Eating Frugally at Home

If you are like me, you get bored with eating the same recipes. Pretty often. Also, if you are like me and you see $2.00 a serving for frugal meals, you figure that's a little pricey! I like to keep a rotation of meals for $2.00 for four of us that might even yield leftovers. (This does NOT include drinks or dessert.) I can't do it every meal but several times a week for sure.

Today for lunch we had Turkey Taco Meatloaf with fried potatoes and corn.

1 lb Preseasoned turkey meat from Dillon's ($1.25) *added lots of cumin and a dash of cayenne
Mixed w/2 eggs ($.08 because I got a dozen from Price Cutter for .49)
Handful of plain oats (negligible, around .10)
Half of one grated garden zucchini for nutrition (gotta be sneaky with preschoolers!) Free
=1.50

Could easily have added black beans (I found generic is cheaper at Target at .67 a can), corn, tomatoes, salsa, etc). I did top mine with a little salsa down the middle the way I usually use ketchup or bbq sauce.

I baked this is my silicone bakeware (no greasing) in my convection toaster oven so it does not take as long or cost as much in electricity as the regular oven. Especially useful because it doesn't make the house as hot as the oven during these summer months!

For sides, I went with potatoes because they needed to be eaten pretty much today or tomorrow. I boiled them a little in the microwave for speed while I heated the oil on the stove (leftover oil from our freezer taquito craze last week). Just added salt. (I'm out of onions and peppers right now, though the garden is about to produce some peppers finally!) (about .50 as I bought 10 lbs for 2.50)

Also included a can of generic corn in the microwave for speed and ease (about .50).

Whole meal for three (Daddy's at work but we have leftovers for him, so this easily serves 4) for approximately $2.50. Plenty of meatloaf left for snacks/quick lunches for the grownups!

TONIGHT we will have Italian because I also need to cook up the Italian sausage I purchased at Dillons.($1.20) I will pair it with a box of whole wheat Barilla pasta, also from this week's Dillons trip for .50 and some pasta sauce which I got at Murfin's market recently for .09 for a can. I will add a can of diced tomatoes (Walmart generic, about .50) and some more shredded zucchini (free). Top with parmesan (not sure how to approximate cost). Under $2.50 for the whole meal again.

I'm hoping that as I get better at shopping for deals and couponing for groceries, I can lower these costs even further!