DiscussionsEasy Weeknight Dinners

Feeding a family can be a challenge in many ways, including keeping costs in line.  What's your favorite budget-minded weeknight dinner?

Tacos are my fall back meal.  It is quick, easy and doesn't take very many ingredients.  Also I can easily add refied beans to make it stretch a little further. 

My mom used to fall back on those as well? One creative solution to high meat prices and a big family? She used to mix white rice in with the ground beef (about half and half) and would then just double the seasoning. It made the meal go a lot farther and did little to the taste. We never complained!

Pasta with a red sauce is always an easy fallback. It doesn't take much time to turn a can of diced tomatos into a decent sauce, and italian sausages thaw quickly in the microwave.

Buy chicken breasts when they are on sale, then bake them in Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar dressing and throw in a couple baked potatoes at the same time.  Easy and cheap.

Eating breakfast for dinner is a great way to save money.  Pancakes, omelets, eggs, French toast. We all enjoy it, it's economical, it's quick, and we seldom have time to cook breakfast in the morning, so it's a treat at dinnertime.

Pancakes are great to freeze.  When our kids were in school we would make the rest of the left over batter up and put a piece of wax paper between each pancake and put them in a Tupperware dish or they could put them into zip bags and freeze.  All they had to do was put them in a microwave for about 30 secs or add your butter and syrup on it and zap it for 1 minute. Presto! Instant breakfast!

You can also pop them in the toaster on a low setting. 

I couldn't agree more. Raised old-fashioned with 5 sisters and 6 brothers breakfast was always served but it was special at dinner time.  Great idea and with a whole isle of boxed-healthy-cereal now to choose from ,  once a week in my house is great on you and your budget. We don't need meat and potatoes every night for dinner and I think people sleep better when their not so full.

 As the Mother of a large brood of children, who have expanded and many are parents themselves, I learned early to stretch the food and the budget! One of my quickest big meals to feed them a quick hot meal is canned pinto beans and light kidney beans added to sauteed sliced smoked sausage,(ground sausage and/or hamburger can also be added or substituted) bell peppers and onions, a can or 2 or diced or rotel tomatoes, and lots of garlic(either fresh or powder or both). Simmer and let the flavours mingle and serve over rice.Served with Grand Biscuits. Less than 30 minutes total time.

  My mother gave me a recipe you can probably use "Mexican Cornbread' it's quick and easy and the family will love it.

  1 or 2 POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF (depends on how many people you feed)

  3 BOXES OR CORN MIX

  1 BAG OF SARGENTO SHREEDED CHEESE

  1 CAN OF SALSA (choice)

  heat the oven to about 350 F

  Fry yor meat in the pan let it drain when you finished cooking it

  Mix you corn bread mix together as it says on the box

  Put you meat in a casurole dish (made for ovens)

  Add salsa and cheese and put your muffin mix on the top, cook til the bread is nice and brownish

 And there you have mexican corn bread.  

I usally use 1/2 Jalapeno Pepper,1 can corn,1 onion,chadder cheese,mexican cheese blend

1 of our favorite "cheap" meals is take 1 pound of  your favorite ground meat (beef, turkey or chicken) and fry it up with some chopped onion then mix it with a couple of boxes of macaroni and cheese. Top with salsa and eat.

 One of our favorite cheap meals  is take a 1/2 pound of ground beef season the way you like brown it and drain it  In a separate skillet make one box of rice a roni fried rice when the rice is almost done.I stir in one 4oz can of mushroom steams and pieces and the ground beef. You can add a vegetable or a tossed salad to round out the meal. My family is my daughter and I so we only use a 1/2 a pound of meat. This meal also makes a great work day lunch.

That is sort of what we do.  We call it "hamburger casserole".  Take 1 pound of ground beef, cook and drain, add to Kraft's Deluxe mac and cheese along with a can of tomato sauce and a can of whole kernal corn (drained)....salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for approx.. 20-30 minutes (long enough to pull it together).  Serve with a fresh salad.  Makes great leftovers as well.