What are some good inexpensive but easy to make meals?!


Question: When I cook for my husband, usually I have just one main dish, a side, and soup. What are some good course meals that are inexpensive and easy to make that he can enjoy? I am running out of ideas. Not just one dish, but one main dish with other small dishes that works with it.


Answers: When I cook for my husband, usually I have just one main dish, a side, and soup. What are some good course meals that are inexpensive and easy to make that he can enjoy? I am running out of ideas. Not just one dish, but one main dish with other small dishes that works with it.

Here are some cools & easy cooking meals receipe

Grilled Bullseye

2 eggs
2 pieces of bread
1 slice cheese
Butter

Cut a hole in the center of each piece of bread using a glass, glass jar, or cookie cutter. Butter the pan. Turn stove on Low at first then move to Medium once eggs are in.

Place both pieces of bread on the pan. Crack each egg and drop one into each hole in the center of the bread. Cook egg to your liking, take two peices of bread off pan and let cool. Put cheese slice in-between slices of bread. Place in microwave for 30 seconds or under the grill to melt cheese.

*This recipe was sent in by Nic.

BLC (Bacon, Lettuce, Ceasar) Sandwich

Multigrain bread, sandwich sliced
Lettuce, shredded
Cheese slices (American, Swiss, or your favorite)
Ceasar salad dressing
Pepper to taste
Bacon strips


Toast bread. Top with cheese slices and melt cheese in toaster oven. In a small bowl, add dressing to lettuce and toss. Smother salad over cheese and lightly pepper. Cook bacon in microwave or frypan and place strips over salad. Add some pickles or olives if you like. Place toasted bread on top to make a delicious lunch that kids will enjoy!

*Recipe sent in by Kayla.


Robin Hood Wrap

1 package tortillas
Cold cuts, sliced from the deli (ham and turkey)
American cheese
Swiss cheese
Chopped vegies (lettuce, cucumbers, pickles, olives)
Mustard and mayonaise

Lay a tortilla out flat and spread with mayonaise, then mustard. Then layer with a slice of ham and a slice of turkey. Next add a slice of American chesse and a slice of Swiss cheese. Add lettuce, olives, cucumbers, and pickles. Roll up your wrap and cut into round bite-sized pieces. Pack in an airtight container. Simple to make and great for school lunches!

*Recipe sent in by Chelsey F.

Mashed Hot 'Tater Dog

1 hot dog bun per person, toasted
1 hot dog per person, heated
prepared instant mashed potatoes
1 package frozen peas and carrots, cooked
salt and pepper to taste

Toast buns, heat hot dogs, and cover hot dog with mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. Add ketchup if you like. A healthy twist to the old hot dog.

*Submitted by Kristina.




Ned's PBJ Sandwich


peanut butter
grape jelly
2 slices bread


Mix peanut butter and jelly together in a bowl until completely blended (should be an icky gray color). Spread on sandwich bread. It doesn't look that pretty, but it sure tastes GREAT (trust me).

Avocado Sandwich

1 avocado
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 slice American cheese
2 slices bread


Mash the avocado in a bowl. Add lemon juice, oil, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Stir together. Spread over sandwich bread and top with a slice of American cheese.



Ham and Cheese Sandwich

1 slice sandwich ham
mustard or mayonaise
1 slice American cheese
1 slice bread


Put ham on sandwich bread. Spread with mustard or mayonaise. Take a slice of American cheese and cut out a simple shape such as a heart or star. Put cheese slice on top of ham slice. Kids love this simple open faced sandwich.

California Roll Up


1 whole wheat flour tortilla
4 slices deli shaved turkey breast
1 slice mozzarella cheese
4 thin slices cucumber
4 slices avocado
alfalfa sprouts

Layer tortilla with turkey breast, cheese, cucumber and avocado slices, and a handful of sprouts. Roll it up and slice in half. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Perfect for school lunches.

Tofu Burgers

1/2 block firm tofu
2 cups oats
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil
whole wheat buns


Cut up 1/2 tofu block into small cubes. Then mash the tofu with your hands and place in a large bowl. Add oats and soy sauce. Mix together well using your hands. Make tofu burger patties with your hands. Fry in oil until golden and crispy.


Drain on paper towels. Serve on a whole wheat bun with ketchup, lettuce, and any other burger toppings you like. Kids will love these healthy burgers. - Serves 4.

Ham Sandwich


1 bagel
1 cucumber
3 slices of ham
Mustard
Salt
Butter
Cheese


Carefully cut the bagel in half. Then cut the cucumber into four or more slices(as many as you like). Toast the bagel. Then spread the butter onto the bageland add the slices of cucumber. Next add the salt and a slice of ham. Then addthe mustard. Add a piece of ham. Then add the cheese.


Hamurger with the Works


1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs
4 slices American cheese
hamburger buns


In a bowl mix together ground beef, onion, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Make patties, fry, and drain on paper towel. Fry eggs. Top burger with fried egg, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and your favorite burger toppings.


Serves 4.

