Meals on a Budget

I'm trying to put together some meals that we can make on a budget - preferably things that either freeze well (like sauce) or make a lot of leftovers to have over the course of a few days (like chicken salad).

What are your go-to budget meals?

Re: Meals on a Budget

Def Meatloaf with tons of veggies inside.. bulks it up a lot.. like mushrooms and zucchini!!

Re: Meals on a Budget

Re: Meals on a Budget

-taco meat (although someone posted in the weekly meal thread the taco casserole which would be great, b/c you can freeze half of it)

-sausage and peppers with whatever sauce you make (do you need a sauce recipe? I can share mine with you via email )

-steak from BJ's - cut them in half/marinate them then freeze until you want to use

-minestrone soup

-veggie lasagna- you make a tray full and freeze half

-chili- I know it's more of winter thing but I love chili all year round

Re: Meals on a Budget

Posted by headoverheels

Posted by Linda1003

Def Meatloaf with tons of veggies inside.. bulks it up a lot.. like mushrooms and zucchini!!

Mushrooms? Ew.





That's a good idea, we usually use meatloaf mix but if I use ground turkey I can save a lot of $$.

Re: Meals on a Budget

-taco meat goes a long way
-make burgers with chopped meat, form them, freeze the extras
-sauce with meatballs and sausage
-london broil/flank steak on sale, great over salads leftover or in fajitas
- grilled chicken... you can do anything with it leftover, salad, on a salad, fajitas, wraps, etc.

Re: Meals on a Budget

I make lasagna roll ups and freeze them...so much less mess!

Quiche freezes well
I also make baked chicken on the bone (coat chicken pieces on olive oil, then coat in breadcrumbs and bake) freezes very well and reheats perfectly, I just make sure to cover it!)

Re: Meals on a Budget

Lasagna
Stuffed shells
Ravioli
Manicotti
Meatballs (can later make meatball parm, meatball heros, etc)
Chili
Rotisserie chicken or turkey....make a whole chicken or turkey and then use the leftovers for fajitas, tacos, salads, etc.
I bought a honey dijion turkey london broil yesterday...had enough for leftovers and plan to make turkey salad

Re: Meals on a Budget

the best way to cook on a budget is to make meat an accent rather than a main.

a pasta salad with a half a pound of small strinp ($4.00)

a veggie stir fry with some sliced grilled chicken

frittata with ham or chorizo

pasta carbonara

summer sauce with fresh tomatoes and veg

I can get two meals out of a package of 5 italian sausages if I just slice them up

sausage and peas over pasta

homemade pizza topped with sausage and spinach

rather than buying meal specfic items for the pantry, I keep a variety of single spices, flours, salts, and sugars. I can make pretty much anything I need to with these ingredients and it's cheaper in the long run.

Re: Meals on a Budget

Meat Sauce
Plain Sauce
Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup
MeatLoaf
Stirfry over Rice