Hi everyone, I'm looking for food ideas that can be stretched for a few days. Just 2 adults, nothing with beans or rice. Doesn't have to just be chicken, but no lamb or venison. Crockpot recipes are welcome. Soups and stews are great. Im trying to make any type of meat last longer, and I'm running out of ideas. Thank you for any help. Also if any of you have awesome budgeting tips or know of groups, please comment.

My husband did some work for a local church, and they sent him home with a giant box of day old Panera baguette that they weren’t able to use. They’re a little stale, but otherwise in good shape. I’m not sure what to do with them. I’m already making French toast, and I’ll freeze some for weekday breakfasts. But, I don’t really know what else to do with them, and I really don’t want them to go to waste. So, can you all share some ideas or recipes?

Thank you!

DESCRIPTION A simple meal in a foil packet. You start with some vegetables and top in this case with a hamburger patty. Wrap it up pop in the oven and come back in about 40 minutes for supper.

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS: 1 lb lean ground beef 1 package dry onion soup mix 4 small potatoes peeled and sliced 2 cups carrots chopped 1 large or 2 small onions, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder salt & pepper to taste condensed mushroom soup

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine ground beef and dry soup mix in a bowl. Form into four patties and set aside.

In a large bowl combine all remaining ingredients except mushroom soup. Toss until well mixed.

Spray a 12″x18″ piece of foil with non-stick spray.

Place 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the center of the foil. Top with 1 beef patty. Add 2 tablespoons of condensed mushroom soup on top of each patty.

Seal foil packets well. Place beef side up on a large baking sheet and bake 35-45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

NOTES: These foil packs can also be grilled at medium heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and ground beef reaches 160 degrees.

We are cooking for a family of four with guests coming over. We don’t have an oven but we have a microwave and slow cooker as well as a mini air fryer . Vegan recipes are appreciated too. We can’t have anything with garlic or pork . Any recipes are appreciated .

I grew up in a household with my uncle and his high school sweetheart turned wife -Karla. Karla was a Mexican immigrant who came to the United States with her family when she was only 6 and along with them came their authentic Mexican recipes. When she married my uncle and moved in let’s just say the dinner time game changed going from basic meals to restaurant quality meals. One meal in particular she would make that my whole family called a favorite was her tortilla soup, the smell alone while she was cooking would make our mouths drool and even though she’d make a large pot -it was always gone by the next day. Karla’s cooking was an art, nothing she cooked was ever quick as most meals she would start cooking the day before sometimes even two depending on the meal. Typically she would start by slowly drawing out flavors of all the fresh ingredients, for example instead of using chili powder she would use fresh or dried whole chilis, instead of cinnamon powder she would use fresh cinnamon sticks, instead of store bought tortillas she would make her own and don’t get me started on her tamales. Once I came of age and moved out of the house it’s Karla’s cooking I missed above all, specifically her tortilla soup. I was on the phone with another aunt one day and as we were talking she brought up karla leading me to mentioned how much I missed her cooking and her tortilla soup -this is when my aunt told me she too loves it and actually had asked Karla for the recipe, when Karla came back with the recipe my aunt realized that there was no way she was going to make that (it was too much work apparently) so she asked Karla to give her a quick /less cooking the better recipe. Karla came back with this:

2 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes 2 cans corn 2 can black beans 2 cans mild (or hot whatever preference) diced green chilis Taco seasoning 3 cups Chicken bouillon broth (the cubed or powdered works just the same) **you could use chicken broth as well ** 2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (or thigh) you could used any leftover chicken you already have as well as a rotisserie chicken just remove from bone

You can cook this in a slow cooker if you have the time and patience, or you could cook in a regular pot over the stove

If you cook in a slow cooker you want to rinse and then season your chicken with the taco seasoning on both sides and heavily (heavy because the seasoning helps flavor your broth of the soup -if you don’t do enough you can always add more to the soup at the end and taste until it’s to your liking) And then place the chicken on bottom of the slow cooker pot, dump all the can goods on top, add your broth, then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3.5

If you cook in pot you must first cook your chicken separately, do the same by seasoning the chicken with taco seasoning heavily on both sides and then cook through until no longer pink, once cooked fully the chicken should be easy to shred into pieces

Add all canned ingredients into a pot over medium heat, add broth, add cooked chicken and heat until about to boil.

