A Week's Worth of Dinners for $25

Recipes here. Opens to YouTube.

$40 for Groceries and 12 Recipes Using Those Ingredients

More With Less Cookbook Free Online

More With Less Cookbook

Spicy Caribbean Pineapple Crockpot Chicken and Spinach Rice Recipe

 This is a freestyle recipe, not an exact detailed recipe. It is recommended that you season to your own taste.

 Spicy Caribbean Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

5 Frozen chicken breasts

Goya Sazon

Can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chilis

Large can of diced pineapple, drain some of the liquid off, and save for another meal. Should cover 2/3rds of chicken.

A splash of dark rum

A bit of oregano, cumin, onion powder, turmeric, dried cilantro, truffle parmesan & black pepper seasoning

Spoon or two minced garlic from a jar

One lime

Directions:

Cook on high until chicken is defrosted and cooked through. Turn down to low until tender and then shred it into small chunks. Time? A few hours. I tend to check every hour. 

Taste test. You may need to re-season for taste.

When done, pour out into a serving bowl with a cover, and then use the crockpot for rice. Refrigerate for the next day or evening. If you have a rice cooker or another crockpot, great! 

Tips: To reduce the liquid when everything is cooked through, I put the crockpot on high, vent the top a tiny bit, and put a towel over the top. This is not recommended at the beginning for food safety. The reduction should take about a half-hour to 45 minutes. Do this at your own risk. I am not a crockpot expert.

Crockpot spinach rice:

Ingredients:

2 cups rice and cover with chicken stock. I use about 3 cups and a little to get good coverage.

Sprinkle with frozen spinach.

A splash of oil

A spoonful of diced garlic from a jar

Seasoning salt and any herbs you prefer. 

Directions:

Cook on high until the rice looks puffy, then reduce to low and check for doneness every half hour. Liquid should be gone when done.

A rice cooker gets the rice perfectly cooked, but a crockpot works too. It takes some experimenting over time to learn how to make it the way you like it.

Serve chicken over rice.

Inexpensive Healthy Meal Ideas

1. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Rice:

   - Ingredients: Mixed vegetables (such as bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, and snap peas), tofu or chicken, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, cooked rice.

   - Instructions: Heat vegetable oil in a pan, add minced garlic and ginger. Stir in the vegetables and cook until tender-crisp. Add tofu or chicken if desired, and cook until cooked through. Season with soy sauce. Serve over cooked rice.

2. Lentil Soup:

   - Ingredients: Red or green lentils, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, spices (such as cumin, coriander, paprika), salt, pepper.

   - Instructions: Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a pot until softened. Add lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and spices. Simmer until lentils are tender and flavors are well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Chickpea Salad:

   - Ingredients: Canned chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper.

   - Instructions: Rinse and drain chickpeas. Chop cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and parsley. In a bowl, combine chickpeas, vegetables, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve chilled.

4. Baked Sweet Potato with Black Bean Salsa:

   - Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, canned black beans, corn, bell pepper, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper.

   - Instructions: Preheat oven and bake sweet potatoes until tender. In a bowl, mix black beans, corn, diced bell pepper, diced red onion, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Serve the salsa over the baked sweet potatoes.

5. Veggie Omelette:

   - Ingredients: Eggs, mixed vegetables (such as spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions), cheese (optional), salt, pepper.

   - Instructions: Whisk eggs with salt and pepper. Sauté mixed vegetables in a pan until tender. Pour beaten eggs over the vegetables and cook until set. Add cheese if desired. Fold the omelette and cook until cheese is melted.

6. Rice and beans: 

This classic combination is not only cheap but also nutritious. You can cook a big batch of rice and beans and customize it with spices, vegetables, or even some leftover meat.

7.  Pasta with tomato sauce: 

Pasta is an affordable staple, and you can make a simple and delicious tomato sauce with canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs. Add some grated cheese on top for extra flavor.

8. Potato hash: 

Dice potatoes and cook them with onions, garlic, and any other vegetables you have on hand. You can also add some sausage or bacon if you like. This dish is versatile and filling.

