Brooke I am meatless 7 days a week lol, been vegetarian for over 25 yrs. That being said, I love all of your budget meal ideas, many meatless meals that I hadn't tried, and some that I can tweak just a bit to go meatless. Appreciate your channel and your positivity!! 🤗💜
Do you like soup? Lentil and black bean soups are inexpensive to make and delicious. Homemade baked beans, a crusty loaf of bread and vegetables makes a satisfying and healthy dinner. We try to eat meat free Monday through Friday.
If you like meat but can’t afford it, tinned tuna in spring water or chicken in the same are good standbys. Never the “fussed with” stuff. Tuna can be made into mayonnaise for sandwiches/rolls, pasta with veggies, tomatoes, cucumber & egg for salad. Chicken the same. I put 1/2 the chicken in a soup for lunch and the other half for pasta for dinner if I’m on my own. It’s also great to mix with cream cheese and spinach and make puffs to have with new potatoes and vegetables. A 185g tin can stretch to feed 4 that way! I’m so Scottish it’s shameful.
The tostadas were Mexican so if you have themed days for your weekly menu they are Taco Tuesday. Or Mexican Monday. Almost all of the leftovers from these 4 meals can be put in a big container and they can become soup or stew for another meal. If you don’t have enough leftovers for that put the container in the freezer. Pop off the lid and just layer on more leftovers until it’s full. That has been part of my entire life.
We have been doing Meatless Monday for years and we love it! These meals are typically easy and inexpensive, not to mention delicious. Easy money saving meals are always a thumbs up in our household.
I was shocked when I found out vegetables such as Peas, Mushrooms have protein . Peas 1 cup = 8 grams ! 1 cup Mushrooms 2.2 grams of Protein 😮😮 That knowledge has changed how I look at meal preparation, shopping, food costs, recipes, nutrition - you name it ! Eating healthy, delicious meals does not have to break the bank. Love ❤ your channel
Brooke, I'm definitely going to make the mushroom pesto pasta, and the alfredo tortellini and veggie bake. You should flesh out the recipes (amounts/temperatures/etc.) and put together the Southern Frugal Momma cookbook, whether it be in print or an e-book edition. You could do your sections/chapters, Meatless Monday, Copycat Recipes For Less, Pantry Cooking, Cooking What's In The House To Make It To Payday, Freezer Meal Planning, Etc. I'd buy it. I'm going to Trader Joe's soon to get the Mandarin Orange Chicken and Asian Salad copycat recipe that you made in another video. I really enjoy how you bring us on a journey of how to cook the recipe from your vantage point from start to finish. If you can do it, we can do it. You're doing a great job, thanks!
Just a tip...if you don't want to stand there and fry the tortillas you can put about six on tin foil and stick them under the broiler in the oven and broil each side. They come out cripy and good! No oil.
I did it! I made the mushroom pasta but put my own spin on it since hubby doesn't care for pesto. Back story here is that hubby is huge on the meats, he likes meat at every meal and lots of it! So I made the mushroom pasta and served it up to him and he loved it! Later last night after dinner he was talking to his mom on the phone and raving about this mushroom pasta dinner I made and started explaining all the ingredients. He hollers to me in the other room "there was chicken in that, right"? I replied "nope"! He said "humph well it was really good" 😊
I like getting The bearcreek cheddar broccoli family size about $4 at Wally world and frozen bag of broccoli just add to mug or pan with water or milk you have soup by the cup.
For those whose families just will not do a meatless day/meal, start by reducing the amount of meat you use in a meal, add fillers: extra beans, extra vegetables, rice, etc. Eventually that reduction is going to save you just as a meatless meal or two would have.
Brooke, I cook dry lentil beans in beef broth/bouillon & when basically all of the liquid is cooked out, then I give them a very rough mash & use that as a ground meat substitute. They separate like ground meat & absorb whatever seasoning is being cooked in the dish.
