Julia, I know you know what you are doing and you are being careful, but watching you cook on your stovetop with your floral arrangements overhanging the stovetop was making my stomach do flipflops in a bad way! Please set a better safety example for your younger viewers who may try to emulate your style.
@user-rx thank you so very much for your wonderful compliment! I’m so happy to have you here too. As far as a chicken and noodle recipe, just google my name, Julia Pacheco chicken and noodle recipes and they will pop up for you there🙌🏼🙌🏼
With my family of 5 including 3 teens I would have to double these portions but even if I spent $40 on 7 dinners that would be a miracle... your amazing Julia in these hard times videos like these are keeping families fed😘
It absolutely would be a miracle, Amy! But yes, I definitely agree that you would need to double the recipes. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the recipes💜🙌🏼💜
@@annettefournier9655 yeah mine tried that and realized that eating what is cooked is much much better then being hungry just have to stand your ground most picky eaters are just being enabled by their family and they are totally capable of eating the food that is served very few cases are actually linked to medical conditions it’s mostly mental for them but encouraging them and sticking to your rules they will eventually get use to it and even start liking the food…. Having a child grow into a adult that is a picky eater is a nightmare for their future spouse and family and it’s almost impossible to change a adults picky eating
I am a Clinical Nutritionist from Australia and I am so impressed by your show. This is such a valuable, informative presentation. I love your happy personality - you uplift my spirit.
@@JuliaPachecoFYI, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist in Australia, the protected term of the proper profession is "dietitian" - but still a great video & good that you have support 😊
I'm an older Australian and have never ever heard of a clinical nutritionist. We only have dieticians which is a highly educated university qualification. "Nutritionists are not recognised or qualified in Australia.
Zeus, just because you are not aware of Clinical Nutrition, doesn't mean it is bogus. It was my extra elective when I studied as a Naturopath. The qualification of Adv Dip means I can practice nutrition separately to Naturopathy. It is recognised by health funds and many of my patients have claimed in the past. Furthermore, I have been practising in my professions, for 35 years. Not all people have faith in doctors or dietitians. Dietitians are responsible for hospital food, which in my opinion, would not support bacterial life, let alone help sick people to build health.
Great recipe ideas! Trick when using tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste before adding the water. Add it to the vegetables and cook the paste for 2-3 minutes. This way the flavor is enhanced and doesn’t have that raw tomato taste.
That’s a great tip, Sylvia! I guess it kind of roast the tomatoes and pulls more of the flavor out. That’s a wonderful way to do it and thank you so much for sharing that💜🙌🏼
@@JuliaPacheco But......what if it's THAT PURE TOMATO FLAVOR I want??? Lol 🫣🤫😂 Sorry, I feel like that comes out so crappy, and I mean no disrespect at all. We just really enjoy the 🍅 s in ALL forms - ripe off the vine is our #1! But when we can't get that....have to depend on those little cans of red liquid....😉 That's often the reason I use paste instead of sauce, because to us & our pallexts, it's not "raw" tomato taste, it's more like the "pure & divine depth of the tomato flavor" we're going after. Hope that makes sense? And Idk IF THIS tip might help anyone, but I have heard using a couple teaspoons of sugar in a dish can cut some of the acidic tomato flavor.... I'm not sure what that even means, because to me, tomatos aren't acidic? But thought if that's kinda what the 1st commenter meant then maybe that tip would help her too. NOT trying to be difficult, just different strokes for different folks! And us Midwestern folks loveee our "mater's flavor"! 😉♥️♥️🍅🍅
I have been a mom for 26 years, I have never seen grocery prices like this. And I've seen hard times before. Yikes! Always love your recipes! Great job!
I am unfortunately not married, but I never really learned to cook either. I'm thankful to Julia for making budget friendly and easy to make meals. She truly is providing an important, very practical service.
@@maddieb.4282 that is not your concern. It could be many reasons. Because of the penny pinching, this mom may be able to not work outside of the home and makes it her “job” to care for the home. If that’s the case, she doesn’t go to her partners place of work and assist them. Honestly, I prefer to work in my kitchen alone anyway.
I'm a mom of four so with family of 6 and crazy prices for food, I appreciate you taking the time to give affordable, healthy, easy meals to make. I was never taught how to cook but you don't have anything too difficult so thank you! I'm looking forward to trying some of these recipes 😊
Thank you so very much! I’m so happy to hear that my recipes work for you and your family! That is a lot of people to feed every night so I’m happy to hear that my recipes have helped. Thank you so much for your positive comment and I hope you enjoy these recipes this week💜🙌🏼💜
There is no way that I would eat a green pasta dish. However , every ingredients separately would works for that meal. Pasta can be served with butter and that cheese , peas can be warmed up, etc. Plus add some fruit and milk to round it out.
Another great budget tip is to stick the bones in the freezer until you are ready to make broth! I just throw my bones into the crockpot with water for like 15-18 hours (I stick them in before bed and have an alarm set the next day to pull them out) it saves us a lot and I do it with veggie scraps too! I don’t season the broth until I use it because my dad can’t have any salt so when I cook for them it has to be salt free and I also use my broth for things other than soup.
I actually cook up chicken with a bit more water than needed and reserve part of that as stock for cooking the next day or two. The bones I freeze until I can do a big batch of broth. It cuts down on bullion cubes, which I usually find too salty.
It's also a great hack to get children to eat veggies too. I saw years ago where Jerry Seinfeld's wife purees veggies and freezes it then just throws it into everything. Even carrots in cookies.
Can we get more like this? Putting the ingredients together into a meal plan has been so amazing. I can feed my daughter and I healthy food while also saving money. Tysm!
I really do appreciate that positive comment and most of all, I’m glad that it helped you and your daughter. And yes, I do have other recipes like this. If you Google my name, Julia Pacheco budget meals or five dollar meals some of my other videos will pop up for you there. You can also go to my channel and you can see all of the videos that I have made over the years. I hope this helps and thank you so very much for your question🙌🏼🙌🏼
I love ideas like this where you use a few base ingredients in different combinations and styles of dishes so it doesnt feel like you are eating the same things all week! I would love to see more videos like this!
Thank you so very much, Katie. I really do appreciate the positive feedback about this video. It does help me so much as I create my content every week! I appreciate your great support💜
You did it again Julia! It's amazing what you are able to put together on such a budget. What a service you're providing to so many! Mad respect - we love you!
Julia, we are so lucky to have you to help us navigate through the troubling times and tight budgets! These are awesome! THANK YOU! 😊❤ (Wonderful to see Brinley! So beautiful!)
Thank you so very much, Laura! I’m really happy to hear that this video has helped. It sure is crazy right now and grocery prices do not help at all. Thanks so much For your positive comment about Brinley and I hope you have a great week💜🙌🏼💜
Hi Julia !! I love these videos when you take us along with you to the grocery store and share the prices of the product and then show us how you incorporate it into a meal. Thank you 😊
Julia, I appreciate you for sharing these cheap meal ideas. The black bean and rice skillet meal is my favorite. Thanks for the delicious recipes that are healthy and cost efficient...showing that delicious meals do not have to be expensive. I hope you and your family have a great week.
Well thank you so very much! I am so happy to hear that you have enjoyed these ideas so much. Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback about them and I really do appreciate your love and support here!💜💜
Giiirl how did you know what my budget was this week 😂😂 and lemme tell you!! The Walmart chicken leg quarters are the best bang for your buck 👌 10 lbs and lots of skin and bones to make stock with!!!
Thank you so very much for sharing that, Laura! I really do appreciate that so much and I’m so happy to hear that you will be able to use these meals this week and that they will be helpful! You’re awesome and thank you so very much for your support💜💜
@JuliaPacheco aw chicka any time but really-- thank YOU for being here and helping so many of us navigate our kitchens! I love to cook and bake! ...and eat 😅🤤 but I simply don't have time to think anymore!!! So having you and the occasional cooking magazine for inspiration helps SOOOO MUCH!! 🥰🥰 not to mention you're really adorable in every sense of the word, you're so wholesome, welcoming, and warm!!! It's hard not to send love and support to you!!
