STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

ILoveChoo · Hermes

meals under $10

littlebean · Kate Spade

I am really into making my meals as cheap but nutritious as possible! You can see that beans therefore factor into my diet in a major way since I don't really like meat that much, plus that are really inexpensive. Here are some of my favorites -- assuming that you have some spices and chicken boullion cubes and that sort of stuff hanging around, they should be under or around $10 and may make enough to keep you fed with leftovers for a few days! Let me know if you would like any of the recipes -- most are from Epicurious:

-Curried Lentil Soup
-Lentil and Brown Rice Soup
-Red Beans and Rice
-Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon
-Seared Tofu with Green Beans and Asian Coconut Sauce
-Lentil Stew with Spinach and Potatoes
-Spicy Garbanzo Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup
-I know that everyone thinks that she is annoying, but I kind of like Rachael Ray's burger recipes sometimes -- I do curried turkey burgers, for example, with Indian-esque toppings on my George Foreman with a side salad
-Your basic stirfry

ILoveChoo · Hermes

can I get the garbanzo bean/turkey soup and the red beans recipes?
They all sound great to me, but literally the 2 of the 3 things I can think of that DH won't eat are lentils and cooked fish. (The other is raw tomatoes)

oh! do you think the tofu one could be done with asparagus or something instead of green beans? I'm not a huge fan of those, and I have a ton of frozen asparagus.

Elle · Hermes

I have been collecting meals that fit this description for awhile now! Many are vegetarian, but they don't necessarily have to be. I'll start listing now and add more tomorrow, let me know if you want recipes for anything. Have you been to Recipezaar.com before? It has an awesome sort feature (one of which is 'inexpensive'!) and all the recipes are reviewed by the site members. I have a group of 'core' kind of ingredients that I usually work off of, and they're almost all fairly inexpensive and readily available around here. You might need to sub some things out, but I don't see why it wouldn't be doable

.

- Tortelini, spinach, white bean and tomato soup
- Bacon, lettuce, avacado, tomato sandwiches w/ french onion soup
- Soy ginger glazed chicken w/ brown rice and sauteed kale
- Grilled portabello burgers w/homemade garlic mayo, w/ sweet potato fries
- Homemade pizza
- Broccoli satay w/peanut sauce, served over brown rice (can add chicken or tofu to this)
- Spicy sweet potato, black bean, and corn burritos
- Stuffed bell peppers (w/sausage or w/out)
- Black bean and pineapple enchiladas

... gotta run, be back w/more tomorrow!

HeatherLynn · Gucci

Pastas! You can get a box/bag of different types of pasta for a couple dollars or less. Grab some frenc bread and marinara and you have a meal.

Salads- especially the prepackaged kind you can get some chicken and throw on it, but that definitely ups your price.

I second stirfrys. Especially with rice!

penguininaboat · BCBG

I second the pasta. If you want it to seem more fancy you could make your own vodka sauce...it is really good.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

omg elle, those all sound fantastic! I'm going to have to check out that site.

We're not really fans of pasta...at least not too often. We're kind of burned out on it, plus we're both on weight watchers and pasta is way high in points for a tiny serving.

cahabo · Kate Spade

If you have one of those meal preparing businesses nearby like Entrees Made Easy, or Super Suppers that could be an option for you. You can prepare a lot of meals at once in a short amount of time since everything is cut up and ready to put together. They cost about $3.50 per serving. Not too bad!

Kelly · Hermes

I am a fan of plain food (I know, no fun, right?), so I don't know if these would apeal to you, but I keep salmon and chicken breasts in the freezer all the time and base meals around those. You can get a bag of 10 frozen chicken breasts for like $7, and the salmon I get 4 or 5 servings for $4 (for the record, I don't know how it's that cheap. I get it frozen in bags at Wal-mart. Everywhere else I go has un-frozen salmon for like $10 for 2 servings. But I can't tell a big enough difference to start buying those).

frozen vegetables every night and bread or pasta. It's kind of the same formula with me every night, but I mix up the details, like the sauce, meat, seasonings, etc. so I never really get bored with it.

mikacat · Coach

sweet potatoes can be really easy to prepare
homemade applesauce
Meatloaf--not my thing but some people really like it
steamed brocolli
whatever meat is one sale-- just shop the sales and cook around that.
Tuna salad or tuna casserole
chicken pot pie
Lasagna
chicken soup
Plus, spring is coming, so fruits and veges will be cheaper soon. Just buy the fruits and veges in sale or in season. Asparagus, strawberries are starting to be in season. Soon it will be all the squashes and cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.
Watch your center aisle of the Grocery store buying; usually they are more expensive. At least here in Chicago! We shop the sales and started shopping at local markets for meat and vegetables -- much cheaper than the large chains.
Use coupons, buy the sales and buy some stuff at Costco or Sams if possible to save money.