Tuna Tacos


1 large can of tuna
2 tablespoons cole slaw dressing
1 package cole slaw mix
12 flour tortillas

In a medium bowl mix the tuna, cole slaw mix and cole slaw dressing. Spoon into flour tortillas. Serve with corn chips and salsa.




Crispy Bacon Tortilla

one tortilla
4 pieces of bacon
4 slices of American cheese


Cook 4 pieces of bacon in microwave (or in frypan - kids, have parents fry for you). Put the tortilla on a plate and add cheese. Put in microwave for 20 secounds to melt. Then put bacon on the chese and roll your tortilla up. Add salsa, avocado, or sour cream.


Or you can just click belwo

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_qe_me...

Hope the infromation was useful to you pal.

Hey!
I'm a student and the only thing that keeps me awake is food, so I also need good and inexpensive meals.
While searching online for some recipes, I found this site that was great. Maybe you'll find things here as well:
http://www.sutree.com/videos/Food_and_Dr...

Good luck and let me know if you found something good to make!
Maytal

You could make chili with fresh cornbread and a salad, ham and bean soup with biscuits or cornbread and a salad, beef stew with biscuits and a salad, spaghetti with meat sauce or lasagna with garlic bread and a salad, roasted chicken or cornish game hens with roasted or mashed potatoes and a veggie, roast beef or pork with potatoes, a veggie and a salad, BBQ ribs with fries or baked potato, baked beans and a salad such as potato salad, macaroni salad or cole slaw...

I don't know what "inexpensive" means to you, but this was last night for us, and I considered it inexpensive.

First course: horseradish mashed potatoes (I used this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v... but you could make any sort of mashed potatoes, I think... takes about 3 minutes prep time and 15-20 minutes cooking time) with breaded, fried onion slices. I wanted onion rings, but I wasn't going to deep-fry, so I sliced a red onion into four slices, dredged each slice in flour, then in a batter made of egg, flour, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, then in bread crumbs, and I put them in a frying pan over medium high heat in peanut oil for about 4 minutes on a side until they were golden all over).

Main course: Herb-crusted baked salmon. I buy it from my fishmonger at 18 euro/kilo = 11-12 dollars per pound. For two of us, I buy a slice along a fillet (it's called a pavé in French...I don't know in english....skin all along one side and flesh along the top with the spine not in but it would run along the top) of 300g = 10 ounces. I rinse it off, put it in a lightly-oiled flat dish with sides that goes in the oven, squeeze some lemon on it, brush it with mayonnaise (I use a thick coating), salt and pepper the mayo, and then cover it completely with chopped fresh herbs (I use dill and Italian parsley, but you could use other things). Then stick it in a 400F oven on convection (so maybe 420 in traditional) for 12 minutes. I like the salmon medium-rare ish. You might like it more or less cooked.

Then some cheese and fruit and you're done. I start at 7:30 and have dinner on the table for 8.

I suppose you mean healthy meals? I suggest 1. chicken with mixture of soy sauce, lemon juice and a little sugar, 2. Chicken thighs baked on a bed of rice ideally seasoned with chicken bouillon, butter and onion.... this is a VERY simple meal that simply tastes great. And of course if you fancy something really light, just make some chicken salad or tuna salad, mix with a bit of feta, tomatoes, onions, olives, then dress with lemon and olive oil, yum!

Tomato Sizzling Rice
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups instant rice
4 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup steamed vegetables (like bok choy or 1 cup celery)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts

1/2 (14 1/2 ounce) can baby corn

3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions
1Sizzling rice: heat the 4 cups of oil to 375-400F (any lower than 370F and this does not work). In small batches, pour the instant rice into the oil, let it sizzle and puff and rise to the surface (about 5 seconds), and then remove and drain on paper towels.
2Sauce: In a large, deep skillet, heat the tbsp of oil with the ginger, onion, and garlic for a minute.
3Add remaining ingredients except cornstarch and water and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
4Mix together cornstarch and water and add to the sauce. Stir until thickened.
5To serve, add sizzling rice to bowl and ladle sauce overtop. To get maximum sizzle, pour sauce over when rice is still very hot from the deep frying or reheat the rice in the microwave.
6You can prepare the sizzling rice up to a couple days in advance. You can also use crushed "Rice Cake" from the Asian market.
Asian Cabbage Soup
Asian stock
6 cups water
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cup scallion tops (green parts)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced daikon radishes (or use red radish)
8-10 thin slices fresh gingerroot
Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onions
3 tablespoons minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
1 tablespoon peeled grated fresh gingerroot
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (recommend napa or savoy cabbage)
1 cup sliced carrots , cut into matchsticks
1 teaspoon chili paste (Chinese is best)
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (or to taste)
to taste hijiki seaweed or sliced sliced scallions (to garnish)
Directions
1In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water and the mushrooms to a boil. Remove from heat and soak for 15-20 minutes until softened. Strain the soaking liquid into a 2 quart pot and set the shiitake mushrooms aside.
2Add the remaining 4 cups water, scallions, carrots, radish, and ginger to the soaking liquid.
3Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Strain and return the stock to the soup pot.
4While the stock is simmering, heat oil in a heavy skillet(or wok) and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are browned well(don't burn!). Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes.
5Mix in ginger, cabbage, and carrots. Cook, stir often until cabbage is limp and crisp tender, about 10 minutes. Add the veggies to the strained stock and stir in the chili paste and soy sauce.
6Remove and discard the shiitake stems. Thinly slice the caps, add them to the soup, and reheat until just boiling.
7Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the hijiki seaweed or scallions, or both. Enjoy!
Super Easy Lo Mein
Ingredients
12 ounces angel hair pasta
16 ounces mixed vegetables (sugar snap pea variety is what I used)
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions
1Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add Angel hair pasta and mixed veggies to pot.
2Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
3While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine the hoisin sauce, broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger in a small bowl.
4When pasta is done, drain well. Transfer back into the pot, or into a serving dish.
5Combine with the sauce mixture.
6Serve and enjoy!
Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
1/4 cup onions , finely chopped
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons fresh gingerroot , minced
2 garlic cloves , minced
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3 cups cooked rice , cold
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables , thawed
Directions
1In a skillet, saute onion in oil until tender.
2Add ginger and garlic, saute 1 more minute.
3Add teriyaki sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, salt and hot sauce.
4Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook and stir 2 minutes.
5Add rice and vegetables, cook and stir until vegetables are tender.

