Please share your CHEAPEST EVER menus

[elyseelyse]

Pizza Skillet Pockets:

RF motzerella cheese (enough for one completely covered layer in a 6" pan that has been sprayed with PAM, reg cheese is too greasy, and sprinkled with Italian spices). Cook until just melted, but the bottom is getting a MEDIUM brown, Flip...

Add, some LC pizza sauce (I like hunts) and your choice of cut up meats (I use (all pre cooked) pepperoni, bacon, hamburger crumbles, sausage crumbles, fold in half, turn heat way down, let meats heat thru

slide on plate.....and YUM!!

[Irishnonee]

more ideas. please

[Off My Duff]

Originally Posted by elyseelyse

Pizza Skillet Pockets:

RF motzerella cheese (enough for one completely covered layer in a 6" pan that has been sprayed with PAM, reg cheese is too greasy, and sprinkled with Italian spices). Cook until just melted, but the bottom is getting a MEDIUM brown, Flip...

Add, some LC pizza sauce (I like hunts) and your choice of cut up meats (I use (all pre cooked) pepperoni, bacon, hamburger crumbles, sausage crumbles, fold in half, turn heat way down, let meats heat thru

slide on plate.....and YUM!!

Elyse, these sound DELISH! Thanks for sharing.

Here's a VERY easy thing I make:

Brown in butter however much hamburg you'd like. Chop it up while cooking so that it's in crumbles. When it's as brown as you like, put some in a bowl, top with a handful of shredded mozzarella, stir around, then top with mustard if you'd like.

Very, very filling, and can't get much easier to prepare than that.

[3shewolf8]

If you buy whole turkeys, usually the butcher at any grocery store will cut them in half for you if you can't eat a whole one. I also buy a big ham and have the butcher slice it, or even buy your ground beef in the huge package and split it up yourself when you get home. Buying the larger portions are cheaper in the long run. If you crave pizza, it is really cheap and you can make a huge one for leftovers if you find a low carb sauce, tons of meat, olives, mushrooms, green peppers, etc...but put the shredded cheese on the bottom of the pan, (it will get crispy like crust), and sprinkle the sauce on top for flavor, instead of putting it on the bottom to cover the crust. Now, I have talked myself right into it..I am making pizza tonight!!

[Off My Duff]

3shewolf8, your pizza idea sounds good. I've made the deep dish pizza from the recipe room before, and it's excellent, but your way sounds really quick and easy for those times we really don't want to mess around with preparations.

[elyseelyse]

Originally Posted by Off My Duff

Elyse, these sound DELISH! Thanks for sharing.

Here's a VERY easy thing I make:

Brown in butter however much hamburg you'd like. Chop it up while cooking so that it's in crumbles. When it's as brown as you like, put some in a bowl, top with a handful of shredded mozzarella, stir around, then top with mustard if you'd like.

Very, very filling, and can't get much easier to prepare than that.

Thanks. I like this one cause if you do it right (and its easy to miss that correct window of browness on the bottom, lol) the cheese is both crisp like a crust and gooey like whats on a pizza. Really nips a pizza craving.

[3shewolf8]

My husband is a pizza freak and loves it too. My other favorite is to cook broccolli in chicken broth until very tender, add heavy cream and butter until it gets hot, then melt some cheese in it. This is so fantastic as a soup when you are coming in from the cold. Living in Michigan, I need something to warm me up from the inside out!

[mac24312]

Bumping for More ideas

HUGS!

[mac24312]

Bumping again!! Come on you all!! It really hard to get by right now and we all need these great ideas!!

HUGS!

[Danceruk]

I get Eggs 3 dozen, fage and mayo. Cheap and keeps me full/able to work and train.

boiled eggs, omlette, fried eggs, poached eggs, egg mayo. Fage or natural yoghurt I take to work for a quick and easy lunch

[Cuban]

I'm a college student, so cheap and easy is the name of the game for me. Two staples have been flax biscuits, which can be sweet or savory depending on how you spice them. 2 cups of flax can make 12 200 - 300 cal biscuits, perfect for a snack with a piece of cheese or sausage at the appropriate macros.

Also, tuna or salmon salad (salmon can actually be cheaper than tuna) can be prepared in bulk with the appropriate macro ratios and stored in the fridge days in advance.

[sprinklesmom]

I always look for the previously frozen meat at my supermarket they call them the "manager's special" I get great deals on the hamburg which I make into taco salads and use for Linda Sue's meatloaf recipe that gets me through a week's worth of lunches.

