Meal ideas for kids on a budget?

I’ve been struggling financially a while. Right now I’ve got .66 cents in my bank and we have some eggs, little milk, bread, salt pepper, a roll of frozen ground beef. I need ideas to feed 3 kids with this. I’ve been to food banks, they limit the amount of visits per month so I can’t go back until June. Please send me any ideas to help!

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I feel ya I have a budget too and now summer is here. :pensive: I always stock up on rice, tomatoes sauce, potatoes, pinto beans, flour, bread! I am teaching my self to meal prep better on Mondays and Thursdays. I use to be able to shop twice a month but not anymore and doing it weekly is still expensive and nothing last long! Making dinner every night is tiring too I feel ya! That beef I always put in frozen bags and separate it to keep it fresh and freeze to use later in the week! My kids love macaroni, tomatoes sauce and beef! and Spanish simple rice! Bean burritos, beef tacos, beef stew, enchilada casserole, ideas that I do at home is more roast, and crock or instant meals to have left overs! :hugs:

Do you have any rice by chance? You can always season the grown beef and cook the rice and throw them together. Then you can save the bread and eggs for a breakfast or another meal…

I’m not sure where your from. But Facebook is known for Yard Sale Sites or Buy Nothing Groups. Why not try reaching out there? Contact your children’s school they can usually help as well.

Could make Denver’s my kids call them eggie sandwiches :sandwich: or hamburgers- use the bread as a bun?

Meatloaf! And use bread make some garlic toast. Or u can make hamburger gravy over toast. With eggs on the side.

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*** stars to draw attention

Most states DoorDash and Amazon will deliver food from the food bank. You can go on and order it to be delivered for free!

On top of that don’t feel too ashamed to hop on a local Facebook group and ask for some help, ask for food people no longer want or need.

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I don’t have any recipe recommendations but if you live in Fort Worth, TX go to the Joseph Storehouse in NRH. It’s a “grocery store” but it’s connected with a church and they do deals weekly! It’s meant for families who are financially in need. You can get a whole cart of food (certain cereals, rice, granola bars, coffee, baby foods, etc) for cheap

Half the roll for burgers on bread, eggs & toast *breakfast for dinner, fried egg sandwiches, egg & milk omelettes with or without toast, if you have ketchup (even a fastfood packet laying around) make hamburger & ketchup sloppy Joe’s on bread…

-Cut a hole in the middle of the bread, cracked an egg, put the piece you cut out back ontop of the egg, flip it.
-Use 1/4 of the beef, make tiny burgers, cut pieces of bread in half, use half for bottom bun, other half for top.

  • if you have ketchup, brown a little beef, mix the ketchup in, like sloppy Joe’s.
  • scrambled eggs and toast
  • meatloaf
  • if you can find a few dollars in the couch get a big bag of noname pasta noodles. Can mix beef in with a bit of margarine

Space out the protein. Make a soufflé by beating the egg whites and then folding in the yolks. Put in the oven (look up a recipe online) until it puffs up. Serve with Parmesan cheese & salsa. My parents called it angel’s wing because I “didn’t like eggs.” Add fruit & veggies.

Space out the hamburger by making a casserole (beefaroni, layer hamburger, green beans, sliced onions or onion rings, tomato sauce top with mashed potatoes & grated Parmesan and bake; add frozen mixed vegetables and a can of cream of mushroom, celery or chicken soup, put in a pie shell or not & bake.

Tacos. Make spaghetti sauce with chopped onions and tomato sauce or diluted tomato paste. Add mushrooms if you can.

If you’re in Tulsa. Ok you can go to G.U.T.S. Church…near 41rst and Mingo. Once a week they provide free food for anyone

Fry up some of the hamburger and mix with the eggs like a hash.Or scrambled egg sandwiches .Fry hamburgers use bread for buns.If u have a couple tablespoons flour u could make hamburger gravy over toast.

Egg sandwiches with ground beef. Burgers with bread for rolls and egg on top.

Scrambled hamburgers. Brown your hamburger meat, the put whatever you would eat on a burger on slices of bread and add the hamburger meat.

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If you have ground meat use 2 can of y an a mix salad

Scrambled eggs on toast. Meatballs
Rissoles. Savoury mince. Mince in gravy

If you’re in the Boston area I have a bunch of food I could give you

Put some crusty bread in a baking dish brown the beef, mix 6 eggs, and a cup ( more or less) add beef on top of the bread, pour the egg mix in to cover everything add cheese and onion or use spices to your liking and bake at 350 for 30 min

For the long term file child support action against the dad. The children are his responsibility as well.

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Private message me. I would be willing to help if it works out logistically

There’s probably more than 1 food bank. Call 211 & ask for help. File for emergency help through DHS. As for right now with what you have make burgers. If you have rice add that to it to make it go further. I don’t eat meat so I don’t exactly know how but I know my mom used to do it. Add bread to the eggs. You can’t taste it but it’ll go further.

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I’m assuming you have some other staples in your kitchen, but the key is spreading out the protein. If you make hamburgers, cut up some bread in tiny cubes, soak in milk & add to the meat as you form the Pattie’s.

Drink water on days without milk as your protein.

Cover bread with cheese sauce: mix butter & flour in saucepan, add milk, then cheese. Borrow a beer and spices & call it Welsh rarebit.

Make a soup with beef bouillon, onions, bag of mixed vegetables & some cooked hamburger.

My mom used to cook noodles, add to milk with salt, pepper and butter to make milk noodle soup for breakfast.

For the future:
Beans & rice (usually plentiful at food banks) can be made into endless recipes. Every country has a version.

Tofu, & plain yogurt are cheap and nutritious proteins and lend themselves to many recipes. Tofu can be used to create cream soups, stretch scrambled eggs, be tossed in anything to absorb its flavor & add protein. Can use some to stretch ricotta cheese in lasagne, add a bit to ground beef to stretch. Most plain tofu tastes bad.

Add chopped regular or dried fruit, nuts, jelly, chocolate chips to plain yogurt. Use as sour cream on baked or in mashed potatoes, use in dips, sauces, cakes.

Garlic is inexpensive and adds lots of flavor to savory dishes. Good spices to have on hand: Paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and parsley are good spices to have on hand as they add lots of flavor. Block cheese is cheaper than pre-cut, pre-sliced or pre-shredded. Tomato paste is a good staple for lots of recipes. I always have chicken and beef bouillon cubes for a cheap soup base that doesn’t go bad. Parmesan cheese adds flavor to lots of things besides spaghetti.

Look up vegan/vegetarian recipes online. Cheap & healthy. Meat is expensive and in the U.S. tainted with growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides.

If you have friendly vs. dangerous neighbors, make friends and borrow a few ingredients from them until payday. Share a little of your prepared food with them as a thank you.

Good luck! Look up recipes online for exact directions and inspiration. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes.