PINEAPPLE CHICKEN STICKS

When our food budget is very limited, we sometimes get stuck in the rut of believing we cannot afford to make anything more than mac ‘n cheese and hot dogs.  This could not be further from the truth.  The quantities used in the recipe of this fun tasty meal cost about $7.00 in total and makes 6 skewers.  Assuming each person will consume 2 skewers each, you are feeding 3 people for $7.00.  You can’t even go to a fast food restaurant for that price.  And putting food on a stick and grilling or broiling it seems to be something almost anyone will eat regardless of what is on the stick.

I use chicken thighs for this recipe only because I prefer the dark meat of chicken.  You can definitely use chicken breasts instead, but if you do keep costs down by buying split breasts that have the bone and skin and remove the bone and skin yourself.  If you have a nice pair of kitchen shears it is very easy to cut the bone away from chicken meat.  Also keep the cost down by buying your store’s brand of canned pineapple instead of a national brand like Dole.  And if you are fortunate enough to have space to grow your own peppers, you will definitely reduce the cost of this meal.

What You Need

6 10” Bamboo Skewers, soaked in water for a minimum of ½ hour

1 ½ Lbs. Chicken, skinned and deboned and cut into 1” pieces
20 oz. Can Pineapple Chunks in Natural Juice, drained, juice reserved
1 Sweet Green Pepper, cored and seeds removed, cut into 1” chunks
¼ cup Teriyaki Sauce
½ cup Pineapple Juice (from reserved canned pineapple chunks juice)
¼ cup Honey

Preparation

Whisk together honey, teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice in a medium bowl.  Cut chick into 1 inch pieces and put into marinade sauce in bowl.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Once chicken has marinated as long as you desire, remove chicken to a plate, reserving marinade.

Starting with and ending with a chunk of pineapple, put pineapple, chicken and green pepper chunks onto skewer, alternating pieces.  You should have enough quantity to fill 6 skewers three quarters full.

Cooking

Put skewers on grill or broiler pan and cook for 5 minutes.  Brush with marinade, turn and cook for 5 minutes.  Brush with marinade, turn and cook for 5 more minutes or until chicken is done but not dry.  Discard any unused marinade.

Serve over rice pilaf.

PORK AND APPLE STUFFING BAKE

This recipe mixes the classic pork and apples for a filling comfort meal at a reasonable price.  Although any recipe with apples seems like a fall-time meal, I really do enjoy this in the summer if it is not too hot to turn on the oven.  This recipe cooks at a low oven temperature which increases cooking time.  You can increase the oven temperature to decrease cooking time, but cooking pork slowly helps keep the pork moist and tender.

What You Need

9 x 13 x 2 baking pan, well- greased
One 6 oz. Box of Pork-Flavored Stuffing Mix
1 ¾ cups Apple Juice
1 Green Granny Smith Apple, sliced very thin
1 lb. Pork Shoulder Steaks (2 pork steaks are approx. 1 lb.) - see note
1 Tsp. Rubbed Sage
1 Tsp. Dried Thyme
¼ Tsp. Black Pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325^o
Mix together the sage, thyme and pepper and rub into each side of each pork steak
Sear pork steaks in hot skillet about 1 minutes per side
Spread dried stuffing mix evenly across bottom of your well-greased 9 x 13 pan
Peel apple and slice thin enough to get at least 20 slices
Place apple slices on top of dried stuffing mix
Once oven is pre-heated, pour 1 2/3 cups apple juice over stuffing and apples
Place browned pork shoulder steaks on top
Cover baking pan with foil.

Cooking

Bake covered at 325^o for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, stir stuffing mix and turn pork over, recover pan and cook another 20 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove foil and serve.

Makes 4 servings

There is more than enough room in the 9 x 13 pan to fit more than 2 pork shoulder steaks if you need to feed more than 4 people.

Note:  You can choose to use pork chops instead of pork shoulder steaks.  I use shoulder steaks because they are less expensive and this blog is about low cost cooking.  One pork shoulder steak should feed two people depending of course on the individual’s appetite.  If you do choose to use pork chops, make sure they are no more than 1/2 inch thick.

