Girl Talk: Recipes to feed a family under ten bucks
Last month we asked you what’s your favorite recipe to feed a family a four for under $10.
Here are your responses.
Lettuce wraps
In large fry pan, stir-fry 1 pound diced free range chicken, onions, garlic, carrots and basil. Season to taste. Add one can of drained black beans. Scoop mixture into lettuce leaves and serve.
– Ellen Mahoney, of Boulder
My fave standby for a crowd is my vegan pasta with pesto. Serves six.
1 pound spiral or any kind of noodles you prefer, cooked (99 cents)
1 bunch/bag/box fresh basil ($2.49)
1 handful fresh chopped parsley (50 cents)
1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil ($1)
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes ($1)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped (33 cents)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (pennies)
1/2 cup pine nuts (about $3, or to cut costs, use chopped walnuts instead)
Combine all ingredients except for pine nuts in a food processor or blender. Pour over hot, drained pasta. Add nuts and serve. I like to serve with roasted red peppers on the side. This freezes incredibly well and its always a crowd pleaser.
Total cost $9.31.
– Reba Sparrow, of Portland, formerly of Loveland
Tonight we are having French toast for dinner. That is certainly under $10, even if you have sausage or bacon with it.
Or grilled cheese with tomato soup.
– Karla Rinehart, of Richmond, VA, formerly of Loveland
Crock pot taco soup
Two chicken breasts
One can of black beans
One can of diced tomatoes
One can of corn
One can of diced green chills (4 ounces)
One packet of taco seasoning
Put everything in the crock pot in the morning and dinner’s ready when you get home from work. Fast, cheap and easy.
– Kirsta Britton, of Windsor
My favorite recipe is lentil soup with kielbasa (any sausage is possible, even that turkey kind but I’m from Pennsylvania and so partial to kielbasa).
2 cups water for every cup of lentils (This is a no-soak version. You can use half the water for a 4- to 8-hour pre-soak, drain, rinse and then cook in the remaining water.)
Bay leaf
Garlic (as much as you want)
Onion (as much as you want)
Salt
Cayenne (if desired)
White wine vinegar
Oil
In a big pot, warm a teaspoon of oil and then sauté the onion until clear. Cut the kielbasa into silver-dollar chunks and sauté until browned. Add the garlic, sauté one more minute. Add water, lentils, salt (about three pinches per cup of lentil), bay leaf. Add the kielbasa. Cook several hours, add water as needed. Top with a dash of white wine vinegar.
– Mary Casey II, of Boulder
Cheap, fast and easy to make without going to the store. Kids love it.
Spaghetti carbonara
1 pound spaghetti noodles. I use whole wheat. ($3.75)
6 slices of bacon, crumbled. Or you can use real bacon bits. No Bacos, please. ($1.50)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese. ($2 if you use fresh, even less if you use the kind in the canister.)
1/2 cup milk, cream or half and half (50 cents at most)
3 eggs (75 cents)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Boil noodles ’til al dente. In a large bowl, combine cheese, milk or cream, and eggs. Beat until well combined. When pasta is nearly finished cooking, remove the pasta from the water with tongs and place the pasta directly into the bowl with the egg, cheese and milk. Working quickly, mix well to combine. The heat from the hot pasta will cook the eggs and create a rich, creamy sauce. If it gets too thick, add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Add bacon, salt and pepper, mix and serve.
This is also good with frozen peas added. Cook the peas with the pasta for about five minutes, Proceed as directed.
– Brooke Vander Wal, of Loveland
Not positive it’s under $10, but it’s close.
Easy Greek salad
Combine romaine lettuce, onions, grilled chicken breast, croutons. Then put Ken’s Italian Dressing on it and add feta cheese.
So freaking good. We eat it, like, three times a week. And once you have the ingredients, you can just eat it all week until it’s gone.
– Jessica Morgan, of Denver
This is my soon-to-be mother-in-law’s recipe. It sounds really weird, especially the name, but it is really good.
Ki-Si-Ming
Cut up:
1/2 cabbage
2 stalks celery
2 medium onions
2 carrots
1/4 pound green beans (may use frozen)
Toss and simmer in one ounce or more of butter
Add one pound of browned ground beef, then add:
1 tablespoon curry
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Soy sauce to taste
Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. Don’t know if it’s all under $10, but it’s close.
– Tevin Bookout, of Brighton
This is our favorite meal and it’s extremely healthy at the same time. I always make it with homemade whole wheat flax bread and I’ve included that recipe, as well.
