Hey folks.  I'm looking at saving money that I constantly and spending at restraunts by making some bulk food items.  I was wondering if anyone has some cheap recipes for bulk meals.  So far the only thing I can do well is make a bunch of white rice to freeze and acompany it with some frozen meatballs.  Tasty, but it gets old.  Any ideas for soups/stews?  Baked goods?

Have you thought about chili? I'm sure that you could make a big batch of that and save money on the ingredients by buying in bulk.

I think it freezes well, plus you could have meat, beans, celery, onions all in the same dish so it would be nutritious and quick, too.

Sorry, I make it from scratch and just improvise to taste, so I don't have a recipe off the top of my head.

I have a four year old daughter and a food budget of around $50 per week. We eat well (except for tonight's macaroni cheese ), thanks to free recipes off the internet. We eat 2 courses per night. Every night. Sometimes soup and a main or main and a dessert. Less than $50 per week.

For example:

I grow zucchini in a pot on my patio. One zucchini will make enough soup for us both for two days. Cost: chicken stock cubes $1.27, zucchini - free from the pot on the patio, water - from the tap, 1/2 cup rice, dollop of cream. Easy.

Cornflour custard for desserts costs less than $1 to make and feeds us both for two nights worth of desserts. Milk, cornflour, egg, sugar. Easy.

I bake my own bread - packet bread-mix $3.00 - makes 3 loaves of bread. Sandwiches for lunches. Tomatoes - free from the pot on the patio. Ham - I splurge and buy the good stuff.

Rice pudding - one batch serves us both for 2 nights worth of desserts. Cost: a couple dollars - one cup rice, one egg, quart milk, tablespoon sugar, teaspoon vanilla essence, sprinkle of nutmeg. Easy.

I make bigger stuff and then freeze meal-size portions - like bulk lasagne will freeze for a week or so. Casserole/stews, pasta dishes

Last edited by Raven (2008-04-06 06:18:33)