Menu Ideas on the Cheap

I am sure everyone has heard this over and over, plan a menu and make a shopping list then stick to it. This does in fact work, but when everyone is busy it is hard to take a look at what you have, what you need and also important, what you and your family wants. I have been incredibly fortunate these past months while waiting for tenants and had quite a bit of food given to me. Still, this menu can be pretty cheap if you shop well and when you can use coupons and sales to make your menu decisions. Personally, there are only a couple of places I shop because I don't think that using all that gas, mileage on the car and quite frankly the value of my time makes going all over the place worth any bargains I may get.

Yes, I do coupon. I am not an extreme couponer anymore, that is true, but if I see a coupon for something that we will use, I use it. I get mine online as in my area the Sunday paper just isn't worth it anymore. The paper costs over 2 dollars now, and I only use a few coupons if any because most of it is stuff I wouldn't buy anyway. If you weren't going to buy it, it does not matter if you are getting a bargain because you are still spending money you normally wouldn't have.

On to the menu. This past week I sat down and figured out what I had in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Then I went to the store flyers that I go to and listed things on sale that we like. After that, it was online to find recipes that matched these ingredients.

Menu plan for over a week:

Stuffed Shells and Tomato Sauce: We had the shells in the freezer from a long ago sale and a friend gave me a box of plain sauce. She also gave us garlic, but any seasonings you have on hand will do, use your imagination! Garlic and onion powders should simmer a while to rehydrate though.

Seasoned Pork with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Herbed Potatoes: I also had a nice piece of pork from my friend (not sure of the cut though) but assorted chops can be found on sale often. Seasonings are what I have on hand. I purchased some frozen spinach and we have milk in the house. I had some russet potatoes that have seen better days, but added with a couple of red potatoes and a sweet potato (both purchased, but not a whole bag, just two pieces each) and tossed in oil, or whatever fat you have on hand and some herbs and it is quite yummy. If you have  a little to splurge, try some fresh herbs in there too.

Curried Lentils and Rice: I have had two types of lentils in my cabinets for a while. We aren't big legume eaters, but we do like curry, so I found a recipe and will be using my red lentils for it. The rice was given to me, but it is also really cheap. If you are not good at cooking rice, try Freecycle for your area. Someone may be giving away a rice cooker. It does make life much easier. I even got a pound of yeast through them which I am still using. The seasonings I have in my collection.

Golden Sesame Tofu with Rice and Vegetable: When I wrote the menu I was not sure which vegetable to use, but we went with some canned green beans which said friend gave us. If you visit food pantries canned vegetables are often given out, so if you need the help, get it! Do not be ashamed, these are hard times. Tofu is pretty inexpensive when compared to meat. Even my husband liked it. The Whole Foods recipe called for honey, but any liquid sweetener will do in a pinch, just think about how it will flavor the dish before using. I had a lot of sesame seeds from when I was making bento for my daughter, so I toasted those up. This is a very nice dish, even for meat eaters.

Pizza: Flour, yeast, water, salt and a little oil is all you need for the dough. There are a million dough recipes out there, but this is what it boils down too. You do not have to make the perfect thin crust that you are used to from take out places. I  stretch mine on a baking sheet and they love it. The cheese was on sale and I had a coupon, I was going to forgo toppings as it is extremely filling without any, but then at my second store found a stick of pepperoni for a great price. We have also put cut up pineapple on it, leftover chicken etc. With this I am using the mentioned tomato sauce seasoned, but if you like BBQ I have also use that sauce with Monterrey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese and it is quite yummy, especially if you have some chicken left overs or pulled pork etc. Very, very inexpensive meal, and it fills all four of us up perfectly. Rarely are their leftovers, and those are eaten the next day without fail.

Tuna Casserole: This is one of those things that you either love or hate I think. I always hated it myself, but we were given a bunch of light tuna and egg noodles. I used cream of chicken rather than cream of mushroom, which was on sale and I had coupons and it was much better to my tastes. I threw in some leftover frozen peas that were wasting away in the freezer, a few handfuls of cheddar cheese from that cheese purchase and topped it at the end with some breadcrumbs I found that needed to be used up, but you can use anything you like. Chips have been suggested to me as excellent, I know Ritz (TM) are really good crumbled on the top and my recipe suggested french fried onions. I tossed the plain crumbs with some butter, garlic powder and onion powder in a skillet for a little bit. It was not loved, but everyone said that they were fine with having it again. Better than I expected to be truthful.