I immediately made recipe #2 but instead of black beans which I was out of I used pintos. Reminds me of WW Santa Fe brand and rice. Yummy with cheese and a little sour cream. Came together in minutes. Hubs and I just had it for lunch and had enough leftover to make 3 meal preps for the week.
That is awesome news! And thank you so very much for sharing the substitution you made. I bet it was great! I appreciate your positive feedback and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
I love these recipes - simple but flavorful! I almost never buy tomato sauce. I always use tomato paste. You can let it cook for a few minutes before adding the liquid to give the dish an even deeper flavor.
I love how you do these budget friendly videos, it just goes to show how you can make different types of recipes for the family without blowing the budget ❤
Hello, I hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness, prosperity, love , and peace all over the world 🌏. I would love us to be good friends in honesty and in trust so as time goes on it will bring something great for us in the future, hope you don't mind? I'm Johnson Gabriel from Oslo Norway, where are you from if I may ask????❤
Thanks for this will have to try it our,prices for meat are way different here in Canada .Approx 4 chicken breast 25-30 CAD cheaper option is with the bone 8-10 Cad
Thank you for being such an inspiration to get people see how they can stretch their money and feed a family if they really try. Have a blessed week Julia! 💕
My granddaughter is now living on her own at 20. I'm passing these recipes on to her. Great for her budget and she can eat delicious meals. Thank you 💗
Thank you so very much for doing that, Yvette! And I’m sure you are super proud of her living on her own. Thank you so very much for your support and I hope you have a great day💜💜
I really love the variety of ways you are able to create delicious and healthy meals at such a low cost! I love how you stretched that onion to flavor all your recipes! Thank you for these fantastic meals, Julia! Look how grown up our Brinley is! She's beautiful! Hope you have a wonderfully blessed week! 😊💕🙏
Thank you so very much, Michelle! I really do hope you enjoy these meals this week and yes, she is definitely growing up so fast 💜 thank you so very much again for your positive comment and I really do appreciate your love and support. Have a great rest of your week too and thank you so much🙌🏼
These budget challenges are my favorite! I appreciate how you show what you're buying in the store and pointing out the price differences in similar items. Thank you for sharing, your recipes have helped me out a lot.
Love this! Your weekly low cost meal plans are my favorite because you are still actually cooking (not just stirring in a powdered cheese packet or something) and because you care about the nutrition in your meals and include veggies! Thanks for making these types of videos!
Well thank you so very much for your positive feedback and great support. That means so much to me to hear that! And yes, I do try to add nutritional foods to my meals. Thank you so much again for your kind words and I hope you enjoy these recipes💜💜
WOW!!!! that's Amazing Julia!! Remarkable!! I'm watching this video as i eat Hawaiian BBQ. I can't believe i paid the same amount for 1 dinner compared to all those meals you just made! I am now a Fan!!!🎉🎉👍👍🌻
My husband and I are needing to go get groceries today, and only have about $20 to spend for the week for groceries. Thank you so much for this video, because it really helped me to feel a little less depressed about it all.
I’m really happy to hear that my video helped you so much while you were grocery shopping today. It’s so hard to even think once you get into the grocery store and when you have minimal funds it makes it even harder! I hope that these meals are tasty for you and thank you so much for watching🤗
Such perfect timing on this video! Money between my husband and I have never been this tight before and food shopping is getting extremely scary for us. These recipes will definitely help us through this tough time.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Sure hope things turn around for you soon and I hope that these recipes help you. Thank you so much for your positive feedback and hang in there🙏
PLEASE PLEASE consider going to a food bank or pantry if you’re struggling. Nobody will judge you and you’re the exact kind of person they exist to serve. You can take advantage of it a few times and once things are going better you can donate to keep them going 😊
@maddieb.4282 thank you for the suggestion! We aren't to the point where we need that. We still have plenty of food in our house and aren't going without meals or anything. If we ever get to the point where we truly need it, I will for sure get help. There's a place near where I live that I've actually donated to several times before.
Wow Julia, you sure made that money stretch with great recipes too. Everything is so expensive now and going up. In a few months you'll have to have a video for feeding the family for a week on $10. Hope I'm wrong. Thanks for sharing these, I'm sure they are appreciated by everyone. Stay well and safe.
Yikes! That definitely would be a challenge for sure. I hope that prices come down a little bit. This inflation is just so hard on everybody right now. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments every week and your loyal support, Erin💜💜💜,
I like the variety of meals you posted today, fall is coming! I've been cooking up my own beans for years now and the instant pot makes that a sinch. Its also cheaper to buy dry beans then canned. They freeze well too!
That is definitely the best way to do it, Heidi! Thank you so much for your positive comment about my video today and I really hope you enjoy these recipes too💜💜
Julia, this is wonderful! So doable and these days just the kind of help people need to feed their families. You are so upbeat and positive. A breath of fresh air!
Chicken drumsticks are great in a croc pot. Put a bunch of potatoes on the bottom, carrots too and then when it's done, put the drumsticks under the broiler of the oven for just a few minutes and then you have tender chicken with crispy skin.
I love Fall because of all the comfort food, budget friendly soups, stews and casseroles! My favorite soups are Broccoli cheese, Chicken Tortilla and Butternut squash! HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!
Another great video!! Thank you, I love adding Rotel to my dinners, and in my part of Canada I am having a terrible time finding it. I decided to make my own, it turned out amazing and the savings was incredible, store prices are around $2.49 for a small can and I was able to make pint jars for about $1.00/each
That is just awesome! Good for you, Tina. And yes, it definitely can be made from scratch. I sure do appreciate your positive feedback and so glad you enjoyed this video💜💜
Thank you and please keep giving us $20, $30, or even $50 meals for the week!!! I’m so thankful for you! Thats so much less than what I’ve been spending because I don’t know what I’m doing.
I love these ideas because we all could use ways to save money while feeding our families!! I happen to have all these proteins in my freezer including the chorizo so I am excited to give these recipes a try!! Especially excited for the lentil recipe because I have been meaning to incorporate them into our diet and you’ve done all the hard work for me!! Thanks!!!
I’m really happy to hear that! It’s awesome when you have the ingredients and no you don’t have to spend extra money during the week. I sure hope you enjoy these recipes and thanks so much🙌🏼🙌🏼
These are great! I'm a single lady so I make each recipe for dinner, then have leftovers for lunch, and maybe even dinner the following day! Great way to reeeeally stretch my budget!
I am always amazed at your energy and your caring personality. That, plus of course, the wonderful dinners you create for yourself and others. The very best to you and your family.
Julia, I’m new to your channel but within the past couple days- I’ve made 3 of your recipes and loved them all! I love how you minimize waste and show how to use certain ingredients to make multiple meals to really stretch your money. You are so gifted- you are blessing the lives of moms everywhere🙏🏻❤️ Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of affordable and easy meals!
Well thank you so very much for joining me, Carolyn! I’m so happy to have you here and most of all, I’m so happy that you have enjoyed my meals so far. Thank you so very much again for your kind words of support and welcome to my TH-cam family💜💜
Every video from you I watch; I have many recipes of yours that have now become family faves and you've helped me expand on new meals and save money as well
Good morning Julia, I absolutely love this and not spending a lot of money to get great meals .....this is going to help me again this week for my meal planning .....have a wonderful long wkd Julia and family ❤
Absolutely fantastic! I did just this and gathered all the ingredients at the beginning of the week and today will be the last day regarding cooking and enjoying these meals, ending with the chicken vegetable pasta. My wife works full-time while I work and attend college from home watching the kids. My favorite thing about these meals is that they are incredibly simple and not time-consuming at all. Everyone appreciated the change from our normal meal plan and the reduced cost certainly was of great benefit, especially with the significant price increase of almost everything these days. I highly recommend it!
Wow! Thank you so very much for that positive feedback and I am so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed these meals. That is awesome that you were able to do this for your family every night and that you have some new ideas too! Have a wonderful rest of your week and thank you so much for your support🙌🏼🙌🏼
So good! I made the soup with barley instead of lentils cause my family doesn’t like them and it’s so good! Also made the chicken bake with tenderloin we had and added cream of chicken soup for a creamier texture also amazing! Such a hit with my kids
Wow! This is a great week of dinners! We would eat all of these and the ingredients are things we often have in our pantry, which is a huge plus. Thank you!
