Guest Author - Lili Pintea-Reed

Many people wail at at the high price of food, but you can easily make meals for three people for less than five dollars. Many ethnic cuisines are very inexpensive to make, and making many items from scratch can stretch your food dollars! Try some of the ideas below and see how far your food budget can go!

The first step is to plan a menu that involves several low cost ethnic meals. Many of these are also vegetarian or can be easily adapted to make a veggie meal. Meatless meals are much lower in cost than those involving meat!

Here is a suggested meal Plan for a week of less than five dollar dinners! I would cook the rice ahead for the week. I would cook the beans in the crockpot ahead for the week. I'd make bread ahead for the week.

Shopping List for the week:
1 Bag of Pinto beans $1.25 on discount
1 Sack of White flour $1.59 on sale
1 Sack of wheat flour $1.89 on sale
1 Pound of rice (buy bulk its cheaper) -- $1.19
2 28 oz. cans of tomato sauce .85 each --1.70
1 gallon of milk (on sale) $1.99
1 head celery 1.00 on sale
5 pound bag of carrots 2.89 on special
1 pound of onions .89
20 pounds of potatoes bulk variety 5.89 for 20 pounds
chicken thighs and legs at .59 a pound four pounds $2.36
1 bag 3 pound of apples -- 2.89
2 pound of bananas .55 a pound --1.10
3 cans of green beans at .33 each -- .99
3 cans of corn at .33 each --.99
1 three pack of yeast 1.19 house brand
1 sack of sugar 1.89 on sale
1 box oatmeal discount 1.49
1 box of tea .99

This totals $34.17

If you divide this by seven days you get 4.89 a day.

Now the large bags of carrots and potatoes will carry over into next week, so I count that to cover small condiments that all the above will use. I would roast the chicken all at once for use during the week.

Here is a sample menus for several days.

Day One:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/milk
apple
tea

Lunch:
Homemade Burritos with handmade wraps
Tomato sauce
Orange
Tea

Dinner:
Stir Fried Fried Chicken with carrots and onions
Rice
Oatmeal Cookies
Tea

Day Two:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal Muffins
Orange/Apple Smoothie

Lunch:
Left Over Stir fry
Tea

Dinner:
Roast Chicken Thighs
Roast potatoes
Roast Carrots
Carrot Cake

Day Three:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/milk
Orange
Tea

Lunch:
Chicken Salad sandwich from left overs
Home made bread
Tea

Dinner:
Chicken/Rice/Corn Enchiladas with tomato sauce
Apple Pie
I would continue in this manner to use the pre-cooked rice, chicken and potatoes in various dishes as main courses. I'd make my own pasta. I'd use the dinner left overs for lunches.

Please check out this link to the recipes for many cheap ethnic meals.

Frugal Cooking Site:
http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/1020.asp


Happy Cheap meals!