Need cheap recipes for large family

bert16

I'm a big fan of Cooking Light magazine; here's a section they have on their website with their 25 best budget-friendly recipes. Hope this helps!

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-budget-recipes-00412000074866/page28.html

ypjones47

Shepard pie:

1 lb ground pork or chicken
1 bag of mixed veggies
5 large potatoes peeled
salt garlic, onions and pepper to taste
1 tbs of corn starch
milk
water

brown meat, drain fat, add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes. Add veggies and 1/2 cup of water and corn starch (add more if needed) allow mixture to thicken. In another pot boil peeled potatoes when done mix like regular mash potatoes (milk, butter). Pour meat and veggies in 9 X 13 pan then top with mash potatoes mix. You can add a cheese topping if you like. Cook for 20 minutes and its done.

matyoung125

HI!! We have a family of 7 here!! Crockpots are my best friend....I own and use all 3 of them lol I will agree 100% with purchasing a whole roasting chicken because you get a great amount of chicken off of it! If not, then this is what I do:

boneless/skinless chicken breast- I throw about 5lbs in my crockpot with a can of low sodium chicken broth, a chopped onion for flavor and some seasoning like paprika, cumin, garlic powder,etc. I leave it on for like 6 hours on low and drain it and then shred it up. You can always let it cool down, put it in freezer bags and toss in the freezer for later use.

pork loin- same as above and I use a 5lb pork loin (expensive here if not on sale). Or when drained, shred it and add BBQ sauce.

Wheat pasta, brown rice, lots of veggies, "Salad Night" (lots of lettuce and salad fixins), whole wheat tortillas for wraps, baked potatoes, "Breafast" for dinner. That's just off the top of my head lol

My teens love English muffin pizzas: I use Thomas' Whole Wheat English muffins, pasta sauce (low sodium if possible) otherwise I use salsa and of course low fat cheese.

Ever tried cooking a whole chicken in your crock? I cut up a carrot to act as a base to take the bird away from the direct heat of the crock. lay a whole chicken upside down on top of the carrots, don't add liquid and let it go on low for about 7/8 hours. Comes out a treat!

luvsunshine1

Bump

oOxXxOo

Veggies, lots and lots of veggies! Veggie burgers are cheap and if you find a good recipe they are also delicious. Veggie soup is cheap as chips. I cook a mean lamb shank (2 shanks only) and pearl barely soup which is cheap delicious and packed with veggies and can be done in a crock pot. If you make it the day before and put it in the fridge the fat sets on the top and you can take it off easily with a spoon.
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19683/lamb+vegetable+and+barley+soup
I don't know the age of your kids but if we are skint we have breakfast for dinner a night or two or have pancakes for dinner with stewed fruit (whatever is cheap and in season).
I am in Australia so I dont know how relevant this is but I always find shopping at the market cheaper than the supermarket for weeks when I have to make the dollar go further.

jboccio90

Chicken yellow rice w/black beans 3.89

1 pound boneless chicken breast- 2.00ish
Store Brand Yellow Rice- 1.00
Can Black beans- .89

I cut the chicken up then i brown it in a pan. I just add the rice and water needed to cook rice and cook it with the chicken, then season the black beans with whatever.

Wheat Pizza, make 2 pizzas 7.00

Mama Marys whole wheat pizza crust 2pack- 3.50 ( i generally find them at wally world)
jar of sauce- 1.00
bag of cheese- 2.50
whatever toppings ya'll like

Just follow the directions on the package, it is pretty low in calories as well. Its 230 calories for two slices if you make it just cheese.

These are my go to's on fast, easy and cheap.

niftyafterfifty

Bump!

cmkile1003

Bump

amyk0202

I have a family of 6. Some of my favorites:

Lentil Soup

2 lbs dried generic lentils
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 lbs diced ham (I usually buy the small diced ham, but I've used lunch meat before too)
2 cans carrots

Sort & rinse lentils & cook boil in 16-20 cups of hot water. Add everything else, cover & slow boil for about 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Serve with Jiffy cornbread ($0.60 a box around here). You'll need eggs & milk for the cornbread. We can eat this for several days.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

3 lbs shredded chicken. I use boneless, skinless breasts when I have the money, but it's cheaper to buy the whole chickens (about $5 a piece at Wal-Mart) & take the meat off the bone after it's been cooked in the crockpot.
4 cups dry white rice (I use generic parboiled in a bag)
4 cans generic cream of chicken soup
A couple of bags of your favorite frozen vegetables--I use peas & carrots & corn, but you could use broccoli or a stir fry mix.

Cook the rice, mix in the soup, shredded chicken, & veges. Sometimes I put this in a cake pan & bake it in the oven, other times I just mix it up in my huge pot until it's warm. We can also eat this for several days.

