Today, almost everyone thinks about saving. It’s no secret that we spend a lot of money on food, and on the one that we could refuse. To save money, you need to use budget recipes for a family with a small income. Cooking takes less food, but not at the expense of quality. The food is nutritious, satisfying and tasty. It’s not necessary to spend money on delicacies to feed your family a great lunch or dinner. Simple products will sparkle with new flavors and colors when used properly.
A little bit about meat
To prepare a delicious meal, it is not necessary to use a lot of meat. This amount of protein is not required by our body. If you add various side dishes, then the amount of meat can be reduced. Gravy perfectly complements any dish. For cooking, it is better to buy fresh whole meat.
It will cost less than pre-packaged convenience foods. Dishes such as pilaf, paella, lasagna and some others require a small amount of meat products. They have many additional ingredients (vegetables, cereals, etc.) that are no less nutritious. Give preference to cheap pieces that need only a little longer to simmer.
Vegetables
It is necessary to buy vegetables and fruits during the period of their seasonal cultivation in the natural environment. Of course, now you can buy any products all year round. But their cost will be much higher. If necessary, you can freeze vegetables and fruits during the period of their low price. So, you will save a significant amount of money and diversify the menu. The advantage of seasonal products is their taste. During natural ripening, fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins and nutrients. Local products will cost much less than imported ones. Give preference to them. In addition, they will be much fresher.
Inexpensive options
Budget recipes for a low-income family should include those products that are inexpensive but contain a large amount of nutrients. This is primarily legumes, which are characterized by low cost and high nutritional value. It’s easy to cook them, but you need to soak them in advance. Cheap vegetables in high season can be used to make stews. These are delicious and hearty dishes rich in vitamins. One needs only to make a little effort and imagination to prepare an original dinner. Budget recipes for every day must necessarily include cereals. They are the basis of many delicious dishes. They are useful, especially if you use pasta from durum wheat and brown rice.
A great addition to any side dish can be canned fish. It is inexpensive, and the dish turns out delicious. Do not forget about fresh fish, which is very useful. It is definitely recommended for use by nutritionists. This is especially true for fatty grades. Be sure to include offal in the diet. Their cost is low, and with proper preparation of them very tasty dishes are obtained.
Coleslaw with carrots
Budget salads (recipes with photos are presented in this article) include cheap ingredients. Dishes prepared from vegetables require minimal costs, and the benefits of their use are great.
To prepare a salad, 450 grams of fresh cabbage, a small spoon of salt, one medium-sized carrot, 4 tablespoons of vinegar (you can use apple), a spoon of sugar and two tablespoons of vegetable oil are required. First, chop the cabbage thinly. Slices should not be thick. Then the salad will turn out tender and well saturated with marinade. Put the cabbage in a separate bowl and add salt and vinegar to it. Now you need to warm it up over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Then we set it aside and shift it into a separate bowl. Next, peel the carrots and three of its small chips. Add the carrots to the cooled cabbage. Pour in vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. We put the dish in the refrigerator for two hours. As you can see, budget recipes for a low-income family are always very simple and affordable.
Tasty and healthy breakfast
Feeding a family a hearty breakfast in the morning is not an easy task. It is necessary to provide the body with enough energy for a great start to the day. Alternatively, you can use a delicious and satisfying omelet. To prepare it, you will need 8 eggs, 100 grams of milk, 50 grams of butter, cheese and vegetables (optional). Simple budget recipes usually include inexpensive ingredients. Beat eggs in a separate bowl with milk and a little salt. Then we take a frying pan with high sides. We warm it with the addition of butter. Pour beaten eggs into a heated skillet and cover with a lid.
We make the fire medium so that the omelet is not burnt and evenly cooked. We spread the dish on plates and decorate with fresh vegetables. Top with thin slices of cheese. Budget dishes, the recipes of which are presented in this article, are decorated at their discretion. Omelet can be sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Beetroot salad with prunes
We must not forget that budget recipes for a family with a small income should be not only economical, but also useful. The following salad belongs to such dishes. To prepare it, you need to take 300 grams of beets, two medium cloves of garlic, 4 pcs. prunes, two tablespoons of mayonnaise and salt. The set of products is minimal and affordable. To make the salad most delicious, you should responsibly approach the choice of beets. It is better to choose table varieties that have a bright color, without white veins. Before cooking, beets must be thoroughly washed, but not cut so that it does not lose color. Put it in cold water and cook until tender. The fire should not be very big.
Typically, the cooking time of medium beets is about 1.5-2 hours. Readiness can be checked with a toothpick, which should easily enter the pulp. Then we cool the beets and peel them. Next, grate the root crop. We wash the prunes and pour boiling water for ten minutes. Then cut it into pieces. Grind the garlic in any way. Then we mix the three main ingredients and season the salad with mayonnaise. We put salt to taste. This bright salad demonstrates that budget recipes for every day are not only economical, but also useful.
Cheese soup
This is a recipe for a delicious and nutritious first course. For cooking, you need 500 grams of chicken, one onion, 200 grams of processed cheese, half a glass of vermicelli, 4 medium potatoes, fresh herbs and two tablespoons of butter. To improve the taste, you can use broth cubes, but if the chicken is fat, then you can not use them. By the way, it is not necessary to take the fillet. You can use carcass parts with bones. The broth in this case will turn out to be more rich.
