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maybeamommy
Blessed beyond belief
Member since 10/07 17048 total posts
Name:
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Favorite meals that go far...
What are your favorite meals that go far? Meaning, cook one night and eat for a few? OR your favorite inexpensive meals?
I'm trying to stretch our dollars here a bit.. but it's so hard while trying to diet! I'm probably going to slack on the diet in favor of saving money because this month is ROUGH around here!
Preferably kid-friendly and no cream of mushroom anything or overly processed
So far an idea I saw on the boards was roasted pork shoulder
night 1: serve with rice & veggies
night 2: in sandwiches (cuban or with a crunchy slaw)
night 3: in tacos - corn tortillas with pico de gallo, guacamole & yellow rice
Other idea - whole roasted chicken
night 1: serve with couscous & veggies
night 2: in quesadillas
night 3: in panini
Grilled cheese sandwiches with grapes or other sliced fruit and some kettle chips
Baked ziti with burnt broccoli
Homemade pizzas with salad
Egg sandwiches (eggs baked in muffin tin on crispy english muffins) topped with melted cheddar, served with fresh fruit
Hotdogs (are nitrate-free hot dogs cheap these days ?) maybe with macaroni or potato salad and corn
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Posted 6/12/12 1:12 PM  |
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cateyemm
Twins!
Member since 7/10 8027 total posts
Name:
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Not sure if you have a crockpot but I just made this last night and it yielded a TON
4 skinless chicken thighs
3 fresh tomatoes diced
box of frozen corn
half red onion
can of black beans
sprinkled with homemade taco seasoning
it was delicious served with homemade guac (although the frozen guac they sell at BJ's can be cheaper depending on the price of avocados) and light shredded cheese on tortillas
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| Posted 6/12/12 1:24 PM |
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rkl1130
LIF Adult
Member since 10/07 1476 total posts
Name:
Rose Ann
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Chili (I use ground turkey)
* Night 1: straight out chili I usually serve with biscuits or cornbread
* Night 2: Quick chili mac - mix some of the chili with some cooked macaroni and some shredded cheddar cheese for a quick, easy chili mac.
* Night 3: Home made nachos
If there are still leftovers, I end up making something like empanadas. I usually make tons so that I can freeze and for re-purposing.
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| Posted 6/12/12 2:25 PM |
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Nik09
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 1982 total posts
Name:
Nikole
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
For us a pot of sauce goes a long way. I cook and freeze sauce and meatballs. First night we have pasta and meatballs and then another night meatball parm heroes. The rest gets frozen for another night of pasta meatballs and extra sauce for a ravioli or something like that.
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| Posted 6/12/12 2:30 PM |
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lorich
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Member since 6/05 9987 total posts
Name:
Grammie says "Lora Gina"
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Fantastic thread! Keep them coming!
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| Posted 6/12/12 3:03 PM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Posted by maybeamommy
What are your favorite meals that go far? Meaning, cook one night and eat for a few? OR your favorite inexpensive meals?
I'm trying to stretch our dollars here a bit.. but it's so hard while trying to diet! I'm probably going to slack on the diet in favor of saving money because this month is ROUGH around here!
Preferably kid-friendly and no cream of mushroom anything or overly processed
So far an idea I saw on the boards was roasted pork shoulder
night 1: serve with rice & veggies
night 2: in sandwiches (cuban or with a crunchy slaw)
night 3: in tacos - corn tortillas with pico de gallo, guacamole & yellow rice
Other idea - whole roasted chicken
night 1: serve with couscous & veggies
night 2: in quesadillas
night 3: in panini
Grilled cheese sandwiches with grapes or other sliced fruit and some kettle chips
Baked ziti with burnt broccoli
Homemade pizzas with salad
Egg sandwiches (eggs baked in muffin tin on crispy english muffins) topped with melted cheddar, served with fresh fruit
Hotdogs (are nitrate-free hot dogs cheap these days ?) maybe with macaroni or potato salad and corn
Using your leftover roasted chicken to make chili goes a long way. I add a few different cans of beans, a can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of stock, an onion, frozen corn with lots of spices. Super easy and mainly uses things I always keep on hand. This is probably our favorite meal!