This is also a great way to stretch your meat with a 50/50 ratio, virtually using less meat. Especially for families that insist on meat with each meal. Just do these types of hacks two or three times a week and it should hit a savings in your budget much the same way Meatless Monday would. I can get my family to do meatless, but they still like the meat meals, but I've used tricks to reduce my meat in the meat meals, too.
Thanks for a few new ideas !! Hers one for you Or whoever … a can of garbanzo beans (baby butts ) rinsed and drained. Mash up (not a paste ) keep some texture and add whatever you would to make a tuna salad sandwich !! I use fine diced onions , pickles and celery with a little mayonnaise . It’s very good and wildly like tuna salad !!
Brooke, your fearlessness in the kitchen is SO inspiring! When money is tight, I will chop mushrooms super tiny, brown them in a skillet (they’ll look like meat once they cook down) and then add 1/2 pound of ground beef (turkey/chicken) - and then continue with the recipe. Everyone thinks it’s 100% meat - they can’t tell the difference.
Great meals, Brooke! Most of my meals are meatless and I love them. Cottage cheese and eggs are great proteins (for the non vegans), beans, lentils, chickpeas and soy protein are also yummy proteins and there’s endless uses for them. Yay for meatless Monday! 💖
I love those beans in the pouch! I use them for all kinds of stuff. Great for bean dip way cheaper, I heat the refried beans in some bacon grease remashing them adding spices top with salsa, cheese and maybe sour cream. Delish
My go to for low carb option is Cauliflower & Cheese (Mac and Cheese with caulifower florets instead of pasta), drained stewed tomatoes slipped in here and there, sprinkled with low card bread crumbs and baked. Served with a low carb bread I make, that is made into garlic toast.
Great meatless meals Brooke! It would be great if you add more meatless meals to your videos it think it would be well received !! I shared it to all my friends and some of them are vegetarians and I know they will love them !! Thank you and God bless ! ❤️🙏🙋🏻🌈🌈
Hi Brooke! I’m telling you this cuz I don’t want you to get hurt. If you put a wet rag under your cutting board when you chop it won’t slide around on you. 💙 I love your videos and your sweet family.
Brooke, you are such a beautiful woman. Your spirit is always joyful and uplifting and when I watch your videos it brightens my day. Thank you for being yourself and spreading kindness everywhere. God bless you and your family. 😊
My granny grew up as a sharecropper's wife. Then she moved in with us after granddaddy died. She cooked a lot of meatless meals using beans, taters, vegetables from the garden. I never really thought about the suppers where we didn't eat meat. It was just how she wasused to cooking.
Brooke, I think I have watched most of your videos and I love them all, even the low carb ones, which I don’t eat low carb at all. Some of your recipes are laborious but most are nice and easy, fix it and eat happy kind of meals. And your family is the best. When I was married many moons ago my husband would look at it and say, “….blech! Looks like it’s been eaten once already!” Needless to say I didn’t cook very much for him! He did most of the cookin and it was bland…which is why I love your meals and your family! Much love to you and yours.
I'm glad to see somebody else breaks their noodles in half so many RU-vidrs think you have to leave them full they don't cook that way unless you're having extra large pot
I gave up meat about a year ago...I am senior and cannot afford meat...but I have learned to love vegetables...I eat lots of noodles with cooked veggies...I even started fasting and have lost weight and feel so much better...
I love this video ❤ in my almost 60 yrs of being in this world i don't think i have ever had meat every meal. I can remember being small and qhen my mom Cooked we maybe had a big meal with meat twice a week sometime three if we had company on Sunday. My mom just wasn't raised in a Time you had tge luxury of eating meat daily unless her brothers and dad went hunting and got it. I just kept up cooking like i was raised and in this time where all food is getting outrageous. I'm concerned about having enough food to eat all month not if i have meat every meal most likely that's the way most of everyone is feeling. Great job i always enjoy watching your videos ❤
You can put the corn tortillas in the oven , set the temp to 425 cook for about 10 mins spray the tortillas with veggie spray they come out wonderful ad they are not greasy
On refried beans my family loves it when I use salsa in it. Only about a third of cup it really brings flavor out. I try to use the one with chunks of veggies in it. Great meal ideas.
