Budget Stretchers...tips?

[silkensunlight]

What are some of your budget stretching recipes. Times are tight for all of us and I would love to hear what other people do to feed everyone. I have four little ones who can be pretty fussy and I would love to have some idea for things the whole family will enjoy. I cook a lot from scratch, just wish the kiddos would expand their vocabulary from hotdogs to anything fresh and healthy! Thanks everyone!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Here are some hits from my house that the kids generally like with some exceptions:

Couscous with olive oil and salt (it's really just pasta in tiny crumbs)

White rice with brown rice sprinkled in for nutrition

Quick oats with cinnamon sugar and whole milk added (cooked in milk)

Wafflemaker! Waffles are cheap to make from scratch and very filling with butter and syrup on them. Or you can do pancakes.

Scrambled eggs and toast for ANY meal of the day

 

[caspernc]

Last night I fed 2 hungry young men, my DH and my self, with power I guessed at 10$. We had Bone in chicken breast roasted on the grill with freeze dried mashed potates and butter beans out of the garden. The potatoes I get from Sam's club for almost 6$ for a large carton. The boys still don't know they are not fresh! Two cups of dry powder should feed 8 but that is what I make to feed my boys. Its about 1$ for that. The chicken was on sale and was only $2.43. yes I boutght a bunch! But if we hadn't grown the butter beans, a can of corn is like .75c.

Next is Hamberger and mac and cheese. Cook 1 pound of burger like your going to make spagetti. Add onion power and garlic powder and enough ketchup to pull it all together. Cook mac and cheese and fix like the box says. Mix with burger, top with as much cheese as you want, (we like a lot) cover to melt cheese. Fix a veggie or a can of peaches. $4.00, tops.

 

[Stumpy]

Check out www.frugalvillage.com. (no affiliation)

 

[silkensunlight]

Thanks for the ideas everyone. That website is neat. Thanks!

 

[Oregon Blues]

If the kids like hotdogs, you can slice a few hot dogs into mac and cheese.

If you make noodles at home, which is pretty easy to do, they are really cheap. That boxed mac and cheese looks awfully unhealthy to me, but home made is easy to do.

I make home made granola (very healthy) and then that can be made into granola bars. The kids think they are getting cookies.

Doesn't everybody love eggs and potatoes? Dice potatoes and fry them up like country hash browns. When they are tender, pour some egg over them and cook until done. if you are feeling rich, you can add some slices of hot dogs or top with a little bit of cheese. I put onions in mine, but most kids don't like onions.

I suppose it is possible, but I haven't met a kid yet who doesn't like tacos. Those can be cheap to make if you are careful to control costs and don't use a lot of expensive ingredients. Kids will eat quesadillas and grilled cheese. Not too expensive if you control the amount of cheese that you use.

When my kid was very little, I would slice up fruit or raw veggies and put them on one plate. I wouldn't say a word. I would just sit there and eat them. Pretty soon, he was taking pieces off my plate and eating them. He's 40 now and will still walk by and take raw veggies off the cutting board while I am cooking. He will eat any fruit or vegetable and I never once said "eat your vegetables" to him.

French toast is healthy if you make it with a whole grain bread. Something like oat bread because a lot of kid don't like whole wheat bread. Limit the amount of butter and syrup by spreading a little jam on it instead of butter and syrup.

If the kids only want hot dogs, find a source of whole grain hot dog rolls. Not whole wheat rolls unless your kids will eat those. Something like 7 grain or oat bread.

 

[Caribear]

Here are two websites I love for cheap and easy meals:

www.5dollardinners.com

www.mamaandbabylove.com

The second site has an e-cookbook that is so worth the $5 it costs just for the time and money it saves us. And I have no affiliation with either of these sites except for the fact that I love them both.

ETA: the cookbook has gone up to $10 but is still worth it IMO.

 

[donrae]

I grew up eating scrambled egg tacos about once a week. Eggs, cheese, probably catsup in a corn tortilla. We kids thought they were the bomb and loved them.

I had no idea growing up how broke we were. I thought we were cool............no one else ate scrambled egg tacos!

I'm sure there were veggies in there somewhere, my momma was huge on veggies and that's where the bulk of her grocery money went. But those tacos are what stands out in my mind!

 

[PollyC]

This is my favorite site for budget recipes and make your own mixes.

http://www.budget101.com/frugal/recipes-117/

 

[GardenWeasel]

My all star budget stretcher is Barilla Plus pasta. It has almost as much protein as 1/4 lb of ground beef so you can use no other protein or really stretch what you have. Most kids like pasta and it doesn't taste weird like some whole wheat ones do. I don't have any interest in the company , since I tried it I don't buy any other.