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| Posted 6/12/12 4:27 PM |
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sameinitials
insert creative comment here
Member since 2/12 1998 total posts
Name:
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
chili - you can eat it as is, put it on pasta, bake it in a casserole with a cornbread topping, or even thicken it up (by cooking off some liquid) and use it to for tacos, burritos, etc
roast chicken - eat it as is, put it on salad, chop it up for chicken salad, shred for tacos, etc. and then use the bones for stock!
roast beef - eat as is, put it on salad, use as sandwiches, toss into stir fry at the end, etc
baked potatoes - eat as is, cut up and use in potato salad, make patties out of them and fry or bake, mashed potatoes, etc
prep veggies ahead of time so you can have salads - bowls of carrots, onions, etc will last a bunch of days
make salads that are better the longer they sit - make a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, herbs, white vinegar, sugar, s&p - the longer it marinates the better it is so you can make enough for a few days
saute up a whole bunch of veggies at the beginning of the week with neutral spices (like using some garlic, salt, and pepper). then you have veggies on hand to eat as a side, toss in pasta, etc
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| Posted 6/13/12 9:50 AM |
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Its more of a tip:
One day I made meat sauce for dinner. I had A LOT of meat. I figured I'd get 2 nights out of it. DH was VERY hungry and ate A LOT. There was barely enough left for another meal. I added some black beans and tomatoes and spices and turned it into a chili.
So, add black beans to chop meat.
I also made tacos the other night and couldn't believe I got 5 servings for the small portion of beef (some with beans).
I also bought too much salmon and made the leftovers into salmon burgers. Most of the recipes I saw called for canned salmon and that's pretty inexpensive.
I decided to google "stretch a buck recipes" and found:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/stretch-a-buck-turkey-and-bean-burrito-burgers-recipe/index.html
Stretch a buck blog
Message edited 6/13/2012 1:14:52 PM.
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| Posted 6/13/12 1:10 PM |
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Kidsaplenty
Sister love
Member since 2/06 5971 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
If I want to stretch our budget I go vegetarian.
If I make Aaloo Gobi, one cauliflower head can make so much it lasts us 4-5 days. If you make Palak (spinach) it is SO cheap, and you can add it to your eggs to bulk them up, or eat it with rice or parthas. At our Indian food market I can get 20 lbs of whole wheat flour for $10, or a 40 lb bag of rice for $15. They also have really inexpensive produce.
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| Posted 6/13/12 5:02 PM |
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Ophelia
she's baaccckkkk ;)
Member since 5/06 23378 total posts
Name:
remember, when Gulliver traveled....
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
lentil soup
night 1: served with crusty bread and salad
night 2: served over elbows or other short fun pasta with sauteed spinach
(I can even get a few lunches for luce squeezed out of one pot too)
roast eye round with gravy
night 1: thinly sliced, mashes potatoes, roasted carrots
night 2: roast beef au jus on a baguette with melted cheese, side salad
1 package chorizo (with 6 links) 2 links per night
night one: arroz con chorizo, pink beans, rice, avocado salad
night two: chorizo, spinach, potato fritata with side salad
night 3: chorizo and manchego quesadillas, black bean and corn salad, boiled platanos with cinnamon
sweet italian sausage (5 links)
night one: homemade pizza with sausage peppers and mushrooms
night two: orrechiette with sausage zucchini and cherry tomatoes
1 5lb roasted whole chicken
night 1: shredded chicken tacos with the fixins (cheese, avocado, lettuce) and beans
night 2: chicken veggie soup with warmed buttered baguette
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| Posted 6/13/12 5:12 PM |
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NAK729
LIF Infant
Member since 9/11 113 total posts
Name:
Nancy
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Posted by Nik09
For us a pot of sauce goes a long way. I cook and freeze sauce and meatballs. First night we have pasta and meatballs and then another night meatball parm heroes. The rest gets frozen for another night of pasta meatballs and extra sauce for a ravioli or something like that.