Yay! I’ve been looking for easy, delicious meatless meal. I look forward to seeing more! My husband love to use pesto on sandwiches instead of mayo and mustard. He said it elevates the sandwich. I think a Pesto Grilled Cheese would be delicious!
I know Walmart sells tostadas in a box ready to go also, I love the way you cut that onion. I’ve never seen it before boy that saves a ton of work. I’m definitely trying it.
I don't wait for my water to boil either and I to break up my pasta in to small pieces all your recipes looks delish now i'm craving those meals Brook.
When we had meatless days when we were growing up consist of: Pinto beans, fried potatoes w/onions, Cornbread and either okra, corn or green beans and sliced Tomatoes. We rarely had deserts. But on Fridays we had either hot dogs or hamburgers which were special treat for us. Thursday was soup with all the left overs from the past week.
Another thing I can't wait to make your lentil sloppy joes. Have everything on hand ready to go. I love watching Dusty and the kids enjoying them. The food bank always gives us bags of lentils so I love finding new ways to use them besides in soup. I like to also throw them in my rice cooker with rice and the chicken or tomato bouillon. Makes a great easy meal ❤
Nice meal, I made something similar myself the other day. The only suggestion I have is - add pesto in the very end, when everything is else is cooked. Pesto should not be cooked/boiled/heated :)
To say I love your channel, Is an understatement … but, is there much protein in those meals? Mushrooms only have 2 grams of protein per cup. (Only thought of this stuff, cuz I’m seeing a nutritionist because of anemia). But. Anyhoo. Love watching your recipes and have made several! 😀
Brooke, i am a true carnivore, but every one of these meals looked absolutely incredible. Fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, basil pesto, and pasta made with reserved pasta water. I am impressed! And the black bean tostadas looked amazing. Lent is coming up. Those who observe it (as I once did) could simply make these wonderful meals on meatless Fridays instead of Mondays! I was always looking for good meatless meal recipes back then.
Love these! Try black bean enchiladas...so yummy!!! Edit: you can also do potato and onion, beans and rice, mushroom and onion, the veggie and bean combos are endless!!!
This is the content that i subbed for. I know youre trying to grow your channel and offer variety by doing other things, but you cooking is all i watch.
Hi Brooke. I'm totally looking forward to any and all of your meatless Monday meals. In addition to those, I'd like to request you do some shelf stable type meals. What I mean by that is using only ingredients that aren't fresh. Things like canned goods (diced tomatoes, corn, beans, spaghetti sauce), or pasta, or baked goods. I hope this makes sense. I love your channel.
Ok I made the pesto pasta. I liked it I put a chopped onion in it. It was lacking a little flavor so I added a little salsa. Made a huge difference. Thanks for the suggestion
Brooke thank you so much for the meal ideas. We love refried beans tostadas now will try the black beans! The linguine looked so much like a Mediterranean pasta at a restaurant here, I’d just need to add some Kalamata olives (from dollar tree). The chili looked so scrumptious and who doesn’t like leftover chili! And the tortellini bake, so much easier than doing stove top! You knocked this out of the park!
Lentils go great in soups. Green lentils (pre-cook) can substitute or augment ground meats in bolognese, lasagne and sloppy Joes (Brooke did a lentil sloppy Joe before). Brown lentils retain a bit of presence in soups but split red lentils will pretty much disappear into your soups. Green lentils with onion, carrot and celery cooked in broth makes your traditional lentil soup. You can also make lentil burgers. Red lentils can be ground to make a spongy flatbread. Experiment, because they are an excellent source of protein and fibre. If you like Indian food there are lots of recipes that use lentils.
