OMG.... I've got a house going from 4 to 9 people at Christmas time...
Problem: MEALS
Sagus and I buy steak, pork loin, chicken breast and veal for our meals. We buy enough for one serving for each person (Us and the boys) and of course offer vegetables, rice/potato/pasta sides. At this time, we spend about $400 a month for all of us on food.
We have a VERY fixed meal preparation schedule, so I have no idea how to prepare inexpensive "stretching" meals. We eat only one serving per person normally, so we don't have left-overs. I cannot afford to buy veal/steak/chicken breast or center cut pork loin for 9 people...
Anybody have any ideas?
HELP!!!!!!!
Posts: 9124 | Location: PA, USA | Registered: 06-05-02
Company is coming! Sounds great. Wish I could come help you out. I love company.
First you need to find out how many are coming. Between 4 and 9 is a wide difference to prepare for.
Second, if they offer to help with the expenses, accept. Perhaps you could let them run to the store for you with a list.
Now make a menu...and stick to it.
I would suggest one item meals. Remember you'll have them for breakfast,lunch and dinner.
For breakfast: One big pan of biscuits, jelly, butter or margarine, coffee and milk
An egg and ham omelet with toast, coffee and milk
Danish or Cinnamon rolls (made from scratch or the can type), coffee and milk.
Lunch or dinner: Beef and vegetable stew over rice with bread or rolls.
Beef( and bean)Chili served with cornbread,rolls or crackers.
Tomato sauce(Prego or your favorite) with crumbled ground beef over spaghetti served with garlic bread(make your own)
Have extra can vegetables incase you need to stretch the meal.( I say canned because fresh is more work)
You get the idea. I'm sure you'll have some favorite one dish meals in mind. Oh, and if you can cook this ahead of time and freeze it,(but not the stew) you'll really have things under control.
By all means, if you want them to feel at home, let them help with the cooking, and cleaning too. (Hopefully they will offer)
Last, but not least, relax...and enjoy your company.
Posts: 3703 | Location: The beautiful Bayou State of Louisiana | Registered: 06-03-02
1) Use smaller plates. Many will fill their plate up and not go for seconds. Smaller plates mean less on first trip. If they like a particular dish, they'll go back for seconds.
2) Cut up the meats into bite size pieces. You do not want to have knives as a utensil.
3) Use shallow serving dishes. Not only does the shallow dishes make it appear there is more food, but as the food diminishes, it appears as though the dish is good.
4) Most importantly, do not have a sit-down dinner. Serve a buffet. Small plates, bite size pieces, fill the dining room table up with dishes of food.
Well if you are willing to serve food that will go outside your diet just for this time, I have the perfect solution for you. They're called Homestyle Bakes, they cost about 4$ and feed 4-6 people. They're good, they're quick, and most importantly, THEY'RE CHEAP!!!
Basically they're a meal in a box done casserole style. There are other brands, like Betty Crocker, some of which taste better. If you look for the Homestyle Bakes in the grocer, you're sure to find the others. There is a huge variety, so a lot to pick from.
Another thing to do is go for pasta. Pasta is cheap, the dishes are easy to make, and it goes a long way. Especially if you offer bread with the meal. A quick meal I enjoy is getting some Penne and the spaghetti sauce called "Pasta Bake" (I forget who makes it) and some mozzarella. Cost: $6. Serves 6-8. With bread, maybe even more.
Another alternative is to get a couple of McCormick's "herb and garlic sauce blend" mix with a little oil and some spaghetti noodles, serve with bread...instant meal. Cost 4$. Feeds 6-8.
Anyway, by doing using these options you could serve dinner for 13 people for 5 days for a grand total of 50$!!
Not too shabby!
If breakfast sticks to hotel standards (donuts, coffee, cereal, toast) and lunch is sandwiches and soup you could pull off 5 days with 13 people for a little over 100$
I know it's awful, but the cheapest way to eat is to AVOID fresh, unprocessed foods. It's not the HEALTHY way to eat. It's the CHEAP way to eat. Take it from someone who spends her day looking sadly at her shrinking wallet and her growing waistline.
Posts: 1015 | Location: Atlanta, GA USA | Registered: 06-04-02
How do you feed a family of four (I'm assuming 4 as you said "boys") for an entire month on steak, pork loin and veal for only $400.00 a month? There are only two of us and and I spend a little more than that in two weeks. What is your secret? Where do you shop?
