Weekly budget friendly menu for large family

amother

Mon, Oct 23 2023, 1:28 pm

Can you please share your weekly menu for a large family.
At this point I am making lunch for part of the family and supper for everyone. But even just your weekly supper menu is helpful.

emee2

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 2:01 am

This is my menu this week. I have 6 kids so not a huge family.
Sunday tacos (dairy)
Mon beef and broccoli over brown rice ( use cheaper chulent meat but cook all day in crock pot )
Tues schnitzel, carrots and farfel
Wednesday enchiladas
Thursday breaded tilapia. Quinoa, yellow Zuchini

piegirl

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 2:49 am

We are currently trying to eat from our freezer. Sunday leftovers, Monday tacos (meat and veggies) Tuesday spaghetti and meatballs (add veggies in the meatballs) Wednesday pizza in the Betty Crocker, Thursday pareve French toast made out of old challah and eggs. I try to make salad every day. I buy whatever veggies are on sale and use more of those.

amother

Fern

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 6:56 am

emee2 wrote:

What do you serve in dairy tacos? My family has a policy that the birthday child picks supper, and ds wants tacos (his birthday is next week Thursday), but dh insists that Thursday has to be milchig and half my family won't touch beans.

AlwaysGrateful

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 7:11 am

Veggie soup and homemade flatbread is very cheap. Or soup and grilled cheese.
Tofu stir fry, or stirfry with some leftover chicken can stretch it.
Spaghetti and meatsauce, you can add a lot of sauce and stretch not a ton of ground meat.
Baked ziti and a salad.
Scrambled eggs and toast served with cut up vegetables.
Breakfast enchilladas can be pretty cheap.
Baked potatoes (and sweet potatoes?) with toppings and a cheese roux.
Beans and rice, or jambalaya with only one kind of protein.
Chickpea stew.
Beef stew over mashed potatoes, cut the beef cubes really small so that a little goes a long way.
Chili with lots of beans. Can make with cornbread or mashed potatoes.

LeMortedeLilac

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 7:28 am

I like to make baked French toast. Use a challah ($5, give or take), slice it up, dip in batter of eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract) and lay flat in a greased tin. Layer and bake. After done, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.
We do this when it's breakfast for dinner night. Also baked eggs with lox in it.
Another meal I do is Mexican sausages in a crock pot. Sweet Italian sausages (3 packs from Jacks), 3 peppers (one green, one red and one yellow), 2 cubes of minced garlic, a chopped onion, a jar of marinara sauce. Mix and cook on low for 4 hrs. Make some spaghetti and it's a very filling meal. I usually pack half of sausages into the freezer and combine with a salad and pasta for another night.
Just some 💡. Good luck!

Highstrung

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 7:54 am

I took leftover meat (from different roasts) from Yom Tov that I kept in the freezer, shredded it , or broke into bite size pieces , and added it to sautéed onions and a couple of canned beans. Seasoned it with cumin, coriander, chili pepper , garlic powder , salt , etc. (don’t even remember, but you can season it any way your family prefers) served over rice.
Also served butternut squash soup.

I find the fall and winter time is a great time to stretch meals , because you can make hearty and satisfying stews and soups out of stuff you have in the fridge , freezer and pantry .

amother

Honeysuckle

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 8:23 am

Soups are great! Can serve with bread/grilled cheese. I make bean soups and lentil soups all the time for protein. My kids LOVE soup.

Tofu stir fry as brown rice

Meatballs over ww spaghetti

Chicken and rice/potatoes

Breakfast for supper.

amother

Pistachio

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 8:32 am

We have soy corn tomato dairy restrictions. 8 children kah, I cook for 7.