9. Omelets: 

Eggs are a low-cost source of protein, and omelets are a versatile way to use them. You can add vegetables, cheese, or leftover meat to create a satisfying meal. Serve it with a side of toast or salad.

10.  Baked potatoes: 

Potatoes are inexpensive and filling. Baking them in the oven and topping them with ingredients like cheese, sour cream, and chives can make for a satisfying and budget-friendly meal.

11.Veggie quesadillas: 

Quesadillas are quick and easy to make. Fill tortillas with cheese and your choice of sautéed vegetables like bell peppers, onions, and zucchini. Cook them on a griddle or in a skillet until the cheese melts and the tortillas are crispy.

12. Chickpea curry: 

Canned chickpeas can be transformed into a flavorful curry with the addition of spices, coconut milk, and vegetables. Serve it over rice.

13. Oatmeal: 

Oatmeal is a nutritious and inexpensive breakfast option. It can be made by cooking oats with water or milk and can be topped with fruits, nuts, or sweeteners like honey or brown sugar. Oatmeal provides energy and keeps you full for longer.

14. Bread and soup: 

A humble meal of bread and soup can be made by pairing a slice of bread with a simple vegetable or bean soup. The soup can be made using inexpensive ingredients like canned vegetables or beans.

15. Potato and cabbage stew:

Saute cabbage, onion, and potatoes. Cook in both with seasoning and herbs. Use bouillon cube or canned chicken or beef broth. Water it down to cut salt. Add some tomato paste, if desired.

Homemade Gingerbread House Recipe

We are using this recipe without a stand mixer. We used our hands and plastic gloves to mix the dough.

Here is a gingerbread house template to download. We are not going to place an entryway front porch on the house.

I wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and will roll it in same. This prevents the need for flouring a surface and the roller. Here is an example of this method.

 Tomorrow we roll it out, cut, and bake. I'll update soon!

Rolled out the dough, baked, and put together tonight.

A few issues: not rolling the dough out evenly and getting the house to stay together while the icing dried.

Next time we'll add toothpicks to the edges. It was tough to get the pieces to stay together while the royal icing dried.

Don't laugh, a little kid put this together, and the icing bag broke, and some candy had to be removed because the roof was sliding off. In the end, it had to be eaten, so there was no waiting for more icing or decorations. Most importantly, it tasted very good!

Strawberry Rhubard Pie Recipe

We had this in Amish country recently....soooo good:

Video Recipe Tutorial: Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

Healthy Make-And-Go Refrigerator Oatmeal Recipes

See here.

Source: theyummylife.com via Lori on Pinterest

Frugal Cooking: Charles Mattocks,The Poor Chef

Cheri Sicard: What’s a common myth about frugal cooking that you want to dispel?

Charles Mattocks: That people who cook frugally are poor. I think an educated shopper can be very frugal in a good way, they may use coupons and take more time in the grocery store but they save money.  The way the world is now, I think all of us are trying to save a few dollars.

I have had single mothers that are successful business women that raise families share with me their secrets of cooking or shopping.  With planning they bought fresher food because they used a budget, and that they got more for their dollar when taking time to really shop. So being frugal can be a great thing when it comes to eating healthy and saving money. Read more here.



Eat Cheap but Eat Well

A good book for beginning cooks, and/or cooks who are looking for healthier foods with a little international flavor. Some of his recipes are here, free online. These are his higher priced $7.00 meals, but I could make these for a lot less! If you shop meat sales and use frozen veggies, or veggies from your garden, the price per meals goes down. It's a good jumping board for making your own versions...great for ideas.

Here's one of them:
I'd use a cheaper cut of chicken. I get mine for .69 cents a pound, bone-in. I cook it, take the skin off, and separate little pieces(shredded) to use in the curry chicken. You can make your own yogurt and leave out the almonds.

Granny’s Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow curry powder, or to taste
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup yogurt
Minced fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish

Great Depression Cooking : Pasta with Peas

More of Clara's recipes here.

