Hello all - hope you are all well and safe!
It is a cool morning here! Haven't said that in a while. 58*F right now. I have had the AC off since Sunday and yesterday, the house never even got to the temp that the AC would have been! Amazing, how a couple days can make such a difference. Loving this. Hope you are cooling a bit too.
We are here to help out.
Melts are easy and cheap. Add cheese, or meat or both and whatever else you want. Fold over and grill on each side for a hot treat! I have done this for dinner many times and add a little salad or a veggie on the side.
An open face sandwich with anything you have on top! You toast the bread, then add some cream cheese (if you have) or peanut butter and top with any variety of goodies. Hearty and healthy.
Polenta or mush as many call it - is so easy. I know the sound of 'mush' isn't appetizing to many. I like it fried!!! It is MUCH better that way. This recipe is sooooooo easy and can easily be halved. I make it up and place in a loaf pan and refrigerate until firm - then slice and fry in butter or bacon grease until golden on each side and it really is tasty! Pretty darn cheap.
Here you go Mary. You can have the taste of restaurant at home, make your own!!!! So easy.
Fried eggs and potatoes together - add a side or toast if you choose. This was dinner one day for me - very good and healthy!
(click on recipe to enlarge for easy reading)
Cowboy casserole is very easy and uses things you may have on hand. You can use less meat if you choose or even sausage or venison. This is a hearty meal. Maybe add a side of garlic toast or a salad and you are set. Great for a busy day. I have made this many, many times.
Come fall this is always around my house for a sweet bite. I mix together salted peanuts and candy corn in a bowl - it tastes like a Pay Day candy bar. I am not a fan of candy corn alone - but sure do love it this way!
Make a pie! This is great - mock pecan pie! No nuts needed - just oatmeal and let me tell you it is good! I am a pecan pie nut, and this is very good!
Whether snacks, breakfast, lunches, or a quick and easy and inexpensive dinner - here are a few ideas. Just remember (especially for yourself) you don't have to have a lot of things at one meal. I eat simple, and most often have one good meal a day - and I am healthy, have energy and feel good.
If you have garden produce, you have several things that you make and eat. It doesn't have to be traditional; you don't have to have 'breakfast' foods at breakfast anymore!
Core the insides of a tomato (saving the insides for salad) - and stuff with tuna salad or some other type of salad or cottage cheese. Super healthy and tasty. Can stuff peppers or banana peppers as well. Scoop seeds from a cucumber and place some tune salad in that cored out spot. YUM
Rice is a good meal idea - yes meal! G used to love rice for breakfast or lunch served hot with butter and sugar on top - or a drizzle of honey.
Cottage cheese served with fruit or tomato - he loved that too. You could add Jello to cottage cheese as well - super inexpensive and easy.
Of course there are the old standbys of oatmeal, or your basic beans and rice and potatoes. Never overlook the old-time healthy eats! All are inexpensive to make. Top the oatmeal with whatever you like or have on hand.
GRAVY - white gravy or country gravy as many call it - is about as easy and cheap as you can get for a tasty meal!!!! You can use it over biscuits, toast, bagels, whatever you got. You can toast old buns or any kind of bread. You can add chipped beef, sausage or even ground beef if desired. Add whatever meat you have (leftover) - and you have a very cheap and hearty and filling meal!!!!!
Leftover mashed potatoes? Make potato cakes the next day. Super easy and very tasty. I have them in a dinner, but they would be great for breakfast or lunch. Add in other things if you desire. No leftover mashed potatoes - you can even use made up instant potatoes (got a little packet laying around?). Super easy and inexpensive and a use it up idea.
I made some yesterday and added about a half a can of drained corn to it - YUM!
Always think about soups! Throw together any veggies you have and any meats (or not) in a pot or crockpot and make a great meal. Add tomatoes or sauce or leftover gravies or bouillon to season and flavor the broth. Soup is always an inexpensive dish to make. There are absolutely NO limits to what you can make. Veggie, potato, cream of anything soups, split peas, beans, etc.
SNACKS - we all need a snack now and again. No bake cookies are easy and use up oatmeal you may have on hand. Easy peanut butter cookies (posted recipe last week) are also easy and use what you have.
No reason not to have good food to eat. You can use many of the items you have in your own pantry (no shopping necessary) and make something new and tasty. Meals need to be filling and you want to stretch things as far as you can when you are in need. Not all meals have to have meat (I know, many don't agree) - but they really don't. Use whatever protein you have on hand. Don't stress - feed you family on the cheap.
I never recommend things that I have not done myself. I have had rough days in the past when food needed to be stretched to the max - and here I am!
YOU GOT THIS!!!
Have a wonderful day and enjoy all the blessings God has given!
You have provided lots of good ideas for quick, tasty and inexpensive meals! In Chez Nance, we no longer serve a meat, two or three sides and salad plus dessert for a meal. No more 8:00 a.m. breakfast, noon lunch and 5:30 p.m. supper. Breakfast has not always been served and according to some religious viewpoints, considered gluttonous. Breakfast had its origins in the industrial revolution, when more people began working regular, demanding jobs and needed sustenance to start their day. IMHO, I don't think that most folks can digest such a variety and quantity of food at a time. Think of Thanksgiving dinners where folks would eat until they were sick. Respect the food, a few things at a time. Open-faced sandwiches with all sorts of toppings are perfect for a small meal. We use small tortillas the same way. We made a beef barley vegetable soup in the one pot yesterday and it was delicious. Enough left over for a couple more lunches. Oh, the candy corn/peanut combo is so good. I used to snarf that stuff down. However, as I am watching my sugars and carbs, not for this old gal. You can have my share...ha! Yehovah has blessed us all with many, many things; most of all, the common sense to take care of the temple.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy this gorgeous day!
Good morning. Great ideas as usual.
ReplyDeleteI tried to sign in to Millie's Cozy Cottage and was told I was not invited! I have been reading her posts all along. Wonder what is different! I love her little blog!
Here on the west coast of south Florida, we are still very hot and humid.
Cheryl, I always love to read your recipes. Polenta is a favorite here. DH's family made it when they had beef roast and gravy. I'm going to try your candy corn and peanut mixture this year. I do have pecans, can you use them in that pie recipe? We are still dealing with triple digit weather here, hopefully it will cool down towards the end of the week. I need to go out and check if we still have any grapes or if they all got dried up.
ReplyDeleteYou are a treasure. Thank you for your posts, always helpful and informative and so nicely written, as if we were having a kitchen visit!
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