I switch off these dinners:
Ground beef: meatballs, hamburgers, meatsauce
Chicken cutlets: schnitzel or stir fry
Chicken wings
Cheapest roast on sale: pulled beef over potatoes and green beans

Mix and match starch sides:
Potatoes
Rice
Pasta
Couscous
Sandwich bread/rolls
Fries

Mix and match vegetables:
Fresh salad
Green beans
Broccoli/cauliflower
Edamame beans

amother

Wine

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 8:50 am

I find ground beef to be economical. I get the chicken and beef mix so it’s cheaper. I do that once a week. Either tacos, meatballs and spaghetti, or meat sauce and some kind of pasta or burgers.

Sometimes I do bagels with scrambled eggs and tuna and Israeli salad. If I’m feeling it a smoothie to go with it.

I do do chicken in the bone. Sometimes the whole chickens come in a two pack and are cheaper. Side note whole chicken is so delicious we usually make for shabbos. But sometimes during the week and I’ll Make that with rice and frozen green beans.

If shredded cheese is on sale then lasagna or baked ziti is a good option. Add a veggie soup or a big salad

Ducking the tomatoes but hot dogs are a dinner here sometimes. Frozen fries and some cut up tomatoes cucumbers baby carrots.

amother

Vanilla

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 11:41 am

big pot of meat stew or soup with meat.
Chicken and rice (you can add peas into the rice for added filling factor if your family will go for that.
Chicken stir fry
Eggs with bread and fillings.

amother

Begonia

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 12:15 pm

tichellady wrote:

This week:
Tofu red curry with rice
Cornbread and chili
Lasagna and salad
Ground beef tacos with slaw

Can I please have the recipe?

amother

Oleander

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 1:16 pm

amother Fern wrote:

Fish tacos are delicious. Fry battered fish. Flake into pieces. Pile into soft tacos along with pico de gallo, seasoned red cabbage salad (or pickled onions), and avocado cream.

For variety, also serve hard taco shells with cubed and seasoned avocado, tomato, scallion, a sprinkle of black beans, and then garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

amother

Fuchsia

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 2:03 pm

amother Oleander wrote:

Bonus points if you add cubed mango to your pico de gallo!

emee2

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 2:52 pm

amother Fern wrote:

We also are not big into beans so I mainly use the meatless meat from Trader Joe’s. Here is how I set up the taco bar

Fake meat
Refried beans or
Black beans
Shredded cheese

Spanish rice

Salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Corn
Sliced olives
Jalapeños
Fried onions

Shells hard and soft

Extras if it’s fancier or we have guests or something:
Queso dip
Black bean and mango salsa
Pickled cabbage
Purple onion
Pinto beans

amother

Wandflower

Tue, Oct 24 2023, 3:11 pm

B”H eggs are economical again
Dry Beans are budget Friendly and make soups hearty
Leftover veggies can always be ground up into ground beef to stretch it for meatloaf and meatballs. I find up to 1/3 they can’t tell.

I make a lot of beefaroni and soups

Best way to save is minimize food waste, everything gets used for something

If you can cut your own chicken, it’s more economical and you can use the bones for broth

Years ago someone on here saved all her vegetable scraps and peelings and made blended soup with it.

amother

Forestgreen

Wed, Oct 25 2023, 4:29 pm

All of our regular suppers are under $20 to feed up to 12 people.

Shortcut Shakshuka over rice
Soups (bean soup, potato soup, leftover chicken soup)
Pasta and meat sauce (1 lb of meat and lots of tomato sauce)
Quiche in 9x13 (mix-in-pan crust, add in frozen veggies and swirl in sauce)
Baked ziti (1-2 lb of shredded cheese)

Our breakfasts are oatmeal or cereal. If I am on top of things I'll make a pot of oatmeal (much cheaper and healthier) or usually we use instant packets.

Lunches are sandwiches, either PB&J, cheese, or tuna.

Not super healthy but not a lot of "bad" ingredients and pretty cheap.

amother

Fern

Wed, Oct 25 2023, 5:11 pm

amother Oleander wrote:

I'm allergic to fish. I never tried feta cheese but we're big cheese people in general, and the birthday boy and I both like black beans, so at least 2 of us should be happy.