HOLD THE MAYO MACARONI SALAD

I enjoy macaroni salad as well as the next person, but I do get tired of the mayonnaise and/or whipped salad dressing salads.  In addition, if it is a salad someone has brought to a backyard cookout, I get really concerned about the mayo not being refrigerated.  Lastly, this blog is about low cost cooking.  The dressing used for this salad is less than what it would cost to use mayonnaise.

It is highly recommended to make this a day ahead to give the flavors time to blend, but you can make and serve immediately.  I just personally think it tastes much better after sitting for 24 hours.

What You Need

8 oz. Uncooked Elbow Macaroni
2 cups Frozen Peas, thawed
2 cups Frozen Corn, thawed
½ cup oil (preferably olive or canola)
½ cup lime juice
3 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tbsp. Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
10-15 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

Preparation

To thaw peas and corn, place in a colander and rinse under running cold water for 3 to 4 minutes, gently stirring with hands.  Set aside and allow to drain well.

Cook macaroni in rapidly boiling water for 10 minutes or until desired doneness.  When macaroni is finished, drain in colander and rinse with cold running water for 3 minutes.  This helps to 1) stop the cooking and 2) rinse off excess starch.

While macaroni is cooking, whisk together the oil, lime juice, sugar and cumin until mixed well.

Once the macaroni and vegetables are thoroughly drained, mix together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

If you are going to add salt and pepper, now is the time to do so, then stir well.

Pour dressing over all and stir until mixed well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Stir in cherry tomato halves right before serving.

Makes 6 -8 side dish servings.

CHEESY SPINACH BEEF BAKE

This simple meal is a great way to get those picky eaters who won’t eat vegetables to eat some spinach without complaining.

Consider preparing this dish the night before.  Then when you get home, all you have to do is preheat the oven and cook.

What You Need

2 qt. baking dish, greased
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed.  Squeeze out excess liquid.
1 small can (4 oz.) mushroom pieces and stems, drained
16 oz. container sour cream
1 tbsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese or Swiss (I prefer Swiss)

Preparation

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet until no pink remains breaking up pieces as the meat cooks.  Drain fat.  Add the spinach, mushrooms, and garlic salt.  Cover and cook about 5 minutes. 

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, garlic salt and pepper.  Stir into ground beef mixture in the skillet.  Spoon skillet contents into greased 2 qt. baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over top.

Cooking

Preheat oven to 350^o.  Bake uncovered for 25 – 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

If you make this dish in the summertime when fresh tomatoes are either growing in your garden or abundantly available at farmer’s markets or grocery stores, considering serving  fresh sliced tomatoes as a side dish.

SKILLET CHICKEN WITH SOUR CREAM GRAVY

Fried chicken is a staple meal in many households.  If you are tired of the same old fried chicken and gravy give this tasty twist a try.  The chicken in this dish is cooked in much less oil than what is normally used for frying, so it is a bit healthier.   Using fat free sour cream also helps if you are concerned about fat content.

What You Need

Large Frying Pan -14” if you have it
3 lbs. Chicken – thighs, legs or wings or mix of all
¼ Cup Flour
2 Tbsp. Cooking Oil (any kind, i.e. Vegetable, Canola, Olive Oil)
¾ Cup Water
½ Cup Chopped Onion
2 tsp. Paprika
½ tsp. Salt (optional)
1 Tbsp. Flour
1 8 oz. Carton Sour Cream
1 tsp. Finely Shredded Lemon Peel (optional but worth it)

          Note:  if you don’t have a lemon, you can use ½ tsp. jarred lemon peel if you have it

Preparation

Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry.  Coat all chicken pieces with ¼ cup flour.  Brown chicken on all sides in hot oil, about 10 minutes.  Drain off fat.

Cooking

Mix together ¾ cup water, ½ cup chopped onion, 2 tsp. paprika and optional ½ tsp. salt.  Add to skillet with chicken, cover and cook 35 – 40 minutes or until no pink remains.  Transfer chicken to serving platter, reserving skillet juices.  Cover chicken to keep warm.

Stir 1 tbsp. flour into the sour cream.  Stir mixture into juices in skillet.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Stir 1 minute longer then add lemon peel.  Pour sour cream gravy over chicken.

Serve over rice.

SAUSAGE NOODLE BAKE

The cost to make this very simple casserole depends on the type of sausage you purchase.  If you are looking for the least expensive option, buy whatever is on sale at your grocery store.

