LEGIT it would be so cool if you, Christine came out with a plastic smile spoon (one side could say Christine’s special or something) & BOOM I bet so many adored fans would snag one - including me lol 😂❤
As a young married couple with a 5 year old, money was often tight. One day as I was trying to come up with something for supper, I found in my pantry spaghetti noodles and pasta sauce. There was no meat in the refrigerator or freezer, but I had a package of frozen creamed spinach. I mixed it with the sauce, put over the noodles and told my daughter this was Mary Kate and Ashley's favorite dish. It has been a favorite of hers ever since and my husband and I like it too.
Recipe to try (from Denmark) I have a super simple, super cheap ad super delicioso recipe for a nice, winter dinner: It is called "brændende kærlighed" in Danish, which translates to "burning love". it's basically just mashed potatoes topped with caramelised onions and diced bacon. in my family we like to add other root vegetables to the mash, like parsnips, carrots or water chestnuts, but just potatoes is perfectly fine. I always put a couple of cloves of garlic in with the spuds when they are boiling, and mash them in with the rest. Add butter, milk salt and pepper to taste. Serve with caramelised onions and diced bacon. I don't personally eat meat, so I substitute mushrooms for the bacon. Always a favorite, harty and filling meal, packed with taste for the cold winter evenings.
I looked up a video where I could hear brændende kærlighed. It sounds much easier than it looks written down. It actually sounds like German, to my Brazilian untrained ears. Thanks for sharing.
@@antiantipoda your ears do not deceive you. Danish (as well as english) is an germanic language. And on top of that, Germany is our very large neighbour, so there is a lot of german influence in danish. For english, there is more french influence.
I don't usually see people mention this, but if you have sausage to use and don't feel like chili, my go to is sausage and peppers over rice. I usually make a roux, throw cajun seasoning and garlic in there, salt etc, diced bell pepper (I've been known to use the onion bell pepper mix from dollar tree) and sliced sausage. As it thickens you get this rich and spicy gravy type sauce. Thin out with milk or water. Serve over rice. It's really fast to do especially with leftover rice or a rice cooker.
Haha! One time I had to go speak with customer service at Walmart. I was waiting my turn in line when a woman asked if I was following her? I said “No, I’m just waiting in line like you are.” Some people are paranoid from other life experiences that have nothing to do with us.
I was followed at a Walmart and had security escort me to my car, it was dark and rainy that evening... When we got outside there were four people waiting for me, and jumped into their big white van when they saw I was not alone and drove off really fast. 😳 I always notice and am aware of seeing the same people in a store now and though I would never ask if someone was following me, I keep my eyes wide open and pay close attention. If I was an extrovert, I can see straight up asking someone though 😂
I noticed that I was seeing a lot more clearance stickers in the store so I talked to the meat manager at my Safeway and he said Nov and Dec is when they have a ton of mark downs because everyone is buying more of the holiday ingredients either way it’s a win for me cause I got 120 worth of meat for only 65.00 🎉
My father used to make a dish of potatoes, onions and Italian sausage sautéed in a skillet. Sometimes it had bell peppers, sometimes it had eggs scrambled into it. It was always filling and still tastes like childhood to me.
A tip I learned from my ex-MIL a hundred years ago was to use V8 juice when making my chili. Still the same veggies, meat, beans, seasoning. etc., but the liquid is V8 - I use generic. It adds a surprising amount of flavor! I LOVE your clearance hauls... half my pantry has yellow stickers on it!!! 😁
@@shelliecummins5972 my best friend's X-partner thought the seeds in tomatoes were living, squiggly things and wouldn't go near them! (we're glad he's the 'x')!
Egg roll in a bowl is pretty budget friendly, especially if you shred your own cabbage and carrot, and can get ground pork on sale. You can season it with whatever Asian sauces/oils you have on hand. Finish with a generous sprinkling of fresh green onion. Serve with a little rice or ramen noodles if you need the carbs.
I'm so jealous of your clearance choices at Smith's. In Frisco TX our Krogers must be ON POINT with their ordering system because they never have overages to be put on clearance. It's rare to find anything. I even asked when they do it thinking I was just missing out, and they said hardly ever :(
SAME story at mine here in NM. It sucks cause I always see these videos where they find the good deals, but if something is marked down at our store it's mouldy or juicing when it shouldn't. (Like tomatoes that are leaking when you pick up the bag 🤮).
I used to be able to find markdowns but they have all disappeared within the last year. I did notice one of the Kroger's that used to markdown a lot were stuffing bags for the food pantry one day. So I think they are giving away some of the stuff they use to clearance out.
Your content is always SO riveting and I don't even eat meat!! But I love how your face is so full of hope and optimism, and you look at meal prep as a fun and exciting thing to do with a few items. I know so many people who think of budget meal planning as a chore, but you look at it as an opportunity. Never stop doing what you do are doing, you are such a wonderful inspiration.
I enjoy these videos. Despite prices going up, there are definitely deals to be found. Today, I was able to purchase seven avocados for less than $2, blueberries for $1, Broccoli for less than a $1 a lb, and cream cheese for $1.5. I even got potatoes for $0.50 a pound. The key is to be flexible and menu plan around the sales. Easy family meal is the Chipotle rice bowls: lime cilantro rice, fav beans, grilled onions/peppers, cheese and the homemade honey chipotle dressing. We eat with a side of chips and quac (when we have avocados).
I agree. In my area potatoes, berries, butter and few more items have been on sale for the whole month. I’ve been stocking up on what I can use in the next 2-3months.
This was so reminiscent of older videos I have watched of yours, and I LOVED it! Loved these recipes, and thankful for such budget conscious recipes! Loved the music, and the smiley spoon too! Now just a peak at Speedy! Thank you for an awesome Friday video!!
I wish we had a Smith's or Kroger. My local stores do sometimes have markdowns but not like you find. I belong to a few groups and you would be amazed at the amount of people who are scared of clearance groceries. Not me!
Chili is my absolute favorite food, it can be eaten in a variety of ways. Chili and Cornbread Chili on a baked potato. Chili Fries Chili Burgers. The possibilities are endless 😊
I love shopping my kitchen first and then picking up the good sale and clearance items to fill in any holes for the week. I do still pay full price for some things, but I’ll go to WinCo or another cheaper grocery store for all of my regular non sale items. It’s helped me save hundreds of dollars every month!
Woot Woot - you are at my store! Stopped by there today, I bought four green peppers in the $1 red bag today and 3lbs. of shredded kale for $1.50. There were a ton of marked down meat packages and bakery items. I plan my meals around those clearance items each week.
Without carb foods I try to come up with an interesting variety of dinners on a budget. I mainly use bacon, eggs, mince, chicken, sausages, steak, cheese which give endless options. I make bone broths and soups. Pantry includes canned ham, salmon, Spam, sardines, oysters, Anchovies, crab. Plus keto baking staples. I bake keto muffins, biscuits/cookies, brownies, chaffles and make keto freezer chocolates. Main veg are frozen cauli, broccoli, green beans, Blueberries . Fresh mushrooms, onion, Avocados, cream. Budget gets really stretched at times.
I like to carmelize two onions in butter, add one chopped up head of green cabbage, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, when cabbage is just about done, hit it with some white wine vinegar. Serve over cooked egg noodles. You can top it with bacon or some sliced kielbasa. Delish
Pepper Steak, super easy. Round steak, green peppers, french onion soup. Brown the steak, add the peppers to the skillet, saute until the peppers are soft. Add in the french onion soup and cook for like 15 minutes. Serve over noodles
I'm always blown away by the clearance in your store. Mine never has anything. We were on vacation and stopped in a Kroger to pick up sandwich stuff and that store had a lot of clearance too, so I think it's just mine.
Chicken street tacos - sauté onion and cauliflower rice in a skillet, add some leftover cooked diced chicken, a can of refried beans, taco seasoning, some salsa (1/2 cup or so) and some plain greek yogurt. Once everything is hot, put mixture in flour tortillas, spray tortillas with oil or cooking spray and bake until the tortillas get crispy. The beans and cauli rice add a ton of bulk to make a very small amount of chicken go a long way.
I'd grill that sausage and some bell pepper, then simmer those briefly in a little tomato sauce, then serve on either rolls or toasted bread. It is a basic sausage and pepper sandwich. I had one last weekend when I was visiting the New York City suburbs. I'll have one in the next few days, just because I have a hankerin' for one.
Tuna Casserole- 2 cans of tuna, 1 bag of egg noodles boiled, 2 cans of cream soup. Celery and mushroom are nice. 1-2 cans of milk so that your sauce is wet but creamy, frozen peas (1/2 a bag). Salt, pepper, onion powder (or sauté onions and celery and mushrooms if you want to add ), and dill is nice. We sometimes top with cheese if we have some to use up.
