Here is a hint that I do. When I have milk, I pour some into a plastic ice cube tray. Freeze. My tray has 1 TBSP sections. Then I pop them out, put them in a baggie in the freezer. Then when I don't have any milk, I have a few that I can remove from the freezer to add to mac/cheese, etc. I do this with lots of things, like tomato paste, pasta sauce, salsa, etc. Sometimes all you need is a small dab to make a difference in how something tastes.
My mom was Italian and I have memories of making gnocchi with her. She always seems to want to make them late at night and we would sit at the kitchen table and curl tiny gnocchi and talk and laugh. Then we would eat them with her tomato sauce and go to bed with a very full tummy. They were soooo good!
Your recipes are realistic. No hard to find ingredients or special tools. - Even if I do not make the same meals I am becoming more creative in my cooking from watching you - Thanks for being inspiring
We need your channel to go viral! The thought and effort you put into making your videos is unlike so many other channels. I can tell you do so much planning and always try to give us new ideas every time, and I really appreciate the care you take in putting out content. I'd love to see many more videos!
I suggest her videos to others all the time. She puts alot into them and unlike some channels she does not beg for money but instead gives to others. I hope her channel does grow
Thank you so much 💙 I'm always amazed and grateful at the channel growth I've already had. I love making videos, so I definitely plan to keep it up for as long as people enjoy watching!
There's tons of videos where folks make frugal meals, but your personality and approach is what keeps me returning to your channel. Thank you for sharing!
I think it's very helpful to everyone when you do these extreme groceries for a week. Usually our first thought is " I only have $15! I can't eat for a week in that!!" Thanks for showing everyone that it's still possible! And PS-- lovin' your pink hair!
Lisa, try putting some kind of fat into your tortillas, such as oil, lard, shortening or butter, that will keep them soft and pliable instead of stiff and crunchy. Do a tablespoon per cup of flour.😃
I actually debated whether or not to add some oil to the tortillas. I probably should have but wanted to show that you could do it with just flour and water in a pinch.
@@babydollsanta I, for one, will be adding fat to mine. Thanks👍 I got a tub of lard I have yet to try out. I'm thinking of masa🤔+fat+tamale filling ...
This is probably one of the best extreme budget videos ive seen. Teaching how to literally make awesome items and meals out of super basic items is a life skill.
As I re-watch this I think to myself that someone on a very limited income would probably get such satisfaction making these meals, especially the pasta for their family and a sense of pride. Well done Lisa Dawn.
This is the first video of yours that I’ve seen and now I’m hooked! The cat 🐈⬛ did it for me! I love that you not only showed that you heard him by feeding him, but showed his contentment afterwards! ❤️
Good ideas! We use ramen noodle Packs and add frozen vegetables to make a noodle veggie soup. Add extra spices too. Just add more water and throw in veggies while boiling. It so filling and so good .
Lisa, you’re super creative at stretching a dollar! You’re doing a wonderful thing by teaching people how to make low cost meals-especially, right now when things are so tight! Bless you!
Hello! I really like that you show us, what you can do with just flour, water, and your hands. No fancy kitchenaid needed! Oftentimes, these "Budget" videos demand to use fancy tools (or ingredients) . I would say, its like a mother showing us how to cook - only that some parents dont even know themselves and /or dont have the time or the patience to show. THanks a lot!
recipe from my mom for pierogies / flour ,hot water and a little bit of oil / oil makes dough soft and elasticity ...some people add a butter and eggs to the pierogi's dough but if you on the budget flour, hot water and 1 tbsp of oil is perfect...love your videos and I learned a lot about a small budget meals from you...thank you
Lisa, I just want you to know that... I could sit and watch you cook all day. Your videos are so relaxing. You really know how to stretch your budget and come up with the best meals. Thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to more. Take care.
Girl. I've never thought of makin tortillas especially without the equipment lol but since I started watchin u.......the 1st vid I ever saw was turning trash into food lol. Since watchin u I make refried beans, tortillas I've made n tried pirogi for the first time. LOVE UR VIDS!!!! and u girl, u got an awesome personality...... keep it up! Ur doin FABULOUS 💚💙
I feel the same way watching her make those round noodles, lol. I've made basic flat noodles for spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, etc. It never occurred to me to just wrap dough around a wooden spoon handle!
I’m always just amazed by your resourcefulness and creativity! You have the ability to take just a scant few -frankly, BORING ingredients and make so many varied, interesting and appetizing meals. You have definitely inspired me to make my own peanut sauce and tortillas. Maybe after I’m able to track down a gnocchi board I’ll expand my experiments!
A fork definitely works too, so don't feel like you need to wait for a gnocchi board. I mainly got the gnocchi board to make tube pasta shapes (because that was hard to do with a fork lol). Definitely try out making tortillas and peanut sauce, they are so delicious and easy! You can add a little splash of oil when mixing the tortilla dough to make them softer than what I did in the video.
