Shape and fry up). Another favorite is a piece of toast, fried egg on top and hot milk poured on top. We raised goats for milk and meat. Beef and rice: From Laurie C. - Ground hamburger, mix in beef Rice a Roni, and add a can of corn. 1/26/10 8:32 AM. Ramen noodles. Fried egg sandwich. Linda. When my 22-yr-old granddaughter was little she loved mayonnaise sandwiches (she called them ham-maise sandwiches). I make lots of Frybread & salads to go with meals. goes much faster if you have someone there to keep you company. We make it once a month in a huge s. tock pot. 65. We have started trying to go meatless a few days a week. I love the term soup of the day!! Menu Plan: Great Depression Recipes. Then I have a nice hedge on inflation, plus I dont have to purchase that product again until it goes on sale. Pinterest is AWESOME for helping with recipes! Pinch of salt. Working to teach DH that leftovers are eaten not thrown out. Put them on a baking sheet and add unpeeled garlic cloves. 74. We really enjoyed this when my mom fixed this dish too, not really sure of the recipe but it was prepared in the frying pan and had garlic. 16. They continued to cook and eat many of the meals that they ate during that time throughout their lives. 20. Served at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's White House, this dessert is not overly sweet. Tomato sandwiches (I never knew this was a depression meal), Biscuits and gravy (sometimes we had sausage in it), Pancakes rolled with butter and sugar inside, Norwegian lefse-my recipe is at the bottom. I also found a different bread recipe that used fewer ingredients so we could have bread. Besides, working in the garden or feeding & watering etc. 75. 80. Dont you just love memories, this one? My mom loved sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper as a meal. 39. If youre really splurging, fried potatoes and onions. Also, I do one month worth of grocery shopping at a time. 57. My mom took this in her school lunch every day and liked it then her classmates started juggling for the option to trade their sandwich for hers each lunch. Also cook oatmeal, cream of wheat and if I get chicken I shred it to make it last. Serving fresh bread and pickles with meals used to be very common. We stretch stretch stretch!! To that, add about 8 ounces of dried beef (i.e. 1 1/2 cups flour. Hi Stan, oh how I loved your comment!! 13. In the video below we get to see how they're made from a woman who survived the '30s and loved her mother's baked apples. If not, it is worth it to purchase several Sunday papers for the coupons. Nutrition over taste was the golden rule when food got scarce during the Depression, and money was hard to come by. I make my own bread (usually making two loaves at a time freezing the 2nd). Ham Hocks & Beans - Not just a great Southern recipe but one that you can make on the cheap. Ok. THEN, leftover chicken gets turned into a chicken and rice soup! I was really skimpy on the meat, but Ive always liked that ratio better. Frugal Depression Era recipes to help you feed your family for less! I buy most meats marked down. We cook things from scratch about 90% of the time, rather than using packaged stuff. We had 3 very large gardens last year so I canned & froze everything I could. Old-World Puff Pancake. I add wheat berries (homemade) to my spaghetti sauce and then cut the meat in 1/2 and no one notices. 50% off yogurt makes nice frozen treats that we would not have otherwise. Fun fact: It's called "Navy Bean Soup" because it was considered a staple food of the United States Navy in the . 43. Learning to do your own butchering/processing will save you a lot of money. But through the years, accurate amounts were noted. My family hasnt noticed. Find people that have Sunday newspapers that dont use their coupons. The savings are HUGE! For instance, I have to eat a particular brand of bread for a health problem I have. I raise a steer a year. I still make a lot of beans because they are high in fiber and protein and depending on how you make them, low in fat. It made sandwiches for my husbands lunch all week, then I made broth and turned that into noodle soup. Rice and potatoes were cheap ways to fill up hungry . Coarsely chopped cauliflower and sweet onions add a chunkiness to this sauce that feels nearly reminiscent of a bolognese. Loved reading how others save money on food. 71. This week I have leftover stew and pasta sauce with meatballs. I freeze each one separately so I can use just one at a time. Lentil patties (lentils cooked until tender, mash up with seasoning and onion, shape and fry or bake. Linda, Wow! A side salad and some saltines. 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. Vitamins were a relatively new discovery during the Great Depression; scientists discovered them in stages, starting around World War I and continuing . Linda, it has been great reading this post. From budget-friendly meat dishes to vegetable soups and stews, these dishes are comfort food that your family will enjoy. Miller. This is a tip I got from someone else-at Halloween. So tonight I made 2 round steaks for dinner. We are trying to use our leftovers before they have to be thrown out. My sweeties standby recipe he calls goulash just elbow macaroni, seasoned hamburger, onion, and tomatoes. Therefore most of our meats, fruits,and veggies are canned in jars. 1. Image and recipe by 12 Tomatoes. Bag of beans, rice, onions, tomatoes, sausage. I sat down and made a menu up for a whole month. I have got to go check out that website on meatless recipes! Twitter. I will be 70 soon and I still make bread, life is so good when you cook from scratch! Check out NYT Cooking for the full recipe. No money for luxuries. 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. I bake most of my bread and found some great no-knead recipes at https://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. Add in mash pota. Ramen noodles 6 pk for $1.00 is a great soup starter. Linda. Life is so good! 10. If I have it in the freezer, a small section of andouille sausage chopped up. Im glad you and I had moms who taught us how to cook from scratch! I cook some chicken. 5. 41. 