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Frugal healthy meals - 7/12/2008 1:45:13 PM
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HenriettasCat
Posts: 239
Joined: 4/26/2005
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With costs going up this year I have set myself the challenge to actually spend less this year than last by planning more and finding ways to save by stretching what we have. What I don't want to do is compromise on health.
This thread is for sharing healthful yet frugal recipes/meal ideas. Any meal idea should ideally include appropriate portions of all food groups.
Tips on what ingredients you can add which will stretch a recipe are also welcome.
Tips on foraging for free food (if anyone knows anything about that) are also welcome. I very often forget when a season starts and miss the best therefore reminders would be good. For example, blackberries will be ready in the UK soon - and I'm never sure when chestnuts are ripe. Would love to pick mushrooms but can't tell which are edible. Today my family and I enjoyed cherries on the way home from shopping as there are loads of cherry trees on public land (I cannot believe anyone in our town buys cherries at this time of year). We have about 20 trees lining our street and I made jam a couple of years ago.
Looking forward to sharing with you.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/12/2008 1:58:52 PM
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HenriettasCat
Posts: 239
Joined: 4/26/2005
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I'll start off. I try and have a couple of meals a week which are 'fast food'. Fast, cheap and filling. Great for using left over rice and any left over meat bits (which can be frozen).
Egg fried rice with added bits.
Ingredients
Rice
Leftover meat cut small
Diced onion to taste (I get mine ready diced and frozen).
Peas and sweetcorn
Egg
Oil - preferably sesame oil.
In frying pan or wok if you have one lightly fry or steam onion and meat so that you know meat is fully cooked (especially if using chicken). Add rice - chuck it around the pan a bit (you can see I'm not a professional) add beaten egg and stir around until cooked. Voila.
Only problem for me is my son is allergic to eggs so he can't have this - but hubby loves it if he comes home late and I need to cook us both something quickly. He has a very big appetite but I find it satisfies and its so easy to eat when tired.
Rice can be cooked the day before and left cold in the fridge.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/13/2008 9:36:18 PM
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Ps103
Posts: 11525
Joined: 4/16/2005
From: Here, now
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Rice and beans--can't get any cheaper than that, and if you use brown rice, it is a complete protein.
Here is my favorite from ALLRECIPES:
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package dry kidney beans (I usually use smaller beans or cowpeas)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bulb shallot, minced (onion works fine)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (optional)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (don't use this much salt)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 scotch bonnet chile pepper (Or whatever pepper is handy)
DIRECTIONS
Place beans in a large pot, and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Drain, reserving liquid.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic until fragrant. Stir in cooked beans, and cook for 2 minutes. Measure reserved liquid, and add water to equal 5 cups; stir into skillet. Stir in the uncooked rice. Season with bay leaves, adobo seasoning, salt, pepper, and cloves. Place sprigs of parsley and thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper on top, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove thyme, parsley, and scotch bonnet pepper to serve.
I usually throw some red pepper flakes in there, because we like our food spicey 
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/22/2008 10:15:37 PM
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flare
Posts: 19
Joined: 7/29/2007
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5 simple ingredients, tasty, lowfat, perfect for summertime
(1) in a tortilla shell wrap up cooked chicken breast, romaine lettuce, diced tomato (onion if you like it) and put on some caesar dressing or something similar. wrap it up and enjoy. (i came across an asiago peppercorn dressing that i put on mine sometimes. delicious!
(2) saute onions & green peppers, dump in a can of diced tomatoes and a can of black beans. add meat of your choice, or not. i love putting some smoked sausage in it (it just takes a little). serve over brown rice.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/23/2008 8:40:41 AM
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Georgia-Peach
Posts: 2024
Joined: 6/2/2005
From: Georgia on my mind
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Kroger will sometimes put their rotisserie chickens on sale for $3.99. Buy 1 or 2, debone it, divide the meat, and then freeze it. You can make chicken tacos, chicken noodle soup, chicken and yellow rice, chicken Caesar wraps, etc. I also buy the raw, whole fryers when they are on sale for .79 cents a lb, roast it myself, and do the same thing.
I find that making two meals out of one has stretched our menu and our dollar. Here are some ways:
spaghetti sauce --- use in lasagna later in the week
chili --- nachos or chili dogs
roast --- vegetable beef soup
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/23/2008 9:39:16 AM
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HisCovenant
Posts: 4504
Joined: 4/12/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Georgia-Peach
I find that making two meals out of one has stretched our menu and our dollar. Here are some ways:
spaghetti sauce --- use in lasagna later in the week
chili --- nachos or chili dogs
roast --- vegetable beef soup
I do that same thing, but have a couple of other ideas on how to reuse those items:
spaghetti sauce --- stuffed bell peppers, eggplant parm
chili --- macaroni casserole
roast --- beef stew, beef stroganoff
Doinkdom posted a recipe for macaroni casserole once that was incredible and simple. Mix chili w/ cooked macaroni, top with cheese and bake until hot through.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/23/2008 10:36:21 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1636
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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Baked potato nights.
Soups, especially vegetable ones.
Homemade whole grain/multigrain pancakes, tortillas, breads.
Eggs.
Pasta with easy homemade sauces: tomato, pesto, oil & herb.
Tortillas with various fillings: potato, tomato, leftover meat, eggs, cheese, beans & rice, veggies & vignegrette
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/26/2008 1:43:33 PM
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dawnsgleam
Posts: 39
Joined: 4/12/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Auben
Baked potato nights.
At a BBQ restaurant I had a BBQ chicken stuffed baked potato. These are so good and would be economical to prepare at home. Add the BBQ sauce after you add the chopped meat. It's also good with some grated cheddar cheese, a little sour cream and chives.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/26/2008 8:19:46 PM
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sisrev
Posts: 872
Joined: 8/7/2006
From: The South, ya'll
Status: online
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This week I've made pinto beans & rice & cornbread; chicken & rice; chicken jambalaya; & ten bean soup & rice. (Lots of rice, but everything was cheap--the chicken was thighs that I boiled and pulled off the skin and took the meat off of the bone. I used some ground meat in the pintos, and some leftover ground meat and the meat from a couple of the chicken thighs in the 10-bean soup.) All good, all cheap.
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RE: Frugal healthy meals - 7/26/2008 10:56:57 PM
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3cappuccinosmom
Posts: 2621
Joined: 4/12/2005
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Beans are good. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family who actually enjoys them.  Ten (or 15)-bean soup is extra good with a can of diced tomatos and some browned sausage (we use beef kielbasa when I get it on sale)
I also make beans and rice with salsa, and use the leftovers in wraps for lunch.
Lentils are also reasonably cheap, filling, and versatile. Lentil soup, lentil and rice casserole, lentil curry, taco lentils...
Curry made with whatever veggies and meats are on sale. Especially convenient if you can get some good curry paste. All you have to do is cook the stuff and drop a dollop of curry paste into it then.
Stir fry of various kinds.
Things I use as fillers--cabbage and extra onions fill out curries and stir fry nicely. If anyone gives you zucchini (we often have too much, without ever actually growing any) it can be finally grated and added to baked goods (coffee cakes, muffins, etc), and I've just discovered a cup of zucchini added to spaghetti sauce does it absolutely no harm. :)
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