Maybe plant a garden this summer.

Elle · Hermes

Back with a couple more cheap recipes

.

Strombolis/Calzones (you can use whatever you have on hand to fill, really)
Gnudi (spinach & ricotta dumplings)
Crustless Quiche (I usually do spinach, mushrooms, and onions, sometimes bacon too)
Sweet potato, black bean, and chipotle chili
Shepherdless pie (vegetarian, uses frozen veggies, w/ sweet potato topping)
French onion soup (baked in individual-sized ramekins)

I'll edit if I think of any more!

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Pasta, as has been mentioned, is cheap. Add garlic bread, and a side salad, and you've got a meal.

This recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/104589 is Orzo Carbonara, and it's pretty cheap to make, and delicious.

And I like California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas! Yummy.

ViViDogWear · Kate Spade

Agree with the others - pasta is a great way to cut costs! as a side or main dish - most important are the spices ( which you should have some hopefully).

Also agree with ttara ono the bags of frozen chicken breasts and salmon (lived on these in college).

Defrost and grill or bake and serve with variety or flavoring: lemon, balsamic vinegar, teriyaki glaze, steak seasoning. I have a huge thing of steak seasoning from Costco that lasts forever and I think it was like $7.

being chinese - I can have noodles or rice as a meal with small things on the side or as a whole meal. (with some beef or chicken broth, water, green onion, soy sauce, and whatever meat & veggies - you can have soup noodles!)

Fried rice is great! toss in a couple of eggs, green onions, whatever veggies or meats you have (even chopped hot dogs sometimes) - you can feed an army for less than a McD value meal!

Potatoes - mashed, fried, baked, just add what you want!

Rotisserie chicken (from the market already cooked is around $6-7 and always a good meal! serve alone or with bread, rice, potatoe, or salad!

-- Edited by ViViDogWear at 19:29, 2007-03-13

littlebean · Kate Spade

I'm sorry that I only just now remembered to surf back here, but here are the requested recipes! I hope that you enjoy them!
SEARED TOFU WITH WITH GREEN BEANS AND ASIAN COCONUT SAUCE

Cut the green beans and bell pepper while the tofu marinates.

click photo to enlarge

1 (14- to 16-oz) package firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (2 inches long)
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14- to 15-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped salted roasted cashews

Accompaniment: rice noodles or rice

Halve tofu lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and pat dry well. Put 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a wide shallow dish, then add tofu, turning to coat, and let stand 10 minutes. Pat tofu dry.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then add tofu in 1 layer and cook, turning over once, until tofu is browned, about 6 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large plate, reserving oil in skillet.

Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans, bell pepper, and salt and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.

Stir in coconut milk and remaining tablespoon soy sauce and bring to a boil, then boil, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer vegetables using a slotted spoon to plate with tofu.

Simmer sauce until thickened slightly and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and pour sauce over vegetables and tofu. Sprinkle with cashews.

Makes 4 main-course servings.
Gourmet
Quick Kitchen
September 2005

I do think that this would work with asaparagus -- I should try it myself because I love asparagus!

SPICY GARBANZO BEAN AND TURKEY SAUSAGE SOUP

Sliced or diced fresh avocado makes a colorful garnish for this hearty southwestern soup. If you want to cut up the avocado ahead of time but don't want it to discolor, simply place the avocado pieces in a colander and rinse them with cold water. They will stay bright green for about two hours.

1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 pound turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup canned diced peeled tomatoes with juices
2 tablespoons thinly sliced seeded jalapeño chili
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chick-peas), undrained
2 cups canned chicken broth or beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 avocado, peeled, sliced (optional)

Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage and chopped garlic and sauté until sausage is golden brown and cooked through, breaking up sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes with their juices, sliced jalapeño chili, ground cumin and chopped fresh rosemary and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garbanzo beans with their liquid and chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 15 minutes. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.) Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle soup with chopped fresh cilantro and top with sliced avocado. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.
Bon Appétit
March 1995

I think that if you had trouble finding bulk turkey sausage (which I did once), you could either make a bulk ground sausage or ground turkey + sausage-like spices substitution and it would still be tasty! I put in the whole can of diced tomatoes instead of just one cup.

RED BEANS AND RICE
Ingredients:
2 cans of red beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper (I usually do green)
1 pound spicy sausage -- I love a turkey & jalapeno sausage that my grocery store carries, but smoked sausage is also tasty
1 chopped onion
Chopped Jalapeno (optional)
Preparation:
I throw all of the ingredients into my slow cooker and leave them there for 6-8 hours (sometimes longer depending on my schedule). Serve with brown rice. This recipe could probably have added ingredients to make it even tastier, but I just love it as is for the extreme ease, low number of ingredients and health (depending on your sausage).