We've been enjoying this recipe in my family since 1991. So good and filling! Settler Beans: 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. bacon 1 medium onion chopped 1 can red kidney beans 2 cans pork and beans 1 can white kidney or great northern beans 1/3 c. brown sugar 1/3 c. white sugar 1/3 c. bbq sauce 1/3 c. ketchup 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1 tbsp. mustard or 1 tsp. dry mustard salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp. molasses 1. Cook beef, onion and bacon, drain fat. 2. combine all ingredients in casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Yummy 😋. Writing ✍️ this down! Oh, and I have everything in the pantry for the win 🏆, yay 😀. This would even be good for camping. Fry up the first three in the morning after breakfast and then put in solar cooker all day while out kayaking (or laying in hammock, lol). Dinner time…done!
Love this. Out of curiosity though... what happened to fitness friday? I loved it! Had been thinking of starting running when you posted them (never been a runner before) and finally bit the bullet. Been running every other day since and have slowly built up to 4 mile runs in my hilly neighborhood! Thanks 😊
I miss the fitness vids too! FFM has said in prior vids that the fitness vids don't seem very popular, so I think she backed off of them for that reason. But still, she is frugal FIT mom, so give us more, please!!!!
One of our family favorites is Frito pie. 1 lb hamburger meat, browned with chopped onion and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 2 T chili powder (or you could use taco seasoning instead). After the meat is cooked add 1/3 c water and let simmer a couple minutes. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam and place fritos (or I will use left over restaurant tortilla chips or the "crumbs" of tortilla chips or doritos everyone leaves at the bottom of the bag and won't eat before opening a new bag, lol) fill the 9x13 dish with the chips. Pour the meat on top of the chips then add a layer of shredded cheddar on top (usually two handsful). You can add fresh chopped onion on top but that's optional. Bake about five minutes @350*, just to get the cheese melted. Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans, or sometimes we just eat it with buttered canned corn. So simple and full of flavor! My son likes it for his school lunch leftover.
Spaghetti a la Diable: From an old cookbook, that's been republished often since 1910. This is so doggone good! 8 ounces spaghetti cooked and drained, 8 ounces mushrooms, 1 can of tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chicken chopped, 1 onion diced, garlic, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, salt, Grated cheddar cheese This recipe has been a great favorite in my family for 40 years. In the leanest years I doubled the pasta (not the meat!). In recent years I've added a finely diced zucchini to the dish and that's great too. Cook onions and mushrooms until tender, add tomatoes, seasonings and bring to a boil. Add chicken. Pour over cooked spaghetti and toss. Put in a casserole dish or 9 x 13 pan (aren't they the same?!) and top with the sharp cheddar. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or so until hot and bubbly.
Haluski… a full head of cabbage chopped small pieces. A kielbasa chopped in pieces and 8 oz cooked egg noodles. 1 stick of butter salt and pepper to taste Cook your kielbasa until golden and your chopped cabbage(do not add any water it will make its own as the cabbage steams) cover and cook down until cabbage is golden brown. Add the cooked pasta add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve. Yum. We like this with garlic breadsticks.
You seemed a lot more serious and maybe just a little upset. Don't let people who don't know how to mind their own business ruin your day. You're always so upbeat, funny and entertaining. Don't let anyone shed darkness on your light. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂❤️
3 delicious, filling, cheap meals that my family enjoys: 1. Spaghetti, but with lentils instead of beef. Cook the lentils according to package directions, adding in beef bullion. If you want more texture, add in diced onion and/or lightly blend them (don't puree. Just pulse a little bit where some are still whole and some are not) 2. Mashed potatoes topped with soupy beans (any kind you like, seasoned however you like)(I like Italian seasoned white beans) and cooked greens (again, whatever kind you like, I just season with salt). There are so many possible variations to this one. 3. Mashed potatoes with peas, corn, and cheddar cheese (kind of like a KFC bowl but without chicken)
Slow cooker potato and chicken curry....15 oz coconut milk, 3 tsp curry powder, about 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 3 medium sweet potatoes cubed, 6 carrots sliced into 2 inch pieces, 1 small onion chopped, whisk the coconut milk and curry powder in the bottom of the crock pot. Add everything else and toss to coat. Slow cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. I always have 2 cans of coconut milk in my pantry for Indian or Asian type dishes. You can find it on sale for $.99 occasionally. Add more curry if your family wants it more spicy. I usually serve this over rice, but occasionally mashed potatoes, if I have some left over.
Loved the video! A childhood favorite that is budget friendly: American Chop Suey. When I was a child, a woman at my church would always bring this for homecoming (dinner on the grounds!) All the kids loved this. My brother and I still make it regularly. What distinguishes this version is that it's made with rice, not pasta. Amounts of everything can vary, depending on what's on hand. Brown one pound (or more) hamburger completely. Salt and pepper the hamburger as its cooking. If it's greasy, drain (usually with 85%, I don't have to do that). Leaving the cooked hamburger as a layer in the bottom of the pot, layer in diced onions and green peppers (however much you like...I do a good layer of the combined mixture); then layer in a can or two of diced tomatoes...again, I like a good layer. On top, layer in the white rice....I probably use about 3/4 of a cup but you do you! The key to this recipe is to NOT stir it...let everything cook in it's layers. Add water (ever how much it takes to cook the rice, maybe a cup?) and cook on low covered until the rice is done. I do keep an eye on it and add more water if it looks like it's running dry. I like to cut it off and leave it on the stove for ten minutes after cooking...that helps to reduce the liquid. Ideally, it shouldn't have a lot of liquid at this point. For some reason, cooking it like this produces a different flavor from stirring everything as it cooks. I love this dish...and it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. To complete the childhood experience, we usually serve it with white bread.
As a meal or side. Broccoli pasta is simple. Spaghetti or any pasta you have. Chop fresh broccoli into bite size pieces. Cook pasta as directed when there is 3 minutes left in cook time put 🥦 in water. Serve with butter and parm cheese on top. Add a clove of garlic into water whole so you can fish it out or leave it in. Adds great flavor without chopping it up.
I feel like if I have onion celery garlic and bell pepper I can make anything! It is the Louisiana trinity! I sauté these with a Cajun sausage I find on sale and then season with a can of fire roasted tomatoes and season to taste! I add some bouillon and water then after I cook down for a few minutes I add 1 and a half cups of rice! Put the lid on my Dutch oven and reduce the heat. Cook until the rice is done and you have jambalaya! This can also make use of whatever other protein you have lying around like chicken or shrimp whatever you have and like! You can double the recipe or triple depending upon on the crowd you have! I love this and a quick side salad is all you may need if you want something extra! I love it and it is cheap!!
A recipe you can try is "Westfälische Erbsensuppe" (Westphalian pea soup). Northrhine Westphalia is the state of Germany I'm from. Our family recipe for 10x portions is: 300gr of dried peas, 500gr of potato (cut in small pieces), 1x can of peas with carrots, 800ml of beef brew and 4-8 raw sausages (cut in small pieces) - Soak the dried peas in 200ml of water over night - put everything in your pot and add salt and pepper - add seasonal (fresh) herbs if wanted (like thyme or parsley) Let it cook for 30-40min in a pressure cooker/crockpot or 60-80min in a normal pot with middle to low heat (stir from time to time if you use a normal pot). If the raw sausages & potatoes are cooked and the texture is between soup and stew it's ready. We often let it sit a little longer to get a stew like texture. If it's ready taste test and add salt and pepper according to your (famlies) taste, since you usually have to adjust it. Also this is one of those dishes that you can easily freeze or reheat the next day and the taste will actually increase.
1 or 2 bags of meatballs, 2 cans of chili sauce (no bean sauce), and 2 cans of cranberries. Get the half gelled half berry ones. Add more cans of the chili sauce and cranberries if you want more sauce. Throw all in a crock pot on low for a few hours. Pile the meatballs in a roll. Enjoy!
I make kielbasa sliced potatoes and cabbage. Easy cheap and yummy. Simply layer slice potato cabbage onion and generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning salt and pepper . I cook mine is a lg skillet w a lid. Just simmer w a little water in the bottom of the pan top with sliced kielbasa sausage.
Our favorite frugal meal is hamburg gravy over mashed potatoes. Brown ground beef,sprinkle with flour and add in beef broth, or bouillon and water. Simmer and serve ontop of mashed potatoes. So yummy
One staple meal my mom made frequently when I was growing up was the California Style Vegetables with chicken. She'd cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces & cook them all together in a HUGE skillet. Just a little water in the skillet with some salt & pepper. The meat does a pretty good job at flavoring up the veggies. And we'd have some bread of some sort with it. Quick, simple & healthy meal. This was a staple because we were always on the go with all of us kids playing every sport known to man. Another one was canned tamales, over canned chili over spaghetti noodles. Another was the Dinty Moore Beef Stew, mix in some black eyed peas & serve over egg noodles.
