meals on a budget

[Sparko]

Y'all are forgettin' the Free Lunch™...

...Roadkill.

roadkill.jpg

[Crow]

I wondered where Thirsty had gotten himself.

[DesertBerean]

Tosadas? You have tortillas down there? Tosadas use hardened flat corn tortillas. Beans or ground meat is a must as a foundation but most other ingredients are optional - you can use em all or just a few. I use chopped tomatoes, shredded longhorn cheese, lettuce (romaine these days), usually on beans. If I'm in the mood I'll add the meat.

Don't use refried beans though! - too much fat, yuck! I use a can of pinto beans, heat it up, squash it up like potatoes. You'll have to watch it and add water if necessary.

Or you can make taco salad with white corn chips and the same fillings as tosadas.

We use salsa a lot too.

[Crow]

One of my favorite cheap meals is lentil soup and cornbread.

You put lentils in a pot with a ham bone, and this is a good way to use up the bone from a picnic ham or a ham you've used for several dinners. It's also a perfect way to use up the less lovely but useable parts of celery, carrots, and onions. Salt and pepper it however you like, and I toss in a bit of garlic. You bring it to a boil, then simmer it till it's done, pick the meat off the hambone, chop it, and toss the meat into the soup.

It's cheap, and so is a pan of cornbread, and they're tasty served together. And neither one takes a great deal of effort to make.

[Gabby]

Do you have a slow cooker Luv? Slow cookers are great for some of the less tender cuts of meat that are most often alot less expensive than the prime cuts.

Stew made with stew meat and root vegetables is a great inexpensive meal that is tasty and yummy.

A less expensive beef roast or pork roast can be put in the slow cooker with some water and bbq sauce and cooked all day to make a yummy shredded beef/pulled pork type dish.

Chili made with dried beans and ground hamburger is inexpensive and a good choice for the slow cooker.

[luv1another]

thanks guys umm cornbread...we dont have that here
slow cooker yep I have one :) the kids love it when I buy a sauce and put it in with meat and carrots and potatoe

[Sparko]

no cornbread?

seriously, you need to make some cornbread. look up the recipe.

[Glenn P]

Free meat.

You will need:

1 stick
1 medium sized kangaroo

[Glenn P]

thanks guys umm cornbread...we dont have that here

You gotta be kidding me.

[Teallaura]

I've now lost all respect for Australia...

No cornbread?! Heathens!

[DesertBerean]

Well...isn't corn a North American thing anyway?

[Abigail]

Do you have a garden? If so you could make a veggie garden ...things like tomatoes, spinach, green beans etc etc. It is fun and rewarding and you can eventually use your own seeds.

Macaroni Cheese is always nicer if you make it yourself and is cheap.

Do you get farmers markets or even green grocers where fruit/veg are cheaper. Sometimes these are better than the supermarkets as the stuff is fresher and lasts longer and you are not paying for packaging. If you do go to the supermarket check if their loose stuff is less than the packaged and buy accordingly. Do your supermarkets do 'buy-one-get-one-free' or 'three-for-two' offers. Those can be pretty good and can save you a few pennies in the long run.

[Teallaura]

Well...isn't corn a North American thing anyway?

So are tomatoes but they have those!

[DesertBerean]

So are tomatoes but they have those!

Ok...just making a corny joke.

[Teallaura]

Cornbread is serious business!