Yes! That was actually my original plan for the video, but my store unexpectedly closed super early that Saturday so I had to shift gears since I didn't want to wait another week! 😅
Because of videos like yours it gives people hope. They can feed their families and fill their bellies without breaking the bank. Thank you for this. Tough times right now and too many people going hungry. Thank you thank you. You are such a kind soul
You have so many techniques and tricks I never knew before. I'm a lazy shopper. Now I want to make my own sauces, gravy, breads, pastas, soups and refried beans. Now I don't have to buy a bunch of pricey and processed food. This is budget and nutritious. I love veggies and beans and grains thanks for the variety of options
Ever practical and SO VERY NEEDED in our current economy. Lisa D has shown us that it's ok not to be Le Cordon Bleu educated to prepare a fine meal. I speak for many when I say I have learned much from "Our"Lisa Dawn. God Bless you, you resourceful woman!!!
I look forward to all of your videos. I had always been intimidated by dried beans until i watched your channel, COMPLETE CONVERT, my goodness the flavor that the instant pot can give them based on your choice of seasoning is amazing!!!! Dollar General is a better bang for your buck on a LOT of things now that DT is 1.25!! I realized this recently.
I love all of your videos. You have definitely inspired me to get in the kitchen more and given me great ideas of different kinds of delicious meals to prepare on a budget! You have such a calm, down to earth demeanor and are very relatable. I’ll look forward to seeing new videos from you! 😊
Again I am so impressed with what you come up with to eat. You would never be hungry with those meals. You are like my husband. He is excellent about eating leftovers.
These meals look delicious. Impressive peirogies! I like that the recipes are from scratch and require a little bit of actual hands-on time. Tasks like kneading dough and rolling gnocchi are part of the enjoyment of eating. Much more pleasant than just buying a plastic package of tortillas.
Thank you. For a while when I was NOT food insecure I tried to limit myself to $100 a month by putting the money on a gift card and only using that for groceries. I rarely made it...I really like the dairy aisle. You do a great job.
I always eat my gnocchi pan-fried till lightly browned after the boil, like the way you did the pierogi. You can add cheese to the dough as well. So good! I am going to try it this way next time though. Kind of reminded me of chicken soup with little dumplings. Everything you make looks so good...I wish I had known about a lot of these when I was a single mom in university. These recipes and creative ways to use ingredients on a budget would have been such a help.
I loved watching your budget meal videos when I lived in an apartment and they’re even more helpful now that I live in my camper van! I’m currently staying in a desert town with a Family Dollar, a Dollar General, and a tiny grocery store with no selection and prices at 4x what they should be. Even the “dollar” store shelves are bare and costly. I have a decent dry storage space, so I make a lot of meals with canned/dry goods and your recipes are perfect for me! I’ve been running out of ideas, but now I have a whole new range of things to try! I can’t believe I’ve never tried to make gnocchi before! Thank you!!!
Thanks for all the great ideas. I love how you stretch your meals while making them look awesome. I’ve never made homemade pasta, because I thought it was so much harder. After watching you, I’m gonna give it a try. Keep motivating us with your meal preps & meals!
This is one of the best extreme budget videos I've ever watched. The use of your ingredients to make different meals was amazing. I'm going to try a few of them myself. Great job.
@@ThatLisaDawn It's really a special talent. One of the hardest things is to plan meals and you did such a diverse plan with pantry basic ingredients. And it's so wonderful to see you teach others to plan this way in these difficult times right now. A lot of families are having a tough time affording anything, including food-- and even in good times to be able to save and not have food go to waste is a great skill set!
I did not know you could make pasta with just flour and water! I thought that eggs were required! I haven't even finished watching the video yet, but had to thank you for the great pasta tips!
You are such a genius with transforming your ingredients. I would love to see you have access to someone else's pantry & see what you could come with, Chopped style. Keep up the awesome work! I always love seeing what you do.
This is the reality for many (too many) and is the reality for even more these days considering how much higher food and gas prices have gone…you also never know what’s gonna happen to you and even if you’re fortunate to have have to feed yourself like this, it’s good to know how to feed yourself like this, in case you ever have to
I'm so absolutely impressed. Where were you when I was spending $15 a week on frozen dinners for me and my daughter, 16 years ago? We could have eaten like queens.
Omg the gnocchi recipe is such a good use of instant potatoes!! I've been trying to find ways to use up the ones in my pantry! Definitely making these! Also your flatbread is such a good idea. Definitely the most realistic budget meal channel I've found. I appreciate you!
Such creative ways to use basic ingredients. As an alternative to serving soup over mashed potatoes, try adding flour to the potatoes, form them into patties, and cook them in a bit of oil or butter to make potato pancakes. It gives you a delicious sub from bread or crackers.
I had to take a minute to thank you for this. It's so inspiring to do better and start processing my own again for the sake of my family's health. So from the bottom of my heart I thank you 🥰
You've given me the inspiration to make what you call flatbread. Out here in Central California we call them tortillas. My mother in law made them fresh daily her whole adult life. I've always bought store bought packages but yours look GOOD and EASY. Thanks!
