Poor man's recipes

Some of my easiest and best recipes have come when I have had two or three things in the cabinet. Alot of it is cheap and easy because it is canned....sometimes frozen. May not be the healthiest but once again...when you are on a budget you can't be too picky. Thought I would share some of them : )

Chicken tacos:

(This one is so easy and is best if you have an Aldi because Aldi is super cheap...you could probably still make it cheap if you have a Walmart but Aldi is best.)

Canned chicken (< $1.50)
Black Beans (< $1)
taco seasoning (<$.50)
spanish rice (< $1.00) Rice is optional...I use it more for a filler if I am feeding more people : )
Flour or Corn Tortillas or a bag of Corn Chips (All less than $1.00)
Salsa of course : ) (<$2.00)

Drain the chicken and put it in a pot with the black beans and little bit of water...add taco seasoning. Sometimes I put it all in the crockpot and just let it simmer all day if I have other stuff to do....then you have all kinds of ways to eat it....rice in the shell? rice on the side? tomatoes and corn are items you can use once in a while too if you have them on hand. This meal is well then 6 dollars and has fed the three of us with left overs before.

Thanksgiving Casserole:

This one is a perfect idea for your Thanksgiving leftovers but you can also use chicken if it happens to be summer and you dont want to make an entire Turkey : )

Turkey or chicken (Once again I love the canned chicken...so easy to use for this kind of thing)
Corn
Green Beans
1 box of stuffing or 1 box of French's onions
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 bag of instant potatoes (I usually get something garlic and cheesey)

Preheat oven to 350
Make potatoes and spread in the bottom of a casserole dish
mix corn, green beans, chicken or turkey, and cream of mushroom-pour on top of mashed potatoes
Make stuffing and put as final layer
Put in the oven and bake for 35 minutes
If you use French onions instead place on top last five minutes

This is another one that is less than $6 if you shop right AND if you have an extra dollar Jamie likes to eat his with a side of cranberry from the can


Terriyaki

You dont need fancy smancy sauce from the store to make this! Just mix brown sugar and soy sauce to taste. Dump it in a skillet over your favorite meat (or whichever happens to be on sale) and make with a side of rice and steamed broccoli. I usually brown the meat a little and add garlic...but we are garlic people : )


Stir Fry

I learned how to make stir fry a couple of years ago and I looooove it!
For this one you will need
2 cups of white rice prepared and cooled (I usually make it in the morning and then put it in the fridge till I use it. This recipe works best if it is cold rice)
2 beaten eggs
corn
peas
carrots
soy sauce

Take a little bit of vegetable oil (or whichever you have) and put it in your skillet and just let it heat up...nearly to bubbling. Drop eggs in the oil and scramble in the oil. Add all of your veggies and rice. Let the rice cook in the oil for a while and flip every once in a while. It all just depends how much oil you use and how you like your rice. I like mine a little toasty. Add soy sauce to taste at the end. You can use meat for this one too if you have it....but this is one recipe I enjoy "vegetarian".

Well those are some of my favorite meals. Hope you enjoyed them : )