Potatoes and onions with meat leftovers - perfect for sausage or leftover slow cooked beef or pork or ground beef or (if its in budget cos its got spendy) canned corned beef is perfect. In a slow cooker (can probably use an instant pot but I don't have one so don't know the conversion) or in an oven proof casserole layer thinly sliced potatoes and onions. Between each layer season with salt and pepper. About halfway up put a layer of meat. Then more potatoes and onions to the top. Mix up some bouillon powder into water and add a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce. Pour the stock into the potatoes. You want it about halfway up. Put a little butter or marg on the top. Cook in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or in a moderate oven for 3-4 hours. You want the potatoes tender. Bonus if the top and edges gets crispy.
One of my family’s favorites is a tomato soup (roasted red pepper tomato mix if you can) with corn (frozen) and a can of black beans. That’s the basic version, but it is so good. Could add chicken or another protein, could add rice as well. We always top it with cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. I love to eat it with Fritos, but any corn chips are great. Don’t have toppings? Still really, really good.
Chili on baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or oven potato fries are also delicious and cheap. Love how you season things so well! Makes all the difference!!
Just went hog wild at the after Halloween Walmart sale and the Kroger usual clearance items. Bought tons of pumpkin spice pancake boxed mixes for 50 cents and brownie mixes for 25 cents (easy for young kids to make), and at Kroger, I bought my usual clearance salad items and even a few surprises like giant clearance cereal boxes. I make everything homemade 9 times out of 10, but the clearance stuff is good for kids learning to cook and for special treats or unexpected guests.
One of my favorite easy go to cheap meals is a frozen cheese ravioli topped with a bit of olive oil (I just add it after I drain it then a quick sprits of water and a toss while in the colander),then add cooked frozen broccoli, top with mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.
Thanks Christine. Walmart budget meat ideas: Store brand frozen breast chunks - throw in instapot with cup of water and seasonings. I did leftover chopped onion, a couple cloves of garlic and a cup of water. 2/3 of it I served over rice with Veggies and sweet and sour sauce I made with a can of peaches. The rest will be the broth/meat for rice noodle soup for husband and I.
My Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili 😊 5 skinless chicken thighs onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley 1 can green chiles 2 cloves garlic or spoonful minced 1 box chicken broth salt & white pepper cumin red pepper flakes 2 cans any white beans, drained 1 can corn, drained cheese Add chicken, veggies, broth, and seasonings. Cook on Low 4 to 5 hours. Remove bones and shred chicken. Add beans, corn. 30 min and done. Top with your fave cheese
Tune noodle casserole was a classic in my home. Can get everything at the dollar store too. Season salt was a must with the dish. I also grew up on soups alot or pasta.
Great video! I'm making the chicken and rice soup right now - just decided to fry a bit of bacon to start the dish, take it out, and then add it back in at the end for some extra flavour. A cheap and easy family recipe at our house is fried cabbage and sausage. You can use raw or deli sausage to start (diced hotdogs or smokies also work). Fry in oil in a big skillet until golden or brown. In the meantime, shred or chop cabbage. A bag of pre-shredded coleslaw is a good time saver. Add that in and stew until cabbage is soft. Ta-da! It's low carb and really filling. Where I am, cabbage is also one of the cheaper veggies. You can mix it up by adding a bit of vinegar or different spices. Whatever you have on hand :)
I always buy extra plain yoghurt on clearance, drip it through a cloth for yoghurt cheese which can be flavoured however you like - makes lunches that much easier x
I know exactly where my Pick n Save puts their rack of day-old, half-priced bakery, their clearance dairy, and their clearance deli. I always check what is there. Those REDUCED stickers are regular visitors to my kitchen!
I love to serve bagels with cream cheese and an over easy egg on top. This is how I finally got hubby to eat a bagel. We use rice to extend our meals also. Definitely love chili poured over a bowl of rice and many soups work great also to get more meals out of a dish. Growing up my mom would take stewed tomatoes and serve over rice or elbow pasta. I guess what they say is true, what goes around comes back around. Those old tried and true recipes were frugal and delicious. Glad to see others keeping them going.
I love just the regular old diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings over pasta. It just tastes fresher to me than a thicker sauce. Probably better for me as well since most pasta sauces have sugar.
@@firequeen2194 Mom always canned her tomatoes, now I do the same. Yes most jarred sauces have sugar. There are some that do not, mostly the “top shelf,” varieties.
I sometimes use leftover chili over baked potatoes to extend it or change it up for another meal. As an aside, I love your super creative meal ideas. I always spent a lot more money than you to feed my family of 8, now back down to 6. My oldest child at home is 18 and I'm realizing that I need to have my kids watch your budget cooking videos to learn how to prepare meals for less money. I cook a fair amount from scratch, but I think your ideas are an important life skill that you can teach much better than I can. Thanks for sharing!
As a family of 8 chicken teriyaki is always a huge hit in my house. It really only takes about 4 ingredients chicken breast, rice, broccoli, and teriyaki sauce. It’s super cheap especially because most of those ingredients are already staples in our house.
A friend gave me this recipe, and it's basically whatever ingredients you want to add to taste. And it is based on whatever ingredients you happen to find on clearance or have in your pantry. Taco Salad. It's a good time to find lettuce or greens on clearance, chop it up and add to a large bowl. Cook any type of ground meat, whether beef, pork, chicken or sausage (or even use cooked, mashed lentils if not using meat), adding chopped onion and chopped green pepper (the smaller the chopped pieces, the further it seems to go) and any sort of drained red, brown or black beans. Add salsa/or taco sauce or taco seasoned tomato sauce, your taco seasonings to taste to the pan, and stir in. Remove from heat once the meat is cooked. Just before serving, mix cooked mixture into the chopped lettuce and stir. If you have fresh chopped tomatoes, from garden or friend's garden, add now. Portion out each plate with corn chips (or even stir the chips into the salad if you only have a few chips left in your pantry), and top chips with cooked meat mixture. Top that with more salsa/taco sauce/seasoned tomato sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Add avocado slices or mashed avocado (optional).
One way I stretch my Costco chicken is making Lebanese Heshweh because I can make stock with the carcass and use it to cook the rice, and 1# of lean hamburger gets stretched times how many bellies I need to feed. There are as many heshweh recipes as there are cooks I think, but basically it is broth, leftover chicken, hamburger, rice and some spices, eaten topped with plain yogurt. some people put peas, most people toss in toasted almonds or pine nuts (if you aren't on a budget) It is for what it seems your chicken rice dish is for you: childhood soul food.
Hi Christine, so in the UK 🇬🇧 this is my go to when I have Italian sausage, spicy or not is what we call Sausage Gnocchi in my house. Also super quick. It use Italian sausages, Kale, Gnocchi or dried pasta, chicken stock, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, salt and pepper and Parmesan. De skin the sausage, Cook the sausage off and break up, add chilli flakes and fennel seeds. When cooked remove from pan. Add gnocchi ( if using dried pasta, cook as per packet), toast lightly in pan then add chicken stock, put the chopped kale on top, cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the sausage back, add Parmesan. Serve. My teenagers love this.
A meal my mom used to make me, that I make for my family is super simple and inexpensive. It kinda sounds like it wouldn't taste amazing, but it does. 1 pound ground beef, normal sized can of condensed mushroom soup, large can baked beans (I use bush's), salt, pepper, and cheese. Brown the ground beef, mix in can of mushroom soup and baked beans. Season to taste and then add cheese. Mix until cheese melts. My mom used Kraft singles. I have used sliced cheddar, both work. Top that on some rice and it's so good. I also add Sriracha on mine, but my mom never did that. When she first made this for me, I thought it would be weird, but it's such a comfort food. 😋
A wonderful, tasty, budget friendly meal (dinner, lunch or even breakfast!) is Arroz a la Cubana or Cuban Rice. Ironically, I was introduced to this in Spain, not Cuba! Simply heat up a can of tomato sauce, cook your rice and make some over easy eggs. You want the yoke to be runny. Put a portion of rice in a bowl, top it with the tomato sauce and add the eggs. Salt and pepper to taste! Delicioso, filling, easy to make and budget friendly!
I will say, I often don't use broth, just water. The seasonings, veggies and chicken create the broth as it cooks. So if you don't have broth, don't let that stop you.
I don't live in an area with an Aldi's, Dollar Tree or Walmart close by. There are no salvage food stores in the area either. Also, since COVID, it's extremely rare to find anything that's been reduced in price unless the store has decided to discontinue it so I have found that I have to depend on sales and meal planning in order to keep my grocery budget down. I have also found that those of you with families actually can spend less per person/ per meal due to the number of people in your family. You can feed a family of 6 on about $100 a week while it runs me between $40 and $50 a week just for me and I eat only 2 meals a day. I"m in awe and envious to say the least.
off topic: I'm loving that you're growing your hair long. As a person with very thin sparse hair that can't grow it very long I'm envious. Looks really pretty.