You can freeze leftover soup for later, you can also up the recipe to yield more by adding more of each can just remember to up the broth If you want a thick /creamy consistency you can add masa flour -just be sure to take the masa and mix in bowl with cold water to form a paste before adding to hot soup a-adding masa to hot soup directly will clump Masa is what is used to make tortillas so adding masa also gives the soup a nice corn flavor Though I’ve never used flour to thicken I’m sure you could that as well

If you use left over chicken just shred it and then season with taco seasoning before adding to your pot of ingredients

I have no right amount of taco seasoning to add to soup as I just add and taste and add and taste until the flavor is where I want it

This meal has been a staple when I’m on a budget but wanting to eat healthy, I even remember always making it when I was living in a house with 5 of my friends and we all where broke and hungry - it was always the perfect thing to make to feed a lot of people with no money. It’s filling, it’s healthy, and it’s so good.

I personally like to top it with cilantro, lime, avocado, cheese and tortilla chips -but when your on a budget those aren’t always an option and it’s just as good without the toppings

My aunt Karla used to hand make the tortilla strips that went on top and I’ll admit they where a lot better than store bought tortilla chips only bc they where so much thicker and crunchier so they stayed crunchy despite them sitting in soup broth but over time I’ve learned to put the cheese on top the soup and THEN put the crushed tortilla chips on top the cheese as it saves the chips from soaking in the broth

To be fair my aunt Karla’s simplified recipe named every individual seasoning needed for the soup but the day I was broke and wanting to make it but didn’t have the $ to buy all the seasoning I picked up a taco seasoning and read the back of the box and realized the taco seasoning contained all of what I needed (plus a couple more seasonings which only added flavor)

To me it’s hard to wrap my head around how such flavor comes from canned vegetables and chicken -it’s not exactly Karla’s soup but it’s close enough to satisfy my nostalgia

Honestly it’s so close it makes me wonder why Karla spent days cooking when all she had to do was dump in some canned goods and chicken lol

hi all, I was just looking into this group and was wondering - do yall have some time budget friendly meat pie recipes? i’m inclined to love natchitoches meat pies specifically but anything from mini to piroshkis sound great. I am open to all recipes! thanks:)

I’ve been trying to eat healthier without blowing my budget, and I recently saw a thread on another subreddit about a recipe app called PerfectBody. Usually, I just Google recipes, but the idea of having everything in one app on my phone got me interested. After looking into it, I found a few options and now I’m wondering which one is actually worth it. Has anyone here used PerfectBody, Paprika, or another recipe app? Both PerfectBody and Paprika seem promising for finding cheap, healthy meal ideas, but I’d love to hear your experiences!

I’m curious what everyone here thinks – is it really worth trying out these apps, or should I just stick with Googling and bookmarking recipes like I’ve been doing for years?

Also, does anyone know if these apps let you adjust recipes for different serving sizes or suggest swaps for pricey ingredients? That would be a huge help since I’m always looking for ways to keep my grocery list budget-friendly but still have some variety. Grocery prices are no joke lately, so any tips on affordable meal ideas that actually taste decent would be awesome.

Honestly, cooking at home has been a lot more enjoyable lately. Instead of the same old meals, I’ve been trying new recipes each week and cutting back on takeout. If anyone’s interested, I’d be happy to share a few of my favorites I’ve tried so far!

