My name is Janis. In the last year & a half I have become unemployed and before was used to preparing fast and microwavable meals but have had to start frugalizing and am looking for new ways to cook certain food. I am married and have been for 19 years and live in Oklahoma. My husband is full blood Cherokee and I have had to learn to cook a lot of his native foods. We do not have children, but I have 3 dogs-one who is 16 1/2 and a cat. I look forward to any help anyone can give me with ideas for healthy and inexpensive meals.
Howdy Janis- and welcome to Spice Place! You've come to the perfect place!
Inexpensive, healthy meals?
I love pots of beans- and pasta... like Navy Beans w/ Ham, Goulash made w/ Ground Beef, Mac & Cheese w/ Ham or any leftover meat or fish added... and Sauerkraut or Braised Cabbage w/ Fried Potatoes and Smoked Sausage. Also, I shop regularly at my local Aldi's and Super-Walmart for extra-cheap meats... especially pork steaks, beef brisket, and frozen bags of chicken thigh and leg-quarters.
I also LOVE eggs! When my food-budget is low for the week- and it often is, I have been known to go to Walmart and buy 2 large flats of eggs (60 eggs) and make omlet or quiches in a pie shell to eat three times a day!
Another hint- right after Thanksgiving Turkeys will be marked-down tremendously, if you and your hubby enjoy turkey! And the same w/ Ham right after Christmas...
Inexpensive, healthy meals?
I love pots of beans- and pasta... like Navy Beans w/ Ham, Goulash made w/ Ground Beef, Mac & Cheese w/ Ham or any leftover meat or fish added... and Sauerkraut or Braised Cabbage w/ Fried Potatoes and Smoked Sausage. Also, I shop regularly at my local Aldi's and Super-Walmart for extra-cheap meats... especially pork steaks, beef brisket, and frozen bags of chicken thigh and leg-quarters.
I also LOVE eggs! When my food-budget is low for the week- and it often is, I have been known to go to Walmart and buy 2 large flats of eggs (60 eggs) and make omlet or quiches in a pie shell to eat three times a day!
Another hint- right after Thanksgiving Turkeys will be marked-down tremendously, if you and your hubby enjoy turkey! And the same w/ Ham right after Christmas...
Hi Janis and welcome to SP!
Quite notably fast food and convienience foods are exspensive! I suggest all the things that ChubbyAlaska suggests but also I am wondering do you & hubby ever take fishing trips on Sat.? Go fishing and eat more fresh fish, good for you and so cheap if you do not go hog-wild buying bait. Also is hubby a hunter? Try Venison, it will fill up the freezer and become a nice source of inexpensive meat. You can make big pots of Chili using ground or small cubed venison meat. Also I fix it in a Crock-Pot this way and my kids love it, it has no gamey taste: I'll pull up the recipe and post it here in a moment. Big pots of Stew are nutritious and delicious. Use lots of rice in cooking and make Chicken & Rice or even Noodles & Chicken (Boil your chicken in a big dutch oven and save the broth then cook your noodles and de-bone and skin the chicken and throw the meat back into the pot season before boiling the chicken add more as needed delicious!) When I was a young woman and newly married we had such a tight budget it was not funny...it teaches one to be resourceful and is in it's own way rewarding and fun to see how you can make do I will bring up the recipe for Venison steak in a moment and post it here. Also buy family packages of meat and wrap them into smaller 2 person pkg's enough for 2, cut up chickens and do the same. There is planty here to teach you how to cut one up while it is raw if you do not know how, just do a search on the search tab above.
Venison Steak Recipe: First wash and rinse steaks, then soak them in lemon juice/water mixture until ready to cook. When ready to cook, rinse steaks and pat dry; sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper seasoning and garlic powder and onion powder.
Dredge the seasoned steak in flour then brown in hot oil in an iron skillet until nicely browned on both sides. Place steaks into a crock-pot; pour in enough boiling water to cover steaks then add 3 beef boullion cubes and 1/2 cup freshly diced onion and 1 tsp. dried parsley. Place lid on crock pot set heat to high and cook 6 to 8 hours.
This makes a nice gravy and I serve mine over rice. The meat melts in your mouth!
Please feel free to ask any questions and we love to jump in and offer helpful tips. We also would love to hear back from you if you do try some of our suggestions and let us know what you think.
Cheers, CCCathy
Quite notably fast food and convienience foods are exspensive! I suggest all the things that ChubbyAlaska suggests but also I am wondering do you & hubby ever take fishing trips on Sat.? Go fishing and eat more fresh fish, good for you and so cheap if you do not go hog-wild buying bait. Also is hubby a hunter? Try Venison, it will fill up the freezer and become a nice source of inexpensive meat. You can make big pots of Chili using ground or small cubed venison meat. Also I fix it in a Crock-Pot this way and my kids love it, it has no gamey taste: I'll pull up the recipe and post it here in a moment. Big pots of Stew are nutritious and delicious. Use lots of rice in cooking and make Chicken & Rice or even Noodles & Chicken (Boil your chicken in a big dutch oven and save the broth then cook your noodles and de-bone and skin the chicken and throw the meat back into the pot season before boiling the chicken add more as needed delicious!) When I was a young woman and newly married we had such a tight budget it was not funny...it teaches one to be resourceful and is in it's own way rewarding and fun to see how you can make do
I will bring up the recipe for Venison steak in a moment and post it here. Also buy family packages of meat and wrap them into smaller 2 person pkg's enough for 2, cut up chickens and do the same. There is planty here to teach you how to cut one up while it is raw if you do not know how, just do a search on the search tab above.Venison Steak Recipe: First wash and rinse steaks, then soak them in lemon juice/water mixture until ready to cook. When ready to cook, rinse steaks and pat dry; sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper seasoning and garlic powder and onion powder.
Dredge the seasoned steak in flour then brown in hot oil in an iron skillet until nicely browned on both sides. Place steaks into a crock-pot; pour in enough boiling water to cover steaks then add 3 beef boullion cubes and 1/2 cup freshly diced onion and 1 tsp. dried parsley. Place lid on crock pot set heat to high and cook 6 to 8 hours.
This makes a nice gravy and I serve mine over rice. The meat melts in your mouth!
Please feel free to ask any questions and we love to jump in and offer helpful tips. We also would love to hear back from you if you do try some of our suggestions and let us know what you think.
Cheers, CCCathy