With Walmart offering veggies @ $ .50/$.58 I have a year's worth of Gr Beans, Cream Corn, Whole Kernal Corn, Peas in addition to what I already had. The half package of sausage would have been a great stir fry using up extra veggies
We love shredded bbq chicken bowls and sandwiches. I just cook the chicken in our instapot and then shred it. You can put it on top of rice or bread (clearance hoagies are great) add bbq sauce and shredded cheese (optional) and voila quick & easy meal. We also enjoy sheet pan meals like chicken with broccoli & carrots. Season with salt, pepper, & garlic. Mix with oil cook in oven at 400 until chicken is almost cooked through then pull out and squeeze a little lemon juice and add Parmesan cheese. Cook another few minutes to finish cooking the chicken. We like to eat this with a crescent roll or bread of some kind on the side
A favorite budget meal for us is hamburger hash: 1 lb ground beef, 1 large onion (chopped), at least 1 potato (sliced medium) per person, salt, pepper (lots), and water. Cook ground beef (breaking into small pieces)and onions. Add potatoes, seasonings and just enough water to cook the potatoes until are tender. You don’t want a lot of liquid left in the pan and you definitely don’t want to pour any liquid out. Serve with cold apple sauce and a slice of bread with butter.
Our Kroger rarely has items reduced. I think they donate them instead. Which is great… but sad for me. Love your videos. Trying to go from a family of 5 (kids 3, 5, 7) with a $1400 grocery/household budget to closer to your way. Thanks for teaching. It’s helping.
One of my comfort food is Hungarian Goulash. My mother would make this during the winter months. It is made with stewing meat (not ground beef), spices, vinegar, onions, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup (yes, you read right!) and simmered all day. Mom would serve with egg noodles.
Another good meal is hamburger helper. $0.92 cents for a box of pasta here, then add 1lb of ground meat (about 2.50/lb on sale/clearance). Add Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder. Then you can either add shredded cheese or velveeta if desired. A block of off brand Velveeta is 6.99 here, or the shredded cheese is 2.00 - you get more mileage from the Velveeta, but it costs more upfront. Total: 5.48 to 6.25 for 4-5 large servings of hamburger helper.
In South- Germany we often Eat Hampasta (Schinkennudeln).You only Need :Pasta,eggs and ham.Cook the Pasta.Heat up a pan,cut the ham in pieces and Roast it in the Pan,until it is light brown.Add the cooked Pasta to the ham and then you Crack the Eggs Over the Noodle.Let it Cook and Stire a Little Bit until the egg is fulley cooked.Have a salad as a sidedish. It is one of my Favorit dish from childhood😋
I’d love to see you do a challenge where you only pick out items from the sale flyer and do a pick up order in under that $100 mark you said. Or even match the $75 mark from this video for a different spin. I’d love to see how you put that together!
I find that Quesadillas are a great cheap option that taste delicious. You, can do bean and cheese, chicken/veg, left over beef/veg, you can also do just plain cheese
My go to is a whole rotisserie chicken at 5.99 each available at several local stores by me. I debone the entire thing and make at least one soup either chicken noodle, chicken & rice or chicken dumpling. Then I make chicken quesadillas or chicken, broc and rice casserole or pot pie or creamy Italian chicken qith the rest. 1 lb of hamburger I split into 2 meals... a chili or taco soup bulking up with beans and corn then the other half mix with refried beans and taco seasoning and make tostadas or enchiladas (I buy the dry packet for enchilada sauce that you mix with tomato paste & water vs the cans of sauce) Leftover chili turns into chili dogs, chili mac or served over baked potatoes. 1 ham steak I will use to make a crockpot of split pea soup.
Love your meal videos - always needing new ideas! Bagels are also great with hummus, bruschetta or as a mini pizza! Plus they're so thick I usually cut them and have two sandwiches for each one. 👍🏻
My husband has a favorite meal he made as a bachelor that I use for easy dinner nights now. He calls it Japanese stroganoff because he was living in Japan when he and a roommate came up with the recipe. 1 lb beef mince 1 onion, diced Montreal steak seasoning to taste Garlic powder to taste 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce (abt 1 cup) 2-3 Tbsp of plain yogurt or sour cream 1 Tbsp of soy sauce 2 cups of rice, cooked to pkg directions Okay its basically spaghetti but you eat it with rice instead of pasta. But it's quite good. Combine beef and onion in a skillet and cook until onion is translucent and beef is no longer pink. Add garlic powder and Montreal steak seasoning, diced tomatoes, and sauce. Add in yogurt and soy sauce Simmer on medium for a few minutes until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice and enjoy.
I have a recipe that I’ve made for years. It’s called Pizza Bake You will need: A lb of hamburger, browned and drained Stir in a-can of pizza sauce Meanwhile prepare a package of shells and cheese Spread the pasta on the bottom of a casserole pan and top with the hamburger mixture. Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on top and bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts. So good! Doubles well
One of my favorite meals is cut cabbage potatoes celery carrots onions itialan seasoning salt n pepper garlic powder and top with meatballs then top with spaghetti sauce then top with cheese bake for 1.5 hours
I do a "tex mex skillet"! Black beans, corn, rotel, ground meat (whatever was cheap/on sale. Personally I like it best with a mix of ground beef and chorizo) rice, and salt/pepper/chicken bouillon/cajun seasoning to taste. Add other veggies if you have them on hand, tomato paste if its on hand - if not, ketchup will do in a pinch. And bonus, it's a one pot meal! Brown your meat, add water (or broth, if available) to cook your rice. Then add all your veggies and uncooked rice to the pan. Simmer until rice is cooked. Add your seasonings to taste (and cheese, if desired!) . Voila. 30 min or less! It costs me usually about 2.50/lb for the meat (we only have 2 people, so 1 lb is plenty), 0.80 for the beans, 0.60 for the corn (its 1.20/bag, and I use half a bag), .80 for rotel, 0.52 can of tomato paste, 1.25 or less for the rice, depending on how much I use. Total for 4 big servings: 7.07 or 1.76 per serving. With cheese, add another dollar - its $2/16oz cheese here and I usually use 8oz in it. Its fine without though too.
A cheap easy meal my family enjoys during the colder months is navy beans boiled with water and an old ham bone, left over smoked sliced ham or a pork hauk...add salt and pepper when dish over potatoes of your choice...We enjoy boiled potatoes...the soup thickens up and is very hearty.
Gnocchi is always cheap and satiating. You can have them with peas, onions and bacon bits, or sweet (roast bread crumbs in butter or oil, with sugar and cinnamon, then mix in the gnocchi).
Thank you for your ideas! Do you have some for all the non-food items. Where my biggest expense is.....laundry soap, cleaning supplies, paper products, personal products.
It's simple but I just made a chicken stuffing casserole for dinner. It was 2 cans of chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup & a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Mixed all together and topped with cooked stove top stuffing. Then baked 400* for 25 minutes. Simple and warm
I absolutely love Kroger clearance! Ever since I started watching you I rarely pay full price for bread (maybe three times in the last year?) I pretty much only pay full price for chicken but not other meats. I search clearance for whatever meats we'll eat and my freezer is always stocked. I've saved so much money over the last year shopping clearance and sales. Thank you for showing this stuff!
Eggs soup is an excellent dinner recipe. Just look up greek eggy soup or avgolemono. Not all recipes will include it but I add cooked chicken in as well. Has to be boiled though I like to boil it to make the chicken stock that I will use in the recipe and then chuck in the cooked meat at the end in the soup to warm up.
LEGIT it would be so cool if you, Christine came out with a plastic smile spoon (one side could say Christine’s special or something) & BOOM I bet so many adored fans would snag one - including me lol 😂❤
As a young married couple with a 5 year old, money was often tight. One day as I was trying to come up with something for supper, I found in my pantry spaghetti noodles and pasta sauce. There was no meat in the refrigerator or freezer, but I had a package of frozen creamed spinach. I mixed it with the sauce, put over the noodles and told my daughter this was Mary Kate and Ashley's favorite dish. It has been a favorite of hers ever since and my husband and I like it too.
Recipe to try (from Denmark)
I have a super simple, super cheap ad super delicioso recipe for a nice, winter dinner:
It is called "brændende kærlighed" in Danish, which translates to "burning love".
it's basically just mashed potatoes topped with caramelised onions and diced bacon.
in my family we like to add other root vegetables to the mash, like parsnips, carrots or water chestnuts, but just potatoes is perfectly fine. I always put a couple of cloves of garlic in with the spuds when they are boiling, and mash them in with the rest. Add butter, milk salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with caramelised onions and diced bacon. I don't personally eat meat, so I substitute mushrooms for the bacon.
Always a favorite, harty and filling meal, packed with taste for the cold winter evenings.
You had me at bacon!
Sounds amazing!
@@sherilynalexnder897 Bacon 🥓 is my BFF
I looked up a video where I could hear brændende kærlighed. It sounds much easier than it looks written down. It actually sounds like German, to my Brazilian untrained ears. Thanks for sharing.
@@antiantipoda your ears do not deceive you. Danish (as well as english) is an germanic language. And on top of that, Germany is our very large neighbour, so there is a lot of german influence in danish. For english, there is more french influence.