A nice variation on this recipe is to use 1 lb. of cooked ham, especially if you have leftovers from a cooking a large ham earlier in the week.  Just make sure to cube the ham into 1" pieces so they do not dry out too much during cooking.  If you do substitute ham for the sausage, I would highly recommend using shredded Swiss cheese instead of cheddar. 

What You Need

2 qt. baking dish, greased

8 oz. egg noodles
1 package smoked sausage or kielbasa, cut into ½ inch chunks
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
1 tsp. white pepper (if you don’t have white pepper, use black pepper)
1 small can Durkee French fried onion
2 cups shredded cheese (the stronger flavor of cheddar is best but you can use mozzarella or Swiss)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375⁰

Cook egg noodles according to package directions
Cut the sausage into ½ inch chunks
In large mixing bowl combine soup, milk, pepper and 1 cup of cheese
Add well-drained noodles and sausage chunks to soup mixture and mix well
Put sausage and soup mixture into well-greased 2 qt. casserole dish
Top with remaining cheese and the small can of Durkee onions

Cooking

Put the sausage and soup mixture into well-greased 2 qt. casserole dish

Top with remaining cheese and the can of Durkee onions
Cover and cook for 20 minutes
Remove cover and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until slightly browned on top.  Sserves 4-6.

 

Note:  This recipe doubles well with the following adjustments: 

• Use slightly less than 16 oz. of egg noodles (when I double the recipe I use all but about ½ to 1 inch of a 16 oz. bag)
• Do not double milk to the full 2 cups.  Only use 1¾ cups milk for 2 cans of soup
• Use a 9 x 13 casserole pan

COLORFUL BEAN VEGETABLE SALAD MEAL

Most of my recipes attempt to keep costs low, but more importantly find a way to stretch what little you have.  But now that the heat of summer is upon us, often we do not feel like turning on the oven or eating heavy meals.  So this recipe does have fresh produce items that may make this feel a bit too expensive if you are really running low on money at month’s end.  Therefore, if you want to make this dish, you should plan for purchasing the fresh vegetables at the beginning of the month when you have just a bit more money to spend.

This meal will provide you with protein and vegetables that will help fill an empty stomach yet still feel like a light meal during the heat of summer.  The quantities below will probably feed 2 – 3 people as a meal or 5-6 as a side dish.

 What you need

1 can of kidney beans or cannellini beans rinsed and well drained
3 carrots – peeled and chopped
1 large (or 2 small) turnip cut into chunks
1 small package radishes cut into chunks
1 red pepper cut into chunks
Fresh snow peas - 1 pkg. or about 24 if your produce section lets you pick snow peas individually with strings removed and cut into thirds
Italian Dressing (I prefer Wishbone Italian – not the Zesty Italian)

Preparation

Combined all ingredients in a bowl, add Italian dressing and let marinate for 24 hours.

If you have iceberg lettuce, tear off whole leaves, wash, towel dry then put on plates to use as a bowl to serve bean salad.  Add a few slices of your favorite fresh fruit on the side and you’ve got a complete meal.

SUPER SIMPLE CHICKEN AND DUMPINGS

I’ve heard often how many people find it difficult to make this filling comfort food.  I personally never made this meal while my husband as alive.  But when financially tough times began to loom, I had to hunt through the pantry and freezer trying to make the most of out what little I could find. This recipe is one I consider inexpensive and very easy for a meal that some consider a staple.

The quantities below make enough to feed 4.  If you have a full time job, this meal isn’t something you are going to want to plan to make after work.  You are better off cooking this on a day when you’ve got some time.  Not that the actually working time to make this meal takes long, but cooking the chicken takes a while.

What You Need:

