Cheap, Easy, and Delicious.

I've been broke my whole life, and it's pretty interesting for me to see everyone else suddenly facing the trials and hardships of brokenness as well. Everyone is scrambling for ways to save money, and one of the places they turn is also generally the most difficult to work out: the kitchen. So I've decided to share some of my cheapest, easiest recipes. If there's a link it'll take you to the original recipe, but I've added my own notes or tweaked it somehow. If there's no link it's my own invention. If I say "spoon" without specifying what sort, it's because I'm just using a regular spoon from the silverware drawer. All recipes make 4-6 servings, so you may need to double if you have a larger family.

Aside from throwing them away, making banana bread is the most common way to dispose of spotty bananas. But most banana bread recipes call for criminal amounts of expensive items such as butter and milk. I found this recipe to be the most frugal out there. I made a few changes to make it more user-friendly, plus added my own special ingredient. People go nuts for this whenever I make it, and I don't even usually add nuts. Go figure! You can add some if you like.

• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 medium-large bananas
• 1/4 cup milk (I use powdered) with a drop of vinegar mixed in
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips :)

Preheat the oven to 325. Cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the egg. As you continue to mix, drop in chunks of banana until all the bananas are well incorporated. A few chunks are fine. Then add the milk. Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients, then mix just until everything is fairly homogenous. Then stir in the chocolate chips. Pour it into a loaf pan and bake for 1-1.5 hours, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Tuna Melts. When you think of a frugal meal you generally think of tuna casserole, which in turn can lead to thoughts of bulimia. Tuna melts are another more palatable way to use canned tuna. I usually serve them with fresh baby carrots and potato chips or baked tater tots.

• 4 cheapie hamburger buns
• 1 small can of tuna
• 1 scoop of mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup your favorite shredded cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350, or whatever temperature is convenient for you. If I'm making tater tots I just throw them in at the same time at the prescribed temperature. Drain the tuna well, and mix it together with the mayonnaise, cheese, and salt and pepper. Distribute the mixture evenly between the buns. Wrap each bun in foil, then pop them in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or whenever you remember to take them out.

Po' Folks' Shepherd's Pie. My mom used to make it like this when I was a kid, except with mashed potatoes on top. Mashed potatoes are pretty durn easy to make, but not as easy as tater tots! Most people use cream of mushroom soup, which gets boring. Cream of celery makes it a little more interesting, but not too interesting.

Filling:

• 1 lb. 80% ground beef (about $2 a pound if you buy one of the big tubes)
• 1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup, whichever you prefer
• 1 can green beans

Topping:

• 1/2 package of tater tots OR:
• 1 cup Bisquick
• 1/2 cup milk (I use powdered)
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400. Brown the ground beef, drain it, then mix it together with the green beans and soup. Pour it into a casserole dish. Top with tater tots, or mix together the Bisquick, milk, and egg and pour that over the top. Bake for half an hour.

Crockpot Meatloaf. This is extremely easy, tasty, and much more moist than the oven baked variety. I usually mix up a double batch and freeze half for a future meal.

• 1 pound roll ground sausage (I use Great Value from WalMart, about $2.12 a pound.
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup ketchup, divided
• 1 (1.25 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 eggs

In a large bowl, combine sausage, beef, 1/2 cup ketchup, soup mix, bread crumbs and eggs. When well combined, shape into loaf to fit your slow cooker. I just dump it in and smoosh it down with a rubber spatula. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours. Spread remaining 1/2 cup ketchup on top of meatloaf 30 minutes before serving. Cover and continue cooking on low heat for 30 minutes.

Beef (or whatever) and Beans

• 1 pound any stew meat
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced, or 2 spoons store-bought pre-minced
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I usually leave this out)
• 1 beef bouillon cube, crushed, or 1 spoon beef bullion powder
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Hot cooked rice

Put tomatoes into the crockpot, then mix in the mustard, chili powder, bullion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Then add the meat and onions and stir to coat. Cook for at least half a day on low. Add the kidney beans about thirty minutes before serving, so they don't disintegrate. Serve over hot rice.