I don't usually see people mention this, but if you have sausage to use and don't feel like chili, my go to is sausage and peppers over rice. I usually make a roux, throw cajun seasoning and garlic in there, salt etc, diced bell pepper (I've been known to use the onion bell pepper mix from dollar tree) and sliced sausage. As it thickens you get this rich and spicy gravy type sauce. Thin out with milk or water. Serve over rice. It's really fast to do especially with leftover rice or a rice cooker.
This sounds delicious! I'm definitely going to try it. Thanks! 😁
@@amec2755 no problem! 🙂
Good idea!
Good idea. Looking for rice recipes.
I🧡my rice cooker. Def has helped me in life. I will be remembering your recipe!
Haha! One time I had to go speak with customer service at Walmart. I was waiting my turn in line when a woman asked if I was following her? I said “No, I’m just waiting in line like you are.” Some people are paranoid from other life experiences that have nothing to do with us.
I was followed at a Walmart and had security escort me to my car, it was dark and rainy that evening... When we got outside there were four people waiting for me, and jumped into their big white van when they saw I was not alone and drove off really fast. 😳 I always notice and am aware of seeing the same people in a store now and though I would never ask if someone was following me, I keep my eyes wide open and pay close attention. If I was an extrovert, I can see straight up asking someone though 😂
@@Spotless1825 I’ve been followed too so I understand but I hadn’t even seen this woman before, I was just standing in line.
I noticed that I was seeing a lot more clearance stickers in the store so I talked to the meat manager at my Safeway and he said Nov and Dec is when they have a ton of mark downs because everyone is buying more of the holiday ingredients either way it’s a win for me cause I got 120 worth of meat for only 65.00 🎉
Dayyum gyaal
We used to do chili over mashed potatoes
Kickin' it old school on the channel - the blender scream and the happy spoon. IYKYK! 😁
My father used to make a dish of potatoes, onions and Italian sausage sautéed in a skillet. Sometimes it had bell peppers, sometimes it had eggs scrambled into it. It was always filling and still tastes like childhood to me.
A tip I learned from my ex-MIL a hundred years ago was to use V8 juice when making my chili. Still the same veggies, meat, beans, seasoning. etc., but the liquid is V8 - I use generic. It adds a surprising amount of flavor! I LOVE your clearance hauls... half my pantry has yellow stickers on it!!! 😁
My father in law uses it in his chili cause he hates tomatoes
@@shelliecummins5972 my best friend's X-partner thought the seeds in tomatoes were living, squiggly things and wouldn't go near them! (we're glad he's the 'x')!
My chili is very different, but I love using V8 in it.
too much sodium for me
@@jernigan007 there is low sodium V8
Egg roll in a bowl is pretty budget friendly, especially if you shred your own cabbage and carrot, and can get ground pork on sale. You can season it with whatever Asian sauces/oils you have on hand. Finish with a generous sprinkling of fresh green onion. Serve with a little rice or ramen noodles if you need the carbs.
I'm so jealous of your clearance choices at Smith's. In Frisco TX our Krogers must be ON POINT with their ordering system because they never have overages to be put on clearance. It's rare to find anything. I even asked when they do it thinking I was just missing out, and they said hardly ever :(
SAME story at mine here in NM. It sucks cause I always see these videos where they find the good deals, but if something is marked down at our store it's mouldy or juicing when it shouldn't. (Like tomatoes that are leaking when you pick up the bag 🤮).
I used to be able to find markdowns but they have all disappeared within the last year. I did notice one of the Kroger's that used to markdown a lot were stuffing bags for the food pantry one day. So I think they are giving away some of the stuff they use to clearance out.
@@Authorthings what part of nm? In abq/rio rancho I've found some decent clearance stock
I'm in Frisco/Allen/McKinney area and you are so right. I used to find a decent amount of clearance... no more.
@@Michelle-by9fp really? I have not =(, but good for you!!
Your content is always SO riveting and I don't even eat meat!! But I love how your face is so full of hope and optimism, and you look at meal prep as a fun and exciting thing to do with a few items. I know so many people who think of budget meal planning as a chore, but you look at it as an opportunity. Never stop doing what you do are doing, you are such a wonderful inspiration.
Well said, Monty!!
Vegetarian here too! I 100% agree.
Vegetarian too! I just think of how I'd sub in beans, tofu, or imitation meats in her recipes.
I enjoy these videos.
Despite prices going up, there are definitely deals to be found. Today, I was able to purchase seven avocados for less than $2, blueberries for $1, Broccoli for less than a $1 a lb, and cream cheese for $1.5. I even got potatoes for $0.50 a pound. The key is to be flexible and menu plan around the sales.
Easy family meal is the Chipotle rice bowls: lime cilantro rice, fav beans, grilled onions/peppers, cheese and the homemade honey chipotle dressing. We eat with a side of chips and quac (when we have avocados).
I agree. In my area potatoes, berries, butter and few more items have been on sale for the whole month. I’ve been stocking up on what I can use in the next 2-3months.
@@dariana4247 Super smart to stock up when cheap. I ended up with 15 lbs of potatoes and so much broccoli, ha!
This was so reminiscent of older videos I have watched of yours, and I LOVED it! Loved these recipes, and thankful for such budget conscious recipes! Loved the music, and the smiley spoon too! Now just a peak at Speedy! Thank you for an awesome Friday video!!
Yesss!!!
💯
I wish we had a Smith's or Kroger. My local stores do sometimes have markdowns but not like you find. I belong to a few groups and you would be amazed at the amount of people who are scared of clearance groceries. Not me!
Chili is my absolute favorite food, it can be eaten in a variety of ways.
Chili and Cornbread
Chili on a baked potato.
Chili Fries
Chili Burgers. The possibilities are endless 😊
I love shopping my kitchen first and then picking up the good sale and clearance items to fill in any holes for the week. I do still pay full price for some things, but I’ll go to WinCo or another cheaper grocery store for all of my regular non sale items. It’s helped me save hundreds of dollars every month!
Woot Woot - you are at my store! Stopped by there today, I bought four green peppers in the $1 red bag today and 3lbs. of shredded kale for $1.50. There were a ton of marked down meat packages and bakery items. I plan my meals around those clearance items each week.
Without carb foods I try to come up with an interesting variety of dinners on a budget. I mainly use bacon, eggs, mince, chicken, sausages, steak, cheese which give endless options. I make bone broths and soups. Pantry includes canned ham, salmon, Spam, sardines, oysters, Anchovies, crab. Plus keto baking staples. I bake keto muffins, biscuits/cookies, brownies, chaffles and make keto freezer chocolates. Main veg are frozen cauli, broccoli, green beans, Blueberries . Fresh mushrooms, onion, Avocados, cream. Budget gets really stretched at times.
Eating healthy is not budget friendly. We've gone back to too many starches in our diet.
Wow, so much stuff on clearance at your Smith’s?! Is it because it’s afternoon?? I usually go in the mornings.
I like to carmelize two onions in butter, add one chopped up head of green cabbage, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, when cabbage is just about done, hit it with some white wine vinegar. Serve over cooked egg noodles. You can top it with bacon or some sliced kielbasa. Delish
Pepper Steak, super easy. Round steak, green peppers, french onion soup. Brown the steak, add the peppers to the skillet, saute until the peppers are soft. Add in the french onion soup and cook for like 15 minutes. Serve over noodles
I'm always blown away by the clearance in your store. Mine never has anything. We were on vacation and stopped in a Kroger to pick up sandwich stuff and that store had a lot of clearance too, so I think it's just mine.
My Kroger hardly ever has clearance items too!
Chicken street tacos - sauté onion and cauliflower rice in a skillet, add some leftover cooked diced chicken, a can of refried beans, taco seasoning, some salsa (1/2 cup or so) and some plain greek yogurt. Once everything is hot, put mixture in flour tortillas, spray tortillas with oil or cooking spray and bake until the tortillas get crispy. The beans and cauli rice add a ton of bulk to make a very small amount of chicken go a long way.
I'd grill that sausage and some bell pepper, then simmer those briefly in a little tomato sauce, then serve on either rolls or toasted bread. It is a basic sausage and pepper sandwich. I had one last weekend when I was visiting the New York City suburbs. I'll have one in the next few days, just because I have a hankerin' for one.
Tuna Casserole- 2 cans of tuna, 1 bag of egg noodles boiled, 2 cans of cream soup. Celery and mushroom are nice. 1-2 cans of milk so that your sauce is wet but creamy, frozen peas (1/2 a bag). Salt, pepper, onion powder (or sauté onions and celery and mushrooms if you want to add ), and dill is nice. We sometimes top with cheese if we have some to use up.
We've been enjoying this recipe in my family since 1991. So good and filling!