When I was a very poor student I ate mostly meatless. I was vegetarian by necessity! We ate a lot of pasta and rice. I remember making “Sausage Surprise” - the surprise being the bits of sausage you might find….oh and beans. I used to make a version of Sausage Surprise for my children when they were little, they loved it. I became an expert at presoaking beans the night before, pinto, blackeye, chickpea, kidney.. tinned tomatoes were so cheap. Lentils were a staple too. We followed a Mediterranean diet without the fresh veggies unless they were seasonal. I made my pasta, my pastry, my yoghurt, my biscuits ( huge treat) sometimes I could have cried from boredom with our diet and would have sold a minor body part for a bar of chocolate. Come summer full time work and study meant filling the pantry and a meal out. Olive oil, wine and real garlic. I put meat in the freezer too. Now I don’t have to worry about money in my 60s I still get anxious when the fridge or freezer is empty! You really are an inspiration and show that looking after a family is a full time job that way too many take for granted. You do it with love and joy and it shows in your lovely family. 😊😊😊
I see you cracking the linguine in half by hand. I have come up with even an easier way. Try cracking the entire unopened box at the mid way point against the corner of your countertop, you’ll hear it cracking. It cracks perfectly in half with no mess or wet hands. Just crack, pour, and done.
You put yourself down as a crafter but your ideas etc. in cooking is a craft and you are so talented. Tried your blueberry sourdough a bit sticky already consumed cheese jalapeno. Looking forward to more on sourdough.
I love how you use simple ingredients most have ir have easy access to. I take all my left over veggies that i chop and throw them in a galloon ziplock freezer bag and when its full, i throw it all in a pot for some vegtable soup. I just add a large can of crushed tomatoes and small pasta noodles if I have any. Of course a piece of crusty bread and it's soo good and cheap
I'm preparing to quit working full-time so saving money everywhere I can is my top priority. The only meatless meal my husband willingly eats is pinto beans, fried potatoes and cornbread 😂 Thank you so much for new ideas!
If you haven't tried it, smoky black bean and sweet potato chili. The smoky comes from smoked paprika and chipotle pepper powder. Other than dicing the onion and peeling and dicing the sweet potatoes, there is very little prep. Sweet potatoes are cheap in Georgia so the whole pot comes together for well under $10 and then I serve cornbread and sometimes some sour cream or cheddar to top.
We find ourselves eating a lot less meat. For us it wasn't a money issue. Our son is a vegetarian and since he's moved out we've adopted different habits. Now I cannot deny the savings and try to save in buying everything. I love a good steak but have traded in ground beef/chuck for turkey and enjoy the flavor much more in tacos and chili especially. The turkey absorbs the seasonings better IMO. Thank you for sharing these meals and be blessed always, my Southerland Squad! xoxo
I love cheese enchiladas and also cheese omelets both I prefer without meat. Cheese or veggie pizza is another delicious option. Back in my early 20s I would make frozen bean and cheese burritos with cheese melted on top and add salsa. The whole family could enjoy a homemade version. Bean tostadas are a winner. Try them with raw onion garnish - yum! Minestrone soup is hearty. My family doesn’t miss the meat.
Please more meatless meals. I personally am not crazy about meat and I also stress about underdone food (trying to get better with that one) Have you tried lentils? They are super good for you and can sorta melt into a recipe depending on what kind you get. Thank you for all you do. You help me so much.
The tortellini bake looks so good,I have to try it. I love most everything you post but your cooking videos are my favorite as well as the restocking food box ones. Keep up the amazing work you do. God bless you all.
Brooke darling I love you and everything about your channel. Here's the but, it kills my soul when you break up the pasta absolutely kills me 😂. But I know especially mother's of children usually break up pasta to be easier for them to eat so I am learning to live with it ❤
Let's keep this series going with creative meatless meals for Lent. Just around the corner. Weren't we just shopping for Christmas? Why does time seem too fly faster and faster the older I get? I just get so excited when you post a new video!!!!
