Trying to make a menu for 4 for 2 weeks on a budget?!


Question: I have learned that putting a calendar up and marking what to make for dinner is cheaper at the grocery store. But I am not good at planning these things. I am sick of tacos and hamburger helper. Please help me with some ideas! It is 2 adults and 2 children, and we are on a budget right now since my husbands hrs got cut. Any help on cheap dinners that taste goos and possible even halfway healthy would be appreciated!!

thanks in advance


Answers: I have learned that putting a calendar up and marking what to make for dinner is cheaper at the grocery store. But I am not good at planning these things. I am sick of tacos and hamburger helper. Please help me with some ideas! It is 2 adults and 2 children, and we are on a budget right now since my husbands hrs got cut. Any help on cheap dinners that taste goos and possible even halfway healthy would be appreciated!!

thanks in advance

A cheap idea I love is meatloaf! and it doesn't have to be just a blob of meat either... a 1 lb pack of hamburger should cost $3 or less (especially if you buy it on sale), add some salt and pepper, some finely diced onion and a little green pepper, the last 10 minutes it's in the oven, squiggle ketchup on top. It's so good and can be less than $4 to make it it feeds a family of 4.

Another thing I like is chicken nuggets.... a bag of chicken breasts at the grocery store by my house is $4.50... slice them into thick strips and toss in a brown bag with flour and spices, then fry them in a pan with canola or vegetable oil until browned. You should be able to get 2 meals of these out of a bag, so that's $2.25 per meal, plus add in a side dish of a can of corn or peas or something! So $3.00 and you've fed your family.

Spaghetti is also a good cheap choice... my grocery store has jars of spaghetti sauce a pack of noodles for 99 cents. $2 a meal! Add in a slice of toast topped with butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt for a nice addition.

What about a pack of Ramen noodles or two (don't groan yet), then slice up a few chicken breasts or a cheap steak and toss it, top with a little parmesan cheese or some sesame seeds!

go to savingdinner.com

Its a service that does menu planning ...

One thing you can do is make a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and one night have spaghetti and sauce, the next night have pizza subs (spaghetti sauce, cheese, toppings) and then the next night you can have hotdogs and use the spaghetti sauce as chili for your hotdogs or even sloppy joes. You can always add a salad or maybe a veggie to make it even healthier.

You can also do the same thing with beans. They are good and good for you (pinto, great nothern, kidney, etc.) You can cook a large pot of bean soup and have that one night or two and then with the leftovers make a pot of chili or a caaserole.

- Get coupons from Papa Murphys...cheap and delicious (we usually get half garlic chicken & half pepperoni).

- Montreal Steak - so good and easy
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 4 teaspoon McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 2 lbs boneless beef sirloin or New York Steak
Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate 30 min to an hour. Then broil or girll them 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with rice or mash potatoes and chicken gravy (box and packet)


- Provencal Chicken & Tomato:
- 4 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 cup frozen small whole onions (from 1-lb bag)
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
- 1 can (15.8 oz) Kidney beans
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
- 1/4 water
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1) Cook bacon for 5 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Add onions, cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add chicken cook 5 to 6 minutes
3) Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 10 minutes
4) Uncover, cook to 5 to 10 minutes longer or until chicken is cooked. Serve with rice or garlic bread or nothing.

Hi there......You can continue to eat well and still beat the "food hum-drum blues"......You surely get store circulars (read: food ads) from your local grocery stores: Learn to eat around sale foods.......It may take a little inventiveness, but you'll find it easier.....I also recommend that you check out the site KraftFoods.com and sign up for their weekly email newsletter, it's really cool, as they give you a menu for 4 for 2 weeks!!! And the shopping list (add or subtract things according to your liking).......CampbellsKitchen.com and Pillsburry.com are some other great sources that will send you weekly "meal mails" with some great, economical recipes in them.......ALL FOR FREE!!! With a little strategy, you can eat well and keep the family and the pocket book happy!!! Enjoy!

Christopher

Hamburger Potato Casserole
1 pound hamburger
5-6 potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom (we use cream of chicken) soup
3/4 cup mik
4 ounces Velveeta

Brown hamburger and drain. Slice potatoes as for frying and boil until tender (about 10 minutes.) Drain. Combine soup, milk, and cheese in saucepan and warm until cheese is melted. Add hamburger to cheese mixture. Butter casserole dish and put in 1/2 of the potatoes, then 1/2 of the hamburger-cheese mixture, then the other 1/2 of the potatoes, and the remaining hamburger-cheese mixture. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Can add 1 can whole corn (drained) in place of some of the potatoes
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Unstuffed Green Peppers, FREEZER FRIENDLY
They are called unstuffed because the peppers are in the "stuffing" and not stuffed.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced peppers
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz tomato sauce
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
salt
pepper
3/4 cup instant rice
4 oz Velveeta
optional:
soft tortillas
sour cream
tomatoes

Cook beef onions and peppers together until beef is done and veggies are soft. Drain if needed. Add all but the cheese and cook until rice is tender (10-15). Add cheese and heat until melted. Serve with sour cream and diced tomatoes in a soft tortilla OR put in a baking dish and top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly

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Chicken Broccoli or Beef Broccoli
1 pound chicken or beef, sliced very thin
1 head broccoli, cut and steamed
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons sugar (I used 1 to 1-1/2)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
olive oil

Mix beef, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch together. Marinate for 15 minutes and then add drizzle of olive oil. Heat wok or other heavy duty pan until pretty warm. Add meat mixture and cook until brown. (If you don't use a lot of oil, you may want to add a little bit of water to help get the bits off the bottom of the pan that stick. Helps make more sauce too) Add broccoli incorporating into the sauce the meat has made. Serve with rice
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Spaghetti n' Meatballs
2 eggs
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 pound ground beef
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 jar favorite pasta sauce
cooked pasta

In large bowl beat eggs, garlic, and parsley. Crumble the beef over the mixture and mix well. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs; mix gently. Shape into 1-1/2 inch balls. Add to sauce and simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the cooked pasta.


Make two batch and save one for later! Place meatballs on wax paper on cookie sheet. When frozen, vaccuum seal or place in freezer bag. To use, just thaw before cooking.





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