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chevalier
Guest
It isn’t, but it’s better for hearing from ya!
- Status
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Xantippe
Guest
Potato bar? Baked potatoes, bacon, shredded cheese, broccoli, salsa, hot sauce, maybe even some guacamole? For extra nutritional value (and kid pleasing), do with sweet potatoes.
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chevalier
Guest
The kid in me approves highly of that.
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EasterJoy
Guest
Carmel corn is cheap to make, too. Even cheaper is popcorn with a seasoned sprinkle on it, which can be salty, sweet, or both (and takes less sugar and butter). Not what I’d call highly nutritious, but it does have some fiber, which is more than some desserts can say.
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Allegra
Guest
Our poverty dinner was often a baked potato with some spoonfuls of canned chili and bit of shredded cheese. (Or a half a piece of cheese, if things were really bad.) But the OP said nutritious, so I left that one off. It IS filling though. No one will feel hungry.
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Xantippe
Guest
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Irishmom2
Guest
Speaking of baked potatoes…
Bake some potatoes, 3-4 depending on size, scoop out potato, roughly chop up. Add a can of drained tuna, mayo, some cream cheese, chopped onion and red bell pepper if you like it, and some cheddar cheese. Pile it all up back in the skins and put it back in the oven to heat. Delicious!
Bake some potatoes, 3-4 depending on size, scoop out potato, roughly chop up. Add a can of drained tuna, mayo, some cream cheese, chopped onion and red bell pepper if you like it, and some cheddar cheese. Pile it all up back in the skins and put it back in the oven to heat. Delicious!
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pensmama87
Guest
I said “reasonably” nutritious.
I don’t usually go for canned chili and prefer to make my own, but we always end up with leftovers and this would be awesome.
Aren’t potatoes supposed to be good for you now, anyway? Lots of fiber, especially if you eat the skins (I do - nom.)
Mmmmm. I just got a big bag of potatoes, and now I have lots of ideas for how to eat them up!
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Allegra
Guest
Have you seen the back of a can of chili? The suggesting serving size is two tablespoons and it has 30% of your daily sodium. That being said, this thread inspired me to buy a can so we can use up some potatos the way we did in the old days. I did get the turkey chili, which is better for you, and 70 cent more per can. I got this recipe from my grandma, who often had to feed herself and her kids on what they had at the food pantry. (which was cans) We also used to make tuna casserole for the whole family for under $3. (It’s more like $4 nowadays with the price of tuna.) You combine a box of mac n cheese, (cheese powder included), a can of mushroom soup, a can of peas, a can of tuna, a splash of milk, and salt and pepper. You can crumble up potato chips or cornflakes on top if you want. (But not frosted flakes) We used to love that stuff when we were kids. My sister literally requested it for her birthday dinner every year. My brother always wanted me to make it for him when he was sick.I said “reasonably” nutritious.
!
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Allegra
Guest
PS- Once my grandma tried to make us “real” tuna casserole with cream sauce and mushrooms and fancy seasonings. We ate it, but we were disappointed.
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oldgraymare2
Guest
This is a good and easy casserole recipe from Kraft Recipe’s website. It is called Cheddar Macaroni Beef Casserole.
It uses boxed mac. and cheese with the powdered cheese, for the base. You make the mac. and cheese as directed, except you leave out the butter/margarine. You then add in the other ingredients except the cheddar cheese, and initially prepare it in a skillet with ground beef and Italian stewed tomatoes and seasonings.
You then transfer it to a baking dish to finish it off in the oven, with some cheddar cheese on top.
Here is a link to the recipe:
kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheddar-macaroni-beef-casserole-105219.aspx
I am editing my post to add that there are other family recipes on this website too, for other types of casseroles, including tuna casseroles if you are looking for those. You can sign up for free on their website if you are just wanting to get some different recipe ideas. They have past issues of their Food and Family magazine that you can look at on their website, as well.
It uses boxed mac. and cheese with the powdered cheese, for the base. You make the mac. and cheese as directed, except you leave out the butter/margarine. You then add in the other ingredients except the cheddar cheese, and initially prepare it in a skillet with ground beef and Italian stewed tomatoes and seasonings.
You then transfer it to a baking dish to finish it off in the oven, with some cheddar cheese on top.
Here is a link to the recipe:
kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheddar-macaroni-beef-casserole-105219.aspx
I am editing my post to add that there are other family recipes on this website too, for other types of casseroles, including tuna casseroles if you are looking for those. You can sign up for free on their website if you are just wanting to get some different recipe ideas. They have past issues of their Food and Family magazine that you can look at on their website, as well.
