Inexpensive Meal Ideas for Busy Families

When it comes to budgeting I am always thinking of ways to make healthy, yet inexpensive, meals for my family. I have few simple guidelines I turn to in order to make sure I dont break the bank on our everyday meal plan. It isnt that I am trying to cheap out on my family, I am just trying make sure we can eat well everyday while still meeting our budgeting goals. Here are my ideas for inexpensive meals for busy families to help you stay on track!

Idea 1: Dry Grains & Pastas

- Dry grains like quinoa, couscous, and oatmeal are easy to buy inexpensively. They also make a great basis for many, many meals. I swear by serving things like fish (more expensive) on couscous or noodles (less expensive) to create a balanced meal that is on par budget-wise.

Idea 2: Double and Freeze Sauces & Stocks

- When I make things like tomato sauce or chicken stock I double or triple the recipe and freeze half of it. This way the frozen sauce can be easily thawed on busy nights and it can be paired with simple cooked pasta or a pricier cut of meat or fish. This saves so much money in the long run because nothing goes to waste and on the days when you are left with the last bits of your grocery run you can always pull it together with a great, pre-made sauce from the freezer.

Idea 3: Make One Dish Meals

- The sheer scale of a recipe can make all the difference. For example, one single pot of chicken tortilla soup is far less expensive to make than a roast chicken with two side dishes. It is also far less expensive to make one large pizza with vegetables than small individual salads, loaves of bread and meat. To save money on any given night go for a large dish made with a few ingredients that everyone will love. Things like soups and pizzas are also great because you can throw in nearly anything that is left in your fridge!

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Cook Once, Eat Twice!

As days get shorter and schedules get tighter, there seems to be less time to spend preparing dinner every night. While youre in the kitchen chopping and simmering, why not make something you can pull into service again one day down the road transformed into something different the next night or frozen for months, ready to pull out on a cold winters night when you dont have time to cook? Roast two chickens instead of one, assemble two lasagnas and freeze one for later, or cook extra rice to fry up another day here are some delicious ways to make your dinner do double duty.

• 
  Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

  It takes just as much effort to roast (or slow cook) a big pork shoulder as it does a small one - the more you cook the more you'll have to freeze and reheat to serve on biscuits with slaw on a day you may otherwise resort to takeout.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/slow-cooker-pulled-pork
• 
  Classic Roast Chicken

  It takes just as much work - and time, and energy - to roast two chickens as it does to roast one. Put them side by side in a 9"x13" pan to roast, then treat the second as you would a deli chicken - reheat it, or use it in sandwiches, salads, fried rice, fajitas, pasta, or any number of quick dishes.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/classic-roast-chicken
• 
  Slow Cooker Ham & Black Bean Soup

  Use the last of a roast ham to make a rich, meaty black bean soup in your slow cooker - the batch is big enough to freeze half for dinner on another night.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/slow-cooker-ham-black-bean-soup
• 
  Fried Rice

  When you make rice for dinner, double the amount you need - leftover rice is perfect for turning into fried rice, as the grains separate once chilled and won't lump together. Fried rice is quick to throw together using ingredients from your fridge, and most kids love it!
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/fried-rice
• 
  Baked Manicotti Florentine

  Like lasagna, only faster to prepare - stuff pasta tubes with an easy, cheesy mixture, then slather with tomato sauce and cheese and bake one, freeze another.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/baked-manicotti-florentine
• 
  Homemade Burgers

  When you make burgers, shape a few extra patties and freeze with squares of parchment or foil between them... when you need dinner quick, you can cook them up and toss them into buns in no time.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/homemade-burgers
• 
  Easy Lasagna

  While you're at it, why not assemble two pans side by side? Throw one in the oven, and cover the other and freeze. When you need an easy meal, uncover and bake from frozen, adding about 10 minutes to the cooking time.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/easy-lasagna
• 
  Loaded Potato Soup

  Soup is perfect for freezing - make a big batch of potato soup, then reheat and top with fresh toppings - grated cheese, crumbled bacon and sliced green onions - to make it seem like you aren't eating leftovers!
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/loaded-potato-soup
• 
  Pumpkin Chili

  The combination of ground beef, kidney beans and pumpkin puree, simmered with chiles and other spices, makes for a perfect fall meal. Chili is a great dish to make in large quantity - while you're at it, simmer a huge pot, then freeze large or small containers for lunches at work or dinners on cold nights once winter hits.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/pumpkin-chili
• 
  Slow-cooker Pot Roast

  A 3 lb. beef pot roast will always leave leftovers - turn the rest into fajita filling or toss with barbecue sauce for pulled beef sandwiches.
  Family Kitchen has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/slow-cooker-pot-roast
• 
  Chicken Pot Pie with Winter Vegetables

  Use leftover roast chicken to make a pot pie, then assemble two - bake one, then freeze the other and bake it from frozen. Nothing warms the house like a chicken pot pie!
  Brooklyn Supper has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/chicken-pot-pie-with-winter-vegetables
• 
  Grilled Butter Chicken Pizza

  Make butter chicken for dinner on one night, with enough to transform into a pizza sometime down the road. It's a delicious combination! (Pizza dough can be made in larger quantities and frozen, too!)
  Dinner with Julie has the recipe!
  /family-kitchen/2012/09/17/cook-once-eat-twice/grilled-butter-chicken-pizza

Top photo credit: altered from Ole & Shaina Olmanson

For more delicious ideas, check out Julies other Family Kitchen posts or visit her blog, Dinner with Julie! Join Julie on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for updates!

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Roast Chicken Thigh Burritos: Tasty Weeknight Dinner on a Budget

We initially created these roast chicken thigh burritos as vehicles for some of our excellent homemade roast cherry tomato salsa, but they ended up being such a versatile, easy weekday dinner option that we plan on making them again, homemade salsa or no. They made for an effortless, tasty, and nutritious dinner that both kids and adults loved.

The thighs are my favorite part of the chicken because I like their flavor better, but even if youre not as big a fan, they have a few things going for them that make them perfect for a weeknight dish like this. First, theyre cheap. At our grocer and butcher, the price per pound for thighs is generally a little more than half the price per pound for breasts. Second, thighs are a more forgiving cut because they dont dry out as easily. If youve got several dishes going and a couple of kids running around, sometimes its tough to pull a dish from the oven at exactly the right moment, but if you leave chicken thighs in a few minutes longer than you meant to, nobody will be able to tell the difference. Perfect for a busy parent.

Roast Chicken Thigh Burritos
serves 4

For the chicken
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

On the morning of, or as soon as you remember to, combine the olive oil and lemon juice, and turn the chicken thighs to coat. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Cover bowl and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken thighs skin side down in a lightly oiled, oven-proof roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, flip, and roast for another 10 15 minutes. Check the temperature at the thickest part of thigh, and when it reaches 165 degrees, pull it. (Note: the USDA recommends upwards of 180 degrees for chicken, and dark meat can do OK when cooked to this temp. We always cook to 165 which yields juicy, tender chicken. Also note that the temp will continue to rise a few minutes after you pull the chicken.) Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, and then cut the thighs up into bite-sized strips.

Serve the cooked chicken thighs on a warm tortilla with rice, beans, and lettuce, and smothered in this salsa (or your salsa of choice).

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