You can mix and match these dishes but these are some of my faves
http://www.recipezaar.com/240751

Good grief! What amazing recipes we have here! Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

1. Pork chops and macaroni and cheese, spinach salad with candied walnuts and mandarin oranges.
2. Swiss Steak with mashed potatos and roasted carrots.
3. Stuffed bell peppers with additional rice and a fruit salad
4. Roasted chicken with stuffing, candied yam casserole, gravy, and peas
5. grilled ribeye steaks with baked potatos and green salad
6. Spaghetti and meatballs, green salad, hot french bread
7. Potato Leek soup, hot rosemary potato bread with sweet butter and smoked gouda cheese, baby lettuce salad with carrots, celery, kidney beans, and balsamic vinagrette.
8. Cheeseburger pie, green salad
9. Lentil and ham soup; chicken kabobs; rice
10. Monte Cristo sandwiches; tomato bisque soup; fresh pineapple with a yogurt sauce.

Don't forget dessert too! Simple things like cupcakes, brownies, cookies, lemon bars, ice cream or sherbet with a drizzle chocolate sauce or liquore, etc. are always great.

buy the cook book "the relaxed goumet" it is available on a web site www.musictocare.com and it has lots of food made with ready made stuff. tells you how to put it together and make it taste and look good, all in a few minutes.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan and a sald.

Grill or bake the chicken cutlets. Make your own tomato sauce or use marina. Put the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, add the cooked chicken, top with more sauce. Layer slices of smoked mozzarella cheese and broil.

Then make a sald. (Hint: saw it on Rachel Ray 30 minute meals today - go to www.foodnetwork.com for detail recipe)

BAKED POTATOES (MICROWAVE)

3-4 lg. baking potatoes

Bake on high 4 minutes. Turn each potato over. Bake another 4 minutes. Turn all potatoes again. Bake on half power 2 minutes, turn and bake another 2 minutes. Remove from oven. Wrap each potato in foil. Let them remain wrapped until ready to use. This is for microwave oven with 700 watt power.

SELF RISING FLOUR BISCUITS

5 c. self rising flour
1/3 c. Crisco
1 c. buttermilk

Sift self rising flour into a large mixing bowl. Place the 1/3 cup of Crisco in a hallowed out place in the flour. With a fork, mix the flour and Crisco. Do Not use all of the flour. Pour the buttermilk over the flour, Crisco mixture. Gradually, mix until the dough is firm enough to handle. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface, place dough and knead gently. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness, cut and place in a greased pan. Cook at 350 degrees until brown. About 15 to 20 minutes.

CREAM OF ONION SOUP

2 lg. Spanish onions
2 oz. garlic
4 z. butter
4 oz. flour
2 pts. chicken stock
1/4 pt. fresh cream

Slice onions and sweet off in pot with 4 ounces butter and garlic. NOTE: This must be done at a moderate heat so as to extract all the flavor of the onions.
Add flour and make a roux. Cook out slowly and without browning.

Add cold stock. Bring to the boil whisking continuously so as to prevent lumps or burning. Once boiled, reduce and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pass the soup through a blender and place back into a clean pot. Add cream and serve.

RICE WITH BAKED BEANS AND SALSA

2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup salsa (more if desired)
1 15 oz. can baked beans
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
(tortilla chips)

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe glass or Pyrex casserole dish and heat in the microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips, or on a plate as a meal with a salad.

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

1 pkg. fresh spinach
1 sm. head of lettuce
4 boiled eggs
1 pkg. tiny frozen peas, thawed
1 med. onion, finely chopped
6 slices of crispy fried bacon
1 1/2 c. low-cal buttermilk dressing
6 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Layer all of the above starting with spinach on bottom and ending with cheese on top.





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