Best damn butternut squash soup recipe known on Earth
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic (pressed or minced)
1 medium to large butternut squash
1 potato
1 sweet potato
2 to 4 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 apple
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 quart (or so) free-range chicken broth
2 to 3 tablespoons curry powder (your favorite kind, mine is the Frontier brand and can be found in the Fred Meyer bulk or at Whole Foods bulk)
1 to 2 teaspoons coriander (ground coriander seed)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel, core and chop all the vegetables. Using a large stock pot, over high/medium heat, sauté onion, garlic and celery in olive oil. Add remaining vegetables and butter. Grind salt over the pot and sauté until fragrant (about five minutes).
Pour in chicken broth (with water, if needed) to just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are extremely soft. Blend in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to stock pot and add seasoning. You can add the seasoning while it’s simmering but it turns your food processor blade orange. I usually add the seasoning after while the soup is still hot and let it rest on the stove for the afternoon.
Must have bread (in a bread machine)
In this order, add ingredients to your bread machine (makes a 1 1/2-pound loaf)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour (add extra 1/4 cup for high altitude)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (finer grind is best)
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (not required but makes bread even better)
Make a well in the flour and add 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast 1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Select the basic/white cycle as it’s faster. Use medium/light crust color. Remove baked bread from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Eat the bread within the first couple of days.
Not-so-healthy baked French toast with your leftover bread
4 to 6 slices of bread
2 to 4 tablespoons of butter (depending on how naughty you want to be)
3 tablespoons of honey
4 eggs
2/3 cup of apple or orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 banana (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter and honey in 9-by-13 baking pan while the oven preheats. Mix eggs, juice, cinnamon and salt in a shallow dish.
Once the butter is melted, remove from oven, swirl around. Slice the banana into the pan. Soak both sides of bread until soggy in egg mixture. Arrange in the baking pan and pop in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Turn over French toast to serve (banana on the top!). We usually eat with vanilla yogurt instead of syrup but do what you wish with it.
– Katrina Yancey, of Golden
Grilled cheese and tomato soup is cheap and easy! Under $5.
I am also a fan of tacos ($1.99 for hamburger; 99 cents taco seasoning; $1.50 taco shells) and then you can sprinkle with cheese and sour cream, tomato and lettuce. Knorr’s taco rice is yummy ($1.30) and a can of black beans (99 cents). Total: $7.
Or if you want to work at it, try this recipe for meatloaf.
1 to 2 pounds hamburger
Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, onion powder and Worcestershire
Add 1/2 chopped onion
Add 2 to 3 pieces of crumbled bread (can be day old)
Mix in one egg
Make sauce: ketchup, brown sugar (1 tablespoon) and 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
Top meatloaf with sauce and then add throughout cooking.
Put in bread pan and bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes.
Mashed potatoes: Either peel and boil 4 to 5 medium potatoes then add milk and butter and mix (a couple of tablespoons each).
Or a package of Betty Crocker seasoned mashed potatoes works just as well and costs less than $1.
Add a can of green beans: Less than $1.
And call it dinner!
– Tia Sauceda, of Erie
I do polenta (1 cup feeds at least four people and takes about five minutes to cook) topped with Boulder sausage (Italian), one jar of 365 pasta sauce and half a package of 365 frozen “stoplight” peppers. This recipe also happens to be gluten-free.
– Christine Neff, of Boulder
I thought you might like my big pot recipe for chili pasta, a simple go-to standby that you can pack with vegetables, and just about anything you have in the house, including leftovers. Based on a Campbell’s soup recipe, it’s not the most elegant of dishes, but it’s inexpensive, easy-to-prepare and deliciously satisfying warmth and nutrition for winter nights.
Throw-it-all-in chili pasta
1-1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey (or beef, or chicken)
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups or 1 can cooked dark kidney beans
1 1/2 cups or 1 can cooked black beans
1 can low-sodium condensed tomato soup
1 can low-sodium diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons vinegar
Assorted chopped vegetables (such as 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, according to what you have on hand)
2 cups whole grain macaroni or other pasta
3 cups water
1. In a large pot coated with cooking spray, brown turkey. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Stir to separate meat.
2. Add next eight ingredients through assorted vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
3. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Reduce heat and cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.
If you prefer, sap cooked pasta for dry and eliminate water.
– Wendy McMillan, of Longmont
Next month: What is your favorite holiday memory? Send your stories to speakup@womensmag.com.
