Sunday's Plate - Organizing a Cheap Food Week

When money is tight, and it nearly always is with families after Christmas, the one really fluid part of the budget is the food budget. You can always scrape a few dollars out of the food budget if you think it through, and nobody seems to notice for about a week.

Here are some really cheap menu plans that taste good and fill up the family and won't break the bank. You'll have to do a little cooking, but you can save a bunch even if you have to buy everything listed.

Granola for breakfast.

Use half a large carton of whole oats $4.00, half large package of coconut @ $ 1.50, 3/4 cup canola oil @ $ 2.50, 1 cup brown sugar @ $ 2.00, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Bake 350 degrees in a baking pan for about 35 minutes. Let cool and serve every other morning.

$10.00

French toast for breakfast.

Use one quarter loaf of Italian bread @ $ 2.50 and two of a dozen eggs @ $ 1.50 and 1/4 stick of butter @ $2.50 lb. Use cinnamon sugar as a topping. Serve three days.

$6.50

Lunch:

Peanut butter @ $2.00 and brown bread or cinnamon bread @ $ 3.00 sandwiches serve M/W/F.

$5.00

With another loaf of Italian bread @ $ 2.50 make cheese @ $ 3.50 sandwiches T/W.

$6.00

Boil 2 eggs for egg salad for two days and use remaining Italian bread.

Apples every day for a week. @ $ 4.00 a bag.

$4.00

Dinner:

Chicken soup: 1 package of whole grain noodles @ $1.00; 1/2 jar of chicken bouillon @ 2.50; and 2 chicken breasts @ $3.00. Boil noodles, add bouillon, add cooked chicken, thicken with flour and water mix.

$6.50

Pancakes: Always a favorite: 2 cups whole grain flour @ $3.00; 1/4 cup canola oil; 1 egg; salt; 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder, milk @ $ 3.00 to desired thickness. 1 cup sugar @ $ 3.00 added to 1/2 cup water boiled three minutes will make syrup. Add 1/2 stick of butter.

$9.00

Mac and Cheese: One box of whole grain noodles @ $1.00. 1/2 stick of butter to 1/2 cup of flour cooked in a pan. Add two cups of milk, add rest of cheese from sandwiches, 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon and bring to a boil. Serve over cooked noodles. Serve with piggy link sausage @ $ 3.00 additional = $4.00 total. Use some of the apples to make applesauce.

$4.00

Fake Crab sandwiches. Use one package fake crab from the sushi department @ $4.00. Chop celery and onion with crab @ $ 2.00. Use one piece of Italian bread and one egg. Make one package refrigerator biscuits at $2.50 for 4 tubes. Serve with left over mac and cheese, celery sticks and carrot sticks @ 1.50 a bag on special.

$10.00

Pizza: With some of your flour and a package of yeast @ $2.00, and some warm water and a tablespoon of oil, make a pizza dough. Use 1/2 can of tomato sauce @ $1.00 and one package of grated mozzarella or Monterrey Jack Cheese at @ $3.00. Use left over sausage...

$6.00

Meatloaf: buy two pounds of ground meat @ $ 8.00 and use some of your oats with the meat, 1/2 the can of tomato sauce. Bake for an hour at 350 degrees. Microwave potatoes @ $ 3.00 and serve with some of your carrots and celery steamed.

$11.00

Meatloaf sandwiches on the final night! Serve with any leftovers especially oven baked sliced potatoes dredged in oil.

If you had to buy everything here, it would cost under $80.00 and still be good for you. If you had oil, flour, and butter, it would, of course, be cheaper. Eating at school or grabbing a piece of toast in the morning is even cheaper. Substituting the meatloaf for tacos, might come out more cheaply as well.

Hope I've gotten you to thing about "cheap weeks!"