Kid friendly Meals on a VERY tight budget?!


Question: Kid friendly Meals on a VERY tight budget!?
Hello, I have just recently went from a work out of home mom, to a stay at home mom!. I am still trying to find my footing in this new lifestyle, so I need some help! My kids have very different tastes and I have always had problems at meal times!.
I often times found myself cooking 2 different veggies or meats for everyother meal!. But now times have changed and I have a very tight budget to work with to feed a family of 5!. I'm talking like no more than 50-75 dollars a week!.
I would also like to eat healthier!. We used to eat what ever we dumped out of the box and into the pan!. Now since I can be home all the time I need some recipes, meal plan resources!. ANYTHING will be helpful! I have NO IDEA how to cook with things like Whole wheat flour!. But I am wanting to make my own bread and I feed my kids wheat bread!. We are Meat eaters but are open to eating a few meatless meals each week!.
PLEASE help me! Thank you all so much!Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Don't be put off by the names of these websites - I've picked up a few good tips from them!. The second link has step-by step instructions on bread baking!. Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Pizza dough is cheap( $1!.59 or so) They even have whole wheat which is a little more in the supermarkets!. They can help make a healthy veggie pie with low fat mozzarella when that is on sale!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

mac and cheese casserole with broccoli and ham chunksWww@FoodAQ@Com

Shepard's pie is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies, and is pretty cheap, too!.

Brown a pound of ground beef!. While it is cooking, mince up 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, a clove of garlic and 1 onion (the smaller the pieces, the less likely the kids will notice them) and toss them in!. Once the veggies are starting to get translucent, mix in a few tablespoons of tomato paste and, if you have it, a can of peas!.

Put this in a casserole dish and cover with mashed potatoes (homemade or made from the dried kind, either works fine)!. Cook at 350 for about a half hour, or until the potatoes start to get golden brown!. My family can't get enough of this!

also cheap and easy (if you're going to do meatless) is pasta!. You can cover it with a can of tomato sauce (add your own seasoning and it's cheaper than buying the prepared spaghetti sauce), or throw in whatever is in your pantry!. You can use olive oil or butter, add some diced tomatoes, whatever spices or herbs you have available, some veggies or beans (garbanzo beans work GREAT with fresh tomatoes - especially the canned garbanzos), some zest from a lemon or lime, or even just some butter and garlic!. Pasta is the cheapest and most versatile dish!.

Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Well, you definitely know you ahve to stop all that short-orde cooking for specific kids!. I have one pretty picky kid, and one not so picky, and I make sure the pikcy one has at least 2 things to eat at a meal!.!.!. and he can just not take the food he (thinks he) doesnt' like!.

I have 2 sites for you!. First, here is one on menu planning, written by a registered dietitian, and includes low-cost and meatless meals, and even helps you plan to use up leftovers!. She also includes shopping lists and recipes!. Check this out:
http://www!.uclick!.com/client/adv/mu/

The second site is a page all about eating on a very tight budget!. She's got a lot of bulk-cooking recipes on her site, but also some good info for eating cheap and tasty!. She's at: http://www!.ellenskitchen!.com/faqs/improv!.!.!.

Good luck to you! You've made the right choice for your kiddos, even if it is hard!. Just get with other moms who are SAHM (stay at home moms) and you can even babysit each other kids on different days each week (so you each get an off-day w/ NO kids, or at least a couple hours to go grocery shopping alone)!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Spaghetti with meat sauce goes a long way in our home (family of five too)!.!.!.for my little one who doesn't like meat sauce I simply put butter and Parmesan cheese on her noodles!. My kids love salad and fresh bread on the side!.
Another family favorite is Beef Strogonaff!.!.!.I brown meat, add onion, 1 can of mushroom soup, 8 oz of sour cream and simmer!. Add frozen peas towards the end to add a veggie that they will hardly taste!. Serve over warm buttered noodles!.
Hope these help!.!.!.as a stay at home mom with a strict budget too I find it hard to make cheap, healthy meals!. I have been clipping coupons lately and it helps out tremendously!.!.!.especially when my store offers buy one get one free items plus a coupon is a great bargain!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Chicken & Rice Casserole

2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp!. butter or margarine
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (10!.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup crushed potato chips or crushed Ritz crackers

In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until crisp-tender!. Place in a bowl; add the mayonnaise, soup, peas, lemon juice and salt!. Stir in chicken and rice!. Transfer to a greased 11-in!. x 7-in!. x 2-in!. baking dish!. Sprinkle with potato chips!. Bake, uncovered, at 350oF for 25-30 minutes or until heated through
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Swiss Olive Spaghetti
8 ounces spaghetti
8 ounces shredded swiss cheese
1 cup sliced pimiento stuffed olives or sliced good quality ripe olives (pitted)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions!. Drain and return to saucepan!.
Add the shredded cheese, olive, cream, and milk!. Toss to combine!.
Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened!. Season with salt and pepper to taste!. Turn into serving dish!. Serves 8!.

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Basic Sauteed Chicken
1 or more chicken breast, halved, boneless and skinless
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Rinse chicken and pat dry!.
Optional: Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness!.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper!.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat!. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until they are browned, approximately 3 minutes per side!.
Transfer the chicken to a plate or platter!. Make one of the sauces below!.
Serve immediately with sauce!. Serves 2 per whole chicken breast!.

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Bread Pudding
? pound of stale white bread, torn up or cut into cubes (1/2 loaf or 10 slices)
2 Cups milk
? - 2/3 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
? cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees!.
Put the bread cubes into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish!. Sprinkle the raisins over the bread!.
Combine the milk and egg, whisking with a fork to blend!. Add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon!. Blend and pour over the bread!.
Mix all together to make sure the bread is soaked with the custard and raisins are distributed throughout!.
Place this baking dish into another larger dish to which water has been added!. (Bain Marie) You want to add enough water to come ? way up the side of the baking dish!. I measure out the water with the pan on the counter top, remove the pudding, place the water pan in the oven, then add the pudding into the pan in the oven!. (This avoids spilling the water into the pudding as I put it into the oven!.)
Bake at 325 for approximately 45 minutes!. The pudding will be set and a little puffy!. The puffiness settles a little as it cools, this is ok!.

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THE BEST MAC & CHEESE

16 ounces macaroni (uncooked)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
14 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into chunks
salt and pepper
8 slices Velveeta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees!.
Cook macaroni according to directions and drain!.
Melt margarine in a large saucepan!.
Add flour and whisk together!.
Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble and thickens!.
Stir constantly!.
Add chunks of Velveeta and allow to melt!.
Salt and pepper to taste!.
Pour macaroni into a 13x9 oblong baking dish!.
Pour sauce over macaroni!.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then put extra slices of cheese on top!.
Bake for another 5 minutes until cheese melts!.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serveWww@FoodAQ@Com





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