Last week I got shaved steak which was dirt cheap and using that to make fried steak, pepper, onion & cheese (like a cheese steak sub without the bun - yum)

Also at this time of year they sell 1/2 previously frozen turkey breasts or whole turkey breasts very inexpensive. I bake those up and chop the meat up for luch salads, etc.

Sometimes I will get the little cans of green beans or wax beans if I find the fresh are on the pricey side.

Also - one of my staples is Land-o-Lakes white American cheese from the deli. At any supermarket it's just too expensive (4.99 to 6.99 lb). So I go to my local convenience/deli store (in my area I have a chain called White Hen Pantry) and it's always 3.99 lb.

[wifezilla]

Egg drop soup

I made it yesterday and only used 1 chicken breast. I now have several days worth of lunches....

Ingredients
1 chicken breast
3.5 oz package of Shitake mushrooms, chopped
5 jumbo eggs
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 package of fresh sugar snap peas (need to look up and see how big the bag was)
2 16oz boxes of Chicken Broth
Chicken Bullion and Pepper to taste
Butter to cook the mushrooms in

Fry up the chicken in your soup pot. When it is done, cover with chicken broth and let it simmer until the meat comes easily off the bone. Debone chicken and add meat back in to the stock. Add water until you get about 2 quarts of liquid. While chicken is cooking, cook chopped mushrooms in butter in a separate pan. Add mushroom, green onions, and peas to the stock and bring to a boil. Add pepper and bullion to taste and turn off the heat just before you add the eggs. Whip eggs together in a bowl. Drizzle VERY slowly while stirring in one direction for silken egg threads.

[KellBell1234]

some great ideas here!! Marking my spot

cheap, good and filling - take some real bacon bits (in the salad aisle), shredded lettuce and mayo - mix and eat.

[JoniBGoode]

When I was cooking for a family on a budget, my "go to" menu when time and money were tight was omelets for dinner. You can train people to actually like them, especially if you venture past mushroom or ham & cheese. Try a (sliced) hotdog omelet, green onion & cheddar, leftover steak, shredded taco beef or even a chili omelet. It's an easy way to turn leftovers for 1 into a meal for 3 or 4.

I also make chili: saute a lb. of cheap ground beef with 1/4 onion. Add commercial chili seasoning or your own to save carbs (chili powder, onion powder, garlic, a dash of cumin). Add 1 can of rotel-type tomatoes with green chilies, 2 cups (!) of thinly sliced celery, a can or two of beef broth and simmer for an hour or so. The celery cooks down until it disappears, but it really bulks up the chili and doesn't add that many carbs. Serve with cheese and maybe sour cream on top.

Soup is the ultimate budget food. A few cans of chicken or beef broth, left over meat, a can of green beans or veg-all, plus any low-carb veggies left in the fridge. If you want a tomato flavor, add water to the last little bit of LC Catsup in the bottle, and pour it in. Or, add a single 6 oz. can of V-8 or half an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Raid the spice rack to season it. I like mine with oregano, basil & garlic, but any herbs would be good.

[missymagoo12]

i am glad i found this posting. i have been going latley to super walmart to do a lot of shopping for groceries. i did not think they were as cheap on alot of what i would use for low carbing. sue

[PrairieDawn]

I don't think anyone mentioned Quiche. Just cook some of your fav frozen veggies throw in a dish with whatever cheese you want and eggs.

I also buy cheap roasts and throw in a crock with a little stock or water and seasonings. A nine dollar roast will usually last me about 3 meals and a few snacks too.

Once I'm in Ketosis, and not very hungry, I commonly have herbal tea with stevia and cream for breakfast, I'm usually good until lunch with a couple of Tbs of cream for breakfast. Also for a filling snack, a little cream with your fav diet soda.

When things are really bad, you can always count on eggs: scrambled, omlettes, deviled, egg salad, quiche, egg & cream cheese muffins, etc. Chicken legs are really cheap too. I always bake them with cajun seasoning and dip in ranch.

Also bags of frozen veggies are usually on sale for around a dollar. A bag of broccoli can be good with butter and season salt; butter, bacon, sour cream and chives; any kind of cheese; or marinara and mozzerella.

Hope this helps

[JoniBGoode]

Also, I think it's a big help to vary your recipes. Deviled eggs are a good example. They're pretty cheap, but if you always make them the same way, you'll get sick of them. If you change it up each time you make them (curry powder one time, mustard and very finely diced ham the next) they will seem different every time.

Just using different herbs and spices can make it an entirely different dish.