Posts: 39 | Location: California | Registered: 07-29-02
quote:Originally posted by glamisgal: How do you feed a family of four (I'm assuming 4 as you said "boys") for an entire month on steak, pork loin and veal for only $400.00 a month? There are only two of us and and I spend a little more than that in two weeks. What is your secret? Where do you shop?
Glamisgirl, I know a lot of people who ask that of us. First of all, when we buy meat we will buy whole center-cut pork loins and then steak them out ourselves (averaging about 4-6 ounces for each slice). I buy a whole boneless beef knuckle and do the same thing. We buy VERY LEAN meats.. like chicken breasts.. we found at Giant food stores at 4-6 ounces a breast and a bag of like 20 breasts.
Our veggies, we use frozen bagged generic brands. I avoid canned (high salt and high cost) veggies. I also avoid many fresh fruits and veggies except during the summer at road-side stands. We do keep raw carrots, apples and bananas around.
We prepare only what we eat each meal. We NEVER throw food out because we NEVER have left-overs (except what has been left on our plates).
If people are still hungry, we have yogurt, raw veggies, applesauce, that sort of thing. The boys don't eat a whole lot because they are very finicky, but they are never stinted if they clear their plate first.
We buy the meats and preportion them as said, and freeze them. If you wrap each meals serving into one package, wrap first with seran wrap and THEN ziplock it... keeps freezer burn from happening. We also buy generic cereals, a pre-portion in ziplock bags, put back into the box. (Keeps waste from happening).
We buy the bread on sale and freeze it.
I don't know if that helps at all, but maybe you can get some tips.
BTW, when I said we are going from 4 to 9, I meant from 4 (of us now) to 9 (including us) people to feed. But that number has dropped as my brother is uable to make the holidays with us this year. So, the food question isn't necessary now.
Posts: 9124 | Location: PA, USA | Registered: 06-05-02
we are a family of 5 (only 4 of us eat though) and I spend any where from $300-400 a month on grocerys and staples and cleaners etc.
LIving in the military for 10 years at very little pay teaches you quickly how to conserve.
Sher- other meals can be stretched out I have a chicken mushroom casserole (that if done right can actually get you 2 totally different meals) and a spaghetti or Authnetic naples lasagne recipe that will stretch very far in accompany with vegies and breads and fruit with the meal. And the costs would be cheaper than a dinner out for 2! Since you use chicken breats I have a few recipes that feed 6-8 people using 4 breasts, and serve them with pasta (cheap accompaniment) email me if you want the recipes and I will post them here on the recipe board ok.
quote:Originally posted by Shawn: we are a family of 5 (only 4 of us eat though) and I spend any where from $300-400 a month on grocery's and staples and cleaners etc.
LIving in the military for 10 years at very little pay teaches you quickly how to conserve.
Sher- other meals can be stretched out I have a chicken mushroom casserole (that if done right can actually get you 2 totally different meals) and a spaghetti or Authentic naples lasagna recipe that will stretch very far in accompany with veggies and breads and fruit with the meal. And the costs would be cheaper than a dinner out for 2! Since you use chicken breasts I have a few recipes that feed 6-8 people using 4 breasts, and serve them with pasta (cheap accompaniment) email me if you want the recipes and I will post them here on the recipe board ok.
Sure..post them....anything will help.
As far as casseroles and other "mixed" foods... both of my Boy's have a feeding disorder (problems with multiple textures in one food item) so I make the meals I do so they WILL (and CAN) eat. It is getting better, but it can be both amusing and frustrating to see my oldest son seperate every single ingredient into seperate piles (with his CP that is an exercise in frustration for BOTH of us!) on his plate before he eats.
He also hates the taste of another food on a food item... cheese on broccoli, food can't touch each other, rice against the meat, etc. Very hard at times.......
Posts: 9124 | Location: PA, USA | Registered: 06-05-02
the casserole uses whole pieces of chicken so if he likes "gravy" on his meats this may be appropriate or you could leave his pieces OUT of the mixture- but I was thinking more of saving you a few bucks in order to feed a crowd. Anyhoo- they will be posted: Cream of Chicken Mushroom casserole (under meats and entrees) can be made into 2 meals because you use fried chicken so the night you make fried chicken for a meal you just make enough so that there are serving pieces left for the other meal (say 2 per person- we always use chicken WINGS )the whole wing not the drummetts because they are so tender once baked in the casserole- but a cheap way is to also use legs and thighs!) the following under international recipes: Chicken Francese Edited to provide link.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
So, the food question isn't necessary now. 