Financial Lessons from Great Depression Cooking Host Clara Cannucciari

Her book: 

Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

Frugal Pecan Pie

Cooking a Turkey in a Tabletop Halogen Convection Oven

I cooked a 13 pound turkey in my Secura halogen convection oven(see Reducing Energy Useage in the Kitchen) for the first time last night. It came out moist and juicy. I think 13 pounds might be the limit for this oven. It just fit. The cook time was on the low side, 3 hours at 400 degrees, but still within the recommended range for an unstuffed turkey of this size. With this oven, you do have to flip it over at the halfway mark to make sure both sides get cooked evenly. I referred  to this YouTube video before I tried cooking the turkey. She has a different brand than I have, a Nuwave oven, but it is similar

to my Secura.

Clean up was very easy...just dump the cooled grease away in the garbage, and clean the glass bowl and wire shelf in the sink . The meat just slid off the bone, so I had the carcass cleaned off in no time. I froze the meat in separate baggies for future meals. I figure I'll keep doing this while the turkey prices are low.

Red Clover Tea Recipe

Recipe:

  1 cup red clover blossoms
   2 tablespoons mint (spearmint or peppermint)
   4 cups water
   Honey, to sweeten (or use sugar)

Read rest here.

Sweet Chicken with Tamarind, Apricots, and Chipotle Sauce

Recipe and photo tutorial here. I haven't tried this yet, but it looks delicious. Recipe is from Pati's Mexican Table.

Bringing Back the Lard

From Lard: The New Health Food?, Food & Wine online:

In response to the news that New York City's health commissioner had asked local restaurants to stop using cooking oils containing trans fats, comparing them to such hazards as lead and asbestos, Kummer proposed that we bring back lard, "the great misunderstood fat." Lard, he cheerfully reportehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifd, contains just 40 percent saturated fat (compared with nearly 60 percent for butter). Its level of monounsaturated fat (the "good" fat) is "a very respectable 45 percent," he noted, "double butter's paltry 23 or so percent." Kummer hinted that if I wanted to appreciate the virtues of this health food, I needed to fry shoestring potatoes or a chicken drumstick.
Read more here.

Homemade Lard Recipes, including Polish smalec.

Salo: Salo is a traditional Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian food: cured slabs of fatback (rarely pork belly), with or without skin.

Homemade Lard(Vintage Recipes)

A Southern Classic Sauce: Mississippi Comeback Sauce

I've got to make this! See here for the recipe. This complex tasting creamy sauce is high calorie, built upon a mayonnaise base, but looks as if it would be delicious as a meat or vegetable sauce for occasional comfort meals.

Animal Bread

Making this tomorrow for "cooking class"(giggle)! We'll make regular bread dough and shape it. Poppy seeds will serve as eyes.

Source: Uploaded by user via Alexandra on Pinterest

Update:

My daughter shaped most of these today. There are snails, slugs, bear heads(as pictured above from original idea), and other shapes. Many were rolled in poppy seeds for spotted versions of the animals. I added extra oil to this recipe so that it would be easier to shape, and probably should have let it rise only once because it obscured the shapes, which I knew would happen to some extent. We'll do this again. It was fun even though my kitchen looks like a flour explosion.

Here's a student lesson at RedStarYeast.com on the science of yeast.

Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening (3/4 cup correct amount)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Recipe here.

I substituted 3/4 cup of apple sauce for the shortening, and one tablespoon of canola oil. They were gone quickly! I also added a bit of cardamon. Soft and delicious!

Extending the Table Cookbook: Ginger Tea

In the spirit of the More-with-Less Cookbook(eat better, use less), this book, Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook covers recipes for frugally prepared food and drink from across the world, mainly from under-developed parts of the world. I'm working my way through this cookbook. Tomorrow I plan to try an African(Kenya) recipe for ginger tea.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 Tbsp diced ginger root
Simmer for ten minutes

5 tsp black tea leaves
Simmer for 3-5 minutes
Add: 2 cups hot milk