Cheap, Fast, and Good

[danbuter]

What kinds of meals do you make when in a bit of a hurry but light in the wallet? Some of the things I've done:

Cold spaghetti sauce on bread.
Canned beef stew on rice.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Egg salad sandwiches on toast

scrambled eggs on toast, serve open face, it's more, well, la-de dah style.

Chili, while not quick, can be made ahead and frozen. Thin it out while thawing if it was thick, or you want it to stretch futher. Serve it on rice or mash potatoes. Potatoes are not too expensive. Fried potatoes are good.

I think toasted (grilled) peanut butter sandwiches are a treat, not too often, but good, cheaper than cheese.

I always add extra water to frozen juice, makes it go further and doesn't detract from the flavor. Ice tea or Iced coffee rather than soda pop.

 

[jabbur]

My boys swear by Ramen! While I myself don't partake of that particular delicacy, some of my quick and cheap meals include spaghetti with tomato sauce (red gravy), Cream of chicken soup over rice (have been known to do broccoli cheese soup too.) fried egg sandwich, oatmeal.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Pancakes.

 

[bakechef]

Breakfast for dinner is always a good cheap meal, eggs are one of the best and cheapest forms of protein.

chili-mac, a good flavor change from regular spaghetti.

soups, can of broth, a hand full of veg, maybe some meat, season to taste.

 

[chopper]

Sloppy Joes.

 

[taxlady]

Sloppy Joes, pasta carbonara, BLT, dressed up grilled cheese, Indian heat and serve curries with our own brown rice, brown rice fried with sesame seeds and tamari, soup and a sandwich.

 

[Snip 13]

Another vote for breakfast for dinner! I do that often and Bake beans on toast (with a little mayo in the beans) the only way my kids eat them!
Toasted tuna or tomato and cheese, instant noodles with some frozen mixed veggies added, canned sardines or canned oysters on toast, fried rice made with leftover rice, egg and whatever veggies we have, veggie soups, marrow bones with toast, baked potatoes with jarred pasta sauce and cheese if we have, pancakes (crepes since we make them thin in SA) filled with minced beef, tuna mayo, swiss chard, stir fry veg or whatever else we have, pap and morogo (like swiss chard), pap and curried cabbage, sauerkraut with warm bread and butter, hotdogs or sausage rolls, gravy or relish with pap or toast etc etc. I could carry on all day lol!

 

[CWS4322]

Tofu is a cheap source of protein. Cube it and marinate it with a bit of oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and take whatever veggies you have and make a stir fry.

I'm big on breakfast any time of day. Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein as well.

 

[Kylie1969]

Curried egg sandwiches with lettuce or plain egg

Baked beans on toast

Tuna and salad

 

[CraigC]

Grilled cheese sandwich, hotdogs with leftover chili, omelette, salad...

 

[Snip 13]

Made some tinned cannellini beans on toast yesterday. Fried some onion with a but of curry, salt and pepper and just added the drained beans. It was much better that canned baked beans!

 

[Kathleen]

Grilled cheese
PB & J
Fried Egg Sandwich
Basic Bean Burrito (Refried beans in a tortilla with chopped onion and dash of bottled sauce)

Soup and Crackers
Cheese and Crackers
PB and Crackers

Fruit and Cheese

Kraft Mac N Cheese

 

[PhilinYuma]

There are over 300 ways of combining canned tuna, bits of left over roast chicken, steamed rice, tomato sauce and eggs, though not necessarily all at once, and I have tried 287 of them.
Cheers

 

[Oldvine]

Baked potatoes. Mine with butter and cheese and if I have it, broccoli. Husband's with chili and cheese.

 

[luvs]

burger gravy over toast, potato, bread
chili/stew w/ saltines
put slivered pork through canned cannelinis & season well
omelettes/scrambled egg w/ a few veggies & then a type of potato as a sidedish
pasta/gnocci- very economical, & meatsauce/meatballs can be, too
soups made w/ dried legumes (split pea, lentil; etc.)
tuna cakes
colcannon
polenta
swiss steak

 

[RPCookin]

Sloppy Joes

Poor Man's Stroganoff - Brown ground beef and onions (and celery if desired), drain, add can of mushroom soup, sour cream, season as desired (I like garlic and basil). Serve over noodles or rice. Works with leftover chicken too - just saute the veggies in butter or olive oil.

 

[gadzooks]

How fast and how cheap? A fast breakfast around here means whisk an egg, toss it in a frying pan, and when I turn it, throw a flour tortilla on top. Ten seconds, flip the whole thing out of the pan, spread some salsa on the egg and roll it up, folding one end in in the process.

 

[kathrynb23]

My partner and I are very different, his cheap easy no fuss meal would be instant noodle especially mie goreng witha fried egg.
I on the other hand would die or a cheese and Vegemite(A yeast base spread from Australia, that's not for everyone) toast! Night or day! Super cheap! Nice and easy spread vegemite on bread, add slice cheese put another slice of bread on top and in the cafe press it goes for about 2 mins.

 

[taxlady]

Sautéed mushrooms on toast.

If I happen to have some pesto and already cooked pasta, then that is about as quick and easy as it comes as well as tasty and cheap.