6 qt. pot with lid
Colander
4 chicken thighs (removing skin lowers fat content without losing taste)
Salt and white pepper (you can use black pepper if you don’t have white)
½ onion (used in boiling water for flavor only so you don’t need to chop)
8 cups water
Poultry Seasoning
Chicken Bouillon cubes
Biscuit Mix (like Bisquick)
Corn Starch
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Cooking:
Add water to your pot with 8 cubes chicken bouillon.  Bring the water to a boil.
While waiting for water to boil, salt and pepper both sides of chicken thighs and set aside
Add chicken, onion and about 4 tsp. poultry seasoning to boiling water.
Cook until chicken falls off the bone.
Put a colander inside a large pot or bowl and dump contents of pot with cooked chicken into colander in order to reserve all the cooking liquid.
Take the chicken out of the colander and place in a bowl or on a cutting board.  Let cool until you can touch it with your hands.
Put strained liquid back in to original cooking pot and bring to a boil.
In separate bowl or gravy shaker, combine 3 tbsp. corn starch and 1 tsp. water and mix until smooth.  Slowly add to boiling liquid to slightly thicken.  Reduce heat so that your thickened liquid is not rapidly boiling.
Once chicken has cooled enough to touch, pull apart chicken into smaller than bit-size pieces (you may choose to cut some of the chicken), making sure there are no remaining pieces of bone.
Put the pulled, bone-free chicken back into the cooking pot.
Add 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
Bring to a slow boil for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combined 1 cup biscuit mix with 6 tbsp. milk or water (trust me, if you are out of milk, water does work just fine).  If you have some dried parsely flakes, add a tablespoon to the biscuit mix.
Drop your biscuit mix by teaspoons onto top of chicken/vegetable mixture in your pot.  Cover and simmer between 20 and 25 minutes, turning dumplings over once.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

IT’S NOT QUITE PIZZA CASSEROLE

This recipe is actually from a friend who made several double batches to bring to me after my husband passed away.  Excellent tasting and great comfort food, this casserole went a long way and fed a lot of people.  For a family meal just buy a bag of salad greens and toss with Italian dressing and your meal is complete.  If you do have a little extra money, buy some frozen garlic Texas toast to add to the meal and everyone will walk away from the table full and satisfied. 

While this recipe is very easy to make, people on really tight budgets may feel it is a bit expensive to make once you add in the cost of cheese and pepperoni.  Do not forget that these are not meant to be gourmet recipes, so you don’t have to go out and buy the best quality pepperoni or cheese.  Buy the least expensive items the store has to offer.

What you need

9 x 13 pan (glass preferable but not necessary)
1 Large Onion
1 lb. Ground beef
3 Tbsp. Oregano
2 Tbsp. Garlic Salt
½ of 1 16 oz. box of Elbow Macaroni
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. with at least 50 slices pepperoni
4 cups shredded mozzarella

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325^o
Cook 8 oz. of elbow macaroni to the doneness you desire.  Rinse and drain very well
Cook onion in large skillet until translucent
Add ground beef to onion and cook until browned through
Drain excess grease from ground beef mixture and return to skillet
To ground beef mixture, add the 3 tbsp. oregano and 2 tbsp. garlic salt, elbow macaroni and spaghetti sauce.  Heat until spaghetti sauce is slightly bubbling and everything is mixed together well.

Cooking:

Add contents of skillet to your 9 x 13 pan.  Place slices of pepperoni on top, trying to cover entire area.  Load with mozzarella on top, spreading evenly over casserole.  Bake uncovered at 325^o for 30-40 minutes.  Start checking casserole after 30 minutes.  Casserole is done when cheese has completely melted and starts to brown slightly.  Serves 6 – 8.


Note:  Many recipes when doubled do not work well when you double all ingredients.  If you choose to double this recipe, just double everything.

FOOD STAPLES FOR YOUR PANTRY, FRIDGE AND FREEZER

After posting the first recipe on this blog, it dawned on me that it might be a good idea to share with readers what I consider to be food staples. These are items I almost always have in my pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Having these items already paid for makes it much easier to come up with something creative, inexpensive, tasty and filling when there isn’t much money around to buy food.

If you live pay check to pay check as so many people do, finances get pretty tight when you’re a few days away from payday. If all you need to do is stop by the grocery on your way home from work to buy celery stalks or other fresh produce, you will be more likely to cook something at home that will feed the entire family rather than falling in to the “just get fast food” trap, which too many people do far too often. It will usually cost you double or triple the cost of a few pounds of ground beef to feed the family at a Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Arby’s, etc.

Read through the following items and adjust for your preferences, i.e., maybe you prefer canned asparagus over canned green beans.