Great recipes, Julia. I don't know how you work so hard at this whole taking care of hubby and 2 girls. You're a powerhouse! Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes! I love that you used dark meat chicken for a change.😊 I also love it when you take us grocery shopping with you and show us how to save money! Wonderful video! 👍 I hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend! ❤
Thank you so very much, Rose! And yes, drumsticks are so good and flavorful. Thank you so much for your positive feedback and I really do appreciate you watching🙌🏼🙌🏼
Just did this and it was $26 for me!! Sooooo much food for such a great price and the portions are incredible! House of 2 here and love love love this video! So very grateful. Thank you!
Thankful for this channel. Another good way to help feed your family is this, 1 box of Mac and cheese, 1 can of tuna and 1 can of mixed vegetables (none of them have to be major brand). Cook pasta first, drain and then follow rest of boxed directions whilst adding tuna and veggies. Cook for about 5-7 minutes longer and you have a meal with just 3 main ingredients, aside from the butter or margarine and milk.
That’s a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that here and I am so thankful to have you here as a loyal supporter of mine. That means so much to me🙌🏼🙌🏼
Hey, thanks for the video! I have a suggestion: Why not make the broth yourself instead of using bouillon cubes? It's an inexpensive, healthy, and easy. Typically, I buy a whole chicken, remove the breast, and then halve the chicken. That half can be used to prepare a substantial pot of broth. After the broth is ready, I freeze 5-10 broth cubes and use the remainder to make soup with meat. I also freeze the second half of the chicken for later use in making another pot of broth, and I cook something with the breast. The broth cubes can be used later for dishes like risottos, stews, and meats.
Totally agree! I don't understand why somebody needs to use bouillon cubes when they have chicken and spices? You might need a degree in chemistry to understand what they put in those cubes. Chicken drumsticks (bones and meat) are good enough to make a chicken bouillon without the artificial cubes. I love Julia's recipes in this video, but I think they would be fine even without bouillon cubes
Great suggestion! And obviously takes a lot longer, so I use this easy way. But if you are able to, you are 100% right! Thanks so much for sharing that here and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
Well thank you so very much, Barbara. I appreciate your positive feedback about that. I’m happy that that helps you and thank you so very much for watching🙌🏼🙌🏼
What I do is cook a whole chicken, debone it, and then make broth from the bones. It tastes soooo much better, is healthier, and it fully uses something that is otherwise thrown out.
Add some coarse chopped carrots, celery, and onions plus 2 bay leaves to enhance the flavor of the chicken broth, then use the broth instead of water in your cooking!
I would love to know what you do for breakfasts and lunches too! I feel so overwhelmed with meal planning especially with current grocery prices. Thanks for all your help!
After watching this I know if you were stranded on a deserted island you'd have no problem eating coconuts for a solid week in seven different ways. Ha! Thank you Julia!
Ha ha! You are so funny, Sue. I sure do hope that that’s true. I really do love coconuts though! Thank you so much for your positive comment and making me laugh today and have a great rest of your week💜🙌🏼💜
Julia! I just made your lentil stew for dinner tonight, and even my pickiest person LOVED it! Thank you for sharing a recipe that I never would have made otherwise. Your creativity is amazing!
Julia, thank you for making these videos! These meals are realistic, frugal and delicious! They definitely help when you're doing your best to save money!
I am continually amazed at how much you can make for so little money. You are so creative. Love that many of the dishes are meatless. When are you going to publish a cookbook?
Thank you so very much, Darlene. And yes, my cookbook is finished and it is at the printers as we speak. I Will let you all know as soon as it is ready to purchase🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Julia - thanks for a recipe using legumes. It just so happens I've been cooking this soup for years and if you add EITHER sliced/shredded ham hock (smoked is fabulous) OR chopped Frankfurters, it tastes absolutely DIVINE. x
That was amazing and so inspiring! I've been a sahm for 8 years and I've never made 7 dinners for $20, but you've really inspired me to try and strech my budget.
Well thank you so very much, Lindsay. I appreciate that and I’m so glad that this video has inspired you! I hope you are able to stretch your budget and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
Added bonus to getting bone-in chicken - if you d got the time (or a slow-cooker), you can make your own broth. Brown the bones plus any veggie scraps (ends of onions and carrots, for example), toss it in the pot and cover with water and just let it simmer for a few hours (the longer the better). If you really want clear broth you can babysit it and skim off any fat/protein scum off the top but it’s not necessary. Season it however you like, and congrats, you know have loads of broth.
What bothers me about the food prices is those who are really suffering…those work work a job that puts them outside the range of any type of food stamps. It’s truly not fair that families with kids have been given THOUSANDS in food stamps over the last 2 years. I just don’t understand why we have to stretch $20 for a week WHILE we work full time jobs and Mary with her 3 kids swipes a free foodie card. This country is just to much. OH, and BEFORE some of you try and come for me…take a seat. I support help for families struggling and no child should EVER go hungry BUT the system is broken. As someone who works for the system, I know what people get. Oh, and don’t get me started on why illegals are getting these cards…a joke.
I totally get it. I feel so bad for my daughter and her husband. They make too much for assistance but having a difficult time getting out of debt. Not having kids because they can’t afford it. I have suggested she go to food pantries. Many don’t require proof of income. No shame in that.
Do you know how much cheaper food is in the US than the rest of the world? Have you looked at Americans lately? As far as 'illegals'...I'd invite you to come visit dirt poor, deep red Appalachia sometime and see who's working the fields, roads and roofs, and whos sitting on the porch waiting for a government check.
Omg thank you for these delicious looking cheap recipes that I NEEDED to learn to make! I basically already have all these ingredients in my cabinets so knowing I can save money using what I already have is a true blessing for me! Thank you and please keep pumping out these wonderful videos for us overworked moms looking to simplify our lives in every way! ❤🙏🏽☀️
I am so very happy to hear that! Good for you! So glad that you have a lot of these ingredients in your cabinets right now. That makes it even better! Thank you so much for your kind words and positive feedback here and I appreciate you watching💜💜💜
Julia, thank you so much for what you do. I don’t think you realize how much you help people!! I wasn’t taught how to cook growing up so I’ve pretty much had to teach myself & learn from others and I learn from you all the time! I’m a hot mess when I grocery shop. Getting all the ingredients for recipes overwhelms me so much that sometimes I just try to get things I may need and hope for the best😂 Then I’ll get other ingredients as I need them. It’s one reason I love simple, easy recipes like yours! Easy yet delicious & healthy. One of these days I’ll be able to afford your meal plans but until then, your YT videos help me so much. You seem like the most kind, genuine person & I always come check out your channel when I’m looking for meal ideas and/or inspiration. Thank you💜
Well thank you so very much, Tami! That means so much to hear that. I am so happy that my videos have helped you with planning and preparing easy meals. The most important thing is that you feel successful! Good for you. Thank you so very much for your great support and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week💜💜
Hi ☺️ Julia thank you for sharing this video, your meals recipes are delicious 😋, and budget friendly . Rice, ckn casserole is dinner tonight,. Julia 🌻 my sweet friend have a wonderful and blessed 🙏 week.. 💛🍄
I sure hope you enjoy that rice and chicken casserole! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and thank you so very much for being such a wonderful supporter of mine, Mari💜💜
You are too good Ms Julia..i did my groceries yesterday and day before ..tried sticking to budget but went over. However when I go to Indian store I buy 4lbs bags of beans and lentils and those last a long time so I am not guilty😀however the produce and other things have gone up as well . Your meals look great as always
You are so awesome, Nina! I love hearing from you. So good to hear that you’re able to buy the beans and lentils at the Indian store for less money. That definitely does make a huge difference! Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback and have a great rest of your week💜💜
You are so brilliant woman. I love the way you wanna to help your audience by producing this important and valuable shooping trick plan and how to make it until became the nutritious foods. Thank u so much dear and God bless u and your family. Amen 😊🤗🥰
You are so very kind. I really do appreciate your great words of support and I really do want to help. I appreciate you and thank you so very much again🙌🏼
That’s wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that they enjoyed it too so much. Four and five year olds can be so hard! Ha ha. I appreciate your positive feedback and I hope you have a great day💜💜
Great job! If you have time to make your own stock, my daughter taught me a great trick. I've always boiled the rack from a turkey or chicken, seasoning it and adding a few veggies, usually saving the broth in the freezer until needed. I never use packaged flavours or stock, but my go-to flavours include fresh ginger, garlic, onions, peppers, celery and a few herbs, along with salt and pepper. I occasionally even throw in an apple as well as a bit of soy sauce. The beauty is, when you are adding the veggies to the water, you don't have to cut or peel them, and when they have boiled to mush you can toss them away with the bones (which I pick clean before boiling). My daughter's tip is that whenever she is preparing veggies for a meal that might also be useful in stock (not potatoes, peas, beets...) she keeps the trimmings and peels that would otherwise become compost, and adds them to a large zip bag in her freezer. Later when she is making stock, she puts the frozen bits into the water with the bones and seasonings. Especially good choices include cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, Bok choy, cabbage, etc. Tasty and economical! Beef bones, as well as ham bones (even if you aren't doing a pea soup) also make great stock. And, barley (high in fibre) is a good and economical filler. I understand that you were shopping on a $20 budget, but whenever possible, larger quantities (rice, potatoes, onions etc.) are usually cheaper. Canned beans (I am too lazy to boil my own!) make easy and great flavour /nutrient additions to any kind of finished soup (in addition to your veggies), and stretch the protein from meat, chicken, or fish (if you are using any). I usually prefer not to drain and rinse them. Another favourite soup uses either pumpkin, squash or yams seasoned with Indian spices. You can add whatever veggies, potatoes, beans you have, and puree the end result. Serve with a salad and bread. I was sorry to see you use water in your penne instead of the lovely chicken stock from boiling the drumsticks. It would have been nutritious and flavourful! I am super glad to see you didn't peel your potatoes! Lots of nutrition and fibre. Also, don't forget to store your potatoes in a dark place (a paper bag is best as it doesn't trap humidity) too keep them from turning green and making anyone sick. Did you cool your green pasta sauce before blending? My blender would blow the lid off if it was hot :) You could add more olive oil, a spoonful of any nuts, sunflower seeds, nut butter, etc., in addition to garlic, lemon juice and parmesan for a poor-man's pesto.
