Can You Prepare a Meal for $1/Serving?

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Can You Prepare a Meal for $1/Serving?

Submitted by: Tip Hero 07/15/2009 2:53 PM

Last week we featured a tip for 7 Quick Summer Recipes Under $3 a Serving. Based on reader feedback, we learned that $3 per serving is a bit of a splurge.

So we want to see how low you can go! Let's start the the bidding at $1 per serving and see what you can do. Please share your recipes (and rough estimates for ingredient costs) below, and thanks for being a Tip Hero!

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Comments:

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Check out my Chicken and Dressing recipe on the recipe page. Here in Texas I can buy 10 lb bag of leg quarters for about $6.00. They make excellent broth and I use the meat in lots of recipes. Chicken salad, chicken and dumplings,chicken pot pie,and if you soak them in salt water overnight they fry up very nicely.These come from older chickens and are not as tender but can be used in many ways.Soaking them takes the blood out and tenderizes them.I like to cook them all at once with chicken bouillon,onion and celery. Divide the meat up for several meals and freeze the broth.Very good for CHEAP!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Gale Osborn on July 15, 2009 6:18 PM

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For a serving at $1.00 or less:

Assuming all ingredients are half-price or less:

Home-fries (homemade) with a sunny-side egg on top and a slice of ham.

Can of baked beans with brown sugar and pineapple chunks added, along with hot dogs.

Homemade chicken stew (broth, carrots, celery, peas) with Bisquik dumplings.

Egg salad in whole wheat pita bread with tomato soup.

Tuna boats (tuna/celery salad in hollowed-out cucumber half along with orange/red onion salad.

Posted by jm12715 on July 16, 2009 1:16 PM

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In my area whole roasting chickens go on sale for .79 per # about once a month. I always stock up, because for my family of four, its the best meat value I can find. A whole 5# chicken is less than $4 and I get at least 3 meals for all four of us out of each one.

I roast the chicken with garlic and lemon in the oven. The first night we "carve" half of it and eat it like we would turkey...with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. The whole meal for four is between 3.50-4.00.

I save the broth and shred the remaining meat ( I am even "picky" and give the dog the darkest meat). We always have enough for another meal and sometimes chicken salad sandwiches for a third. Some of our favoreites: Chicken and rice casserole, chicken chili, chicken enchiladas, chicken tacos, chicken a la king, and chicken noodle soup. None of these leftover chicken meals costs me more than a dollar a serving, usually less. And they are fast, because the meat is cooked.

Posted by anonymous on July 16, 2009 2:15 PM

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There are tons of things you can make for less than $1.00 per serving:

Tuna noodle casserole
Spaghetti and rolls
Hamburgers and Fries
Baked Mac and Cheese and a vegetable
Roast Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Egg Salad Sandwiches w/ a side garden salad
Terriyaki Grilled Chicken Thighs, Rice, Veggie

They key is buying these ingredients/items on sale and/or buying store brands. Chiken thighs are great, they are usually cheaper than ground beef, they are very flavorful and there's lots of things you can do with them!

Another person above mentioned getting several meals out of a roast chicken. We do the same thing. Roast chicken on the first night, chicken soup for the next two nights! It is great value!

Posted by Teresa A on July 16, 2009 2:53 PM

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chicken stirfry using anglefood chicken trenders and summer squash and zucchini out of my own garden. Serve on a bed of rice.

Posted by anonymous on July 16, 2009 3:49 PM

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There are just the two of us now, hubby and me. I can buy a can of Luck's Pinto Beans already seasoned for 68 cents at Walmart, fry up a couple potatoes and in summer add sliced tomato from the garden. We love the beans, fried taters and sliced maters..........it is good eating.

Posted by anonymous on July 16, 2009 5:15 PM

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1/3 of a can of pork and beans (we pay 68 cents for the can). 1/3 of a can of spinach (heated) - we pay 57 cents for a full can of spinach. Top the spinach with one egg (we pay $1.87/dozen). Share a banana (we pay 47 cents for a pound of bananas). You've got bulk/fiber in the beans; the needed vegetable and iron from the spinach - the protein from the egg, and the potassium/sugar/fruit from the banana.

We lived on the road for 9 years; we had to think up meals that did't require heating; that would travel well, and not be costly.

It's easy to buy a full tin of sardines for 33 cents at the dollar stores. Lots of protein; a few soda crackers with a dollop of mustard or catsup makes for a good breakfast.

A handful of grapes and an apple for lunch.

