Meatballs (ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, ground up veggies, leftover cheerios or other low sugar cereal I use 1 part meat, 1 part bread type stuff, 1 part vegetables. 3 tbsp of corn starch. Then I freeze several containers for later meals. 71. 55. Thanks in advance! meals and bone broth from that eating a lot more eggs finding creative ways to stretch out pasta, rice, and potatoes. She could get hot dogs and slice them up and add garlic, tomato sauce,and water and make the most awesome casserole ever. Also, buy meat on sale, we bought 4 turkey s at Thanksgiving. To stop eating out, we take cheese and crackers or sandwich makings. Top ramen omelet. How can families feed themselves? Just what it sounds like. At that time, cooks measured ingredients in pinches, dashes and dibs. You can add oatmeal to hamburger meat, then cook it. You can stock and it will take a little time. Thanks for the article. Fast and easy meals are expensive and sometimes not as healthy. Lots of canned soup with crackers. I didnt realize others did the same thing and they came from the depression. We had to stretch every penny to feed our families. Canned meat wasn't available for many people living in rural areas. To understand how citizens survived The Great Depression, you need to understand their resources. My sisters and I would let the flour tortillas sit out and get hard. Named after the president that took office right before the crash, Hoover Stew was the name for the cheap slop eaten by residents of shanty towns. Add in mash pota. We have a half-acre garden and I garden year around. I also found a different bread recipe that used fewer ingredients so we could have bread. Dinner was meat and veggies, followed by dessert. eccentricculinary.substack.com. 1.4 Great Depression Foods - Mock Apple Pie. We buy food at a scratch and dent store. Check out NYT Cooking for the full recipe. Oh my goodness, the prices just keep escalating at the grocery stores. I serve them like my mom did, with fried potatoes and cornbread. Have you ever seen that fog that rolls down and out when you open the door? We use to skin the animal outside, quarter it up and bring it inside to finish the process, grind, cut up or whatever we need to be done. We raise all we can. Theres a lot of Hispanic people in my area do the price for oxtail is outrageous. I remember how important putting those stamps in the book was and how exciting to see it fill up. In 1937, when the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression, Kraft Foods launched the iconic Mac and Cheese. Beans were used in many Depression-era recipes, and this one also includes ham, carrots, onion, and garlicso you'll get protein, fiber, and veggies from this meal. Its interesting because we were raised this way, its the norm to cook from scratch. THREE meals out of ONE chicken! 1 Corned Beef Luncheon Salad. Soup can always make a little meat go a long way. Free meals. Ask. Im so happy youve found us. Potato salad,I can get 10 lbs of potatoes for $2-3 at Aldi. Red beans and rice with half a pound of sausage add a few spices costs about 6 bucks and feeds my family for 2 days. Hope this helps! Even so, we eat a lot of beans and rice, goulash, and stuff that dont require a lot of meat. Recipes varied, but usually involved hot dogs, canned vegetables, and pasta or macaroni. Once its smooth and thoroughly mixed, add the milk and keep on whisking, until smooth. I spent just about $300 for the month of February, which comes to $10.71 per day. Weeding and bug picking were my first jobs. 6. Soups, stews, and chili are cheap, healthy and belly-filling. I buy whole chickens and turkeys and cut them up myself, then freeze or can them. Another great (old) book if you can find it is How to Make All The Meat You Eat Out of Wheat by Shandler (my favorite). Talk about a stretch! I also make sure to add beans to taco meat to stretch it. When I shop, I look for bargains. Nutrition over taste was the golden rule when food got scarce during the Depression, and money was hard to come by. A74-year-old Army veteran told me that when he was growing up in the Carolinas they were dirt poor, so his mother in the morning would mix flour into the eggs to make enough to go around. We have a few families, each with a small amount of land & one person with a lot of property. I thought all those simple meals and sandwiches with just onions or tomatoes was something my family did just because. I would advise anyone to buy an upright freezer and shop in bulk or even better contact a local farmer. Hoosier Cream Pie. Tastes like a burger patty somewhat). God bless you, Linda. Its interesting because once we get older we are not making as much money so we do indeed need to know how to cook on a strict budget. it tastes awesome with some spices (especially turmeric) and a little salt (sea salt, pink salt) and maybe a few veggies and chicken meat scraps, noodles or rice. Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper on everything. We have one thing grandma never had thought, a slow cooker. Im grateful that we have an Aldi USAin our area. She finds amazing deals at some of these different stores. I try to make from scratch all our snack foods like crackers, granola bars, granola, fruit leather(when I find a great deal on fruit), bagels, bread, yogurt, etc. 1.8 Great Depression Foods - Peanut Butter Stuffed Onions. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Here is another saver. Potatoes are cheap and easy to store, so it's no surprise they showed up on menu home meal plans during the Depression. Full of vitamin C, and easily filling, these were commonly used in the depression era, and could be easily stored in root cellars. We buy meat in bulk, so most of my purchases are for perishables only. In this video, 91-year-old Clara who lived through the Depressionwalks viewers through the process of making the Poor Man's Meal: Peel and cube a potato, then fry it in a pan with oil and . Its quite a bit cheaper. Sunday's special cookies and a cup of coffee for the adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts. Porridge for breakfast oats go a long way! I used to have one of their old recipe books had a lot of recipes for a fake meat product, I think they use a lot of TVP now, it made for aninteresting read. We make it once a month in a huge s. tock pot. 2. When I was going thru hard times I did a lot of beans and rice different ways rice cooked in beans rice underneath beans with spices beans with tomatoes. "My large Italian family gathered in the kitchen and tried many ways to prepare Sunday dinner on a tight budget. Twitter. I would rather eat at home and not drive in and sit at a table and wait for a meal. 10. From Scratch Noodles from Delishably. The total cost, for four servings, is $2.36. Split pea soup and lentil soups are all super cheap. Buying cheap and using coupons. I use chicken leg quarters in foil packs with potatoes, carrots onions,and fresh green beans. Instructions: Add . 1 large yellow onion, chopped. Chicken for a chicken veggie soup, beef for a beef veggie. What a great list! If I have it in the freezer, a small section of andouille sausage chopped up. It doesnt have to be that youre eating the exact same meal (e.g. I shop early and get a lot of 50% or 30% off items. I asked a question on Food Storage Moms Facebook page a few years ago to see what people are doing to save money on groceries. Get clearance on pumpkins or neighbors pumpkins and make bread from them then freeze it. If they expire that day or are pre-frozen I cook them and then freeze. We had 3 very large gardens last year so I canned & froze everything I could. Hormel). I buy large cuts of pork from Cash N Carry for less than $1.50 a pound, take it home and grind it myself. Reuse, Reuse, Reuse. I am afraid that for most people this will be hard to adjust to. Honestly, I like it best without chorizo. Hamburger soup a package of frozen mixed veggies, some elbow noodles, about 1/2 pound of cooked ground hamburger. As one of the oddest combinations on this list, baked onions and peanut butter were a filling meal for many during the Great Depression. We ate lots of beans and Mexican rice. Another Depression-era meal was "creamed chip beef," according to . You throw away a lot of food in peels! Not only saves me money, but also gas money for my car. Sunday's special cookies and a cup of coffee for the adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts. Season with a beef bouillon cube, garlic powder, tomato paste, salt & pepper. Etc. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour 1 1/4 tsps. Popcorn, Corn tortillas fried for corn chips. Our goal at Food Storage Moms is to help one family at a time.. salt 1 cup sugar 2 eggs beaten until thick and light 1 Tbsp. Those same trimmings go into my deer and goat burger to make a great hamburger for Chili, meatloaf, and spaghetti. 7. Navy Bean Soup. During the depression, my elders on both sides made oxtail soup because it was the cheapest part of the cow. I try to save money by throwing in some meatless meals during the week, like potato soup or minestrone. For snacks, because we have grown children that are grazers we eat a ton of popcorn. Pinch of salt. 78. I love it! Serving fresh bread and pickles with meals used to be very common. Linda, something my mom done as i was growing up was take leftover ham dice it add it to cooked beans(1 lb dry red, navy, pinto etc.) That and shredded chicken meant lots of casseroles. My friend made it yesterday, Im making it for dinner tonight! You can have a cup of soup, or soup for a group quickly. And today was spent gathering groceries and supplies for my waterline expansion. We actually ate a lot of beans when I was a kid because they were cheap. I consent to Food Storage Moms collecting and storing the data I submit in this form. Ive got a family of 5 ranging from a 17 down to 6 and two working adults. Oxtail: Its the bone of the tail and very tender meat. Ive even made some of them into shelf stable mixes! Linda. We just started doing fruit smoothies for afternoon snacksazurestandard.comhas frozen berries cheap. This Site is affiliated with CMI Marketing, Inc., d/b/a CafeMedia (CafeMedia) for the purposes of placing advertising on the Site, and CafeMedia will collect and use certain data for advertising purposes. 