Ultimately I need a nutritional meal that involves smoked haddock and something green for iron (broccoli and peas are my usual go to) but I can't find any recipes or meal ideas centered around haddock. I'm cooking on a very tight budget as I have a uni student balance for food so any tips on how to reduce the cost of foods would also be a hugeeeeeee help

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

Ingredients

1 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1-2 ribs of celery, diced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, not drained(Mild Rote for more spice)

1-2 cups green beans (I use frozen cut green beans)

2 large red potatoes (about 1½ lbs. total), diced into 1-inch cubes

1 cup of peas

1/2 cup of corn (OPTIONAL)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups beef broth or beef stock

1 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon of savory(alt. 1/2 tsp rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain, and return to pot.

Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, green beans, peas, potatoes, tomato paste, broth, water, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon of savory, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender (approximately 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove bay leaf before serving.

NOTES: This can be left on stove on lowest heat for an hour or two potatoes may be more soft than usual but is good. I often use russet potatoes in place of reds but these take about 1/3-1/2 longer to cook to the proper tenderness.

This is a farmhouse type of recipe so keep in mind sometimes we had all the ingredients sometimes not everything and as we lived away from town no easy jaunt to the store. As long as you have some of the spices and at least potatoes carrots and beans and broth you can have a tasty soup.

I like lots of carrots and potatoes in my soup so tend to add between 1/3 and 1/2 as much more.

You can use either ground pork or chopped chicken or turkey in place of the beef or even do without meat.

Need to stretch it to feed more and another potatoes and some more carrots and beans and a bit more broth.

If you want to freeze this for later undercook the vegetables a bit as potatoes and carrots can get mushy when frozen. That does not bother me but it does some.

Looking for suggestions for making Costco canned chicken as a quick snack/meal. Anything simple to add to it would be good like draining the water then either throwing BBQ, or Hot sauce in it for a quick eat suggestions. What sauces and or powders do you recommend?

My working is having a gathering tomorrow and I need some recipe ideas to make tonight that will seem impressive to my peers

I live almost an hour from work, so it needs to be stable even when sitting for a while

I plan to make it tonight after work and bring it in in the morning

I need to be able to make a lot of it, or at least a good bit since obviously there will be other food there

It can’t be super expensive, but budget is certainly flexible

How can I stretch this for the rest of the month? (Currently in California)

I’ve been trying a few different brands of frozen fries and I recently tried Walmart’s store brand seasoned wedges. They were amazing!! I can’t believe I’ve been paying extra for name brand all this time. Anyone else?

Lost power due to Hurricane Milton, the entire contents of fridge are spoiled.

What are some recipes I can make to use up some of the most common dry & canned kitchen ingredients? Thank you!

When you’re looking to make a basic meal more satisfying, what do you add to it that’s easy on the wallet? Do you have any go-to sides or additions that make meals feel more complete?

My parents' families grew up food poor. Even when they were more financially stable later in life, they still ate budget food. It wasn't until my then boyfriend pointed It out that I noticed that we were, in his words "middle class who ate poor." Regardless, these budget food recipes still taste good.

Tinned Corned beef with cabbage and potatoes. One tin of 150g corned beef can feed four to five people if we mix in a big potato (cut into 1 cm cubes) and shredded cabbage (around 300g worth). Total weight uncooked is already half a kilo so that's a big thing. Of course, the dish becomes mainly cabbage with hints of corned beef. Lol. I use less cabbage now, but I still like it that way. My children used to sometimes Bring that for lunch and so did their classmates. My eldest was 8 yrs old when she found out the cabbage didn't come in the tin with the corned beef. 😅

Sardines in tomato sauce cooked with egg. Saute one onion. Dump the Sardines (for a fam of 5, we usually use two 35g tins). Add 1 to 2 eggs . Mush everything. Use as a spread for sandwiches. Or we ate it with rice.

Add spinach to everything. Some of these are weird and if u don't grow up with them, they're not okay. But it does stretch Tinned food -- spam (similar, but not spam brand in my country) is cut into cubes and stir fried w chopped spinach. Tinned corn with spinach. Tinned beans in tomato sauce plus spinach (i hated this the most. , but my brother loves it).