You are amazing! Thank you so very much for all of that wonderful feedback. You have so many great ideas and I sure do appreciate you sharing them here. Thank you so very much for watching and I sure do appreciate your support🙌🏼
I love this. Cheap and easy meals with variety! I love that you also included meatless meals. I eat meat, but it has been getting more expensive so I have been trying to find tasty meatless meals for dinner on some nights.
Thank you so very much, Maegan. I appreciate hearing that feedback! And yes, meat is so expensive right now. It’s definitely not 100% necessary in every single meal🙌🏼🙌🏼
Just made this taco casseole the other day...Fried hamburger and drained it. Put in a jar of Aldi Salsa, chopped zuchinni, onion, a little corn on the cob leftovers, kidney beans, and it was so good. This was cooked in a slie cooker all day. At the end, we added either fritos or tostilla chipps. Taco cheese too. This can be used in a burrito, taco, with lettuce in a salad, dip (add more cheese). Would make a good dish for company.
Wow! Thank you so very much for sharing what you did with this recipe. That sounds very good and filling too! Thanks so much again and I appreciate your great support here💜💜
You remind me myself and my mom. We do things like this for fun. It’s really cool to see someone else budgeting and making great meals for little of nothing ❤️ thanks for sharing
Thank you for being here!!! I appreciate you💗 Here’s my meal plan 👉 www.juliapachecocooking.com/meal
Love your channel. ❤
I'm in desperate need of an easy chicken and noodles recipe.
Could you point me in the right direction?
Julia, I know you know what you are doing and you are being careful, but watching you cook on your stovetop with your floral arrangements overhanging the stovetop was making my stomach do flipflops in a bad way! Please set a better safety example for your younger viewers who may try to emulate your style.
The discarded chicken bones can be boiled to make chicken broth
@user-rx thank you so very much for your wonderful compliment! I’m so happy to have you here too. As far as a chicken and noodle recipe, just google my name, Julia Pacheco chicken and noodle recipes and they will pop up for you there🙌🏼🙌🏼
Can’t open it.
With my family of 5 including 3 teens I would have to double these portions but even if I spent $40 on 7 dinners that would be a miracle... your amazing Julia in these hard times videos like these are keeping families fed😘
It absolutely would be a miracle, Amy! But yes, I definitely agree that you would need to double the recipes. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the recipes💜🙌🏼💜
I have a teen that would look at half of that and eat a loaf of plain bread instead. 😢
@ amyschaub5725. Just thinking the same thing.
@@annettefournier9655 yeah mine tried that and realized that eating what is cooked is much much better then being hungry just have to stand your ground most picky eaters are just being enabled by their family and they are totally capable of eating the food that is served very few cases are actually linked to medical conditions it’s mostly mental for them but encouraging them and sticking to your rules they will eventually get use to it and even start liking the food…. Having a child grow into a adult that is a picky eater is a nightmare for their future spouse and family and it’s almost impossible to change a adults picky eating
I give the option of what's for dinner or pb and jelly. But before you say pb and jelly you have to eat two bites
I am a Clinical Nutritionist from Australia and I am so impressed by your show.
This is such a valuable, informative presentation.
I love your happy personality - you uplift my spirit.
Well thank you so very much! That means so much to me coming from a nutritionist. I sure do appreciate your Australian support💜💜
@@JuliaPachecoFYI, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist in Australia, the protected term of the proper profession is "dietitian" - but still a great video & good that you have support 😊
I'm an older Australian and have never ever heard of a clinical nutritionist. We only have dieticians which is a highly educated university qualification.
"Nutritionists are not recognised or qualified in Australia.
Zeus, just because you are not aware of Clinical Nutrition, doesn't mean it is bogus.
It was my extra elective when I studied as a Naturopath. The qualification of Adv Dip means I can practice nutrition separately to Naturopathy. It is recognised by health funds and many of my patients have claimed in the past.
Furthermore, I have been practising in my professions, for 35 years. Not all people have faith in doctors or dietitians. Dietitians are responsible for hospital food, which in my opinion, would not support bacterial life, let alone help sick people to build health.
Great recipe ideas! Trick when using tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste before adding the water. Add it to the vegetables and cook the paste for 2-3 minutes. This way the flavor is enhanced and doesn’t have that raw tomato taste.
Thanks for that tip
@sylvia…thanks for sharing this! ✔️
That’s a great tip, Sylvia! I guess it kind of roast the tomatoes and pulls more of the flavor out. That’s a wonderful way to do it and thank you so much for sharing that💜🙌🏼
@@JuliaPacheco
But......what if it's THAT PURE TOMATO FLAVOR I want??? Lol 🫣🤫😂 Sorry, I feel like that comes out so crappy, and I mean no disrespect at all. We just really enjoy the 🍅 s in ALL forms - ripe off the vine is our #1! But when we can't get that....have to depend on those little cans of red liquid....😉
That's often the reason I use paste instead of sauce, because to us & our pallexts, it's not "raw" tomato taste, it's more like the "pure & divine depth of the tomato flavor" we're going after. Hope that makes sense?
And Idk IF THIS tip might help anyone, but I have heard using a couple teaspoons of sugar in a dish can cut some of the acidic tomato flavor.... I'm not sure what that even means, because to me, tomatos aren't acidic?
But thought if that's kinda what the 1st commenter meant then maybe that tip would help her too.
NOT trying to be difficult, just different strokes for different folks! And us Midwestern folks loveee our "mater's flavor"! 😉♥️♥️🍅🍅
I always add brown sugar to my chili to soften the tomato juice! @@dragonflyy000
I have been a mom for 26 years, I have never seen grocery prices like this. And I've seen hard times before. Yikes!
Always love your recipes! Great job!
