Cheap Eats!

[traci arbios]

Okay moms, the gauntlet is down. NPR recently had a segment about making your family dinner for under $10. The crux: You can eat well, and cheaply.

So let's see how far we can stretch those dollars! Submit your recipes and the COST of those meals here. Fast food ideas not allowed.

One lucky entrant will be chosen at random for tickets to an area event!

Check out the Easy Recipes blog for NPR's winning recipe.

[michaelsmommy]

I always like burritos or tacos and it is definately a cheap meal...you make a lot and put meat, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, olives, (onions maybe) in their own containers and everyone makes there own at dinnertime. All you have to prepare when you're ready is the tortilla-flour for burritos, corn for tacos. Perfect leftovers for lunch or another dinner! I was trying to figure cost but am not sure-you dont always use all the tortillas, tomatoes or lettuce etc. you buy in one meal, it's spread out with the leftovers!

[CDFwife04]

Stir-fry is always a cheap meal. I can feed my family of 4 and have leftovers for a lunch or two without breaking the bank.

Rice is a pantry staple, so I don't really use that to calculate cost.

Stir-fry beef is currently running about $3 a pound - I got a little over 2 pounds last night for $6.37. A bag of store-label frozen stir-fry veggies was on sale, 3 for $5.00, so we are now up to $8.03 for the meal. I always have stir-fry sauce on hand. A bottle runs about three bucks, and I usually get three meals out of it, so figure in another $1.66 for that.

Meat: $6.37
Veggies: $1.66
Sauce: $1.66
Rice: staple - no cost

Total meal cost: $ 9.69

[CDFwife04]

Ok, I've got another one.

Sloppy Joes. You don't hear too much anymore about ol' Joe, but he's a favorite at my house.

Ground Beef - about $3.00/pound (Costco price)
Seasoning - about a buck a packet
Tomato Sauce - got it on sale for a buck a can (I use 1/2 can & mix with paste to make a thicker "joe")
Tomato paste - same deal
Buns - $4.00 for a pack of 6 big ones
Fries - $2.00 for a big bag of Ore-Ida's on sale. I use 1/2 a bag at a time.

Total cost: $10.00


AND ANOTHER ONE:

Spaghetti!

Hunt's Sauce, on sale - $0.88!
Pasta - Barrilla on sale - $1.55
Ground beef - $3.00
French bread, hot-n-fresh from bakery - $1.50
Butter & garlic are always on-hand at our house, as is parmesan for sprinkling

Total cost: $ 6.93, which includes lunch leftovers for 2 for 2 days. This breaks down to about 70 cents per serving (since I make the entire pound of pasta!)

[michaelsmommy]

Oooh, I love both of those ideas and I haven't had sloppy joes since I was a kid-I'm gonna have to make those and I think my little guy can have them now too!

[Chit Chat]

Great ideas! And just reading them is making me huuuungry......

[macmom]

Ooh, I have one! I found this recipe to be very easy and economical and is one of my family's favorite and my 11yr old son loves to help me layer the ingridients:

corn Tortillas - 1.50
large jar of your favorite salsa - 2.50 (add water if too thick)
cooked ground beef - 3.00 - or if you prefer chicken -
(1/2 cooked/shredded chicken about same price or less - 3.00)
can of olives (drained) - 0.79
can of kidney beans (drained) - 0.89
Sour cream (small tub)- 0.99 on sale
2 cups of shreded cheese(s) of your choice - 1.89
can of corn (drained) - 0.79

Grease the inside of a 2.2Qt baking dish or square baking dish, and start layering as follows:
tortillas (it's ok if they overlap)
cooked beef or shreded chicken
kidney beans
salsa
sour cream
olives
corn
cheese (adjust more if you want it cheesier)
and repeat the layering again

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-15 mins until cheese is melted. Let stand about 10mins before serving.

This is great for 4-5 people specially if 2-3 of them are kids. My family of 3 eats about 1/2 of this and is great reheated the next day for lunch . You have veggies, proteins and grains all in one .