I usually call them tortillas too, but I've seen the same very basic recipe referred to as both depending on where in the world the recipe came from, so that's why it came out as both in the video. By the time I was done editing I was like, "why didn't you stick to one name??" 😅
White flour.. oh SO good but my husband can’t eat it due to being type 2 Diabetic. I personally would LOVE to see you challenge yourself with a few low carb NO sugar dinners 😄 ☺️ pretty please with a cherry on top!!! ❤️❤️ great video and beautiful cat 🐱
I was curious why being type 2 diabetic means you can't have white flour? I've always known pasta, bread etc to be low GI foods so I thought that would be ok??
I'll keep that in mind. It's a lot harder on the really restrictive budget videos since flour, pasta, and rice tend to be necessary staples at the price point I usually aim for and to get enough daily calories in, but I'll definitely think on it 🙂
@@alwayslearning9272 diabetics can't have high carb food which pastas, breads, etc are. The fiber needs to be really high to subtract from the carb to make it worthwhile
Yes so true for my diabetic relatives. Doctor told my that they are to have no more than 6 slices of bread and bread substitutes which are 1/2 cup pasta, 1/4 cup cooked rice, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 banana, 1 small apple, etc. so 6 servings of carbs per day for them. Everyone’s dietary diabetic needs are different, but hopefully this helps!
@@alwayslearning9272 white flour is not low on the glycemic scale. Just the opposite. Diabetics should stay away from most grains They will Al spike your glucose, some whole grains are slower to rise but the end result is the same
The quality of your videos is outstanding. I normally rush through videos but your voice is so friendly and you explain each step so well. The camera quality is really good I can see exactly what to do.
Very creative items from scratch. The pasta dish might have had a bit more zing if you would have used half of the tuna in the sauce. Very prevalent in parts of Italy
wow ‼️ I'm IMPRESSED at what you did here. Truly impressed. You make pasta making look easy and every meal looked so GOOD, even the pasta dish that wasn't your favorite looked so good. I'll for sure give these a try! THANKS.
Love your channel! I remember way back when..... when times were tough my dad used to make grilled peanut butter sandwiches. So yummy, if you liked peanut butter.
You did a very good job with this video. You’re actually a good cook and I love that you show everyone how to use the meal items you buy. It’s a good service that you’re doing because a lot of folks are really having to stretch things right now. Keep up the good work 🦋
Honestly, I think this is one of the most creative extreme budget meal plan video that I have seen in a while! You are really good at using the same ingredients in different ways! Keep being awesome!
Great change from dollar tree. I’m still a fan for dollar tree though. Great recipes ideas! I love making fresh homemade pasta. There really is no comparison once I got started.
Please don’t take this the wrong way. Weiman three piece glass stove top polish kit.$14 on amazon. And a large wood cutting board. I think you owe it to your self. Keep up the fun videos.
I love your videos! Everytime I see you have uploaded I head straight to watch! Thank you for sharing your creativeness with food! It really helps me with ideas! ❤️
You make homemade noodles like it's nothing! I'm old, and have always been intimidated... I'm going to try them now, you make them step by step and easy to follow.. Thanks!!
(You feed that poor starbin' kitty!) (Mine are fed canned at intervals but free-feeding dry yet I'm apparently supposed to forget the fact that they have free-feeding dry...) EEEnyway, thank you so much for showing us a COMMON SENSE pierogi recipe!
I was making menus for my emergency supplies. This was a big help because I got several things from Dollar General. Thanks for the ideas and how to make them.
Canned chicken , cream of chicken or mushroom soup with rice or pasta can make a good meal . If you want I get the cheap leg and thigh quarters and use celery , onion , 1 can of cream of chicken , 1 can cream of mushroom , and top with cheese . Then bake it at 350 covered for 45 minutes .
I was amazed by watching your video! I am 50yrs old next month and I haven't ever made pasta or peroges! I don't even think I have ever eaten homemade pasta or had a peroge! So I am excited to try those. I had a hard time following what you got at the store and what exactly you were adding to the recipies though. I would love to see that talked about a little more in your video. Thanks so much for the ideas!!
Being poor, we always enjoy watching your videos, and have gotten some great ideas. I shop all over the place depending on where errands take me after work that week, but my experience is that that particular dollar store is really the worst and the most expensive. Dollar Tree is my favorite, unfortunately we don’t live near one.
My baba Always used a mason jar lid for homemade pyrohy- what you call perogies. She would also boil the tail ends for me to snack on before dinner. Nothing was wasted. In season, she would also use plum quarters with brown sugar to stuff the pyrohy for a sweet treat.
Whoa that cream of chicken soup and mixed veggies is like… why have I not thought of that?!?! 😂 it’s so easy and looked amazing!! I have pre made gnocchi in the fridge.. I could cook those up and put together a meal for the family in minutes!
When I was homeless and living in a tent a mere 6 years ago, my cat and i lived on about $10/week. I had a coleman camping stove, but no refrigeration or ways to keep leftovers. She never went hungry and I didn't go hungry that often. Dollar Tree, Dollar General and HEB (grocery store).