People spend so much time figuring out how to lose excess weight; interestingly enough if they were too poor to afford all that food, they'd resort to the $1.00 per meal; 3 meals a day and live on $21/week for each person.

No diet pills; no fancy equipment to lose weight - reduce their overall expenses, and be healthy.

Posted by Diane on July 16, 2009 10:33 PM

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Tonight my husband and I had our own "cookout" using my countertop oven. We had "pigs in a blanket" (a hot dog wrapped with 1/2 slice cheese & bread & toasted in the oven-broiler), fried potatoes (made with two real potatoes fried in 2 Tbls. oil, not the ready-made hash browns), and pork & beans. Total cost / serving approx. 85 cents...provided everything was bought on sale! So much can be saved by cooking "from scratch", and it's just so much better!

I agree with Diane, portion control and watch how you prepare your food; no need for diet pills!

Posted by Kate on July 19, 2009 7:06 PM

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In the past year or so a 10# bag of potatoes costs anywhere from $1.89-$2.98. So, for an inexpensive, healthy inexpensive meal you can make:

1) potato soup (with some leftover ham pieces if you have them) and a salad,

2)baked potatoes with 1/2 cup cottage cheese and some salsa on top and shredded lettuce

3)breakfast for dinner with hash browns, eggs and
fruit, bacon if you have it ($2.50/lb here)

4) potato salad with hot dogs on buns or burgers

5) scalloped potatoes with whatever leftover meat you have saved (chicken, ham, etc), salad

6)potato pancakes with applesauce - filling and a favorite at our house

7) oven fried potatoes (scrub potatoes, cut in fairly thin wedges, brush with oil, place on baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees til nice and brown). Serve these with chicken thighs and legs you have prepared, or with sandwiches, etc.
There, that's one week of inexpensive ideas based mostly on those potatoes!

Posted by P.L. Alexander on July 21, 2009 12:06 PM

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I'd like to echo the above. Portion control is key to saving money and loosing weight. Twelve ounces of food is enough for a large meal for a hungry adult. Kids need much less. Teens a little more.

Not wasting food is paramount to saving money on food. An estimated 30% of food in USA is thrown away. I suggest that before a person starts using coupons they should figure out what they waste first.

My favorite cheap meal is burritos. I love it because the ingredients are so flexible, you need at least 1 flour tortilla per serving, beyond that I sometimes include: brown rice, cooked in chili powder, cumin, oregano; black beans, frozen corn, heated or the remnants of a opened can of corn, leftover olives, salsa, any garden vegetables: tomatoes, green onions, bell pepper are especially good. Shredded cheese, sour cream or leftover ground beef, if you have any. Line up the fillers on the tortilla, wrap it and if you are so inclined, fry for a few seconds in hot oil. Usually less than 50 cents per serving, very nutritious and filling. If you still have leftovers you can combine the lot (except the sour cream) in a oven dish and pour corn bread batter over the top, bake in a warm (approx 350 degree) oven until the bread is done for tamale pie. Be sure to leave enough room for the corn bread to rise and not pour over in the oven. I like to make burritos for one meal and tamale pie for the next. My husband doesn't like tacos but if you have tacos the first night, use the leftovers for burritos the next, then finish it off with tamale pie, then you should have no waste.

Posted by anonymous on July 21, 2009 7:09 PM

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I buy skin on bone in chicken breast for $0.99/lb which go into a crock-pot for about 6-8 hours on low with a can of tomato sauce, 1 adobo chile (a small can usually has about 10 of those), 1/2 cup of water, salt (or a cube of beef bouillion disolved in about 1/2 cup of water), pepper, a couple of cloves of garlic, a small onion and a bunch of cilantro from my garden. 2 breasts (skin and bones removed, shredded) with rice in a tortilla with a little bit of shredded cheese, sour cream and a pinch of fresh chopped cilantro will make about 4 meals for a family of 3 for less than $1/serving (provided everything was bought on sale). The chicken also freezes very well.

Posted by anonymous on July 21, 2009 9:39 PM

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1 box fettucine, one jar ragu alfredo sauce, one bag broccoli, 1 loaf french bread. Serves 7 for less than 7.

Posted by Katie on July 26, 2009 11:47 PM

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Chili of course! Better still meatless chili.

Posted by anonymous on July 30, 2009 1:11 AM

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I've got chili 'simmering' right now. In fact, I've shared my chili recipes on:
http://fivewaychili.blogspot.com

If you visit there, you'll find all the recipes are good, and money-saving. Diane

Posted by anonymous on October 31, 2009 10:49 PM

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