Settler Beans:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon
1 medium onion chopped
1 can red kidney beans
2 cans pork and beans
1 can white kidney or great northern beans
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. bbq sauce
1/3 c. ketchup
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. mustard or 1 tsp. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. molasses
1. Cook beef, onion and bacon, drain fat.
2. combine all ingredients in casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Yummy 😋. Writing ✍️ this down! Oh, and I have everything in the pantry for the win 🏆, yay 😀. This would even be good for camping. Fry up the first three in the morning after breakfast and then put in solar cooker all day while out kayaking (or laying in hammock, lol). Dinner time…done!
Love this. Out of curiosity though... what happened to fitness friday? I loved it! Had been thinking of starting running when you posted them (never been a runner before) and finally bit the bullet. Been running every other day since and have slowly built up to 4 mile runs in my hilly neighborhood! Thanks 😊
I miss the fitness vids too! FFM has said in prior vids that the fitness vids don't seem very popular, so I think she backed off of them for that reason. But still, she is frugal FIT mom, so give us more, please!!!!
One of our family favorites is Frito pie.
1 lb hamburger meat, browned with chopped onion and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 2 T chili powder (or you could use taco seasoning instead). After the meat is cooked add 1/3 c water and let simmer a couple minutes. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam and place fritos (or I will use left over restaurant tortilla chips or the "crumbs" of tortilla chips or doritos everyone leaves at the bottom of the bag and won't eat before opening a new bag, lol) fill the 9x13 dish with the chips. Pour the meat on top of the chips then add a layer of shredded cheddar on top (usually two handsful). You can add fresh chopped onion on top but that's optional. Bake about five minutes @350*, just to get the cheese melted. Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans, or sometimes we just eat it with buttered canned corn. So simple and full of flavor! My son likes it for his school lunch leftover.
Spaghetti a la Diable: From an old cookbook, that's been republished often since 1910. This is so doggone good! 8 ounces spaghetti cooked and drained, 8 ounces mushrooms, 1 can of tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chicken chopped, 1 onion diced, garlic, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, salt, Grated cheddar cheese This recipe has been a great favorite in my family for 40 years. In the leanest years I doubled the pasta (not the meat!). In recent years I've added a finely diced zucchini to the dish and that's great too. Cook onions and mushrooms until tender, add tomatoes, seasonings and bring to a boil. Add chicken. Pour over cooked spaghetti and toss. Put in a casserole dish or 9 x 13 pan (aren't they the same?!) and top with the sharp cheddar. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or so until hot and bubbly.
Haluski… a full head of cabbage chopped small pieces. A kielbasa chopped in pieces and 8 oz cooked egg noodles. 1 stick of butter salt and pepper to taste
Cook your kielbasa until golden and your chopped cabbage(do not add any water it will make its own as the cabbage steams) cover and cook down until cabbage is golden brown. Add the cooked pasta add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve. Yum. We like this with garlic breadsticks.
My mom also served chili over rice when I was growing up. We were a family of 6 and weren't exactly well-off. But we never went hungry.
You seemed a lot more serious and maybe just a little upset. Don't let people who don't know how to mind their own business ruin your day. You're always so upbeat, funny and entertaining. Don't let anyone shed darkness on your light. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂❤️
3 delicious, filling, cheap meals that my family enjoys:
1. Spaghetti, but with lentils instead of beef. Cook the lentils according to package directions, adding in beef bullion. If you want more texture, add in diced onion and/or lightly blend them (don't puree. Just pulse a little bit where some are still whole and some are not)
2. Mashed potatoes topped with soupy beans (any kind you like, seasoned however you like)(I like Italian seasoned white beans) and cooked greens (again, whatever kind you like, I just season with salt). There are so many possible variations to this one.
3. Mashed potatoes with peas, corn, and cheddar cheese (kind of like a KFC bowl but without chicken)
Slow cooker potato and chicken curry....15 oz coconut milk, 3 tsp curry powder, about 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 3 medium sweet potatoes cubed, 6 carrots sliced into 2 inch pieces, 1 small onion chopped, whisk the coconut milk and curry powder in the bottom of the crock pot. Add everything else and toss to coat. Slow cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. I always have 2 cans of coconut milk in my pantry for Indian or Asian type dishes. You can find it on sale for $.99 occasionally. Add more curry if your family wants it more spicy. I usually serve this over rice, but occasionally mashed potatoes, if I have some left over.
Use Italian sausage for a sheet pan meal with onions, garlic, and all different color of peppers, maybe a few grape tomatoes and herbs. SUPER!
I'm glad to see a video about a family of 6. It's usually 4 and seems so small. Having 4 kids requires a lot more food!! ❤️
Loved the video! A childhood favorite that is budget friendly: American Chop Suey. When I was a child, a woman at my church would always bring this for homecoming (dinner on the grounds!) All the kids loved this. My brother and I still make it regularly. What distinguishes this version is that it's made with rice, not pasta. Amounts of everything can vary, depending on what's on hand. Brown one pound (or more) hamburger completely. Salt and pepper the hamburger as its cooking. If it's greasy, drain (usually with 85%, I don't have to do that). Leaving the cooked hamburger as a layer in the bottom of the pot, layer in diced onions and green peppers (however much you like...I do a good layer of the combined mixture); then layer in a can or two of diced tomatoes...again, I like a good layer. On top, layer in the white rice....I probably use about 3/4 of a cup but you do you! The key to this recipe is to NOT stir it...let everything cook in it's layers. Add water (ever how much it takes to cook the rice, maybe a cup?) and cook on low covered until the rice is done. I do keep an eye on it and add more water if it looks like it's running dry. I like to cut it off and leave it on the stove for ten minutes after cooking...that helps to reduce the liquid. Ideally, it shouldn't have a lot of liquid at this point. For some reason, cooking it like this produces a different flavor from stirring everything as it cooks. I love this dish...and it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. To complete the childhood experience, we usually serve it with white bread.
Hi! Are the cans of diced tomatoes drained or undrained?
@@gilanagelman I never drain them.
Ok Christine is, by now, a member of my family. Love from 🇨🇵
As a meal or side. Broccoli pasta is simple. Spaghetti or any pasta you have. Chop fresh broccoli into bite size pieces. Cook pasta as directed when there is 3 minutes left in cook time put 🥦 in water. Serve with butter and parm cheese on top. Add a clove of garlic into water whole so you can fish it out or leave it in. Adds great flavor without chopping it up.
I feel like if I have onion celery garlic and bell pepper I can make anything! It is the Louisiana trinity! I sauté these with a Cajun sausage I find on sale and then season with a can of fire roasted tomatoes and season to taste! I add some bouillon and water then after I cook down for a few minutes I add 1 and a half cups of rice! Put the lid on my Dutch oven and reduce the heat. Cook until the rice is done and you have jambalaya! This can also make use of whatever other protein you have lying around like chicken or shrimp whatever you have and like! You can double the recipe or triple depending upon on the crowd you have! I love this and a quick side salad is all you may need if you want something extra! I love it and it is cheap!!
A recipe you can try is "Westfälische Erbsensuppe" (Westphalian pea soup). Northrhine Westphalia is the state of Germany I'm from. Our family recipe for 10x portions is:
300gr of dried peas, 500gr of potato (cut in small pieces), 1x can of peas with carrots, 800ml of beef brew and 4-8 raw sausages (cut in small pieces)
- Soak the dried peas in 200ml of water over night
- put everything in your pot and add salt and pepper
- add seasonal (fresh) herbs if wanted (like thyme or parsley)
Let it cook for 30-40min in a pressure cooker/crockpot or 60-80min in a normal pot with middle to low heat (stir from time to time if you use a normal pot). If the raw sausages & potatoes are cooked and the texture is between soup and stew it's ready. We often let it sit a little longer to get a stew like texture. If it's ready taste test and add salt and pepper according to your (famlies) taste, since you usually have to adjust it.
Also this is one of those dishes that you can easily freeze or reheat the next day and the taste will actually increase.
1 or 2 bags of meatballs, 2 cans of chili sauce (no bean sauce), and 2 cans of cranberries. Get the half gelled half berry ones. Add more cans of the chili sauce and cranberries if you want more sauce. Throw all in a crock pot on low for a few hours. Pile the meatballs in a roll. Enjoy!
I love your videos. I used to think I was the only one shopping the sales, but seeing your hauls inspires me to keep looking for the deals.
I'm so glad to see someone else plan a menu by the clearance items. I've always planned meals that way.
I make kielbasa sliced potatoes and cabbage. Easy cheap and yummy. Simply layer slice potato cabbage onion and generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning salt and pepper . I cook mine is a lg skillet w a lid. Just simmer w a little water in the bottom of the pan top with sliced kielbasa sausage.
Our favorite frugal meal is hamburg gravy over mashed potatoes. Brown ground beef,sprinkle with flour and add in beef broth, or bouillon and water. Simmer and serve ontop of mashed potatoes. So yummy
One staple meal my mom made frequently when I was growing up was the California Style Vegetables with chicken.
She'd cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces & cook them all together in a HUGE skillet. Just a little water in the skillet with some salt & pepper.
