Cooking on a budget does not have to mean relegating your family to endless varieties of meatloaf. Shop wisely, buying in bulk and stocking up on sale items, and learn the proper techniques to utilize cheap family-friendly ingredients that will put dinner on the table while leaving money in the bank.
Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. According to MedlinePlus, it helps to stabilize your metabolism, energy levels and mood as well as suppress any mid-morning hunger pangs. While a bowl of generic whole-grain cereal with milk is acceptable, there are many other economical and tasty options to choose from. French toast is an easy and tasty breakfast dish made with bread, eggs and a touch of milk. Add variety to the dish by using different types of bread, or add vanilla extract, maple syrup or cinnamon to the egg mixture.
Incorporate leftover meats and vegetables into your breakfast for a well-rounded, low-cost morning meal. Transform cooked potatoes and beef or ham into a morning hash to complement fried eggs, or use leftover vegetables in scrambled eggs, omelets or quiche.
Lunch
Soups, salads and sandwiches are good choices for a nutritious lunch. Take advantage of sale items and incorporate leftovers whenever possible to create tasty and filling meals that will not break the bank. Combine some pasta or rice, cooked chicken and vegetables with store-bought or homemade chicken broth, and serve with some bread or rolls. Make a green salad into a meal by adding thinly sliced leftover steak and tortellini, mini ravioli or other pasta. Use up that almost-stale bread you have in the pantry by making croutons to top the salad. Combine cooked chicken, tuna or hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, celery and onion and serve between two slices of bread, on a bed of greens or in hollowed-out tomatoes.
Dinner
Liberal use of bread, potatoes, pasta and rice is an easy way to stretch a meal and keep the food budget intact, but learning how to work with cheaper cuts of meat and poultry will achieve the same result. Grill or broil marinated tri-tip or flank steak, making sure to cut thin slices against the grain before serving, and serve with a baked potato and vegetable for an economical and filling meal. Combine short ribs or stew beef in a crockpot with cubed potatoes, onions, carrots, beef broth and seasonings for a cold-weather meal that will feed a crowd. For a special meal, roast a pork shoulder, blade roast or chuck-eye roast. Add cubed potatoes and root vegetables to the roasting pan for a complete meal in a pot. Plan on at least one whole roasted chicken or turkey each week with a side of potatoes and vegetables. Not only will it feed the family a satisfying meal, but the leftover meat and bones will make a filling soup or stew to serve at another meal.
When the budget is very tight, serve a meatless or vegetarian lasagna with a side salad, a comforting dish of macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice or a quick stir-fry.
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