It is absolutely nuts! Thank you so very much, Jennifer and I really do appreciate that💜💜💜
Literally put everything in my cart and it was $21! Amazing. Thank you Julia!!! This is so helpful for my husband and I!
That is awesome! Thank you so very much for sharing that and I hope you both enjoy these recipes this week💜💜
I am going to go buy the stuff and since I am a walmart associate I get 10% off so I will for sure need to make these
As a newlywed who never learned to cook and currently feels so stressed out over food this is SO helpful. It feels so simplified and easy to do 😅
I am unfortunately not married, but I never really learned to cook either. I'm thankful to Julia for making budget friendly and easy to make meals. She truly is providing an important, very practical service.
I am really so happy to hear that, Rebekah💜 so happy that I could help. And I bet you are a better cook than you think🙌🏼
Why isn’t your partner helping you?
@@Yesica1993why is it unfortunate??? Better to wait than to marry the wrong person and it’s never too late once you find the right one!
@@maddieb.4282 that is not your concern. It could be many reasons. Because of the penny pinching, this mom may be able to not work outside of the home and makes it her “job” to care for the home. If that’s the case, she doesn’t go to her partners place of work and assist them. Honestly, I prefer to work in my kitchen alone anyway.
This girl is sooo good at showing budget friendly meals
Oh, thank you so very much! I really do appreciate your positive support💜
Hello Julia! You can mix the leftover lentils & rice to make another meal. My Mom used to do that to make food stretch a little bit longer 💕
Great idea.
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you
I'm a mom of four so with family of 6 and crazy prices for food, I appreciate you taking the time to give affordable, healthy, easy meals to make. I was never taught how to cook but you don't have anything too difficult so thank you! I'm looking forward to trying some of these recipes 😊
Thank you so very much! I’m so happy to hear that my recipes work for you and your family! That is a lot of people to feed every night so I’m happy to hear that my recipes have helped. Thank you so much for your positive comment and I hope you enjoy these recipes this week💜🙌🏼💜
There is no way that I would eat a green pasta dish. However , every ingredients separately would works for that meal. Pasta can be served with butter and that cheese , peas can be warmed up, etc. Plus add some fruit and milk to round it out.
Julia is a wizard. There isn't anyone in food that I follow more regularly.
Oh!! Thank you so very much for your loyal support. You mean the world to me too🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Another great budget tip is to stick the bones in the freezer until you are ready to make broth! I just throw my bones into the crockpot with water for like 15-18 hours (I stick them in before bed and have an alarm set the next day to pull them out) it saves us a lot and I do it with veggie scraps too!
I don’t season the broth until I use it because my dad can’t have any salt so when I cook for them it has to be salt free and I also use my broth for things other than soup.
That is an amazing tip! Thanks so much for sharing that with me and I sure do appreciate you sharing that🙌🏼🙌🏼
Yes! I save my chicken bones for broth and stock ❤
I was thinking she could have used the broth from cooking the drumsticks instead of putting more water in for the penne.
I actually cook up chicken with a bit more water than needed and reserve part of that as stock for cooking the next day or two. The bones I freeze until I can do a big batch of broth. It cuts down on bullion cubes, which I usually find too salty.
I also save onion peels, carrot peels an tops, trimming from celery.
Wow! I never thought of putting veggies like spinach and peas in a blender to make a sauce! That is brilliant! Thank you, Julia!
You are so very welcome and thank you so very much for your positive comment, Kitty💜
It's also a great hack to get children to eat veggies too. I saw years ago where Jerry Seinfeld's wife purees veggies and freezes it then just throws it into everything. Even carrots in cookies.
Can we get more like this? Putting the ingredients together into a meal plan has been so amazing. I can feed my daughter and I healthy food while also saving money. Tysm!
I really do appreciate that positive comment and most of all, I’m glad that it helped you and your daughter. And yes, I do have other recipes like this. If you Google my name, Julia Pacheco budget meals or five dollar meals some of my other videos will pop up for you there. You can also go to my channel and you can see all of the videos that I have made over the years. I hope this helps and thank you so very much for your question🙌🏼🙌🏼
I love ideas like this where you use a few base ingredients in different combinations and styles of dishes so it doesnt feel like you are eating the same things all week! I would love to see more videos like this!
Thank you so very much, Katie. I really do appreciate the positive feedback about this video. It does help me so much as I create my content every week! I appreciate your great support💜
You did it again Julia! It's amazing what you are able to put together on such a budget. What a service you're providing to so many! Mad respect - we love you!
Thank you so very much, Elizabeth! You’re awesome. I appreciate that so much and hope you enjoy these ideas💜💜
Julia, we are so lucky to have you to help us navigate through the troubling times and tight budgets! These are awesome! THANK YOU! 😊❤ (Wonderful to see Brinley! So beautiful!)
Thank you so very much, Laura! I’m really happy to hear that this video has helped. It sure is crazy right now and grocery prices do not help at all. Thanks so much For your positive comment about Brinley and I hope you have a great week💜🙌🏼💜
Hi Julia !! I love these videos when you take us along with you to the grocery store and share the prices of the product and then show us how you incorporate it into a meal. Thank you 😊
You are so welcome! And your feedback is just so meaningful to me, Patrice! Thanks so much again💜🙌🏼💜
Julia, I appreciate you for sharing these cheap meal ideas. The black bean and rice skillet meal is my favorite. Thanks for the delicious recipes that are healthy and cost efficient...showing that delicious meals do not have to be expensive. I hope you and your family have a great week.
That one looks SO good to me!
Well thank you so very much! I am so happy to hear that you have enjoyed these ideas so much. Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback about them and I really do appreciate your love and support here!💜💜
Giiirl how did you know what my budget was this week 😂😂 and lemme tell you!! The Walmart chicken leg quarters are the best bang for your buck 👌 10 lbs and lots of skin and bones to make stock with!!!
Thank you so very much for sharing that, Laura! I really do appreciate that so much and I’m so happy to hear that you will be able to use these meals this week and that they will be helpful! You’re awesome and thank you so very much for your support💜💜
@JuliaPacheco aw chicka any time but really-- thank YOU for being here and helping so many of us navigate our kitchens! I love to cook and bake! ...and eat 😅🤤 but I simply don't have time to think anymore!!! So having you and the occasional cooking magazine for inspiration helps SOOOO MUCH!! 🥰🥰 not to mention you're really adorable in every sense of the word, you're so wholesome, welcoming, and warm!!! It's hard not to send love and support to you!!
I immediately made recipe #2 but instead of black beans which I was out of I used pintos. Reminds me of WW Santa Fe brand and rice. Yummy with cheese and a little sour cream. Came together in minutes. Hubs and I just had it for lunch and had enough leftover to make 3 meal preps for the week.
That is awesome news! And thank you so very much for sharing the substitution you made. I bet it was great! I appreciate your positive feedback and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
I love these recipes - simple but flavorful!
I almost never buy tomato sauce. I always use tomato paste. You can let it cook for a few minutes before adding the liquid to give the dish an even deeper flavor.
Thank you so very much! Appreciate your positive comment, and that’s an awesome tip😀
I love how you do these budget friendly videos, it just goes to show how you can make different types of recipes for the family without blowing the budget ❤
Thanks so much! 😊
Hello, I hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness, prosperity, love , and peace all over the world 🌏. I would love us to be good friends in honesty and in trust so as time goes on it will bring something great for us in the future, hope you don't mind? I'm Johnson Gabriel from Oslo Norway, where are you from if I may ask????❤
I imagine that when your children are old enough to start going to school you will share sack lunch ideas with us, and I can't wait!
