Amish people have big families, so they use cheap stuff to make filling meals. This recipe can be adjusted for individual taste (ie, could be made with beans or tofu instead of meat if desired.) It can also be adjusted to include things you have or leave out things you don't. Delicious!
Amish Haystacks
Brown 1 lb. ground beef. Add a jar of spaghetti sauce. Prepare the following:
Rice
Crushed crackers
Cheese sauce (could make a white sauce and add a little cheese or just melt cheese with milk.)
shredded lettuce
onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc as available and desired
Assemble haystacks as follows:
1-2 spoonsful of crushed crackers
Large spoonful rice
handful of lettuce
Meat sauce to cover these layers
Assorted add-ins as desired (onion, pepper)
Cheese sauce drizzled over the top.
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
about 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion (to taste)
seasonings to taste (I use cayenne pepper, Chili Powder, and Italian Seasoning mix)
2 zucchini, sliced and halved
15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can corn, rinsed and drained
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan (all ingredients and amounts are "to taste"). Cook on low for 10-20 minutes (until zucchini and onions are tender). Add beans and corn. Cook until heated through.
We serve this with shredded cheese, fat free sour cream, and Marie Callendar's cornbread from a mix.
I find that the cheapest and easiest meal to make is to just cut up what ever veggies I have in the fridge and stir fry them and serve with rice. If you eat meat, just thinly slice some and cook that first (a chicken breast or a steak can go a long, long way in a stir fry). This is good for those vegetables you just don't know if they're going to make it much longer (I usually have lots of those). Season with soya sauce or any favorite seasonings. Not really a recipe, but a cheap, easy and versatile meal that doesn't take long to make.
My family loves fajitas! They are pretty cheap to make. There are three of us that eat it and I only use one or two chicken breasts (depending on what I have usually only one) or one small, cheap steak and then green peppers and onions, if I have mushrooms that need to be used they can go in there too.
Then all you need are tortillas. You don't even need cheese, sour cream, or tomatos if you marinate the meat and it has a good flavor.
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She totally fits in this family. lol!
I do a big crockpot of dried beans (cook overnight with *plenty* of water) and in the morning add a can of tomato sauce, some chopped garlic and onion and chili spices.
this makes a ton, so one night we serve over rice, one night with crusty bread, one night over pasta, brown some ground beef and stir in one night, shred some leftover chicken into it, serve with grated cheese, thicken it up and spoon over salad for a taco salad, thin it out for a taco soup. . . the variations are endless. It also freezes well so you don't have to feel locked into eating it *every* night. . .
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Jennifer
Mom to 3 daughters
9, 7, and 4
we make a pot of chili one night (simple recipe, kidney beans, meat tomato sauce, diced tomatoes corn etc) the next night when there's just a little left I adda can of tomato sauce a couple more cans full of water and make soup (any extra beans or cooked rice can add to it)
When you do stir fry cook lots of extra rice and use the leftovers for fried rice.
my staples are rice dried beans chicken thighs ground beef simple baking ingredients and frozen broccoli and green beans
hth
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Amelia
mama to Olivia (3/98) and Michael (10/99)
*~*~Sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here~*~*
DAY POTROAST!
buy the biggest roast you can find (and cook lol)
day1: pot roast with roasted vegetables (carrots potatoes onions) your goal here is to pack them with the veggies w the meat more as a side dish serve with biscuits or rolls
day2: use part of the beef to make barbeque sandwiches add green pepper more onion and mushrooms serve with a green veggie and orange slices
day3: use beef to make stroganoff (this takes very little beef) sourcream mushroom soup peas worchestershire sauce and egg noodles serve with mashed potatoes and peas
day4:harvest soup use half of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped beef can of v8 or tomato juice macaroni noodles carrots corn peas cabbage potatoes northern and black beans whatever veggies you have left in the freezer this should make a huge amount so you'll have leftovers.
day 5: beef gravy over rice last bit of beef and last of stock mix with cornstarch season serve with broccoli and fruit salad.
Well...everyone's idea of dirt cheap is different, but one of our favorites is Shepherd's Pie. Here's our version:
1 lb ground turkey
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 can corn
bunch of mashed potatoes (I usually make this when we have some leftover)
cheese
Pretty much, you just ground the turkey, mix it with the soup, drain the corn and put it on top, top that with the potatoes and then the cheese. Bake it at 375 or so for about 20 minutes...if you make the mashed potatoes especially for this, they are already hot, and then you don't need to cook it so long.