49. I buy a sack of potatoes and stretch it to make meals, etc. Add cheese, apple, hard boiled egg for a more filling salad. We keep 40 to 50 hens all the time and have eggs aplenty year around. PS. Toast with mayo, sliced onion, pepper, and fried egg over medium. A side salad and some saltines. I buy 1/2 cow and a 1/2 pig from a local farmer the freezer was worth the investment yes its expensive up front but does the math its cheaper the long run and its local fresh and so much cheaper than the store in the long run. e are eating a ton of chicken and pork, cant afford beef muchI got a 3-4 lb pork loin on sale and got like 10 meals out of it (its just 2 of us) cut into chops and a small roast found an organic whole chicken cheaper than the regular, several. Enjoyed your article. at Aldis! Much as I like rice and beans, rice with meat dishes, potatoes, peas (Small young canned peas sold at Aldis) and breads or other grains, those are all carbohydrates. Also, I do one month worth of grocery shopping at a time. I buy organic veggies but dont peel them when I am low on cash we dont do organic but still dont peel them. She called it Slavic dinner I am not sure if that is its proper name she got the recipe from a family friend (this also freezes for later meals if needed), Hi Pauline, I love your comment about the Slavic dinner! I would like to see someone (who has the time) to create recipes that are seasonal so that I am not constantly going to the store to find ingredients to make X, right now we should be eating squash, potatoes, dried beans, etc. 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. 7. You can always slow cook enough soup for a couple of days. Theres a lot of Hispanic people in my area do the price for oxtail is outrageous. The one thing I will tell people who want to start growing their own garden is to start small and grow what your family likes to eat. Hamburger gravy on toast or potatoes: Kami suggested . Very similar navy beans, a little bit of ham (or even better a leftover ham bone), some onions, celery, carrots. 2 cups of boiling milk. I was just reading one for oatmeal patties. Mashups were a common way to use up whatever you had on hand during the Depression, and the Garbage Plate is another example. Did this ever bring back memories! 66. Our menu plan this week features recipes from the most frugal era in history: The Great Depression. Yummy soups are always good because they are so filling, homemade tomato with saltines. In the stores, the cosmetic counters normally have samples of things. Freeze for later use fry up when needed. Therefore most of our meats, fruits,and veggies are canned in jars. Invite the family over. Image and recipe from Taste of Home. Cut back on animal protein and we have a big garden. Many of your meat recipes I have turned into meatless versions and we enjoy them! This could be served with a small roll or a half of slice of bread. I try to make from scratch all our snack foods like crackers, granola bars, granola, fruit leather(when I find a great deal on fruit), bagels, bread, yogurt, etc. I am working on a post to get 4 meals from a roasted chicken: dinner with potatoes, then make broth for soup, sandwiches or wraps for school lunches, and I usually have some leftover to do tacos, enchiladas, or chicken pasta. It saves a lot of money when Im not buying prepackaged food. Soooo many great thoughts, ideas, recipes! 85. Hey, $10.00 bucks is a savings gold mine! I can hardly wait to work in my garden. When my 22-yr-old granddaughter was little she loved mayonnaise sandwiches (she called them ham-maise sandwiches). Our parents use to use their green stamp books to save. That certainly doesnt go very far. They do meatless recipes. I also use the big oven app, it has a search function that allows you to put in an ingredient then it will pull recipes with that item. Cold air sinks, so every time you open that door, your freezer has to work that much harder to reestablish the temperature. Everything I cook is served over either rice or potatoes to stretch it. You can control the salt and other ingredients when you make your own. Start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a pot and adding 2 tablespoons of flour for a roux. Save all your vegetable scraps to make a good stock base for any soup or stew. Learn to love what you grow. We ate most of 1 tonight, the leftovers & the some of the other Steak will be made into beef stroganoff tomorrow, the rest will be frozen (in broth) for later use. So tonight I made 2 round steaks for dinner. We are hunters. I did more casseroles and found a cream of chicken substitute I had all the ingredients for. I work in Wyoming once in a while where there arent many and I can find them for $3 /lb. Cheap, healthy and belly-filling work that much harder to reestablish the.... 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