Crockpot Beef (or Whatever) Stew

• 1 pound any stew meat
• 1 can tomato soup
• 2 large potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1/2 pound baby carrots
• 2 celery stalks, cut up (optional)
• 1/2 white onion, cut up (optional)
• 1 spoon beef bullion
• 2 spoons minced garlic

Pour tomato soup into the crockpot, then mix in the bullion and garlic. Add everything else and stir it up. Cook on low all day. This is especially good served with sourdough bread.

Chicken Strips

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• parsley
• Lawry's seasoned salt
• crushed red pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Put bread crumbs in a gallon sized baggie, and dump in however much salt, red pepper, and parsley seems good. Add the strips to the baggie, close, and shake. Lay the strips out on a cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, ten minutes on each side. Serve with ranch or honey-mustard for dipping.

Thai Chi Cken. I got this off a forum board years ago, so I don't know who to credit for it. It was originally called something like "Chicken With Broccoli and Thai Peanut Sauce," but I hate such unimaginative names so I gave it a new one.

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 package frozen broccoli florets
• oil for cooking
• 1 cup uncooked rice

Steam rice in 1 and 7/8 cups of water and 1 tbsp. oil. While it's cooking, heat 2-3 tbsp. oil in a skillet. Throw in a couple spoons of minced garlic and the red pepper. Stir for a bit until the oil is hot, then add the chicken. While the chicken is cooking, mix in a small bowl the water, peanut butter, soy sauce, and brown sugar. When the chicken is done, add the broccoli, cover, and allow the broccoli to steam. Once the broccoli is cooked through, pour in the peanut sauce. Serve over the rice.

Onion Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

• 1 envelope onion soup mix (I use generic)
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. parsley
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips or chunks
• 2 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1/2 package baby carrots

Preheat oven to 450°. In large plastic bag or bowl, add all ingredients. Close bag and shake, or toss in bowl, until chicken and vegetables are evenly coated. In 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan, arrange chicken, breast side up, and vegetables; discard bag. Bake uncovered, basting halfway through, 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender. This tastes best if you keep it cooking until it's almost burnt. Yum!

Cheater Stuffed Cabbage. Tastes just like stuffed cabbage, but without all the hassle.

• 1 pound ground sausage (I use Great Value)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
• 2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 4 cups shredded cabbage (I use more like 2 cups, and buy the angel hair coleslaw in a bag)
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a skillet, cook sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in rice and cabbage. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients, then add it to the meat mixture and mix it all together. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until cabbage is tender.

Cheesy Jambalaya. I used to buy the boxed version from Zatarain's, but it's not available in stores here so I made up my own version.

• 1/2 package wide egg noodles
• 1 lb. polish sausage
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• cayenne pepper to taste

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Slice and brown the sausage along with the bell pepper in oil. When the noodles are done, Combine all ingredients until cheese is melted.

Side Dishes

Microwave baked potatoes. I've seen a lot of people complain that these never turn out right. Brad shared the secret with me when we got married. Scrub the potatoes, then poke them all over with a fork. Wrap each potato in a paper towel, then run them under the faucet, making sure they're really wet, then gently squeeze off excess water. Put them on a microwave-safe plate. If your microwave doesn't have a "potato" button, figure about 2.5 minutes for each potato. Check them every 2 minutes or so for done-ness so they don't overcook.

Oven Roasted Potatoes. Dice two or three medium-large potatoes, then toss them with 1/4 cup vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for about thirty minutes, stirring halfway through.

Easy Scalloped Potatoes. Peel 2-3 potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice them thinly. layer them in a casserole dish or an 8x8 pyrex dish. Pour 1 can of cream of celery soup over the top, then sprinkle about 1 cup of cheese over the top. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, checking for done-ness along the way.

Tasty Rice. Much easier than Rice-a-Roni or Uncle Ben's, and cheaper too. Measure 1 and 7/8 cup of water into a medium saucepan, then add one cup of rice. Place a large cube of chicken bullion, a thick pat of butter, and a sprinkling of parsley in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix and fluff with a fork before serving.

Sweet Carrots. Boil baby carrots in just enough water to cover. When they are tender, drain the water, and add 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. brown sugar. Stir to mix and coat.

Tomato Salad. Cube three Roma tomatoes, one cucumber, and 4 oz. mozzarella cheese. Toss with about 1/4 cup Italian dressing or your favorite vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Subscribe to Memarie Lane

Stumble It!