The meat does a pretty good job at flavoring up the veggies.
And we'd have some bread of some sort with it.
Quick, simple & healthy meal.
This was a staple because we were always on the go with all of us kids playing every sport known to man.
Another one was canned tamales, over canned chili over spaghetti noodles.
Another was the Dinty Moore Beef Stew, mix in some black eyed peas & serve over egg noodles.
Potatoes and onions with meat leftovers - perfect for sausage or leftover slow cooked beef or pork or ground beef or (if its in budget cos its got spendy) canned corned beef is perfect.
In a slow cooker (can probably use an instant pot but I don't have one so don't know the conversion) or in an oven proof casserole layer thinly sliced potatoes and onions. Between each layer season with salt and pepper. About halfway up put a layer of meat. Then more potatoes and onions to the top. Mix up some bouillon powder into water and add a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce. Pour the stock into the potatoes. You want it about halfway up. Put a little butter or marg on the top.
Cook in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or in a moderate oven for 3-4 hours. You want the potatoes tender. Bonus if the top and edges gets crispy.
One of my family’s favorites is a tomato soup (roasted red pepper tomato mix if you can) with corn (frozen) and a can of black beans. That’s the basic version, but it is so good. Could add chicken or another protein, could add rice as well. We always top it with cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. I love to eat it with Fritos, but any corn chips are great. Don’t have toppings? Still really, really good.
Chili on baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or oven potato fries are also delicious and cheap. Love how you season things so well! Makes all the difference!!
Just went hog wild at the after Halloween Walmart sale and the Kroger usual clearance items. Bought tons of pumpkin spice pancake boxed mixes for 50 cents and brownie mixes for 25 cents (easy for young kids to make), and at Kroger, I bought my usual clearance salad items and even a few surprises like giant clearance cereal boxes. I make everything homemade 9 times out of 10, but the clearance stuff is good for kids learning to cook and for special treats or unexpected guests.
One of my favorite easy go to cheap meals is a frozen cheese ravioli topped with a bit of olive oil (I just add it after I drain it then a quick sprits of water and a toss while in the colander),then add cooked frozen broccoli, top with mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.
I extend my ravioli by adding boxed pasta,usually whatever partially used box I have,it’s all works, add sauce.
Thanks Christine. Walmart budget meat ideas: Store brand frozen breast chunks - throw in instapot with cup of water and seasonings. I did leftover chopped onion, a couple cloves of garlic and a cup of water. 2/3 of it I served over rice with Veggies and sweet and sour sauce I made with a can of peaches. The rest will be the broth/meat for rice noodle soup for husband and I.
My Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili 😊
5 skinless chicken thighs
onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley
1 can green chiles
2 cloves garlic or spoonful minced
1 box chicken broth
salt & white pepper
cumin
red pepper flakes
2 cans any white beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
cheese
Add chicken, veggies, broth, and seasonings. Cook on Low 4 to 5 hours. Remove bones and shred chicken. Add beans, corn. 30 min and done. Top with your fave cheese
Tune noodle casserole was a classic in my home. Can get everything at the dollar store too. Season salt was a must with the dish. I also grew up on soups alot or pasta.
Great video! I'm making the chicken and rice soup right now - just decided to fry a bit of bacon to start the dish, take it out, and then add it back in at the end for some extra flavour.
A cheap and easy family recipe at our house is fried cabbage and sausage. You can use raw or deli sausage to start (diced hotdogs or smokies also work). Fry in oil in a big skillet until golden or brown. In the meantime, shred or chop cabbage. A bag of pre-shredded coleslaw is a good time saver. Add that in and stew until cabbage is soft. Ta-da! It's low carb and really filling. Where I am, cabbage is also one of the cheaper veggies. You can mix it up by adding a bit of vinegar or different spices. Whatever you have on hand :)
That is already on my menu for tomorrow night!
I always buy extra plain yoghurt on clearance, drip it through a cloth for yoghurt cheese which can be flavoured however you like - makes lunches that much easier x
I know exactly where my Pick n Save puts their rack of day-old, half-priced bakery, their clearance dairy, and their clearance deli. I always check what is there. Those REDUCED stickers are regular visitors to my kitchen!
I absolutely love clearance shopping at our Kroger’s. They are always so good at bagging up older produce into $0.99 mixed bags. 🤘🏻
My friends and I shop each others pantries. We agree to once a month and have a list posted of off limits items. Work well.
I love to serve bagels with cream cheese and an over easy egg on top. This is how I finally got hubby to eat a bagel. We use rice to extend our meals also. Definitely love chili poured over a bowl of rice and many soups work great also to get more meals out of a dish. Growing up my mom would take stewed tomatoes and serve over rice or elbow pasta. I guess what they say is true, what goes around comes back around. Those old tried and true recipes were frugal and delicious. Glad to see others keeping them going.
I love just the regular old diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings over pasta. It just tastes fresher to me than a thicker sauce. Probably better for me as well since most pasta sauces have sugar.
@@firequeen2194 Mom always canned her tomatoes, now I do the same. Yes most jarred sauces have sugar. There are some that do not, mostly the “top shelf,” varieties.
I sometimes use leftover chili over baked potatoes to extend it or change it up for another meal.
As an aside, I love your super creative meal ideas. I always spent a lot more money than you to feed my family of 8, now back down to 6. My oldest child at home is 18 and I'm realizing that I need to have my kids watch your budget cooking videos to learn how to prepare meals for less money. I cook a fair amount from scratch, but I think your ideas are an important life skill that you can teach much better than I can. Thanks for sharing!
As a family of 8 chicken teriyaki is always a huge hit in my house. It really only takes about 4 ingredients chicken breast, rice, broccoli, and teriyaki sauce. It’s super cheap especially because most of those ingredients are already staples in our house.
Yes, Smith's! It's truly the best place to find deals and my go to store. So many great clearance deals. 👏 👏👏
A friend gave me this recipe, and it's basically whatever ingredients you want to add to taste. And it is based on whatever ingredients you happen to find on clearance or have in your pantry.
Taco Salad. It's a good time to find lettuce or greens on clearance, chop it up and add to a large bowl. Cook any type of ground meat, whether beef, pork, chicken or sausage (or even use cooked, mashed lentils if not using meat), adding chopped onion and chopped green pepper (the smaller the chopped pieces, the further it seems to go) and any sort of drained red, brown or black beans. Add salsa/or taco sauce or taco seasoned tomato sauce, your taco seasonings to taste to the pan, and stir in. Remove from heat once the meat is cooked. Just before serving, mix cooked mixture into the chopped lettuce and stir. If you have fresh chopped tomatoes, from garden or friend's garden, add now. Portion out each plate with corn chips (or even stir the chips into the salad if you only have a few chips left in your pantry), and top chips with cooked meat mixture. Top that with more salsa/taco sauce/seasoned tomato sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Add avocado slices or mashed avocado (optional).
One way I stretch my Costco chicken is making Lebanese Heshweh because I can make stock with the carcass and use it to cook the rice, and 1# of lean hamburger gets stretched times how many bellies I need to feed. There are as many heshweh recipes as there are cooks I think, but basically it is broth, leftover chicken, hamburger, rice and some spices, eaten topped with plain yogurt. some people put peas, most people toss in toasted almonds or pine nuts (if you aren't on a budget) It is for what it seems your chicken rice dish is for you: childhood soul food.
Hi Christine, so in the UK 🇬🇧 this is my go to when I have Italian sausage, spicy or not is what we call Sausage Gnocchi in my house. Also super quick.
It use Italian sausages, Kale, Gnocchi or dried pasta, chicken stock, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, salt and pepper and Parmesan.
De skin the sausage, Cook the sausage off and break up, add chilli flakes and fennel seeds. When cooked remove from pan.
Add gnocchi ( if using dried pasta, cook as per packet), toast lightly in pan then add chicken stock, put the chopped kale on top, cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the sausage back, add Parmesan. Serve.
My teenagers love this.
A meal my mom used to make me, that I make for my family is super simple and inexpensive. It kinda sounds like it wouldn't taste amazing, but it does. 1 pound ground beef, normal sized can of condensed mushroom soup, large can baked beans (I use bush's), salt, pepper, and cheese. Brown the ground beef, mix in can of mushroom soup and baked beans. Season to taste and then add cheese. Mix until cheese melts. My mom used Kraft singles. I have used sliced cheddar, both work. Top that on some rice and it's so good. I also add Sriracha on mine, but my mom never did that. When she first made this for me, I thought it would be weird, but it's such a comfort food. 😋
That sounds great. I’ll have to give it a try.😊
@@katiem7850 I hope you like it. It's so simple and really tasty.
I have missed these cooking videos from you !
Love from Seattle
A wonderful, tasty, budget friendly meal (dinner, lunch or even breakfast!) is Arroz a la Cubana or Cuban Rice. Ironically, I was introduced to this in Spain, not Cuba! Simply heat up a can of tomato sauce, cook your rice and make some over easy eggs. You want the yoke to be runny. Put a portion of rice in a bowl, top it with the tomato sauce and add the eggs. Salt and pepper to taste! Delicioso, filling, easy to make and budget friendly!