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EasterJoy
Guest
Often frugal means paying attention to a cheaper alternative. The cheaper alternative is not always less desirable in either taste or nutrition. It just takes work to pay attention to both nutrition and cost at the same time. It limits your choices a bit, and takes more imagination.
Maybe your cruciferous vegetable is cabbage, not broccoli. Maybe your tomatoes are canned or homegrown, never “fresh” from Florida in February. Maybe you switch from beef to chicken thighs, because you pay attention to price. Maybe you use an ounce of bacon in a sea of legumes. Maybe you carmelize sugar and use in-season fruit to make yummy desserts, instead of heading straight for the chocolate. Maybe you think ahead and make superior-quality freezer jam in June and never buy the lesser jarred kind that costs far more. Maybe you even realize that you can’t make your homemade lasagna for a lower cost per serving than Costco can do it.
Even when you splurge on a budget, it pays to splurge at the right time. The cost of a prime rib roast might be half right before Christmas. Steaks might go on sale right before Father’s Day. It might pay to go to the store and stock up on the winter’s pantry items before Thanksgiving, figuring each list so as to score on the free turkey that comes with a $100 purchase. You just have to keep your eyes open.
The same goes for the sport of “couponing.” It only saves money if you save on the stuff you would have purchased, anyway, but it can save a tremendous amount of money if you have the time to do it. You do have both a money budget and a time budget, after all. You have to pay attention to both.
Guacamole is rarely both cheap and high quality, and too often it is neither.
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heidi_storage
Guest
Here are some cheap recipes from the USDA, with cost per serving:
whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/search/solr-results/im_field_term_program/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap-162
whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/search/solr-results/im_field_term_program/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap-162
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oldgraymare2
Guest
Thanks for posting this, and for sharing this website information with us here. This looks great, Heidi! I knew about the USDA, but I didn’t know that they had recipes on their website. 
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oldgraymare2
Guest
Regarding guacamole, it can be very healthy. Avocados are a very healthy food. They are a good source of healthy fat, and are high in vitamins and minerals, and are especially high in potassium, too.
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Allegra
Guest
They also spoil about two seconds after you cut them open, so store bought guac often contains a lot of stuff to keep it from going bad before the consumer gets it. That’s why the texture is often wrong and it isn’t as good as the homemade version. (Which also rarely lasts the whole party before going brown.)Regarding guacamole, it can be very healthy. Avocados are a very healthy food. They are a good source of healthy fat, and are high in vitamins and minerals, and are especially high in potassium, too.
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oldgraymare2
Guest
Yes, thanks for the tips, Allegra.
When you make it yourself, you can control what you put into it. I like homemade guacamole. You are right about eating it at a party. It doesn’t seem to last very long. People seem to love it and will eat it rather quickly, from what I have seen.
When you make it yourself, you can control what you put into it. I like homemade guacamole. You are right about eating it at a party. It doesn’t seem to last very long. People seem to love it and will eat it rather quickly, from what I have seen.
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pensmama87
Guest
I have had good luck freezing avocado. I usually mash it well with a fork (supposedly it will do best if you use a food processor or blender but mine gave out a while ago and I have yet to replace it) and then mix in with lime juice (you can use lemon juice or even white vinegar, but since I usually use it to make guacamole, lime juice makes the most sense). I put it in an airtight container in the freezer and it will last several months. I’ve never had issues when thawing with it turning brown, I usually take it out the morning I need it.
(And yeah, it gets eaten pretty much right away.)
(And yeah, it gets eaten pretty much right away.)
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EasterJoy
Guest
That reminds me–the Oregon Food Bank has assembled some answers to this thread’s questions:
oregonfoodbank.org/Get-Help/Other-Resources/Recipes?c=130744813997292567
Included is their pamphlet, “Good Food on a Tight Budget”:
oregonfoodbank.org/Get-Help/Other-Resources/~/media/63744D64E4AF4F65A7A2F526CD0DCBD4.pdf
They actually list avocado as a fruit with a high nutritional value for its price. It is not always cheap, but that doesn’t mean it should not be purchased! It is wise to keep an eye out for the best prices, though. It is used so much by restaurants that the price is notoriously fickle. They have to have it to fill their menu items; because of their demand, a scarcity or a glut shows up quickly in the grocery price.
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pensmama87
Guest
I had noticed that. The prices (and quality) of other produce I can reasonably predict based on season, but sometimes I’ll walk into a store and find avocados on sale 3 for $1 and they’re the best I’ve had in a long while, then the week after they are $1 each and “meh.”
I like to stock up on those 3 for $1 sales.
I have also learned to spend a lot of time looking over the produce. Sometimes other customers stare at me, but hey, I want my fresh fruit and vegetables to taste good, not just be cheap.
Nothing like getting home and slicing into something to see that it’s gone bad already.- Status