Your Cheapest, Reasonably Nutritious, Family-Friendly Recipes?

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pensmama87 said:
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.
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I think if you do an internet search of food bank recipes, you’ll find a lot of ideas. There are a lot of people coming to food banks who have little experience in cooking on a thin budget and/or cooking food that is good for them.
 
We also have small avocados for 3 for $1 from time to time.

It might be the kind of thing to reserve for mommy and daddy for the time being. (I suspect that will not be difficult, them being green and all.)
 
Xantippe said:
We also have small avocados for 3 for $1 from time to time.

It might be the kind of thing to reserve for mommy and daddy for the time being. (I suspect that will not be difficult, them being green and all.)
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Hmmm…part of the education of a child is in training their palate. It is better if they eat everything their parents eat, if only in smaller amounts. Still, if they only get to try what is mostly reserved for Mom and Dad, sometimes the mystique brings them around! 😉
 
Xantippe said:
We also have small avocados for 3 for $1 from time to time.

It might be the kind of thing to reserve for mommy and daddy for the time being. (I suspect that will not be difficult, them being green and all.)
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Oddly enough, they both adore avocado. They do get a limit, though, because we love guacamole so much I am willing to make two batches - one with lots of jalapeno for us and one with less for the kids (and yes, the batch for mommy and daddy is bigger, no shame. :p)

They probably both eat 3-4x more variety in their food than I did growing up, but most of that is probably a matter of exposure. As they’ve gotten older, the fresh produce (mostly fruit) portion of our food expenditure has grown quite a lot. My oldest will eat half a cantaloupe in one sitting. I understand that “hollow leg” expression now, because I have no idea where else he could be putting it!
 
EasterJoy said:
Hmmm…part of the education of a child is in training their palate. It is better if they eat everything their parents eat, if only in smaller amounts. Still, if they only get to try what is mostly reserved for Mom and Dad, sometimes the mystique brings them around! 😉
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I am a teensy bit worried about this backfiring with alcohol (i.e. they get TOO interested). We don’t want our kids to think it’s bad, but we do describe beer and wine as “grown-up drinks.” So far they accept that, but who knows once they get to the tween stage?

Of course, with our budget most of the alcohol in our house was given to us, and it only is taken out for very special occasions.
 
pensmama87 said:
Oddly enough, they both adore avocado. They do get a limit, though, because we love guacamole so much I am willing to make two batches - one with lots of jalapeno for us and one with less for the kids (and yes, the batch for mommy and daddy is bigger, no shame. :p)

Ha! That sounds like what people do to keep the deer out of gardens!

They probably both eat 3-4x more variety in their food than I did growing up, but most of that is probably a matter of exposure. As they’ve gotten older, the fresh produce (mostly fruit) portion of our food expenditure has grown quite a lot. My oldest will eat half a cantaloupe in one sitting. I understand that “hollow leg” expression now, because I have no idea where else he could be putting it!
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Our 2-year-old eats a fair chunk of our grocery budget, largely in the form of blueberries.
 
pensmama87 said:
I am a teensy bit worried about this backfiring with alcohol (i.e. they get TOO interested). We don’t want our kids to think it’s bad, but we do describe beer and wine as “grown-up drinks.” So far they accept that, but who knows once they get to the tween stage?

Of course, with our budget most of the alcohol in our house was given to us, and it only is taken out for very special occasions.
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My theory has been that the most important thing with alcohol is to model temperate use yourself. Our kids have been given little glasses of their own since they were very small, but always with a meal. Orthodox Jews drink wine pretty much every Sabbath, and alcoholism is all but unknown among them. It is because their culture so strongly enforces temperance: proper use and proper use only by everyone.

Still, our kids also know that a person who drinks to excess at a young age is many times more likely to become an alcoholic, that an alcoholic can never safely allow themselves to drink at all for as long as they live, and that active alcoholism and addiction ruins a person’s ability to act according to the integrity that is otherwise in their character. They know that intemperate use of alcohol or drugs can enslave a person–ANY person–and that starting use later in life is one way to make dependence a less likely fate for them. On that account, enjoyment of alcohol is something that requires a) that we use it for its flavor and not in pursuit of the “buzz” and b) that we never use it as a medication for bad feelings. If you ever hear yourself saying, “I need a drink,” that is instead the day when you need to abstain from drinking and find the company of a friend or a relaxing environment, instead.
 