I’ve been eyeing Caraway cookware, but I’m wondering if it lives up to the buzz. The non-toxic and non-stick claims sound great, but does anyone have firsthand experience? How does it hold up in day-to-day use? Worth the investment, or just another overpriced kitchen trend?

https://preview.redd.it/tmux3qjxe2td1.jpg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95559bd36a63069b63f0a212e1dda8f60c344690

I’m taking the fire academy and I’ve only got 16 days left and I just ate the last of the food I brought with me. I’ve been eating a little more than I thought I would due to the physical aspect of it all. What are some good and cheap nutritional things I can buy? I’m definitely getting beans and rice which should cost me about $20 so I got $20 to get the rest of my nutrition for 16 days. Someone help!

I’m think rice beans and onions, oats for breakfast, and I already have emergen-c’s so I’ll drink one of those every morning with breakfast and that should be enough to get me by right ? I think that covers all essential nutrients vitamins all all that

Hi everyone! My husband and I have just moved and so are doing everything we can to save a bit of money whilst we get settled into our new home. Please can you share some of your favourite and best budget recipes? No dietary requirements or picky eaters here so open to anything.

Thanks in advance 😊

1st question: How do I get homemade yogurt to come out super thick without needing to strain it? Is it possible? I heat up the milk to 200 and let it cool down to 110 and then add yogurt. Is that it? Did i miss anything? My yogurt always comes out a bit runny.

2nd question: For making cheese, I once didn't even use vinegar and the milk still separated so what is the point of rennet, vinegar, lemon? If by not adding anything at all, the milk separates by itself anyways?

Also, when I pulled out the yogurt this morning, I noticed cheese had formed instead of yogurt. What happend?

Recipe:

1 can Goya black beans (plain)

1 green onion

Around 1-2 tsp mined garlic

Taco seasoning (to taste)

1-2 heaping spoonfuls of fresh garden salsa (I like Jack’s salsa. Make sure it’s not sweet or tastes like mangos)

About half a can of water (using the empty Goya can)

Boil in a saucepan until beans are ready

It should be like a slightly thick soup

———

For the quesadillas, just do flour tortillas with Mexican style blend cheese, Colby jack, or any cheese that isn’t American, cheddar, or Swiss.

Cook it on a pan

——

Once it’s ready, just eat the bean soup and quesadillas. I like dipping my quesadilla in the soup.

I used to eat this all the time when I was in high school. Beans are cheap, and having a container of taco seasoning lasts a long time.

In my opinion, it’s hearty and leaves me feeling satisfied.

As I'm lazy and I'm on a budget, I often buy cheap, random vegetables (sometimes with the Too Good To Go app), throw them all in a large pot, add some broth, herbs and spices and let it boil for a while. Blend with an immersion blender and I'm good to go for a few days.

Sometimes this thick soup only contains broccoli (+thyme), sometimes broccoli, carrots, tomato, and various others (+ italian herbs and spices mix). I tend to evade spinach, endive, kale etc. to prevent a bitter flavor.

Recently, I started adding a bit of vinegar to give the soup a bit of a tang, but I was wondering what other tips you have to add a pleasant and well-rounded flavor to this soup (if you can even call it soup).

Hi, I'm 20 and I'm still living at home in the UK. I'm planning on moving out next year hopefully, either when I go to University, or for an apprenticeship. I'm currently on a journey of teaching myself life skills because my parents never taught me, so I'm effectively unprepared for the real world. Because I'm still at home I don't need to by my groceries just yet, but I'd really like to start planning a food budget for when I do move out. How could I begin to do this? I'm thinking of just walking around supermarkets and comparing prices etc, but I don't know if there'd be a more time efficient way of planning this out? Specifically for cooking, are there some stapes recipes I should know of to begin to include in my budget? I'm vegetarian, so at least this would cut out the cost of meat as I know it's expensive