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~ Melody ~
Sam, 10-2-97
Michael, 9-13-01
Jonah 3-10-03
and Libby, 11-6-04
when chicken parts go on sale, I buy a big family pack and make chicken soup. we eat that with noodles, rice, whatever for 1 day, then freeze the rest. (don't put the startch in the big pot, 'cause it won't freeze well.
then, you have your chicken. remove it from the bone and use in dishes that call for cooked chicken. . . I do different ones each time, but I've done stirfrys, quesadillas, mexican bean soups, chicken bbq pizza, different salad themes, ie: asian (cashews and mandarin oranges)
this makes it go pretty far. . . and you still have soup in your freezer to pack full of whatever veggies are cheap for you the next week (try potatoes and cabbage. it's better than it sounds!)
Oh, and if potatoes are cheap for you, you can use them as a base to spread out other things. It's a nice break from rice and pasta all the time. . . we've had them under stews, as well as a traditional "topped potato" with cheese and brocoli. this last one is a good accompaniment to a thinner chicken soup (like if you haven't packed it full of veggies and rice)
Ramen noodles are usually dirt cheap and you could sub some pasta for the ramen if pasta is cheaper for you. Some of these recipes are kind of out there but I have found a few unique ways to dress up ramen here. http://mattfischer.com/ramen/recipe.html
I cannot recall where this came from, I think it was a book I checked out from the library. We have used it a few times when there is food in the cupboard but I draw a blank on what I can make with it.
MIX AND MATCH MEAL
Choose ONE from each of the following categories:
BREAD/CEREAL 1 Cup
Any pasta OR rice OR Grain
SAUCE 1 can plus 1.5cans additional liquid
Cream of any soup OR sauce (tomato, spaghetti etc)
PROTEIN 1lb raw or 1/2c cooked
Any meat OR Tuna OR eggs OR beans OR Tofu/TVP
VEGES 2 Cups canned or raw
Any
Optional
1-2 C cheese stirred into sauce
TO MAKE
Choose one from each category, put all into a skillet and season to taste. Bring to a boil then simmer 30 minutes
OR mix all ingredients, put in a casserole dish and cook at 350 for 1 hour.
(if using dried beans I would cook them prior to this)
There really is endless variation here and though I made a few dogs (tomato soup/rice/tuna/celery mess comes to mind) it is easy to come up with something for the ingredients on hand or always on sale at the store that the family will like.
I'm in love with Tater Soup, Veggie Soup & Tuna Casserole. I could eat all three of those every day of the week!!!
I'm NOT a scratch cook. IF I can't open a can & pour in a pot or stick in the oven, I don't COOK. Lazy I reckon.
I've seen different ways to make tater soup. Some just use taters & onions, others add in carrots. I like mine plain with taters and what my grandmother calls Pappy Bread, it's a biscuit dough, just baked in a bread pan.
Veggie soup, my grandmother just buys cans of veggies & pours in a big crock pot & simmers away. Sometimes she adds meat, but to me, that's NOT Veggie Soup.
Mom makes me the tuna casserole. Boil some maccoroni noodles, stir in a can or two of tuna, add in cooked peas &cooked mushroom soup, (optional) sprinkle some crumbled tater chips on top & bake in oven til desired temp.
We have a store called Sav-A-Lot here & we usually stock up on the can goods as they are dirt cheap. Tho, if you have a garden,that's even better & cheaper
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^~^Angela^~^
Wife of 12yrs to Michael, Mom to Amber
I've found you can go a long way on a few simple staples:
broccoli
carrots
zucchini
potatoes
rice
pasta
garlic
onions
tofu
When times are lean (and even when they're not) we eat a lot of veggies with rice or pasta. If we can't afford to make pesto for the pasta, I just saute some garlic in olive oil and toss that with the veggies and pasta.
Pancakes or waffles make a cheap meal, I always serve them with fresh fruit, usually apples or bananas.
Burritos are also fairly cheap to make. www.allrecipes.com has a great sweet potato burrito recipe.
And "Skillets" are a cheap and filling dinner. In a skillet, saute onion in butter. Add sliced carrots and potatoes and cook until almost soft. Add zucchini and cook until done. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and spices. Simple, but good. You can switch up the ingredients and make lots of variations.
We don't buy a whole lot of prepared or boxed foods, but if we're hurting for money, I don't buy any. No Near East cous cous or canned soups those weeks! I find that my $ goes further by buying as much fresh produce as I can. I really can't compromise on nutrition when the grocry budget is tight.
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How Time Flies ~ Luna Blue is Two!
Tree hugging, vegetarian, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, home schooling, drum playing Step-Mama to my sweet Nico Sage and Mama to my curly Kaya Jade and wee Luna Blue. Lovin my hottie ~ J. Blogging From the Boonies My Etsy Shop
New DIRT CHEAP meals thread!
that's it?
(I usually have lots of those). Season with soya sauce or any favorite seasonings. Not really a recipe, but a cheap, easy and versatile meal that doesn't take long to make.
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