Family Dinner Recipe
You have doubtless noticed that every time you go shopping, your bill is higher and the number of bags you leave with are fewer than just a month ago. The prices of staple items, such as sugar, bread, coffee and butter jump every week, to a new high. It's just downright depressing. Nonetheless, you know that somehow, you've got to manage, but it's getting harder. Here are some inexpensive, family dinner recipe ideas that will help you manage your food budget and not bore the family to tears. Even your kids will find these recipe ideas tasty and fun.
Back in the 1950s, casseroles were a favorite family dinner recipe idea. Mom was very clever in disguising a couple of cans of tuna, cream of mushroom soup, noodles, a package of frozen peas and a few crushed potato chips as a topping. This was the famous tuna casserole, simple to make and very inexpensive. This dish deserves a revival in today's kitchen.
Perhaps it's the chips, browned in the oven as a crispy garnish, that made it so popular with kids. This casseroles is so versatile, in that you can substitute any meat, soup and veggie. Just leave the noodles and potato chips intact and you've got a generic, budget-friendly and ever popular family dinner recipe.
Now the price of many meats has hit that benchmark of ridiculous. Fortunately, chicken is still something you can toss in the shopping cart without having a heart attack over the price. It's also a happy fact that chicken is also one of those family dinner recipe ideas you can work and rework in so many ways. Most kids like chicken too.
Rice and pasta are still bargains, compared with a jar of peanut butter or a gallon of milk. These grains can form the basis of dozens of family dinner recipes that keep your food budget in line. Both provide good opportunities to use up leftover bits of meat and veggies, so you'll not waste your food money on a frig 'science project'.
Whole grain pasta and brown or wild rice provide substantial amounts of fiber and extra nutrients, so keep that in mind. If your family isn't big on whole grains or brown rice, try sneaking just a bit into the mix. This adds an extra layer of flavor and nutrition. They'll never know and may even grow to like it. Chop up a few colorful vegetables to toss into this mix. With a couple of scrambled eggs and a bit of diced ham, you've got a filling and appealing family dinner of fried rice. A teaspoon or two of Chinese Five Spice turns it into something special.
Soup and salad are the quintessential budget wise family dinner recipes. Home made soup (such as that batch of chicken soup you've now got in the freezer), is simple, nutritious and liked by kids and adults alike. Chowder, bean and vegetable soups are easy to make in quantity in a stockpot. Freeze family sized portions and you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes. A dinner salad and a loaf of French bread are all you need for a balanced and inexpensive meal.
When you feel you're just plain out of family dinner recipe ideas, take out this list, look in the frig and do your own makeover version of any of these ideas. Problem solved!