EasterJoy said:
In addition to powdered regular milk, know that powdered buttermilk is a reasonable substitute for buttermilk in baking. A can of dried buttermilk is good for a very long time, but I’ve found myself wondering what to do with the tail-end of a carton of buttermilk. There is nothing less frugal than buying something and letting it go to waste.
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When my kids were little I used to mix a gal of milk with a gal. of powdered milk and my kids never knew the difference. they never saw me do it to or I might have had an objection or two. God Bless, Memaw
 
pensmama87 said:
Oddly enough, they both adore avocado. They do get a limit, though, because we love guacamole so much I am willing to make two batches - one with lots of jalapeno for us and one with less for the kids (and yes, the batch for mommy and daddy is bigger, no shame. :p)

They probably both eat 3-4x more variety in their food than I did growing up, but most of that is probably a matter of exposure. As they’ve gotten older, the fresh produce (mostly fruit) portion of our food expenditure has grown quite a lot. My oldest will eat half a cantaloupe in one sitting. I understand that “hollow leg” expression now, because I have no idea where else he could be putting it!
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My kids are fruit addicts.

Anything in season they go for. Apples, pears, strawberries, oranges and peaches are favorites.

I don’t mind dropping a little bit of the budget into fruit. They don’t go for many veggies anyway. Steamed Broccoli or peas is about it…though they will go for a cold salad now and then.

Fruit is great because it satisfies the sweet tooth but is loaded with fiber and digests slowly…so it doesn’t give them the sugar high that processed sweets tend to do.

I usually go for what is in season. It’s cheaper. Strawberries are in season and are delicious right now and relatively cheap.
 
Memaw said:
When my kids were little I used to mix a gal of milk with a gal. of powdered milk and my kids never knew the difference. they never saw me do it to or I might have had an objection or two. God Bless, Memaw
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I know for a fact my mother did this when my dad hit some unemployment stretches while we were growing up.

We had no idea either…at the time. But I remember seeing powdered milk in the pantry and the milk was stored in another container.
 
EasterJoy said:
Time to plant some bushes–do you have room anywhere?
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My great-grandma had so many berry bushes when I was a kid in WA (blueberries, raspberries and currants), but we’re in TX now, and I suspect our climate won’t allow it.
 
I subscribe to a frugal mean plan service. It does cost $$, but saves me a ton of time in recipe searching, meal planning, and grocery list making. If you follow it, it does save money. Based on what you are currently eating, I think you would like the recipes. I work outside the home, so I don’t make all my own bread and yogurt, and we enjoy a few convenience foods and treats (hubby likes OJ, peanut butter, and more meat), so we spend a little more. The meals are “clean”, no processed foods, tons of fruits and veggies, many are vegetarian and use beans to fill/stretch. Leftovers are used in other meals and in breakfast and lunch recipes. I have really enjoyed making my own stock.

mealplans.dontwastethecrumbs.com

The creator’s blog also has lots of money saving tips for the grocery budget and home:

dontwastethecrumbs.com

I have no affiliation to the author. It’s just something I came across and find it helpful.
 
Here is something interesting:

Chicken Math – How Much Meat is in a Whole Chicken?
POSTED ON MARCH 23, 2011 // CRAZY IDEAS, FOOD, FRUGAL LIVING
In my turkey math post, I found that 60% of a whole turkey is meat parts. Naturally, I had to know if a chicken had the same composition.
…I bought a 4.2-pound chicken…when I cut up the chicken, here’s what I got:
24%: 1.0 pounds of leg and thigh (skin on/bone in)
07%: 0.3 pounds of wings (skin on/bone in)
31%: 1.3 pounds of breast (skinless/boneless)
24%: 1.0 pounds of useful carcass (all skin and excess fat removed)
14%: 0.6 pounds of skin and waste
So, 62% of the chicken was meat parts…

housetohomestead.com/2011/03/chicken-math-how-much-meat-is-in-a-whole-chicken/

and also
Turkey Math (or: Yes, I Really Am This Nerdy)
housetohomestead.com/2011/01/turkey-math/

If you’re that nerdy, OP, there you are…all done for you!
 
Pinterest is a wonderful place to find great recipes.

Also, a Protestant acquaintance of mine (we used to go the same church) has a website called: www.faithfulprovisions.com

Here, she has advice on couponing, links to great deals, and ways to save a ton on groceries 🙂 It’s all about stockpiling and buying bulk on sale using store sales in conjunction with coupons.

Tons of info, albeit overwhelming.

Our cheap meal (for 5) is an 8 count chicken quarter package from Costco (pre-cooked, just reheat) for $4.99, a box of Jiffy Mix to make corn cakes $1.00, a box of mac and cheese for about $2.00 (Kraft), sautéed green beans (frozen ones in a bag from Costco), and maybe some roasted red potatoes. So, that’s about $10 for a meal that feeds 5 and I usually have some leftovers.
 
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