I do have some boxed lunch ideas! If you Google my name, Julia Pacheco boxed lunch recipes they should pop up for you there🙌🏼
Thanks for this will have to try it our,prices for meat are way different here in Canada .Approx 4 chicken breast 25-30 CAD cheaper option is with the bone 8-10 Cad
Thank you for being such an inspiration to get people see how they can stretch their money and feed a family if they really try. Have a blessed week Julia! 💕
You are so welcome! And thank you so very much for that great comment and support, JerrI💜💜
My granddaughter is now living on her own at 20. I'm passing these recipes on to her. Great for her budget and she can eat delicious meals. Thank you 💗
Thank you so very much for doing that, Yvette! And I’m sure you are super proud of her living on her own. Thank you so very much for your support and I hope you have a great day💜💜
I really love the variety of ways you are able to create delicious and healthy meals at such a low cost! I love how you stretched that onion to flavor all your recipes! Thank you for these fantastic meals, Julia! Look how grown up our Brinley is! She's beautiful! Hope you have a wonderfully blessed week! 😊💕🙏
Thank you so very much, Michelle! I really do hope you enjoy these meals this week and yes, she is definitely growing up so fast 💜 thank you so very much again for your positive comment and I really do appreciate your love and support. Have a great rest of your week too and thank you so much🙌🏼
These budget challenges are my favorite! I appreciate how you show what you're buying in the store and pointing out the price differences in similar items. Thank you for sharing, your recipes have helped me out a lot.
Love this! Your weekly low cost meal plans are my favorite because you are still actually cooking (not just stirring in a powdered cheese packet or something) and because you care about the nutrition in your meals and include veggies! Thanks for making these types of videos!
Well thank you so very much for your positive feedback and great support. That means so much to me to hear that! And yes, I do try to add nutritional foods to my meals. Thank you so much again for your kind words and I hope you enjoy these recipes💜💜
WOW!!!! that's Amazing Julia!! Remarkable!! I'm watching this video as i eat Hawaiian BBQ. I can't believe i paid the same amount for 1 dinner compared to all those meals you just made! I am now a Fan!!!🎉🎉👍👍🌻
Well thank you so very much! I’m happy to have you as a fan. Ha ha! I hope you enjoy some of these meals and welcome to my TH-cam family, Christina🙌🏼🧡
This has it all - delicious recipes that are both healthy and filling, and all for $20! Thank you!
So happy to hear that, Mary! Thanks so much for sharing your positive comment💜💜
My husband and I are needing to go get groceries today, and only have about $20 to spend for the week for groceries. Thank you so much for this video, because it really helped me to feel a little less depressed about it all.
I’m really happy to hear that my video helped you so much while you were grocery shopping today. It’s so hard to even think once you get into the grocery store and when you have minimal funds it makes it even harder! I hope that these meals are tasty for you and thank you so much for watching🤗
Such perfect timing on this video! Money between my husband and I have never been this tight before and food shopping is getting extremely scary for us.
These recipes will definitely help us through this tough time.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Sure hope things turn around for you soon and I hope that these recipes help you. Thank you so much for your positive feedback and hang in there🙏
PLEASE PLEASE consider going to a food bank or pantry if you’re struggling. Nobody will judge you and you’re the exact kind of person they exist to serve. You can take advantage of it a few times and once things are going better you can donate to keep them going 😊
@maddieb.4282 thank you for the suggestion! We aren't to the point where we need that. We still have plenty of food in our house and aren't going without meals or anything.
If we ever get to the point where we truly need it, I will for sure get help. There's a place near where I live that I've actually donated to several times before.
Love these easy and cheap recipes - finally someone who seems to understand just how tough it is out there right now.
I really do hope that these help you right now. I appreciate your positive feedback🙏
Wow Julia, you sure made that money stretch with great recipes too. Everything is so expensive now and going up. In a few months you'll have to have a video for feeding the family for a week on $10. Hope I'm wrong. Thanks for sharing these, I'm sure they are appreciated by everyone. Stay well and safe.
Yikes! That definitely would be a challenge for sure. I hope that prices come down a little bit. This inflation is just so hard on everybody right now. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments every week and your loyal support, Erin💜💜💜,
I like the variety of meals you posted today, fall is coming! I've been cooking up my own beans for years now and the instant pot makes that a sinch. Its also cheaper to buy dry beans then canned. They freeze well too!
That is definitely the best way to do it, Heidi! Thank you so much for your positive comment about my video today and I really hope you enjoy these recipes too💜💜
I think you did amazing making meals for a family of four for a week for $20! It pays to be creative with meals and food combinations! Wonderful!
Thank you so much! I really do appreciate that🙌🏼🙌🏼
Julia, this is wonderful! So doable and these days just the kind of help people need to feed their families. You are so upbeat and positive. A breath of fresh air!
Oh, Karen! Thank you so very much for your positive support and feedback. Means so much to me to hear that and I sure do appreciate you💜💜
Good morning all! Yay more recipes!
Hope you enjoy and thank you so very much🙌🏼🙌🏼
Chicken drumsticks are great in a croc pot. Put a bunch of potatoes on the bottom, carrots too and then when it's done, put the drumsticks under the broiler of the oven for just a few minutes and then you have tender chicken with crispy skin.
That’s a great tip! Thanks so much for sharing that and I appreciate you watching🙌🏼
Awesome ideas, Julie I literally have every ingredient on hand except for the chorizo! So it’s really affordable this week!
I’m so happy to hear that, Jennifer! I really hope you enjoy these recipes and hope they help🙌🏼🙌🏼
I love Fall because of all the comfort food, budget friendly soups, stews and casseroles! My favorite soups are Broccoli cheese, Chicken Tortilla and Butternut squash! HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!
Another great video!! Thank you, I love adding Rotel to my dinners, and in my part of Canada I am having a terrible time finding it. I decided to make my own, it turned out amazing and the savings was incredible, store prices are around $2.49 for a small can and I was able to make pint jars for about $1.00/each
That is just awesome! Good for you, Tina. And yes, it definitely can be made from scratch. I sure do appreciate your positive feedback and so glad you enjoyed this video💜💜
Thank you and please keep giving us $20, $30, or even $50 meals for the week!!! I’m so thankful for you! Thats so much less than what I’ve been spending because I don’t know what I’m doing.
Thank you so very much, Mallory for your great feedback. I really do appreciate that so much! I’m glad to hear that my videos have helped💜
I love these ideas because we all could use ways to save money while feeding our families!! I happen to have all these proteins in my freezer including the chorizo so I am excited to give these recipes a try!! Especially excited for the lentil recipe because I have been meaning to incorporate them into our diet and you’ve done all the hard work for me!! Thanks!!!
I’m really happy to hear that! It’s awesome when you have the ingredients and no you don’t have to spend extra money during the week. I sure hope you enjoy these recipes and thanks so much🙌🏼🙌🏼
These are great! I'm a single lady so I make each recipe for dinner, then have leftovers for lunch, and maybe even dinner the following day! Great way to reeeeally stretch my budget!
Absolutely! It definitely helps you stretch your budget. Thank you so much for your positive comment and I hope you enjoy these meals💜
I am always amazed at your energy and your caring personality. That, plus of course, the wonderful dinners you create for yourself and others. The very best to you and your family.
Thank you so very much. You are so kind and I sure do appreciate the positive feedback! So happy to have you here too🙌🏼🙌🏼
Julia, I’m new to your channel but within the past couple days- I’ve made 3 of your recipes and loved them all! I love how you minimize waste and show how to use certain ingredients to make multiple meals to really stretch your money. You are so gifted- you are blessing the lives of moms everywhere🙏🏻❤️ Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of affordable and easy meals!
Well thank you so very much for joining me, Carolyn! I’m so happy to have you here and most of all, I’m so happy that you have enjoyed my meals so far. Thank you so very much again for your kind words of support and welcome to my TH-cam family💜💜
I absolutely LOVE your channel!!!!!! I appreciate all your hard work making recipes/shopping & doing budget friendly meals. Thank you 😊
Thank you so so very much, Sharon! I sure do love and appreciate you too. I couldn’t do it without my great subscribers like you💜🙌🏼💜
Every video from you I watch; I have many recipes of yours that have now become family faves and you've helped me expand on new meals and save money as well
I am so very happy to hear that! Thank you so much and I really do appreciate the positive feedback, Kassandra💜
Good morning Julia, I absolutely love this and not spending a lot of money to get great meals .....this is going to help me again this week for my meal planning .....have a wonderful long wkd Julia and family ❤
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for taking time out every week to make such a positive comment here, Natalija💜💜
Absolutely fantastic! I did just this and gathered all the ingredients at the beginning of the week and today will be the last day regarding cooking and enjoying these meals, ending with the chicken vegetable pasta. My wife works full-time while I work and attend college from home watching the kids. My favorite thing about these meals is that they are incredibly simple and not time-consuming at all. Everyone appreciated the change from our normal meal plan and the reduced cost certainly was of great benefit, especially with the significant price increase of almost everything these days. I highly recommend it!
