meatloaf can be stretched with cooked rice or oatmeal. Just take ground beef, leftover rice, an egg, some breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard and mix it together by hand. Form into a loaf and bake on 350 till till done. You can squirt some bbq sauce or ketchup / mustard on top of the loaf if you want

also meatballs are great. use the same recipe above but omit the ketchup and mustard. form the meatballs and place on a cookie sheet. bake them in the oven on 350 till done. You can use these to make sweet & sour meatballs (cooked in canned sweet and sour sauce) served over rice, swedish meatballs (mix cream of mush soup, a little milk and sour cream in a pot and warm) add the meatballs & serve over egg noodles, bbq meatballs (just add bbq sauce and serve as an appetizer), teriyaki meatballs (just add teriyaki sauce and serve as an appetizer)... yada yada yada u get the idea here.

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I just tried Chicken Helper fried rice. It is like hamburger helper but you add boneless chicken breasts to it. For 2 of us I use 1 chicken breast cut up instead of the whole pound. We are big eaters and it is more than enought for us.

This is a great thread! Two additions:
1. Spaghetti with white clam sauce:
Saute 1 whole clove garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil till the flavor releases, add 2 tablespoons butter, the juice from 2 cans chopped clams (.99 each), a pinch of crushed red pepper or fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 teas oregano. Let simmer a bit, add the clams, heat through, serve over pasta (1.00) and top with parmesean cheese.

2. Salmon cakes:
Pick through one 12 oz. can of salmon (1.50?), remove skin and bones. Flake into a bowl, mix with one beaten egg and about 1/2 cup bread crumbs, adding Old Bay seasoning to taste. Form into 4 large patties or 6 small ones. Saute in hot oil, flipping once, til both sides are golde. Drain on paper towels, serve with mac and cheese from a box (.50), and canned green beans (.50).

These are fantastic!! Thanks, I'll definitely be using a lot of these recipes. With us, we usually make these:

Mexican Lasagna
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 can peeled diced tomatoes
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 cup prepared salsa
- 1/2 cup cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground turkey, and stir in the taco seasoning and tomatoes. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with half the tortillas. Spoon the beef mixture into the dish, then top with the remaining tortillas. Spread salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Tex-Mex Mac n Cheese
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 package of taco seasoning
- 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 2 chipotle peppers chopped (optional - can use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 box of mac n cheese (we buy generic)

1. Brown turkey, drain, return to pan.
2. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and chipotle peppers.
3. While browning ground turkey, make mac n cheese.
4. Combine meat with mac and cheese and enjoy!

Pizza Pie
- 2 Whole wheat pitas
- Pizza sauce - I make mine with tomato sauce and add a pinch of garlic powder, oregano and basil
- Cheese
- Pepperoni, veggies, or whatever toppings you want

Just make as you would pizza but when they come out of the oven, stack one of pizzas on top of the other and put a saucepan over it so they stick. Sometimes I also wrap them in foil.

Some other stuff I make:

Spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Open faced Egg/Tuna/Chicken salad
Soup and sandwiches
Top Ramen and I add a couple of slices of cheese and hot sauce
Tacos
Burritos
Chicken Quesadillas w/ a side of refried beans

That's about all I can think of for now.

My mother in law raised 5 boys, one girl and a handful of the neighbor hood kids so I always look to her for cheap meal ideas. Here's my favorite:

Chicken Noodle Soup

2-3 chicken tenders cooked and diced
enough water to fill large pot about 3/4 full
1/2 bag rotini noodles
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 chicken bouillion cubes

Bring water to a boil with chicken bouillion and veggies. Cook until all veggies are tender. Add chicken and noodles. Then season to taste. Should run you about $5.

Where on earth do you ladies find Ground turkey for less than or equal to $1/lb???????!!! Please do tell!

Bag of dried chickpeas ~$1 (you don't need the whole bag to make a batch either)
spices (this would be expensive if you had to buy it all at once, unless you could get little bits in bulk from a health food store)
Package of whole wheat or regular pita loaves, cut each in half (2.59)
2Tb ranch dressing per pita half ($1 for a generic brand when on sale, but you don't need the whole bottle)
A little lettuce, tomato, or spinach if you want.
a little bit of flour

This feeds probably 6 people. The leftover falafal can be frozen. DH loves these!

You could also make the falafel and put them on salad.

I make several stand by meals that are pretty cheap and easy to do feed 4-6.

hash (lb hamburger or sausage, potatoes, onions, bell pepper, garlic, salt & pepper)

lb smoked sausage, potatoes, cabbage steamed until potatoes are done.

ham steak & scalloped potatoes (I buy a big ham on sale and have the deli slice it in 1/2" slices so I can cube when making soup or on a salad.

ham and bean soup with salad

chili with corn bread

My kids beg me to make cornbread chicken casserole. I love it because it is cheap and easy. I buy everything when it is on sale so I can make it quick when life gets busy.
1 box cornbread mix
2 chicken breasts (I buy in bulk then freeze in individual meal portions)
1 can cream corn
1 small can green chilis
Brown the chicken (I sometimes add a little salsa for flavor) prepare cornbread according to directions-pour 1/2 in 8x8 pan then 1/2 corn and 1/2 chilis, all the chicken, then rest of chilis, corn and top with remaining cornbread. bake at 350 for 20-25 min

Aldi is the cheapest around here...Last time I bought it it was $.99 ( I think it might be up to 1.19 now) HTH

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