Shepherd's Pie: Ah, a standby. We had purchased a large box of instant potatoes a long time ago, but if we didn't have that we would use whatever potatoes are on hand to mash. The hamburger was part of my care package, but around here we can find it for about 1.99 a pound sometimes so I buy as much as I can and pack them in 1 lb packages. I have some canned corn from said friend and I got some gravy powder in bulk when I got the potatoes. I think we were preparing for a storm when we got them. You can use pretty much any vegetable, frozen or canned, though I have never tried fresh. I don't know if it bakes long enough for fresh, but hey, one can always try!

Minestrone Soup: Friend also gave me a box of kidney beans. At the discount store chicken broth was on sale, but I also have some in the freezer because I try to save bits from chicken and vegetables and make a broth when I have enough. Throw in some carrots, potatoes and whatever vegetables you have on hand and some pasta or rice and you are done. If you are feeling adventurous you could make some bread or biscuits.

Beef and Chicken Potpies: Okay, this was a cop out meal. The discount store had them pretty cheap and we each got the kind we liked for a fairly quick meal. Not the healthiest, but cheaper than take out.

Sweet and Sour Spam and Rice: Before crying foul, I am not a Spam eater generally. My husband and kids have an affinity for it, so if it is cheap I will buy a can or two. I also will always pick up canned pineapple in juice whenever I can. Add some cornstarch, brown sugar and a little vinegar and you have sauce. One can, four people. There will also be a vegetable as we have some canned and frozen still.

Italian Sausage and Peppers: The sausage does go on sale, but you can use any raw sausage that you like and can afford. I just sear the sausage, add some broth and chopped onions with cubed potatoes and simmer until almost done, then remove the lid so what remains after a while is a nicely seasoned sauce. The peppers I cook on the side and add in so they don't get mushy, but you can just throw them in if you want.  I had some sausage leftover from our bulk shopping trip many months ago so they needed to get used up.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup: Seriously cheap, especially if you made your own broth. You can used canned/boxed or heck, bouillon cubes are okay too, just a little salty so keep that in mind. Bring to a boil, add chopped frozen spinach, bring back up to a boil and drizzle some scrambled egg over the top. It will cook quickly. Nutmeg is an awesome spice for this dish and to be filling it needs some sort of bread to go with.

Corn Chowder (or Chowdah around here): A  little chicken broth, some milk or if you have it some half and half, corn, potatoes, onions and if you have it some crisp bacon or bacon bits to sprinkle on the top. If you like your chowder thick, make a slurry with some milk and flour to thicken it up, just make sure it cooks a bit to get the flour taste out. My family can not get enough of this. I am too the point where the only pot I have big enough to feed them is my stock pot. Even without bacon. There are no green or colored vegetables in this one, which is a down side, but it is cheap.

Beans, Rice and Cheese: I honestly don't know how this will go, but I have the beans and rice on hand and the cheese was inexpensive, so we will give it a try. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

There was also "homestyle" mac and cheese on sale which set us back about three dollars for a family meal. Making it homemade is not really cheap unless you have access to inexpensive cheese or Velveeta is on sale, which I am not terribly fond of. It is an easy meal my husband can make, so in it goes for a quickie, don't order out meal.

Because I made use of coupons and sales and what I have on hand, I spent roughly 100.00 for two weeks of meals and oatmeal, dried fruit etc. for breakfasts and lunches. I even got some generic cookies for a treat. Eggs, milk, bread, yogurt (coupons!) and some additional things like flour and sugar  were also purchased, so if we had been a little more frugal it would have been even less. I also have enough here for some more bland dinner options, many in fact. Meatless Spaghetti and sauce can be tedious as can rice and beans, but we also have plenty for that too.

If your cupboards are bare do not despair! (no, that was not rhymed on purpose). First off, see what you do have. If you are in a bind, go to a food pantry! Please, do not go hungry because you are ashamed or feel that there are others more deserving. You deserve to eat! Sometimes we need help to stretch those food dollars, that is how I did it. While it isn't often you get fresh meat at the pantries, they often have tuna or canned chicken. The canned beef is palatable if drowned in a sauce you like, but try to avoid it. Frozen generic vegetables are rarely bad, although you may find a stem or two in them. Find uses for legumes. My family does not like them, but i am pretty sure that they will be okay with these recipes because of the flavors. Also, try for your food stamps. I might get flamed for that, but they are there to help. If you can, get them. Record numbers of people are on them because of the economy, you are not bad for getting them.

Once I am done with this set of menus I will do it again and post the results because I will have far less items on hand at that point, making it more of a challenge. Also, search for coupons! You don't have to be a fanatical couponer to get some savings. There are many sites on line, and I will make another post about that type of online support soon.