This works for all the "budget" basics like burgers, meatloaf, chicken, tuna, etc.

If you're stuck for new ways to prepare the same old stuff -- and everybody gets that way at times, try cookbooks from the library or the many recipe threads on this site.

[amiga74]

great ideas here!

another is to use ground meat (either red or turkey) and make into a soup with cabbage. if you are not on induction throw in a can of diced tomatoes. Very simple, but good.

[Kellystl]

Originally Posted by elyseelyse

Pizza Skillet Pockets:

RF motzerella cheese (enough for one completely covered layer in a 6" pan that has been sprayed with PAM, reg cheese is too greasy, and sprinkled with Italian spices). Cook until just melted, but the bottom is getting a MEDIUM brown, Flip...

Add, some LC pizza sauce (I like hunts) and your choice of cut up meats (I use (all pre cooked) pepperoni, bacon, hamburger crumbles, sausage crumbles, fold in half, turn heat way down, let meats heat thru

slide on plate.....and YUM!!

Sorry if this is a silly question. What is RF mozzarella cheese? Regular mozzarella or a special brand?

This sounds AWESOME!

[Ilpirata]

I think its Reduced Fat?

[Wendalina]

love these ideas.... subscribing!

[lifewithoutbread]

This thread is too good not to save!

[RoseofSharon]

I do a week's menus in advance. I'm on a tight budget too with kids and focus on certain cheap foods and reinventing leftovers. Cabbage is a big one around here! Here is a sample week:

Sunday: On-sale ham, a big salad and baked sweet potatoes

Monday: Crockpot bean soup with leftover ham

Tuesday: Salmon patties from canned salmon (on sale) with coleslaw on the side, buns for the kids

Wed: Ham and eggs (see a pattern here? lol)

Thursday: Leftover bean soup, salad and the rest of the coleslaw

Friday: Pizza night. I have a big salad. I'll put any extra ham in the freezer and start a new round for the next week with a big pack of chicken or ground beef.

Also I've found it more economical to focus on cheap cuts of meat and simple veggies, rather than expensive stuff like cheese and cream. We've really cut down on our cheese and the kids don't miss it.

I'm really loving the ideas in this thread!

[wifezilla]

Cooking a ham on the weekends does give you meals through the rest of the next week. I do that all the time with turkeys. I am cooking one this weekend. Then we will have...
Hot roast turkey Saturday
Turkey meat in a chef salad Sunday
Turkey & Pumpkin soup Monday
Turkey, Cheese & Mushroom Omelettes Tuesday
etc....

And no, we don't get sick of turkey. Each recipe has such different flavors and textures so it's not like eating the same thing every day.

[Wendalina]

I just made the Big Mac salad!!! OMG!!! this is AWESOME!!!!
You can do so many things with ground beef - this is an incredible alternative

I had:
some ground venisen/beef
lettuce shredded
sf thousand island dressing.... (I made my own )
Dill Pickles

This makes a TON and tastes JUST like a big mac!

[msbaggypants]

Smoked turkey breast and pork loin, or you can grill that or stir-fry

Polish sausages cut in slices, fried with 1/2 onion, 1/2 head cabbage, mix in some mushrooms, mustard and sour cream-

chicken thighs or hindquarters, Linda Sue's almost burbon chicken is REALLY good with them, or cook them up in the crock pot and make egg drop soup, gumbo, or chicken salad-

smoothies are quick and pretty cheap, I make my own yogurt so it's just pennies, and however you make it, it can satisfy a craving, chocolate malt, fruit, etc without going over on carbs-

I've just started making pickled eggs, they are a great snack and on a salad. VERY easy, and there are recipes out there without any sugar.

Pork roast is really cheap right now here, it's $.79/lb, so I will make a roast, BBQ pork sandwiches, and stir fry from a med. size roast. 3+ meals for my family for $10. You can even take a pork roast like that and slice your own boneless steaks, marinade them in some soy sauce (or a strong vinegar), ginger and garlic, and have teriyaki steaks. Cut them smaller and have shish k-bobs on the grill.

[MarblesLongGone]

I make variations on Dana Carpender's Mexican Cabbage Soup. I use ground turkey instead of more expensive meats, and I sometimes take the seasonings Mexican, sometimes Italian, I go wherever the whim strikes...

[MarblesLongGone]

Lotsa quiches.

[wifezilla]

I am going to have to start pulling out my quiche recipes now that I have egg laying ducks. Only one is laying right now, but when all 3 girls are going, I will get over a dozen a week.