Nachos (this is a little more expensive because of the chips & cheese)

5 lb roll of ground beef from Wal-mart
6 packets of McCormick Cheesy Taco seasoning mix
2 cans black beans (drained & rinsed)
2 lbs of frozen corn
2.5-3 cups of white rice
2 cups of milk

Cook, drain, & rinse the hamburger. Put it back into a large (huge) pot & add the cheesy taco seasoning with however much water the package recommends & 2 cups of milk (the directions say to use more milk but I can't tell the difference in flavor & milk is expensive), add the rice & the water you need to cook it, add the bean. Cover it & cook it up until the rice is done then add the frozen corn.

Serve it over tortilla chips with cheddar cheese. You could also make your own tortillas & eat it as burritos for cheaper. We eat this for several days too. I like to just make a big pot of something & eat it until it's gone. I don't like to cook.

becajb

I made this for my work snack and it is yum. I used whatever i had in the cupboard so added slivered almonds, pepatas and dried apricots and it is 148 calories a serve. So easy and yummy

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

If you’re in need of portable whole grains, these are perfect. They are the flavor of good nutrition!

Ingredients
• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts [or any nuts you like]
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (any you like – raisins, cranberries, dates, figs)
• 1/4 cup seeds (any you like – sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1.25 cups skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients.
4. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine.
5. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Cut into 9 squares.

Makes 9 servings . Each bar is appx. 170 calories, 3 grams fiber and 5 grams protein. [Cut into 12 squares reduces calories to about 125 calories per square]

While delicious, the only sweetness in these comes from the dried fruit. Add in 1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar if you like.
The variations are endless: cranberries, coconut, all kinds of dried fruit, nuts, etc.

http://www.katheats.com/

kaata

Stay away from boxed and canned!!

Healthier old not any extra time!!

We're a family of eight!!!!

sweetyedie

Thanks for asking this. Family of 9 here and many times we need inexpensive cuisine. .

Skinny pasta is buttered pasta with garlic chopped chicken and cherry tomatoes. Also can top with Romano cheese.

Justacoffeenut

Bump

Railr0aderTony

Whole chickens, split it down the backbone and lay it out flat on a cookie sheet and bake, will feed all 6 for like $5. I have to say it and others will not agree but plain old Idaho Potatoes. 10# bag, you can do a million things with a potato and they are healthy. Sweet potatoes. Buy a whole pork loin and cut it up into sections and put in freezer bags. make each bag enough for one meal. Head lettuce instead of bags, much cheaper. big old tub of oats, goes a long way for breakfast. depending on what time of year it is, buy a turkey, they are not just for thanksgiving and you can make one stretch forever. Good luck.

ashleyplus3

bump - I need these ideas too! :-)

MissyPoo2013

Bump!

recentcoin

Get 1 large whole chicken, 1 qt of apple juice and an onion. Rinse off the chicken. Peel & quarter the onion. Put the onion inside the chicken. Put chicken & juice in crock pot. Add water to cover chicken. Season to taste. Turn on. Leave for work. Done when you come home. Serve with wild rice & blanched broccoli.

To make broccoli - cut up head of fresh broccoli. Bring lightly salted water to boil. Add broccoli and turn off heat. After about 5 minutes, remove from water. Toss with 1 pat of butter or margarine and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Salt & pepper to taste.

Recycle left overs into chicken taco casserole. Pull chicken off bones, Add taco seasoning to taste. Layer into casserole pan with canned black beans, corn, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, etc. Top with some tortillas and low fat cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.

annebaum41912

Chicken breasts, salsa, taco seasoning. Put it in a crockpot and let go all day. Make as much as you want. I have a family of four. I use 2 jars of store brand salsa (2 for $3), one or two packs of taco seasoning, depending on your tastes. Can add black beans as well. The ratio of all of the above really just depends on what your personal preference is.

i make this meal! except i add a can of cream of mushroom (or whatever cream of you wish) to it. absolutely delish and doesn't add much more cost, especially if you get generic. do not "make" the soup by adding water. just dump the big glop into the crock pot lol

edited to add: it goes without saying to buy the 99% fat free cream of xxxxx

teresamwhite

Breakfast for dinner...Pancakes (we do half white and half wheat flour), eggs and fruit are pretty inexpensive. Crepes are good, too, with whatever leftovers you have as fillings.

Soups...minestrone and other veggie soups are great for stretching the grocery dollar (and you can add whatever meat you want...we've done it with one chicken breast diced pretty small for 3 people...ground sausage (fried and drained very well so the soup isn't greasy), ground turkey...what have you).

Loaded potato night...great big potatoes and then set out smaller dishes of toppings. Get creative! I've set out sliced hot dogs as a topping once, and now its my sons fave!

Grilled/baked pizza...again, make up the dough, and use whatever you have on hand as toppings.

Hmm...reading this through, we do a lot of BYO type of meals. I think when you present the toppings in pretty bowls or plates, and then let everyone make it the way they like it, the meals seems more festive and there is less for me to do!

chloed330

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/cheap-and-healthy