Frugal eating - What's for Dinner?
We spend (I should say I spend) way too much to feed our family. Obviously, this hasn't changed since we switched to organic. I am looking for help with inexpensive, healthy, TASTY meals that I can make for my family. I will be using organic ingredients, so keep that in mind when making your suggestions (i.e. no 10 for $1 deals on canned corn at Safeway).
Can you help? Post your best for all to see. Bonus points if you actually calculate the cost.
ps - I don't use my freezer for leftovers, so the maximum serving size needs to be 6. We do eat leftovers for lunch occasionally.
Can you help? Post your best for all to see. Bonus points if you actually calculate the cost.
ps - I don't use my freezer for leftovers, so the maximum serving size needs to be 6. We do eat leftovers for lunch occasionally.
posted by Beth at 1:54 PM
4 Comments:
I'll do an easy one, since it's what we're eating tonight for dinner.
Cajun Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Bake 3-4 sweet potatoes. [About an hour at 350 or 400, usually.]
Towards the end of that, cook up about a pound of ground turkey or beef, and then when it's almost done, add:
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Stir it up and let it cook a bit then serve over baked sweet potatoes cut in half.
You can also add a little shredded cheese or sour cream or yogurt or yogurt cheese or whatever you like, depending on how healthy you want it to be. Heh.
Okay, and here's another one that we eat all the time. [You're not vegetarian, too, are you? I've got other stuff, too, if that's the case.]
We'll be eating this in a couple of days, with the leftover from the chicken that I'm going to roast tomorrow night:
Thai Roll-Ups
1 lime, juiced
3tb soy sauce
3tb peanut butter
1tb brown sugar
2tsp gingerroot, grated [I cheat most of the time and just use some ginger powder]
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4lb cooked turkey breast or chicken, cut into strips or pulled off a roast
tortillas
1 tb cream cheese for each tortilla
about 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
cilantro, if you have it
In a bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Add turkey or chicken and mix well. Let sit for awhile.
On a tortilla, spread a line of cream cheese. Add some turkey strips, and then a few strips of red bell pepper. Add cilantro, if you like.
Roll up and serve.
Okay, what the heck, more favorite recipes of ours:
Pepper salad
3 each large green, sweet red and sweet yellow pepper, thinly sliced
18 cherry tomatoes, halved
Or whatever you have, really. Heh. For your family size, I'd probably make half of this or maybe even a third. The standard recipe is more "party sized"
Dressing:
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Another one that we really like:
"Simple Sukiyaki"
1/2c soy sauce
2tb brown sugar
3/4lb ground beef
1 med yellow onion
1lb fresh spinach
1 bunch green onions and tops
1/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 block tofu, in 1" blocks
Combine soy sauce, sugar and 1/4c water. Brown beef in Dutch oven or large skillet over M heat, stirring to break beef up into smaller chunks. Add yellow onion, cook 1 minute. Add sauce, tofu, white parts of green onions and mushrooms; cook 5-7 minutes or until tofu is seasoned with sauce, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in spinach and green onion tops, cook until spinach wilts.
We eat that over brown rice. You may want to use "lite" soy sauce or just cut back on the amount if it's too salty for you
Speaking of spinach, we also love:
Spinach with Japanese Sesame Dressing
Big bag of Spinach
3tb sesame seeds
3/4tsp sugar
1 3/4tb soy sauce
1/2tb mirin or sake
Grind all of the sauce ingredients together with a stick blender, in the order listed.
Put spinach in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let sit for 1 minute, then drain water out.
Stir sauce into cooked spinach and serve immediately.
Speaking also of tofu, we like this:
3tb olive oil
4lg onions, chopped
1 lg gr pepper, seeded and diced
1 tb mustard seed
2 tb chili powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
3 16oz cans kidney beans, with juice
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 16 oz can whole tomatoes
1 lb firm tofu
1. In large kettle, saute onions and peppers in oil over MH heat until onions are golden. Add mustard seeds, cook, stirring another minute.
2. Add chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, beans and their juice, tomato paste and water. Pour in liquid from can of tomatoes, then chop tomatoes and add to pot. Add tofu, stir.
3. Reduce heat, cook for 40 minutes. Stir often.
4. After 20 minutes, check consistency. If too runny, simmer uncovered. Or add water, simmer covered. Or just cover if perfect.
5. Stir frequently, salt to taste.
And, finally, one of my very favorite meals:
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
1/3c rice vinegar
2tb vegetable oil
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp tabasco sauce
4oz angel hair pasta
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
3c shredded green cabbage
3c shredded red cabbage [or more green]
1.5c shredded carrots
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
1/2c chopped cilantro
1tsp dried mint flakes
In a small bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients and set aside. In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, rinse and place in a large bowl.
Combine chicken, remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Toss and serve.
mmmm... these sound good! No we are not veg. I am making the stuffed sweet potatoes tonight. $4.09 for scant pound of organic ground beef, $2.68 for two enormous organic sweet potatoes.
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