Canned Goods Staples
Canned Green Beans
Canned Potatoes
Canned/Jarred Sliced Mushrooms
Petite Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Tomato Sauce
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce/Pasta Sauce
Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Condensed Cream of Celery Soup
Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
Cheese Soup
Canned Kidney Beans
Canned Butter Beans
Canned Cannellini Beans
Vinegar (white and apple cider)

Dry Goods Staples

Flour
Sugar
Corn Starch
Honey
Elbow Macaroni
Egg Noodles
Spaghetti Noodles
Starch
Stove Top Stuffing
Gravy Packets (Beef, Pork, Chicken, Brown)

Spice Staples
Salt and Pepper, of course
White Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Sage
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Paprika
Poultry Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning
Garlic Salt
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Minced Onion (in case my onions went bad or I don’t have any)
Jar of chicken bouillon cubes
Jar of beef bouillon cubes

A note about spices: Hopefully you have a wide variety of spices in your spice cabinet; the more the better. They are expensive to buy so if you do not have many spices consider buying 1 different spice each time you grocery shop to spread out the cost. People will tell you that spices will “expire” in that they lose their potency and flavor over time. They may "expire" but that doesn't mean they can no longer be used. If you have a spice you know is very old, put it in a custard cup, then put that custard cup in the microwave along with a microwave safe container with about a cup of water. Microwave on high for about 1 minute; this will release the flavors of older spices saving you the money of buying new.

Refrigerator Staples

Milk
Butter/Margarine
Eggs
Yellow Mustard
Spicy Mustard
Ketchup
Worcestershire Sauce
Italian Dressing
Mayonnaise
Whipped Salad Dressing (such as Miracle Whip)
Hot Sauce
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Cheeses (Shredded Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella)
Cottage Cheese
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese (un-opened cream cheese has a very long refrigerator life)

Freezer Staples

Frozen Peas
Frozen Corn
Frozen Mixed Vegies
Frozen Leaf Spinach
1 – 2 lbs. ground beef
1 - 2 lbs. bulk sausage
Chicken (thighs, legs, wings, breasts – whatever your preference)
Loaf of bread (so that there is always non-moldy bread in the house)

A special side note about any recipes you may read on this blog. I never claim that these are low-calorie, low-fat food options. All this blog attempts to do is provide you with recipe ideas that aren't boring yet are still an affordable way to feed yourself and your family with as little effort and money as possible when times are financially tough. No doubt, food critics will proclaim many recipes to be too high calorie or too high fat. Probably they are, but this is not necessarily the fare that you are feeding your family every day. The purpose is to make something out of nothing when it counts.

MACARONI AND CHEESE LAYERED BURGER CASSEROLE

The idea behind this recipe is to find a way to stretch a meal out of staples in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer and using what you have available. For example, if you don’t have or like frozen peas, maybe you have frozen broccoli flowerets to use instead. Maybe you don’t have frozen vegetables at all and chose to use canned vegetables. Maybe you don’t have two different vegetables; then just use one vegetable. If using canned vegetables, make sure to drain well before using. Prepared dish serves between 6 and 8 people.

What you need
9 x 13 pan (glass preferable but not required)
Butter/margarine or cooking spray
Salt and Pepper
1 lb. ground beef/chuck/round (whatever you normally buy)
1 onion (sweet if you have it)
1 box macaroni and cheese (any brand)
Butter/margarine and milk (for making mac ‘n’ cheese)
Frozen corn, 1 cup
Frozen peas, 1 cup
Cottage Cheese (16 oz. container if you have that much)
Shredded Cheese (2 -4 cups) The more the better; cheddar is best but other choices are Swiss, Monetary jack or mozzarella. The idea here is to use what is available.

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350^o
Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan with your choice of butter, margarine or cooking spray
Prepare boxed macaroni and cheese according to package directions
Cook onions in medium sized skillet until translucent
Add ground beef, salt and pepper to taste to onions and cook until beef is cooked through
Once beef is cooked through, drain excess grease from the beef/onion mixture
To the macaroni and cheese, add approx. 1 cup each frozen corn and frozen peas (increase or decrease amount according to preference or what you have available)

Cooking
To your prepared 9 x 13 pan, spread macaroni and cheese mixture evenly in bottom of pan. Spread cottage cheese evenly across the mac ‘n’ cheese mixture. Spoon beef/onion mixture even across the cottage cheese
Top with 2-4 cups of shredded cheese of your choice. Cover pan with foil and bake in oven for 45 minutes, removing foil the last 10 minutes.