I post a lot of recipes here on the blog. I love trying new food, but let's get real... some recipes are really expensive to make! Remember that chili I made for the county fair last month? Sure, it's delicious but it sure isn't cheap. The ingredients set me back about $50! I don't know about you guys but I can't afford to eat like that all the time. In fact, I hardly ever get that fancy.
I try to make one new recipe per week to share here on the blog. That's pretty much the extent of my extravagant food experimentation. For the most part, when I'm cooking for myself, I make a lot of chicken, pasta, beans, rice, etc... You know, cheap, simple food. Heck, the other night I had hardly anything in my fridge so I ate a quesadilla and a couple of pickles. Gross? Maybe. Cheap and simple? Exactly! That's my kind of meal.
So... I'd love some suggestions! What are some of your favorite cheap, simple dinner recipes?
I grew up eating hot dogs & waffles. My husband looked at me like I had a 3rd eye the first time I declared it our meal for the night. I still love the sweet/salty thing going on. He refuses to eat it, but I tell him to just think of the hotdogs as really, really, REALLY cheap crappy breakfast sausage.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I might just have to try that. I eat a lot of hot dogs too!
DeleteI really love your Let's Get Real posts, so refreshingly honest! I'm always on the lookout for cheap food too! Lots of beans + grains, and I always try to buy ingredients I know I'll get a lot of use out of. Also, you should check out budgetbytes.blogspot.com, she has some pretty good stuff sometimes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lindsay! I try to buy items that will last a while too. I'll check out that blog for sure!
DeleteI made a potato and broccoli soup last week... the huge pot of it lasted all week, and I had everything in my apartment, just had to grab a thing of chicken stock.... Making big quantities, and then freezing down portions is the way to go, even if it set's you back $50, it's not so bad if you get several eats out of it.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
Sara
Thanks, Sara! You're totally right. I've been thinking about making large portions of soup recently and then freezing it. I'm just waiting for the weather to cool down a bit, then I'll be on the hunt for a new recipe!
Deletehaha, love that. I eat quesadillas and pickles for dinner waaaay too often. if you don't already have one, I definitely recommend investing in a panini press. obviously sandwiches are simple and cheap, and they're way more delicious when they're cooked on a panini press. plus you can cook other stuff like hot dogs and quesadillas on it too. I also like making soups - depending on the recipe they can be cheap, easy, and healthy, and then I have lunches and dinners prepared for the whole week so if I don't feel like cooking or don't have time, I'm already set. this week I made this soup: http://amy-estes.com/write/in-praise-of-soup-and-a-recipe/
ReplyDeleteAww man, I used to have a panini press and I have no idea what happened to it! I'll keep an eye out at yard sales.
DeleteThat soup looks great! My mom makes something very similar and I really like it. That's such a cute blog!
As a college student, cheap is my favorite too ;)
ReplyDeletexo Heather
http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/
Haha. Ya, I'm done with school but I still eat like a college student!
Deletecleaneatingmag.com has 5 Ingredients and Budget Friendly recipe categories that I reference a lot! There are usually leftovers, which is always nice, and the food is good for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy! I'll check that out for sure.
DeleteSoups and anything you can cook in one pot are my favourites! You can make a whole bunch and just freeze it, so even though it costs a little at first, you actually end up with several servings. I like to throw in some kind of grain or pulse to a lot of my meals too (like adding rice to a chicken and veg pot) cos it's a great way to beef up a meal without piling on the pennies and means that the more expensive ingredients (i.e. meats!) go a lot further. Things like that are also super simple to cook since it's just a case of frying off the main ingredients with spices, adding stock, adding rice/lentils/whatever you like and then letting it simmer away for a while. I love good food, but I'm a pretty lazy and impatient chef!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steph! Beefing up soup recipes is a great idea. I'll definitely be making more soup when it's a little cooler.
DeleteI've been reading your blog for a while and finally plucked up the courage to comment! Gnocchi is my favourite cheap thing to eat! And it's perfect for a quick evening meal as it only takes 2 minutes to cook. I like it with fresh veg and chopped tomatoes or one of the recipes I use with it again and again is this one http://familyfordham.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/gnocchi-the-best-5-minute-meal/ with spinach, mushrooms and garlic. It's so simple but so awesome!! Thanks for sharing such great thoughts with us!
ReplyDeleteThat looks DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing! Comment any ol' time and thanks for reading the blog! :)
DeleteSoups and one-pot meals are definitely a favorite around here. Makes enough for leftovers and doesn't fill the sink with dishes. Some of my favorite dishes.. chicken tortilla soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken noodle soup, brat/beer/cheese soup, chicken or beef curry, quesadillas, tacos, pastas, navy bean + ham soup.. I could go on for days!
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