Wow! Thank you so very much for that positive feedback and I am so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed these meals. That is awesome that you were able to do this for your family every night and that you have some new ideas too! Have a wonderful rest of your week and thank you so much for your support🙌🏼🙌🏼
So good! I made the soup with barley instead of lentils cause my family doesn’t like them and it’s so good! Also made the chicken bake with tenderloin we had and added cream of chicken soup for a creamier texture also amazing! Such a hit with my kids
Wow! Thank you so very much for sharing how you made those recipes your own and I sure do appreciate your positive feedback💜🙌🏼💜
Wow! This is a great week of dinners! We would eat all of these and the ingredients are things we often have in our pantry, which is a huge plus. Thank you!
Thank you so very much, Marjorie! I sure do appreciate that💜💜
Another great video Julia. The lentil stew looks great. I will make it this coming week. Thank you !! ❤
That’s awesome! I really do hope you enjoy that lentil stew🙌🏼🙌🏼
Great recipes, Julia. I don't know how you work so hard at this whole taking care of hubby and 2 girls. You're a powerhouse! Thanks for sharing with us!
Oh! Thank you so very much for your wonderful support and kind words. I sure do appreciate that💜🙌🏼
Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes! I love that you used dark meat chicken for a change.😊 I also love it when you take us grocery shopping with you and show us how to save money! Wonderful video! 👍 I hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend! ❤
Thank you so very much, Rose! And yes, drumsticks are so good and flavorful. Thank you so much for your positive feedback and I really do appreciate you watching🙌🏼🙌🏼
Just did this and it was $26 for me!! Sooooo much food for such a great price and the portions are incredible! House of 2 here and love love love this video! So very grateful. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! That is still pretty affordable. I sure hope you enjoy these recipes and I sure do appreciate your positive feedback!💜💜💜
These actually look very practical and yummy. Great ideas - thank you for sharing!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Emily! I hope you enjoy them💜
Thankful for this channel. Another good way to help feed your family is this, 1 box of Mac and cheese, 1 can of tuna and 1 can of mixed vegetables (none of them have to be major brand). Cook pasta first, drain and then follow rest of boxed directions whilst adding tuna and veggies. Cook for about 5-7 minutes longer and you have a meal with just 3 main ingredients, aside from the butter or margarine and milk.
That’s a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that here and I am so thankful to have you here as a loyal supporter of mine. That means so much to me🙌🏼🙌🏼
I signed up for the meal plan at the end of Aug so I was able to get that month too. You are my all time favorite TH-camr!
That is wonderful! Thank you so very much for signing up and I’m most happy to hear that it has helped, Michele💜💜
As a homeschool mom I am always looking for fast cheap meals for lunch time! These are perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that! You deserve a break being a homeschooling mom all day! Good for you and thank you so much for watching🙌🏼🙌🏼
Awesome ideas!
I'm surprised you didn't use the broth from cooking the chicken for your pasta. It would have had great flavor.
Thank you Julia- this is a Godsend for those with tight budgets.
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much and I hope that these recipes help you💜
Hey, thanks for the video! I have a suggestion: Why not make the broth yourself instead of using bouillon cubes? It's an inexpensive, healthy, and easy. Typically, I buy a whole chicken, remove the breast, and then halve the chicken. That half can be used to prepare a substantial pot of broth. After the broth is ready, I freeze 5-10 broth cubes and use the remainder to make soup with meat. I also freeze the second half of the chicken for later use in making another pot of broth, and I cook something with the breast. The broth cubes can be used later for dishes like risottos, stews, and meats.
Totally agree! I don't understand why somebody needs to use bouillon cubes when they have chicken and spices? You might need a degree in chemistry to understand what they put in those cubes. Chicken drumsticks (bones and meat) are good enough to make a chicken bouillon without the artificial cubes. I love Julia's recipes in this video, but I think they would be fine even without bouillon cubes
Great suggestion! And obviously takes a lot longer, so I use this easy way. But if you are able to, you are 100% right! Thanks so much for sharing that here and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
Love to see you going into Walmart buying groceries and coming back home giving us new ideas! Thank you 🌸
Well thank you so very much, Barbara. I appreciate your positive feedback about that. I’m happy that that helps you and thank you so very much for watching🙌🏼🙌🏼
You make cooking so simple and delicious. Love your channel Julia! ❤
Thank you so very much, Nina💜💜
this was so great after moving out and living alone im completely lost on how to feed myself..THANK YOU
You're so welcome!
What I do is cook a whole chicken, debone it, and then make broth from the bones. It tastes soooo much better, is healthier, and it fully uses something that is otherwise thrown out.
Absolutely! Thank you so very much for sharing that great tip. Have a great rest of your week and thanks for watching🙌🏼
Add some coarse chopped carrots, celery, and onions plus 2 bay leaves to enhance the flavor of the chicken broth, then use the broth instead of water in your cooking!
I would love to know what you do for breakfasts and lunches too! I feel so overwhelmed with meal planning especially with current grocery prices. Thanks for all your help!
Perfect! Was about to go grocery shopping in a few minutes!
That’s awesome! I sure hope you enjoy these recipes this week, Kaitlin💜💜
So wonderful of you to share this meals on a budget, thank you!
You are so welcome!
After watching this I know if you were stranded on a deserted island you'd have no problem eating coconuts for a solid week in seven different ways. Ha! Thank you Julia!
Ha ha! You are so funny, Sue. I sure do hope that that’s true. I really do love coconuts though! Thank you so much for your positive comment and making me laugh today and have a great rest of your week💜🙌🏼💜
Julia! I just made your lentil stew for dinner tonight, and even my pickiest person LOVED it! Thank you for sharing a recipe that I never would have made otherwise. Your creativity is amazing!
I am so happy to hear that! That is wonderful feedback. So glad everybody enjoyed it so much🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Julia, thank you for making these videos! These meals are realistic, frugal and delicious! They definitely help when you're doing your best to save money!
Thank you so very much and I really do hope so! Have a great rest of your week and I hope these recipes help💜
I am continually amazed at how much you can make for so little money. You are so creative. Love that many of the dishes are meatless. When are you going to publish a cookbook?
Thank you so very much, Darlene. And yes, my cookbook is finished and it is at the printers as we speak. I Will let you all know as soon as it is ready to purchase🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
@@JuliaPacheco I will for sure buy it! And I never buy things from you tubers. This will be a first and definitely worth it.
Julia - thanks for a recipe using legumes. It just so happens I've been cooking this soup for years and if you add EITHER sliced/shredded ham hock (smoked is fabulous) OR chopped Frankfurters, it tastes absolutely DIVINE. x
Well that is just awesome to hear! And what great ideas. Thank you so much for sharing them and thank you so much for watching!💜💜
That was amazing and so inspiring! I've been a sahm for 8 years and I've never made 7 dinners for $20, but you've really inspired me to try and strech my budget.
Well thank you so very much, Lindsay. I appreciate that and I’m so glad that this video has inspired you! I hope you are able to stretch your budget and have a great rest of your week🙌🏼🙌🏼
You encourage me to try to eat more vegetables!!
That’s awesome! So happy to hear that🙌🏼
You are a genius! I know you have helped so many people eat better for less money.
I’m so excited for your new meal plans
I am so very happy to hear that! And thank you so very much for your positive support! That means so much to me💜🙌🏼💜
You waisted the bone broth???
Added bonus to getting bone-in chicken - if you d got the time (or a slow-cooker), you can make your own broth. Brown the bones plus any veggie scraps (ends of onions and carrots, for example), toss it in the pot and cover with water and just let it simmer for a few hours (the longer the better). If you really want clear broth you can babysit it and skim off any fat/protein scum off the top but it’s not necessary. Season it however you like, and congrats, you know have loads of broth.
And you don’t need the bullion crap.
