- This topic has 7 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated August 24, 2016 at 6:07 pm by .
- Posts
jodiwJust trying to figure how to feed many mouths on limited income
- SimplyFaith
Creatively! Just this week – we had a roast for dinner for 5 adults (company that night).
I shredded some of the left overs for bbq beef sandwiches for another dinner, then took what was leftover from that and made a pot of spaghetti sauce to freeze in portions for later use, even dicing up and adding in the extra peppers from the veggie platter we originally served with the roast. Even when we had a full house (By full, I mean overflowing, lol) we made even the smallest amount of leftovers count.Pretty much anything can go into soups and sauces. Freeze plates when there’s just enough for even one person (even one of the ‘littles’) for lunch on a busy day, or dinner on a day there are schedule conflicts getting every one to the table.
Plus the normal use coupons, shop sales, and plan menus. Casseroles, soups, stews, and chili/sauces feed more with less meat.We serve chili over rice, shred meats for soups – let it cook in the broth, then take it out and shred it with two forks and put it back in to serve. I am amazed how it seems to be so much more meat than if you dice/tear it up into bite sizes for soup. Don’t be shy to substitute/mix ground turkey with beef.
In things like chili, sauces, and mixed with gravy – even straight up ground turkey is hard to notice. Mixed with beef for burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf – impossible to tell.
If you bake for snacks – bake muffins and cup cakes over breads and cakes. 12 muffins stretch farther than a loaf of sweet bread any day.
Our ham from Easter Dinner (we had our family dinner a week early for 11 adults due to schedule conflicts) – we had a 10 lb ham – we ended up with 3 “extras” the day of dinner itself – and were surprised to have left overs still!The bone and all that goes with it is in the freezer to cook with beans later. We’ve had omelettes one morning (obvious choice with ham), and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, then I diced up some and made 12 egg, ham, broccoli, and cheese “muffins” for hubby to have for breakfast on his morning breaks at work this week. The last of it will be added to some macaroni and cheese or a ham and potato casserole this week.
Not sure which. But it will get used.
- sahm14wow simplyfaith you are creative…hopefully I can learn some of these little but oh so very helpful ideas.
- grammasherri
I am learning to use meat as a ‘flavor’ not an entree. Sales, portion control and creativity.
- Tammy9804
Try ham & broccoli bake. Cook 2 cups of rice mix with a can of cream of chicken & cream cream of mushroom soup, cut up some velveeta cheese & mix in it place in a large casserole pan. Take some saltine crackers crush them up and mix them with your favorite shredded chesse, bake@ 375° until cheese is bubbley and golden brown.
Enjoy with a side salad. - Tammy9804
O.k. thank you I understand. I just gave them another idea on how to streach the ham. - charelia
Meat is getting very expensive. My family has started having more meals without meat in them at all. Dried beans and lentils are so inexpensive.
We use lentils with brown rice instead of meat for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, soups, casseroles and many other things. My adult daughter lives with us. She has 2 young boys.This took my house from just my husband and I, to 5 people to feed. My grocery budget hasn’t gone up for this increase in people. It just meant some creative cooking.
No one in my house is suffering for a lack of food. We just eat a little different then we used too. Meat is a limited addition for our house.
It’s not missed in anyway because we still have it but in much smaller amounts. The good part of this… My husband and I are both dropping weight.Who knew we could drop weight just by dropping the amount of the meat in our diet!! 🙂
- Sherree
Thank you! Great ideas!!! 🙂
- tanyamitch1I have used coupons for a really long time and have gotten quite good at matching coupons to what is in the sales flyer and creating my weekly menu around what will be the cheapest items to buy. When I find an amazing buy on a product, I buy as much of it as I can afford to, so I will have some later. An example of this is that I bought about a year’s worth of barbecue sauce this Spring for what I would have spent on about three bottles regularly.
I have also subscribed to several of the rebate sites that have become more popular and regularly also receive rebates for items that I have bought. These sites either send me a check or deposit money into my Paypal account. This money can be used to increase your stockpile, or it can be used for other purposes.
I save mine toward Christmas. I hope this helps!
jodiw
SimplyFaith
sahm14
grammasherri
Tammy9804
O.k. thank you I understand. I just gave them another idea on how to streach the ham.
charelia
Sherree
tanyamitch1- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.