Need a couple of meal ideas...

that would cost around $10.00 for 2 nights worth of food. I know I'm not expecting steak or anything. We are on a budget (tight) right now and need to come up with meal ideas. Whether it be for lunch or dinner.

I already have a pasta/sauce lined up since I make sauce on Sunday's and that lasts 3 nights.


Thanks!

Campbells has some great recipe ideas on the back of their soup cans that are very affordable. I usually make up this brocc/cheese w/chicken 'slop' (as my hubby calls it ). Take a can of Campbells' Brocc & Cheese soup, mix it with some cut up chunks of chicken (I usually fry the cutlets, no breading). I pour it over pasta and voila! Cheap and yummy dinner.

Try going through your cupboards and pulling out the old stuff and making potluck dinner. I've done this a few times when we were short on cash and didn't want to shop. We've had veggie tortillas, beans and franks, you name it.

I love doing pasta with garlic and oil and a bunch of veggies OR a pasta salad with veggies tossed with Italian dressing...you can eat the pasta salad with hot dogs or burgers.

Breakfast is always a good cheap meal. Tacos are cheap-meat, a packet of taco seasoing and taco shells or flour tortilla wraps that I also use instead of bread for sandwiches

We have something called Grandpas Chicken, I'm not sure of the cost, but I know it's cheap....
just put chicken breasts in a 13 x 9 pan with cream of celery soup and top with monterey jack cheese, cook at 350 until chicken is cooked through and serve over rice! Easy and yummy!!!

i just made a huge pot of chicken and dumplings---easy and cheap

i used white meat but dark meat is usually cheaper...cut into bite sized pieces

in a pot bring 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, and i can of chicken broth to a boil..if its too thick add some water.

i boiled the chicken in a pot of water because i get scared of contamination. after they turned white, i put them into the soup.

when the soup begins to bubble or simmer, take one can of regualr biscuits...each biscuit should be torn in 1/2 rolled into a ball and dropped in the soup.

cook for about 20 minutes until the 'dumplings' puff up

total cost for a large pot- $6.00 (with chicken breasts)

I got Kielbasa/Polish sausage 2/$5, 1 small bag of saurcraut, $.89. Hotdog rolls & mustard.

Browned the sausage, drained extra fat, added saurcraut. Served.

With the other one- Cut up potatoes, peppers, mushrooms onions and sausage, browned. Now, I've made this a few times and it never comes out the same b/c I don't know how long to cook potatoes. Its good when it comes out right.

I think you have to start the potatoes first,

1 kielbasa serves 2 of us.

I also try to buy in bulk.

O, here is my favorite -
I made a big pot of pasta and meat sause thinking I could get 2 dinners out of it - turns out DH was very hungry after raking leaves all day. There was enough for one of us for dinner the next day. so....

Leftover ground beef, added more pasta/speg. sauce, kidney beans(rinced well), chili spices and served over rice the next night.

So, for $.59 I got a second meal out of it. You can use beans to stretch chop meat. Plus they are very healty. Just keep the windows open!

Check out brand name websites- kraft, cambells, pillsbury, some rices and goya. They have great recipes.

The chicken w/ cream soup and rice is great.

I also made 'Mexican Chicken' - browned chicken, added salsa (had 1/2 jar in fridge from a party) and served over rice. You can also put in a wrap - with cheese and make a quesadila type thing.

This sounds good and inexpensive - from Rachel Ray 30 Min. Meals:

Beef Fajita Burgers:
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoons chili powder, a palm full
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh picked thyme leaves, several sprigs
Several drops hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Chicken Fajita Burgers:
1 1/3 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoons ground chipotle (smoky flavor) chili powder, a palm full
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Several drops hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Seared Peppers and Onions:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced lengthwise, reserve 1/4 of a piece, uncut
1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and chopped
2 cups tomatillo, green chili salsa or chipotle-tomato salsa, your choice

8 crusty rolls, split
Bacon and Black Bean Smash, recipe follows


Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium high heat.
For Beef Fajita Burgers:
Combine sirloin, Worcestershire, spices, thyme, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Mark meat into 4 sections and make 4 patties, 1-inch thick. Using the reserved 1/4 onion piece, grate half of it on the burgers. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on the patties. Cook patties 4 minutes on each side for medium or, until desired doneness.

For Chicken Fajita Burgers:
Combine chicken, chipotle powder, cilantro, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Score and divide meat into 4 sections and form big patties, 1-inch thick. Using the rest of the 1/4 reserved onion piece, grate the other half of it on the burgers. Drizzle patties with extra-virgin olive oil and cook 6 minutes on each side or until meat is firm and cooked through.
Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and peppers and onions. Stir-fry the veggies tossing them with tongs to sear them at edges. Add the jalapeno or serrano pepper. Toss and turn the mixture about 3 minutes, then add salsa of choice and toss a minute longer. Place burgers on each bun bottom and top with 1/4 of the pepper and onion mixture and bun top. Serve Bacon and Bean Smash on the side.