Wonderful tip and thank you so much for sharing that here, Heather🙌🏼
What bothers me about the food prices is those who are really suffering…those work work a job that puts them outside the range of any type of food stamps. It’s truly not fair that families with kids have been given THOUSANDS in food stamps over the last 2 years. I just don’t understand why we have to stretch $20 for a week WHILE we work full time jobs and Mary with her 3 kids swipes a free foodie card. This country is just to much.
OH, and BEFORE some of you try and come for me…take a seat. I support help for families struggling and no child should EVER go hungry BUT the system is broken. As someone who works for the system, I know what people get. Oh, and don’t get me started on why illegals are getting these cards…a joke.
I totally get it. I feel so bad for my daughter and her husband. They make too much for assistance but having a difficult time getting out of debt. Not having kids because they can’t afford it. I have suggested she go to food pantries. Many don’t require proof of income. No shame in that.
Do you know how much cheaper food is in the US than the rest of the world? Have you looked at Americans lately? As far as 'illegals'...I'd invite you to come visit dirt poor, deep red Appalachia sometime and see who's working the fields, roads and roofs, and whos sitting on the porch waiting for a government check.
I am getting dried beans and pressure canning them. Saves money and you learn a skill.
Omg thank you for these delicious looking cheap recipes that I NEEDED to learn to make! I basically already have all these ingredients in my cabinets so knowing I can save money using what I already have is a true blessing for me! Thank you and please keep pumping out these wonderful videos for us overworked moms looking to simplify our lives in every way! ❤🙏🏽☀️
I am so very happy to hear that! Good for you! So glad that you have a lot of these ingredients in your cabinets right now. That makes it even better! Thank you so much for your kind words and positive feedback here and I appreciate you watching💜💜💜
Bidens economy
Good for doing this to help home cooks. My tip is when cooking rice add 1 tblsp quinoa. This will give an energy boost to workers during day.
That is a great tip! Thank you so much for sharing that and I appreciate you watching🙌🏼
Julia, thank you so much for what you do. I don’t think you realize how much you help people!! I wasn’t taught how to cook growing up so I’ve pretty much had to teach myself & learn from others and I learn from you all the time! I’m a hot mess when I grocery shop. Getting all the ingredients for recipes overwhelms me so much that sometimes I just try to get things I may need and hope for the best😂 Then I’ll get other ingredients as I need them. It’s one reason I love simple, easy recipes like yours! Easy yet delicious & healthy. One of these days I’ll be able to afford your meal plans but until then, your YT videos help me so much. You seem like the most kind, genuine person & I always come check out your channel when I’m looking for meal ideas and/or inspiration. Thank you💜
Well thank you so very much, Tami! That means so much to hear that. I am so happy that my videos have helped you with planning and preparing easy meals. The most important thing is that you feel successful! Good for you. Thank you so very much for your great support and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week💜💜
Hi ☺️ Julia thank you for sharing this video, your meals recipes are delicious 😋, and budget friendly . Rice, ckn casserole is dinner tonight,. Julia 🌻 my sweet friend have a wonderful and blessed 🙏 week.. 💛🍄
I sure hope you enjoy that rice and chicken casserole! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and thank you so very much for being such a wonderful supporter of mine, Mari💜💜
You are too good Ms Julia..i did my groceries yesterday and day before ..tried sticking to budget but went over. However when I go to Indian store I buy 4lbs bags of beans and lentils and those last a long time so I am not guilty😀however the produce and other things have gone up as well . Your meals look great as always
You are so awesome, Nina! I love hearing from you. So good to hear that you’re able to buy the beans and lentils at the Indian store for less money. That definitely does make a huge difference! Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback and have a great rest of your week💜💜
You are so brilliant woman. I love the way you wanna to help your audience by producing this important and valuable shooping trick plan and how to make it until became the nutritious foods. Thank u so much dear and God bless u and your family. Amen 😊🤗🥰
You are so very kind. I really do appreciate your great words of support and I really do want to help. I appreciate you and thank you so very much again🙌🏼
I made the lentil stew and my husband and two young kids 4&5 and myself loved it!!! So good!!!! And it’s gluten free for us!!
That’s wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that they enjoyed it too so much. Four and five year olds can be so hard! Ha ha. I appreciate your positive feedback and I hope you have a great day💜💜
Great job!
If you have time to make your own stock, my daughter taught me a great trick.
I've always boiled the rack from a turkey or chicken, seasoning it and adding a few veggies, usually saving the broth in the freezer until needed. I never use packaged flavours or stock, but my go-to flavours include fresh ginger, garlic, onions, peppers, celery and a few herbs, along with salt and pepper. I occasionally even throw in an apple as well as a bit of soy sauce. The beauty is, when you are adding the veggies to the water, you don't have to cut or peel them, and when they have boiled to mush you can toss them away with the bones (which I pick clean before boiling).
My daughter's tip is that whenever she is preparing veggies for a meal that might also be useful in stock (not potatoes, peas, beets...) she keeps the trimmings and peels that would otherwise become compost, and adds them to a large zip bag in her freezer. Later when she is making stock, she puts the frozen bits into the water with the bones and seasonings. Especially good choices include cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, Bok choy, cabbage, etc. Tasty and economical!
Beef bones, as well as ham bones (even if you aren't doing a pea soup) also make great stock. And, barley (high in fibre) is a good and economical filler. I understand that you were shopping on a $20 budget, but whenever possible, larger quantities (rice, potatoes, onions etc.) are usually cheaper.
Canned beans (I am too lazy to boil my own!) make easy and great flavour /nutrient additions to any kind of finished soup (in addition to your veggies), and stretch the protein from meat, chicken, or fish (if you are using any). I usually prefer not to drain and rinse them.
Another favourite soup uses either pumpkin, squash or yams seasoned with Indian spices. You can add whatever veggies, potatoes, beans you have, and puree the end result. Serve with a salad and bread.
I was sorry to see you use water in your penne instead of the lovely chicken stock from boiling the drumsticks. It would have been nutritious and flavourful!
I am super glad to see you didn't peel your potatoes! Lots of nutrition and fibre. Also, don't forget to store your potatoes in a dark place (a paper bag is best as it doesn't trap humidity) too keep them from turning green and making anyone sick.
Did you cool your green pasta sauce before blending? My blender would blow the lid off if it was hot :) You could add more olive oil, a spoonful of any nuts, sunflower seeds, nut butter, etc., in addition to garlic, lemon juice and parmesan for a poor-man's pesto.
You are amazing! Thank you so very much for all of that wonderful feedback. You have so many great ideas and I sure do appreciate you sharing them here. Thank you so very much for watching and I sure do appreciate your support🙌🏼
The rice dish looks yummy and so does the penne dish. Can't wait to try these recipes.
Love this! Thanks for the ideas. You're helping folks more than you realize. More like this, please!
Thank you so very much and I really do appreciate your positive comment. That definitely does help me as I create my videos!🙌🏼
I love this. Cheap and easy meals with variety! I love that you also included meatless meals. I eat meat, but it has been getting more expensive so I have been trying to find tasty meatless meals for dinner on some nights.
Thank you so very much, Maegan. I appreciate hearing that feedback! And yes, meat is so expensive right now. It’s definitely not 100% necessary in every single meal🙌🏼🙌🏼
Really interesting! Thank you. I save bones in the freezer with veg scraps to make stock up before i discard them.
Just made this taco casseole the other day...Fried hamburger and drained it. Put in a jar of Aldi Salsa, chopped zuchinni, onion, a little corn on the cob leftovers, kidney beans, and it was so good. This was cooked in a slie cooker all day. At the end, we added either fritos or tostilla chipps. Taco cheese too. This can be used in a burrito, taco, with lettuce in a salad, dip (add more cheese). Would make a good dish for company.
Wow! Thank you so very much for sharing what you did with this recipe. That sounds very good and filling too! Thanks so much again and I appreciate your great support here💜💜
You remind me myself and my mom. We do things like this for fun. It’s really cool to see someone else budgeting and making great meals for little of nothing ❤️ thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! That’s cool that you guys try to do that together. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day🙌🏼🙌🏼