Message Boards

If you click on the Budget Conscious Kitchen category there are several good posts for budget meals.  Good Luck!

AlabamaCooker:

If you click on the Budget Conscious Kitchen category there are several good posts for budget meals.  Good Luck!

That link is:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/community/forums/30

Sincerely, Cate

These are both inexpensive, filling options. 

Tuna Hotdish

1 7oz can tuna in water,drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 15 oz can peas, drained

1 box mac & cheese, prepared according to box direcrions

Add soup and tuna.  Fold in peas and heat in preheated oven at 350degrees 20-30 minutes.  May add buttered breadcrumbs or crushed potato chips before baking. 

Chili Mac Hotdish

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 can tomato soup

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

chili powder to taste

1 16 oz can kidney beans, drained & rinced

1 box mac & cheese, prepared according to box direcrions

Brown ground beef with onion, Drain.  Add beans, soup, tomatoes, and chili powder.  Simmer while preparing mac & cheese.  Add prepared mac & cheese to ground beef mixture.  Heat through and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Each recipe, paired with a tossed salad and dinner rolls or other favorite bread, will feed four to six people, depending on appetites.

HELLO. IT EASY YO PREPARE . COLLECT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES AND CUT THEM INTO SMALL PORTIONSS FOR YOUR FAMILY.STPeace.

STPeace:

HELLO. IT EASY YO PREPARE . COLLECT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES AND CUT THEM INTO SMALL PORTIONSS FOR YOUR FAMILY.STPeace.

Two of our favorite budget meals are chicken and dumplings and beef & potato tacos.  For the chicken & dumplings, I boil chicken leg quarters, pick the meat off the bones, then roll out canned biscuits and cut them into quarters for the dumplings. I usually season the water with adobo seasoning or chicken bouillon and pepper.  My kids like collard greens and cornbread on the side.  

For the tacos, I boil about a pound of chopped potatoes, brown the ground beef, then coarsely mash the potatoes in the skillet with the beef and season with salt and pepper.  The potatoes make the dish more filling and really stretches a pound of ground beef - plus it's so tasty!

easy veggie soup.

1 lb ground beef or beef stew meat.

1 bag mixed veggies..

1 can V8 juice regular or spicy depending on your taste

Brown beef drain fat. add V8 and simmer 20 minutes add frozen veggies simmer 10 minutes and serve with biscuits ar corn bread..

you can alter this recipe to your own tastes easily.. using what you have on hand.. such as left over rice or cooked elbow macaroni right at the end, or thickening to make a stew..

orioleinflorida:

Hello! I am looking for tasty budget meals to feed my family of four. Any suggestions?

2 suggestions: first one i came up with last night when i couldn't figure out what to cook for oldest and her friend for their sleepover. cook macaroni, cut and fry up some turkey bacon, add some cut up boneless skinless chicken thighs (cheaper than breast and if you ever shop Aldi they have them in frozen meat section) and a lil bbq sauce. mix macaroni and the meats in a large casserole dish. add canned diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese. basically all the ingredients not only add to the flavor but allow it to spread out to make 2+ meals worth of food. anothe suggestion is when cooking macaroni and cheese from the box add more macaroni. there is always more cheese than needed for the amount of macaroni in the box. i sometimes add tomatoes or veggies to it which also helps it stretch over more meals too in addition to being healthier. hope it helps

i call it taco soup:

1 lb ground beef

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 cup dry macaroni

1 or 2 taco seasoning envelopes

cook macaroni following package directions. brown the ground beef. drain fat and put in the pot with your drained macaroni. add remaining ingredients. there should be enough liquid in the cans of beans and tomatoes. if not, add more water to make it your desired consistency.

it's fast, easy, good, and healthy.

One of our favorites is my taco bake...

1 lb. frozen ground turkey in the roll

6 larger size tortillas

salsa con queso dip in the glass jar. Brand of your choosing.

1 can refried beans

about 3/4 cup salsa of your choosing

1 packet taco seasoning

1 8 oz bag finely shredded cheese ( I use the mexican blend- no added seasoning)

Cooking Spray!!

Heat oven to 350. Cook & drain turkey, make taco meat according to packet directions. Set aside. While meat is cooking, combine beans and salsa. Set aside. Have other ingredients laid out, along with a 13x9 glass baking dish. Coat the dish well with the cooking spray. Spread 2 tortillas with a layer of the salsa con queso dip, place in bottom of dish. Add 1/3 of the beans, 1/3 of the meat, and a light layer of cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 until cheese on top is beginning to brown and the whole casserole is heated through. You can add other things if you want; black olives, chiles, anything your family likes. This will make 6 meal sized servings. And the left overs are every bit as good as the original ( I LOVE it when that happens!).

1 lb. Hamburger

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 can (from the soup can) Milk

Hot Sauce - I use Crystal Hot Sauce, but I imagine any will do

Brown Ground Beef, Drain. Mix Soup & Milk, stir together until well mixed. Add Hmaburger & a huge puddle of hot sauce or to taste. Heat up, letting the hot sauce mix well w/ the food. I put it on top of mashed potatoes, but you could do a baked potato, biscuit, etc. Also, not bad w/ green beans added to mixture before cooking.