need cheap ideas for meals

Loaded baked potatoes and salad make a full meal.

Grilled cheese and turkey bacon sandwiches.

Roasts are cheap when you buy cuts of meat you simmer for a long time and just add carrots and potatoes.

Baked burritos. I stretch ground beef by adding in refried beans. Make it like taco meat, add dices tomatoes and roll into burritos, make a white or cheesy sauce to pour over it, bake it, top with green onions to make it look nice. Serve with rice.

Scalloped potatoes with bits of diced ham or chopped up pre-sliced sandwich ham. Use powdered milk, nobody can taste the difference and it's cheaper.

For ones at the hospital, they may be tempted to get stuff out of vending machines and may not want to even bother with leaving the room for that, so a box of granola bars or crackers and some bottled drinks might help them out so they don't have to leave the room to find something quick and easy.

A whole chicken properly seasoned and baked feeds a whole family and you can throw the veggies in with the chicken. Again, potatoes and carrots are my standby.

Breakfast for dinner...a stir fry of eggs, taters, onions, and peppers, some type of meat for those who eat it, add salsa, make it into a sandwich or roll it into tortillas.

That's all I can think of right this second.

Wish I could be there to help you!

 

Okay, I can't find the link I want. Here's a different one.
http://cheapfamilymeals.info/2009/01/20/a-budget-family-menu-only-3306-week-2/

The one I was thinking of may be contained within this site. I used it about 3 years ago. It wasn't the most gourmet thing ever, but it was a complete shopping list and menu (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for an entire month and was DIRT CHEAP like the meals in this link.

 

Beef Stew and Cornbread are cheap, easy, and there are usually leftovers for lunch the next day! Here's my crock pot beef stew recipe that makes a ton, and it's cheap.

One package beef stew meat (I remove any excess fat)
One envelope beef stew mix (I like McCormicks)
4 cups water
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (If they are large use 4, or if they are small use 5)
4 or 5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (Ditto...)
One cup frozen green peas (I buy the frozen peas in the bag, and just pour some on top. No need to measure accurately).


Put the raw stew meat in the crock pot, sprinkle on the envelope of stew mix, and pour the 4 cups of water over all. Stir a little to combine and break up the meat. Add the potatoes, then carrots, with the frozen peas on top, and do not stir--leave it in layers. Cover and cook for about 6 hours. Stir to combine, and serve with cornbread, or over rice.

 

Check out this blog for cheap shopping tricks:

http://frugalfanatic.wordpress.com/

Also, consider ordering food from GFS or some other distributor instead of shopping at the local grocer. Aldi is another great way to save money.

http://www.gfs.com/en

http://www.aldifoods.com/index_ENU_HTML.htm

We shop Aldi's all the time. They are best price in town on a lot of grocery items and their quality beats Kroger or Wal-Mart store brands by far. At leats the cans are FULL at Aldi! They are not exactly a cut-rate grocer. They are actually a German chain that has good quality. Don't expect to see common brand names though.


We have GFS local marketplaces here in Louisville. Here is a store locater:

http://www.gfs.com/en/store-locator.page?

Even though we're now a family of 2, we shop there and save a lot of money. You can buy restaurant quality foods that are ready to heat for low cost.

Shop sales for meat products. They will be the most difficult to provide, but every family needs a good source of protein. We buy beef when it is on sale in un-cut form, like a sirloin roast of 10+ pounds. Price is generally under $2.00 a pound when sold like that. Cut steaks, stew meat, roasts, etc., from one large piece.

Otherwise, major on carbs. Filling and cheap. Rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.

 

Anything with a stewed base can be very economical as you can use cheaper meat cuts. A bit of forethought and a slow cooker is a boon.

I personally love tuna pie, made with tinned tuna or smoked tuna, white sauce and a potato and cheese top. Cheap, filling and yummy.

Pasta and vegetables are economical.

Tasty baked chops....are yummy too. Use forequarter chops and remove as much fat as possible before cooking. Brown the chops and layer into a deep sided casserole dish. Chuck in some veg. Make up a sauce of water, tomato sauce, vinegar and Worster Sauce. Salt and pepper. Bake for about an hour!!!