First, fill the chicken with cold water and put the pan on the fire. Cook meat for about 20 minutes. Then you can get it out of the pan and use it for cooking the second dish. So you can cook a budget full meal. Next, fry finely chopped onions in butter and add chopped carrots to it. We spread the vegetables in a pan. We put potatoes diced or diced there. At the end, pour the vermicelli, and after five minutes add the diced cheese. When they dissolve, turn off the fire. Greens roll in the plates. Thanks to the cheeses, the soup acquires a gentle creamy rich taste. Budget dishes (recipes with photos arouse appetite) can be both tasty and healthy.
Sausage Soup
There are a lot of options for cooking economical soups. If you use the delicious budget recipes correctly, you can enjoy new culinary masterpieces daily. To make the soup you will need 3 liters of meat broth, a handful of vermicelli, an onion head, 4 medium-sized potatoes, one carrot, three sausages, vegetable oil, salt and bay leaf. We put the pan with the broth on the fire and put the diced potatoes into it. After a while, add vermicelli. Grind peeled vegetables and fry them in a pan with vegetable oil. Then add sausages, sliced in circles. We spread the contents of the pan into the pan. Salt to taste and put a bay leaf. Turn off when all the ingredients are ready. We supplement the soup with chopped fresh herbs. Budget recipes with photos will be an excellent assistant to any housewife in the preparation of the menu.
Fish cakes
Any housewife should know that dishes prepared from whole pieces of meat are always more expensive. To save, you can use stuffing. Fish cakes are a great option for a cheap and tasty dish. Take a kilogram of minced fish, a glass of flour, 5 small carrots, 4 onions, a large spoonful of semolina, half a glass of water, the same amount of vegetable oil, 200 grams of fresh cabbage, three eggs, salt and sugar. First, cut the carrots into thin rings. Then put them in a pan and fry with the addition of vegetable oil. Pour a small spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt. We put out everything.
Put the carrots in a separate bowl and add the minced fish. There we break the eggs, put finely chopped onions, chopped cabbage and a little vegetable oil. Mix everything and add flour and semolina. We form a homogeneous mass. We make cutlets and roll them in flour or breadcrumbs. Fry in the traditional way in a pan. We make the fire small so that the cutlets are not burnt and well-fried. This dish is great if you are planning a budget dinner. The recipes are easy to prepare, but very tasty.
Beef liver
The festive table will also decorate this product. Beef liver is a cheap ingredient that can be prepared so that the dish becomes the highlight of any celebration. Delicious tender slices in aromatic gravy will force your guests to ask for supplements. For cooking, you need 450 grams of beef liver, two large spoons of sour cream, one onion, one carrot (small), 50 grams of vegetable oil, half a glass of water and salt. You can also use any seasonings that will give the dish aroma and taste.
The liver should be washed and cleaned of films. Then cut it into medium-sized cubes. Three carrots on a coarse grater or cut into cubes, and onions - in half rings. Fry vegetables with vegetable oil in a pan, and then put the liver. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise it will become tough. After that, pour boiled water and put sour cream. We mix everything. After 5-7 minutes, turn off the fire. It turns out a delicious and original dish. Budget holiday recipes do not have to include gourmet foods.
Manna
This dish should be present in the diet of a family with a small budget. Children very often refuse semolina. They will like Mannik, although it contains an unloved ingredient. Budget dishes, the recipes of which are discussed in this article, are very economical and useful.
To prepare mannik, you need to take a glass of sugar, a glass of milk, 25 grams of butter, 2 eggs, half a small spoon of salt and a glass of semolina. Beat eggs lightly in a deep bowl. Add salt, sugar and mix again. Then put the butter, which can be replaced with good margarine. Again, beat well. To do this, use a whisk or mixer. Now pour the semolina and leave it to swell for 30 minutes. Lubricate the baking dish with oil. Pour the finished dough into it and put it in the oven, which we preheat to 180 degrees. After 40 minutes, the mannik will be ready. This budget cake, the recipe of which you must save, is suitable for frequent cooking. There are few products required, and the result will surprise you.
Butter Cookies
Oddly enough, but with the use of unusual products you can make budget cookies. The recipe is simple, and the pastries melt in your mouth and turn out to be tender and crumbly. You will need one egg, three tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of soft lard, 100 milliliters of milk, three cups of flour, a small spoon of soda (slaked) and half a spoon of cinnamon. First, beat the eggs with a fork. Add soda, cinnamon and sugar to them. We mix everything. Then put lard and flour. Knead the dough. It should turn out soft and elastic. Let him brew for 20 minutes, covering with a towel.
Then we begin to form cookies. We roll out the layer and cut out figures from it with the help of molds. You can simply cut the slices with rhombuses or squares. Grease a baking sheet with fat and put cookies on it. The temperature of the oven is 180 degrees. Twenty minutes later, the cookie will be ready.
Afterword
You need to start saving already at the counter. It is better to go to the store with a list to exclude unnecessary purchases. Be sure to pay attention to the expiration date. Perishable products are better not to buy for future use. Take as much as you need to prepare the dish. Typically, balances are not used and thrown away, which does not save budget funds. Pay attention to promotions and discounts. Make the menu taking into account price fluctuations. Among the products, choose cheaper analogues. For example, turkey can be replaced with chicken. At an affordable price, buy more products and freeze them for the future. Use fresh vegetables to prepare budget salads (recipes with photos, see above).
From cheap products - cabbage, carrots, beets and potatoes - you can cook delicious dishes. Vegetables and fruits are best bought at the farmers market. Their cost is much lower than in supermarkets. Remember: pre-packaged and additionally packaged products are much more expensive. Buy everything you need by weight. So you can better assess the quality of the goods. Seasonal vegetables are much cheaper, they have more vitamins. Fresh greens can be grown on the windowsill. In winter, this is a good saving for the family budget.