Need menu ideas for tight budget!!!!

Hi, I need some menu ideas that are low cost. (I dont mind complicated dishes) any ideas???
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forgot to add: this is for Shavuos.

Gold Member Joined: Mar 14 2006 Posts: 1879

The cheapest menus are those built around what you already have in your pantry/freezer...

lol! my pantry and freezer are EMPTY! lol! (well, its not really funny but....)

Silver Member Joined: Jun 11 2009 Posts: 529

chicken can be relativly cheap depending were you are I bought the cheapest ground meat and made stuffed shells , morracan cigars and some meatballs out of it I find you can stretch ground meat by adding things to it. what basics can you get cheap and maybe some of us can give you ideas

Vegetarian chili. You can add just a touch of grated cheese if you'd like.

Soups -- split pea, lentil

Any pasta dish. We like pasta with pesto sauce; basil isn't all that expensive, and I don't use pine nuts in mine.
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Executive Member Joined: May 20 2011 Posts: 385

Its shavuos, so do lots of pasta (not that healthy but cheap), and you can use less cheeses bec dairy can be expensive. You can have fresh challah/bagels/bread with spreads, like tuna, lox (not cheap tho), cream cheese, butter. Soups are filling, easy and cheap- onion soup, mushroom soup, etc. Then like I said the mains can be lasagna, other dairy pastas, even just mac n cheese- just go easy on the amount of cheese/milk you put in. Quiches are cheap too, just buy the pie crust and fillings and throw it together. We also used to have omeletes on shavuos- eggs are pretty cheap! You can stuff with green peppers(cheap), tomatos, canned olives, whatever you want. Also make lots of salads- wash and check your own romaine, that is cheaper then buying ready made salad. Hope this helps, have a great yuntif!

Gold Member Joined: Jul 14 2009 Posts: 2094

I go by what's on sale. if carrots are on sale we have carrot kugel (or soup), same w/ zucchini, potatoes....
I also choose my salads accordingly, tomato, cucumbers, pepper salad....

you can have a lot of fillers, challa, dips.....before the main course

cutting up the meat/chicken goes further (like sesame chicken as opposed to chicken on the bone)

home made cakes/cookies are fine for dessert

you can make lemonade, iced tea.....instead of only bought drinks

Thank you so much for your ideas! they are really worthy. I do most of the above mentioned, and I was hoping to shave costs even further.... hm... any zany ideas?

Silver Member Joined: Jul 26 2011 Posts: 800

you can make rice stuffed grape leaves or rice stuffed vegetables like pepper, zuchinni, tomato, mushroom, eggplant.
use lots of potatoes- roasted, mashed, kugeled, knished-make ur own dough.
cabbage with noodles
stews can really stretch cheep meat, maybe make it with interesting spices so it's different than usual stew or choulent.
you can have many kinds or hors devores (?) if you make the doughs from scratch it can be cheap. franks n blanks, potato puffs, mushroom/cheese/veggy turnovers, tomato olive spirals, eggrolls
vegetable lo mein
eggplant parm. using only a sprinkling of parm. on each layer, it has a lot of flavor

very interesting! thanx naomi2. I want to try the stuffing ideas... Thnx so much mothers!

Gold Member Joined: Jul 27 2009 Posts: 1187

Do you read the blog penniless parenting? A mother in here write it and she gives amazing frugal ideas

Gold Member Joined: Jan 27 2010 Posts: 1436

If you like beans you can do a taco bar.

Soups are usually an inexpensive option. I will serve either an appetizer or a soup and go straight to the main dish, since three courses are too heavy on a Yom Tov.

You can do potato soup, carrot soup, mushroom barley (using canned mushrooms) or even tomato rice (calls for canned ingredients). These are all delicious, inexpensive, and you can make a lot and freeze.

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 20 2005 Posts: 5262

naomi2 what are the tomato olive spirals?

Silver Member Joined: Jul 26 2011 Posts: 800