On top of all that, I usually throw some sauce on top of pizza crusts and make homemade pizza with leftovers too (toppings could be the meatballs or sausage, vegetables - mushrooms, peppers, etc) - my husband LOVES this option!
For leftover pasta, I usually lightly fry it in good EVOO and make it as a side dish for another night! Or I even thrown some in a casserole dish with some shredded mozzerella and call it a "fast baked ziti" (or whatever kind of pasta - even spaghetti - we had).
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| Posted 6/13/12 7:24 PM |
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maybeamommy
Blessed beyond belief
Member since 10/07 17048 total posts
Name:
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
These are all awesome.... would love more ideas! 
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| Posted 6/20/12 1:13 PM |
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OffWithHerHead23
Keep passing the open windows
Member since 10/06 3627 total posts
Name:
Meaghan
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Definitely spaghetti and meatballs. For 2 jars of whole peeled tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato paste, a pepper, an onion, some garlic, a pound of chop meat and some breadcrumbs, I feed my family of five for 3-4 nights!
Chicken pot pie stretches pretty far (2 meals and an additional sack lunch for DH) and is cheap.
I make a bunch of chicken in the crock pot with italian dressing and serve it one night over rice, one night in a wrap, etc. It's pretty versatile.
Meatloaf is good and I usually get 2 meals and a lunch out of it.
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| Posted 6/20/12 3:00 PM |
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klingklang77
kraftwerk!
Member since 7/06 11488 total posts
Name:
Völlig losgelöst
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
Leftovers from Roasted Chicken- make twice baked potatoes stuffed with chicken and basil. Recipe here: http://www.preventionrd.com/2012/06/chicken-and-basil-stuffed-twice-baked-potatoes/ (not my blog, but I love her stuff!)
Use leftover chicken to make BBQ chicken pizza.
Leftover veggies as a topping for a veggie pizza.
I'll make a chili and then use leftovers in a wrap or with a salad.
Pulled pork carnitas and then use it again the next day in a salad.
I second the sauce. I'll make a big pot and use it one day for pasta and then make it another day with meatballs.
Message edited 6/20/2012 4:16:25 PM.
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| Posted 6/20/12 4:15 PM |
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stinger
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 4971 total posts
Name:
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Re: Favorite meals that go far...
This isn't a meal that goes far but ingredients that will (keep in mind that we are a family of 3 who don't eat huge portions, I'm petite and my girls are 9 and 6!):
I will buy black beans (alternate with tofu or chicken too) and veggies like squash, peppers, onions, mushroom, asparagus, stringbeans.
Night 1: Black Bean (or chicken) and cheese quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas, homemade quac, green salad using some of the above veggies
Night 2: Tofu or chicken stir fry with some of the above veggies, stir fry sauce (could be bottled or homemade) served with rice
Night 3: Burritos or Fajitas with whole wheat tortillas, fill with a mixture of the above (saute the veggies in EVOO, add some cumin, s&p, garlic powder) plus homemade simple guac, cheese and sour cream
Night 4: Pasta primavera, again with some of the above veggies, can add leftover chicken, or just fresh grated parm.
My kids don't seem to mind seeing or eating the same veggies all week! They may pick some out or have their favorites too!
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| Posted 6/22/12 6:54 PM |
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springchick
make a wish
Member since 5/08 3566 total posts
Name:
justask
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Favorite meals that go far...
chicken breast in the crock pot with 1 bottle of bbq sauce and 1 beer and s&p to taste. Cook for 8 hrs on low and shred. Serve as a sandwich with cole slaw or just with corn on the cob and some other side.
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| Posted 6/23/12 10:14 AM |
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Favorite meals that go far...
Re: Inexpensive.
I often make tuna sandwiches one night a week for me & DH. I change up the way I prepare them and it's cheap, and easy in the summertime when you don't feel like cooking.
DH will also make "breakfast" for dinner at least one night a week, usually pancakes or he will break out the waffle iron.
Anything I make in the crockpot seems to last for a few meals.
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| Posted 6/23/12 3:35 PM |
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