Well, the family’s hungry
And the money’s tight…
What are we going to have tonight?
Don’t you…
Know what we’re gonna do?
We’re gonna spend less than five…and fill our tummies too!
Cheap, easy, healthy: here you go!
Mexican Vegetable & Beef Skillet Meal
A budget-stretching meal that comes in at $4.80 for four servings, using generic/store brands. It will cost even less if you buy ingredients in family-size packs. The savings come by using less meat and increasing the rice and vegetables. Or you can add another healthy and cheap protein source: canned pinto beans. The recipe makes 8 servings, so you might have enough for lunch or dinner the next day, unless everyone wants seconds.
Source: Food Hero; Serving size: 1 cup; Servings per recipe: 8
Ingredients:
1⁄2 pound lean ground beef (15% fat)
3⁄4 cup onion, chopped (3/4 medium onion)
1 cup uncooked white rice or brown rice
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (about 2 medium fresh tomatoes)
1 1⁄2 cups vegetables fresh, frozen, or canned and drained (try one or
more—zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, corn, cauliflower)
1 3⁄4 cups water
1 1⁄2 teaspoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheese
Materials:
Measuring cups and spoons, large skillet, cutting board with sharp knife
Directions:
- Cook beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat (350 degrees in an electric skillet) until no longer pink. Drain fat.
- Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add rice, tomatoes, vegetables, water, and spices. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low (250 degrees in an electric skillet). Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Add more water if needed. Brown rice may require an additional 20 minutes of cooking.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 1 to 2 minutes to allow cheese to melt. Serve warm.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes:
- Try ground turkey or 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans (15-ounce can, drained and rinsed) in place of lean ground beef.
- For extra flavor, in step 3 add 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 4 cloves of minced garlic, and/or 1 -2 teaspoons of ground cumin. Or each person can add hot sauce or salsa to their own taste.
Garden Vegetable Cakes
These Garden Vegetable Cakes are one of my family’s favorites. You can use what you’ve got on hand for fresh or leftover vegetables, along with regular or sweet potatoes. Serve on whole grain hamburger rolls or whole grain bread, with ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce to spark it up. Can also serve with sliced tomatoes or a dollop of fat-free plain regular or Greek yogurt.
Round off the meal with unsweetened applesauce or fresh apple slices. Cost for the meal is about $4.25 – $4.50 total for a family of four if using generic/store brands.
Source: Food Hero
Serving size: 2 cakes
Servings per recipe: 4
Ingredients:
- 1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dill weed (can use fresh or dried parsley if don’t have dill weed)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 4 eggs (or 1 cup egg substitute)
- 2 Tablespoons minced green onion with tops
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1⁄2 cups shredded vegetables (potato, carrots, bell pepper, celery, zucchini, sweet potato or yam)
- Cooking oil spray
Materials: Cutting board and sharp knife, measuring cups and spoons, medium bowl and skillet
Instructions:
- In medium bowl, stir together cheese, flour, baking powder, dill weed, salt and pepper.
- Beat in eggs, green onions, lemon juice and garlic until well blended. Stir all shredded vegetables into the batter.
- Heat skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (350 degrees in an electric skillet). Lightly spray or oil with cooking spray. For each vegetable cake, pour 1/3 cup batter onto hot skillet or griddle. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
PHOTO CREDITS: https://www.foodhero.org/
IF YOU NEED FOOD:
- Food Bank of the Southern Tier list of food pantry locations and schedules:
- Your school district is providing bagged meals for kids. Check the school web site for times and locations of drop-off points.
SOS Schuyler has some funds available for emergency needs of families: spiritofschuyler.org
Brought to you by:
Joan Martin
SNAP-Ed Nutritionist, Southern Finger Lakes Region
jdm458@cornell.edu
