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pegkerrI am starting to compile the grocery list for the week, and since we are retrenching, I am looking for rock-bottom price recipes. Nutritional main dish recipes that you actually like. Kid-friendly and easy a particular plus.
I remember one we ate pretty often when I was a kid, a fondue recipe we called "Blushing Bunny." I think I got it from Camp Fire Girls. Why the weird name? I think it is meant as a sort of sideways joke, a tip of the hat to the better known fondue "Welsh Rarebit," which a child might hear as "Welsh Rabbit."
Take a can of Campbell's tomato soup. Do not dilute it. Stir in one egg, well beaten and shredded cheddar cheese (I think we'd put in somewhere between a half cup to a cup or so). Heat gently until hot and thickened. Serve by pouring over toast and eat immediately. I think this serves 2-3, depending on whether you are serving kids or adults.
Like I said, I remember loving this one as a kid, but when I mentioned this one to Delia, she wrinkled her nose in disgust when I made the mistake of telling her the ingredients list. I know that adding the egg to the soup sounds disgusting, but when it is stirred in and heated up, you really can't tell it's there at all. It just is there to add protein and thicken it, I guess. I might make it anyway and insist that they try it at least. It is certainly dead cheap.
Mom used to serve spam and rice pretty frequently, but I'm not quite tempted to revisit that old memory. Rob remembers dinners of fried boloney when he was growing up, but I don't think he's nostalgic for that one, either.
How about you? My kids are picky, but give me your best shot anyway.
Edited to add: All three hate onions, broccoli and mushrooms. The girls hate potatoes (yes, potatoes!), brown rice, and bell peppers. Delia hates cooked tomatoes, cooked apples and cooked oranges and is very unpredictable about meat. She has tried and rejected a number of meat substitutes--impossible to predict, but she doesn't seem to like tofu-based products very much. She is hit or miss on most other vegetables, but less likely to eat them if they are cooked.
Fiona would eat nothing but carbs (pasta) if I let her. White, of course. I prefer whole wheat pasta, but they are much more reluctant to eat it.
Beans are also unpredictable. Rob will eat lentils, pinto beans and kidney beans (reluctantly); girls will not. The girls adore baked beans, however. Go figure. Rob will eat green beans (even canned!), girls, there is no predicting.
Rob will eat kale reluctantly, girls will not.
Edited to add again: My personal favorite suggestion, among all these comments, is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
moony's suggestion that I teach the girls basic photosynthesis: "You're hungry? Go stand in the yard for an hour."
I remember one we ate pretty often when I was a kid, a fondue recipe we called "Blushing Bunny." I think I got it from Camp Fire Girls. Why the weird name? I think it is meant as a sort of sideways joke, a tip of the hat to the better known fondue "Welsh Rarebit," which a child might hear as "Welsh Rabbit."
Take a can of Campbell's tomato soup. Do not dilute it. Stir in one egg, well beaten and shredded cheddar cheese (I think we'd put in somewhere between a half cup to a cup or so). Heat gently until hot and thickened. Serve by pouring over toast and eat immediately. I think this serves 2-3, depending on whether you are serving kids or adults.
Like I said, I remember loving this one as a kid, but when I mentioned this one to Delia, she wrinkled her nose in disgust when I made the mistake of telling her the ingredients list. I know that adding the egg to the soup sounds disgusting, but when it is stirred in and heated up, you really can't tell it's there at all. It just is there to add protein and thicken it, I guess. I might make it anyway and insist that they try it at least. It is certainly dead cheap.
Mom used to serve spam and rice pretty frequently, but I'm not quite tempted to revisit that old memory. Rob remembers dinners of fried boloney when he was growing up, but I don't think he's nostalgic for that one, either.
How about you? My kids are picky, but give me your best shot anyway.
Edited to add: All three hate onions, broccoli and mushrooms. The girls hate potatoes (yes, potatoes!), brown rice, and bell peppers. Delia hates cooked tomatoes, cooked apples and cooked oranges and is very unpredictable about meat. She has tried and rejected a number of meat substitutes--impossible to predict, but she doesn't seem to like tofu-based products very much. She is hit or miss on most other vegetables, but less likely to eat them if they are cooked.
Fiona would eat nothing but carbs (pasta) if I let her. White, of course. I prefer whole wheat pasta, but they are much more reluctant to eat it.
Beans are also unpredictable. Rob will eat lentils, pinto beans and kidney beans (reluctantly); girls will not. The girls adore baked beans, however. Go figure. Rob will eat green beans (even canned!), girls, there is no predicting.
Rob will eat kale reluctantly, girls will not.
Edited to add again: My personal favorite suggestion, among all these comments, is
moony's suggestion that I teach the girls basic photosynthesis: "You're hungry? Go stand in the yard for an hour."
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Date: 2007-03-07 01:43 am (UTC)1 can of crabmeat (in the tuna section, and not much more expensive)
1 small onion, petite diced
4 ribs celery, sliced super-thin
salt, pepper, spices to suit
mayonnaise, a good-sized dollop
bread crumbs
Mix everything together in a casserole dish, top with breadcrumbs, and bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Served up hot over a bit of baby spinach with sliced fresh fruits and veggies (apples, pears, and bell peppers, usually), it always feels like a "special" dish to me, without a lot of effort or expense.
Oatmeal or other hot cereal as brunches or teas on the weekend with frozen berries or sliced bananas and cinnamon rather than syrups or sweeteners -- that was a staple for my Mom, who frequently made Saturdays "two meals and a family snack" days.
One thing that I've found that completely saved on my grocery budget was not buying special beverages. I buy Juice because it's a serving of fruits/veggies and milk, and bagged/loose teas. I don't drink soda, and I don't use drink mixes; I drink water more frequently, and I'll make smoothies (a little juice, a little yogurt, some fruit (canned or frozen work as well as fresh), and a little ice all blended yield yumminess) for special treats.
I know you're looking at planting a larger victory garden; do you have anything like a co-op that would let you buy a family share in a farmer's garden? Around here, a family can spend about $200 and work one day out of every six weekend days for an enormous box of fresh vegetables each week. That might be less work/expense in the long-term for you all, with a more guaranteed ROI.