When I make Chile the next day I add veg an turn it into veggie soup like my mom always did... so good!💛
I will say, I often don't use broth, just water. The seasonings, veggies and chicken create the broth as it cooks. So if you don't have broth, don't let that stop you.
I don't live in an area with an Aldi's, Dollar Tree or Walmart close by. There are no salvage food stores in the area either. Also, since COVID, it's extremely rare to find anything that's been reduced in price unless the store has decided to discontinue it so I have found that I have to depend on sales and meal planning in order to keep my grocery budget down. I have also found that those of you with families actually can spend less per person/ per meal due to the number of people in your family. You can feed a family of 6 on about $100 a week while it runs me between $40 and $50 a week just for me and I eat only 2 meals a day. I"m in awe and envious to say the least.
off topic: I'm loving that you're growing your hair long. As a person with very thin sparse hair that can't grow it very long I'm envious. Looks really pretty.
White chicken chili, potatoe casserole, deconstructed pot pie, Santa Fe bowls
With the sausage you purchased I would have made sausage peppers and onions in a skillet or as a sheet pan meal. It can be served over rice
With Walmart offering veggies @
$ .50/$.58 I have a year's worth of Gr Beans, Cream Corn, Whole Kernal Corn, Peas in addition to what I already had.
The half package of sausage would have been a great stir fry using up extra veggies
We love shredded bbq chicken bowls and sandwiches. I just cook the chicken in our instapot and then shred it. You can put it on top of rice or bread (clearance hoagies are great) add bbq sauce and shredded cheese (optional) and voila quick & easy meal. We also enjoy sheet pan meals like chicken with broccoli & carrots. Season with salt, pepper, & garlic. Mix with oil cook in oven at 400 until chicken is almost cooked through then pull out and squeeze a little lemon juice and add Parmesan cheese. Cook another few minutes to finish cooking the chicken. We like to eat this with a crescent roll or bread of some kind on the side
A favorite budget meal for us is hamburger hash: 1 lb ground beef, 1 large onion (chopped), at least 1 potato (sliced medium) per person, salt, pepper (lots), and water. Cook ground beef (breaking into small pieces)and onions. Add potatoes, seasonings and just enough water to cook the potatoes until are tender. You don’t want a lot of liquid left in the pan and you definitely don’t want to pour any liquid out.
Serve with cold apple sauce and a slice of bread with butter.
Our Kroger rarely has items reduced. I think they donate them instead. Which is great… but sad for me. Love your videos. Trying to go from a family of 5 (kids 3, 5, 7) with a $1400 grocery/household budget to closer to your way. Thanks for teaching. It’s helping.
One of my comfort food is Hungarian Goulash. My mother would make this during the winter months. It is made with stewing meat (not ground beef), spices, vinegar, onions, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup (yes, you read right!) and simmered all day. Mom would serve with egg noodles.
Yummy 😋
Another good meal is hamburger helper. $0.92 cents for a box of pasta here, then add 1lb of ground meat (about 2.50/lb on sale/clearance). Add Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder. Then you can either add shredded cheese or velveeta if desired. A block of off brand Velveeta is 6.99 here, or the shredded cheese is 2.00 - you get more mileage from the Velveeta, but it costs more upfront. Total: 5.48 to 6.25 for 4-5 large servings of hamburger helper.
In South- Germany we often Eat Hampasta (Schinkennudeln).You only Need :Pasta,eggs and ham.Cook the Pasta.Heat up a pan,cut the ham in pieces and Roast it in the Pan,until it is light brown.Add the cooked Pasta to the ham and then you Crack the Eggs Over the Noodle.Let it Cook and Stire a Little Bit until the egg is fulley cooked.Have a salad as a sidedish.
It is one of my Favorit dish from childhood😋
I’d love to see you do a challenge where you only pick out items from the sale flyer and do a pick up order in under that $100 mark you said. Or even match the $75 mark from this video for a different spin. I’d love to see how you put that together!
I find that Quesadillas are a great cheap option that taste delicious. You, can do bean and cheese, chicken/veg, left over beef/veg, you can also do just plain cheese
My go to is a whole rotisserie chicken at 5.99 each available at several local stores by me. I debone the entire thing and make at least one soup either chicken noodle, chicken & rice or chicken dumpling.
Then I make chicken quesadillas or chicken, broc and rice casserole or pot pie or creamy Italian chicken qith the rest.
1 lb of hamburger I split into 2 meals... a chili or taco soup bulking up with beans and corn then the other half mix with refried beans and taco seasoning and make tostadas or enchiladas (I buy the dry packet for enchilada sauce that you mix with tomato paste & water vs the cans of sauce)
Leftover chili turns into chili dogs, chili mac or served over baked potatoes.
1 ham steak I will use to make a crockpot of split pea soup.
Love your meal videos - always needing new ideas! Bagels are also great with hummus, bruschetta or as a mini pizza! Plus they're so thick I usually cut them and have two sandwiches for each one. 👍🏻
My husband has a favorite meal he made as a bachelor that I use for easy dinner nights now. He calls it Japanese stroganoff because he was living in Japan when he and a roommate came up with the recipe.
1 lb beef mince
1 onion, diced
Montreal steak seasoning to taste
Garlic powder to taste
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce (abt 1 cup)
2-3 Tbsp of plain yogurt or sour cream
1 Tbsp of soy sauce
2 cups of rice, cooked to pkg directions
Okay its basically spaghetti but you eat it with rice instead of pasta. But it's quite good. Combine beef and onion in a skillet and cook until onion is translucent and beef is no longer pink. Add garlic powder and Montreal steak seasoning, diced tomatoes, and sauce. Add in yogurt and soy sauce Simmer on medium for a few minutes until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice and enjoy.
I have a recipe that I’ve made for years. It’s called Pizza Bake
You will need:
A lb of hamburger, browned and drained
Stir in a-can of pizza sauce
Meanwhile prepare a package of shells and cheese
Spread the pasta on the bottom of a casserole pan and top with the hamburger mixture.
Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on top and bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts.
So good!
Doubles well
One of my favorite meals is cut cabbage potatoes celery carrots onions itialan seasoning salt n pepper garlic powder and top with meatballs then top with spaghetti sauce then top with cheese bake for 1.5 hours
I do a "tex mex skillet"! Black beans, corn, rotel, ground meat (whatever was cheap/on sale. Personally I like it best with a mix of ground beef and chorizo) rice, and salt/pepper/chicken bouillon/cajun seasoning to taste. Add other veggies if you have them on hand, tomato paste if its on hand - if not, ketchup will do in a pinch. And bonus, it's a one pot meal!
Brown your meat, add water (or broth, if available) to cook your rice. Then add all your veggies and uncooked rice to the pan. Simmer until rice is cooked. Add your seasonings to taste (and cheese, if desired!) . Voila. 30 min or less! It costs me usually about 2.50/lb for the meat (we only have 2 people, so 1 lb is plenty), 0.80 for the beans, 0.60 for the corn (its 1.20/bag, and I use half a bag), .80 for rotel, 0.52 can of tomato paste, 1.25 or less for the rice, depending on how much I use. Total for 4 big servings: 7.07 or 1.76 per serving. With cheese, add another dollar - its $2/16oz cheese here and I usually use 8oz in it. Its fine without though too.
A cheap easy meal my family enjoys during the colder months is navy beans boiled with water and an old ham bone, left over smoked sliced ham or a pork hauk...add salt and pepper when dish over potatoes of your choice...We enjoy boiled potatoes...the soup thickens up and is very hearty.
Gnocchi is always cheap and satiating. You can have them with peas, onions and bacon bits, or sweet (roast bread crumbs in butter or oil, with sugar and cinnamon, then mix in the gnocchi).
Sausage and pepper and onion subs. cook in crockpot with pasta sauce and sliced pepper and onions.
Thank you for your ideas! Do you have some for all the non-food items. Where my biggest expense is.....laundry soap, cleaning supplies, paper products, personal products.
It's simple but I just made a chicken stuffing casserole for dinner. It was 2 cans of chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup & a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Mixed all together and topped with cooked stove top stuffing. Then baked 400* for 25 minutes. Simple and warm
Love your budget challenges!
I absolutely love Kroger clearance! Ever since I started watching you I rarely pay full price for bread (maybe three times in the last year?) I pretty much only pay full price for chicken but not other meats. I search clearance for whatever meats we'll eat and my freezer is always stocked. I've saved so much money over the last year shopping clearance and sales. Thank you for showing this stuff!
Eggs soup is an excellent dinner recipe. Just look up greek eggy soup or avgolemono. Not all recipes will include it but I add cooked chicken in as well. Has to be boiled though I like to boil it to make the chicken stock that I will use in the recipe and then chuck in the cooked meat at the end in the soup to warm up.