach;
Ham, sweet potatoes and broccoli;
Hamburgers, potatoes (baked/mashed), & salad

I'm making Shish-kbobs tonight with salmon, steak and veggies.

Other favorites are pan fried pork loin or chicken with marsala or cream sauce with noodles.

We love broccoli so I keep it stashed in the freezer.

Pasta salad

My old fall back, home made marinara ( I make a lot and freeze), noodles, ravoil, chicken parmesan and hot Italian sausages.

I like one-pot rice dishes, kind of like risotto.

Sometimes I use the prepackaged seasoned mixes (line jambalaya or red beans and rice or dirty rice). However, I add to them and strethc them:

in a heavy cast iron pot add some oil, then sautee one diced onion, when the onion is nice and glassy. (Then add the cut up sausage or the hamburger meat if you use the Jambalaya or dirty rice mixes, brown.) Then add one cup of plain white rice, stir and mix well, so the rice gets all coated with some oil and roasts just a bit, then add the rice with seasoning mix, stir and mix; then add the liquid as indicted on the packet and one more cup of water. Bring to boil, stir well to make sure that it is not settling on the bottom, turn down the heat and cover with lid. Check a couple of times while it is simmering to see if you need t add some additional liquid; do it bit by bit so you won't have it too mushy.
If I'm using the Red rice and beans mix I usually add a can of light red beans or other canned beans.

The additional ingredients and the additional rice makes for a bigger meal (and hopefully leftovers for another supper or a couple of lunches for my husband - we freeze them in tupper containers and he pulls something out of the freezer every day) and makes them less spicy.

I sometimes will add some diced bell peppers, or celery, or green beans, or corn, or diced tomatoes, or.... whatever I have and appeals to me that day.

Other times I make it from scratch, which is basically the same process, except that I need to do the seasoning myself, which allows for even more variety.

I like the fact that I only need one pot for it. It has a little preparation (peeling and preparing the vegetables) but after that the rice pretty much is on auto pilot; and the dish is ready to eat in about 3 minutes.
While the rice is simmering I have time to throw together a nice big tossed salad and set the table. Or I make thinly sliced (or julienned) cucumber mixed with some garlic (or garlic powder) and plain yogurt, that basically is a tsatsiki (Greek side dish) and is a really nice cooling and refreshing counterpoint if the risotto is on the spicy side.

This whole meal I can have on the table within about half an hour, it is cheap, balanced, very versatile and the family loves it. And the left overs work really well simply heated up, or different small such leftovers combined make a wonderful soup, no matter what the seasoning was for them, it always blends well together. Such 'leftover' soup is a favorite, and I always tell my family they will never have that exact same soup again!

The easiest meal I make (and my fam loves) is broiled salmon, rice, salad and fresh veggies.

salmon: wash, sprinkle with olive oil, italian seasoning, and lemon slices. broil til flaky - squeeze lemon over the top.

rice: wash, and throw in the rice cooker til done

salad: wash, chop, and serve

veggies: a sauteed swiss chard, spinach, or other quick wilter in olive oil with a little garlic. sprinkle with malt vinegar on top when done if preferred.

all told from start of prep to finish, takes about 20 minutes. and my family LOVES it. LOL

If you make the beans yourself it is very healthy. Cook a big pot of pinto beans, then mash (if you have a cuisinart it is so easy) with just a little of your favorite cheese.

If you have a sprouts (or health food store) I buy Garden of Eatin' Blue Chips...all natural tortilla chips and organic and pretty healthy for a chip.

We make our own nachos. Mashed beans on top of chips with a little bit of cheese. The kids love it! Throw some carrots on the table and a fruit salad for dessert. One of my favorites!

Leftover beans freeze well, and next time you just defrost in microwave and have little work to do!

Here's a couple favorites

Chicken & Rice Burritos - Use left over chicken from a store bought routisseire (sp?) or cube up 2 chicken breasts and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken to a pack of "Rice A Roni" Mexican favor and cook as directed. Add whatever other stuff you want (cheese, sour cream, veggies). We always do a build-your-own. Big hit at our house

I like to stir up meatloaf on the weekend when I can get ground ground on sale and form into VERY THIN, BIG patties. Freeze on a greased cookie sheet for a couple of hours, then place in a zip top bag. When they are thin, they can go directly on the skillet on LOW. Makes a great home cooked meal in the time it takes to throw together some sides.

Buy chicken breasts and freeze individually...same with pork loin (have them chop for you). You can pull out of the freezer then night before. Season as you want...we try different salad dressings and put on the grill.

One of our favorites is to take 1/2 can black beans and mash them up with about 1/4 cup salsa, spread it on 4- 6" tortillas on a baking sheet sprinkle with shredded cheese, top with diced avocado and top with another tortilla, spray the tops of them with a little cooking spray and bake them in the oven at 400 until the cheese melts and they brown slightly on top. Usually takes about 6 minutes in our oven, I've also been known to do them in the panini maker or toaster oven when it's too hot to run the oven. (The original recipe I had said to use Feta cheese but that didn't go over so well with the kid or the hubby LOL)

Most of what we do is easy and relatively healthy.

We have had kabobs the past few nights:
Beef, chicken, port, etc. on a bamboo skewer with favorite veggies.
We use peppers, onions, mushrooms (tomatoes occasionally)
Make some rice, couscous, or salad, and there's a cheap, easy dinner.

Buffalo chicken dip:
We use our modified version of the Frank's Red Hot Recipe, make a double batch to last the week for multiple meals. This is a favorite of my picky husband and both our 2 and 4 year-olds.
I use fresh chicken breasts that I boil and shred.
We serve with tortillas, and mostly our favorite veggies (carrots, cucumbers, peppers, celery, broccoli)

Fajitas:
Meat, seasoning, tortillas, beans, rice, salsa, lettuce, cheese, guac, sour cream, and you're good to go

Breakfast sandwiches.
Toast or biscuits
Fried eggs
Favorite breakfast meat (caution, turkey bacon is actually higher in sodium than regular bacon making it a questionable healthy option)
Cheese
Melt cheese on bread in the oven, add egg
Serve with your favorite fruit

Turkey burgers:
Purchase ground turkey, add egg/bread crumbs to bind the meat, seasoning
Grill
Serve with fresh veggies on the side

Jamie Oliver's Chicken Nuggets:
recipe is on Oprah.com and is really good
After baking, serve with your favorite sides (salad, cousous, etc).

Baked potatoes:
Get a few large baking potatoes
Put in the oven for an hour at 475
Put your favorite toppings on when done
I personally like broccoli, mushrooms, sour cream, salt/pepper