13. Did this ever bring back memories! This meal was a popular menu item at soup kitchens in the US and was named after President Hoover, the 31st American President who sat in office during the early years of the Depression. Cheap and healthy meals. And as mentioned by many, learning to use everything up along with proper storage and preserving methods helps. We kids usually only got 2 meals per day, lunch and supper. Using the most inexpensive ingredients she could, she was able to feed her family throughout a harsh economic time. I also make sure to add beans to taco meat to stretch it. Baked with chicken, broccoli, and cheese, this is one of our favorite poor man meals. Now, this is a roast chicken you make from scratch, not the store-bought pre-cooked ones (which tend to be small). In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal, salt, and remaining cup of water together. Beet greens. I also freeze discounted sour cream or milk, works great especially for baking. 50. He was mostly paid for food, eggs, a turkey, whatever they had to give him. Use the legs to fry, etc and thighs have a lot of meat to use in noodles, yellow rice, dumplings, shred for BBQ sandwiches. Also eat a lot of beans, rice, eggs, and pasta. Eggs and milk (hormone free) are less. 1.8 Great Depression Foods - Peanut Butter Stuffed Onions. red wine vinegar. We had a large family of 10 people, so each meal had to be extremely cheap, and go a long way. Its filling, cheap and kids love it. 49. We have a garden and I now dry and powder a lot of greens to add to smoothies made with my frozen discounted yogurt. 81. We used to beg my mom to make rice with milk, cinnamon & sugar. , Hi Camille, oh this comment makes me so happy! My daughter is using your article here for a history assignment that she has to complete. You throw away a lot of food in peels! Old, injured or male birds are dinner. I have also gone as far as making my own personal care products (shampoo, deodorant, lotion bars, soap), laundry soap, dishwasher soap, house cleaners (all natural). Popcorn replaces chips. A little olive oil and garlic over the pasta toss together, its healthy and filling. Thank you sooo much for sharing! This makes a roux. I decided that as I get my Social Security check once a month, Id shop only once a month (excluding fresh veggies and fruit). Invite the family over. I can tomatoes, pickles, applesauce, etc. Mix until smooth. We like to add frozen peas (cooked) when ready to serve. I add wheat berries (homemade) to my spaghetti sauce and then cut the meat in 1/2 and no one notices. Im the owner and editor of Food Storage Moms. Nice sized ones. I pay $25 in feed a month, which gives us on average 250 eggs a month. As a kid, I thought we were the only people that did that. Pasta and rice are great for stretching anything at mealtime. 59. flipped into Bottles of Happiness. 4 cups water (divided) Small amount of oil, butter, or lard for frying. Hamburger gravy on toast or potatoes: Kami suggested . Canned fish is pretty cheap. During the depression, my elders on both sides made oxtail soup because it was the cheapest part of the cow. ), then went and did the shopping. You will notice that you begin to have extra money. It can be done, but its hard work. Linda, My Mum made soup du jour using a can of soup, usually cream of mushroom or cream of chicken, and adding what ever leftovers she had. Porridge for breakfast oats go a long way! Garbage Plate. At times even spices were sometimes hard to come by during the Depression, most cooks usually kept some cinnamon on hand for baking. Usually just quoting the policy is sufficient to get the item price matched. 55. A side salad and some saltines. (Privacy Policy) *. When we have leftover veggies of any kind, if it is not enough for another meal, I freeze them, then add to a bag of other frozen veggies. Ive even made sausage by mixing ground rabbit and pork trimmings which I get from a local butcher for little to nothing price. Eggs and milk (hormone free) are less at Aldis! This mean is even better the next day! I am afraid that for most people this will be hard to adjust to. What do you think? Ah, soup: the ultimate comfort food. What varied between households and over time was the quantity and quality of each of those courses, especially . Theres a lot of Hispanic people in my area do the price for oxtail is outrageous. Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. Just what it sounds like. My grandmother made Top Ramen once a week for dinner with sliced boiled eggs. The only thing you need are apples, sugar, cinnamon, and some butter. This could be served with a small roll or a half of slice of bread. baking powder 1/2 tsp. In Korean recipes, the meat is barbecued or fried or even parboiled and put in the mix with a daikon radish and an onion. Mini pies (masa/corn flour mixed with water or broth, pushed into muffin tins, filled with whatever leftovers and some cheese work well). Cornbread/Johnny Cakes. Walmart sells a package of 5 for $4 and they are really good! Add cocoa and sugar to small pot. Instructions: Add . Old, injured or male birds are dinner. Now lets save some money! Bring water to a boil. And today was spent gathering groceries and supplies for my waterline expansion. It is labeled a dollar each. In a time with less access to cert. The Penny Restaurants of the Great Depression. 8. Use lentils or split peas when making hamburger dishes like spaghetti. 77. Recipes from the Great Depression. But I think what helps the most is buying in bulk and avoiding the grocery store as much as possible. One more detail to add, that is, that, for a long time, most . During the Great Depression, people used everything they had to make a cheap and filling meal, such as the Hoover Stew. Guess you can see how you could make a few salad fixings go all week. 1 lbs of dry pinto beans. I grew up not poor, but not middle class, either. They are todays meals. II, (1986-93, p. 29), includes two cups of flour, one tablespoon of baking powder, 1/2 . Down in Louisiana, there is a Creole version of the dish. Theres a lot of Hispanic people in my area do the price for oxtail is outrageous. 31. Learn to eat what you grow. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Saving for us has more to do with how we shop than how we cook. Lots of eggs either fried or scrambled and Dad made CORN pancakes which I HATED- he would make the pancake batter drain a can of corn and add it. 64. Keeping enough food on the table for a family of seven (including three teenagers!) 7. But, I know that I was taught a lot of frugal things and how to work HARD, and be an ANT, not a GRASSHOPPER! Our menu plan this week features recipes from the most frugal era in history: The Great Depression. We just started doing fruit smoothies for afternoon snacksazurestandard.com. I never pay full price, I dont care if I stand there for 10 minutes with the line piling up, I am determined to find a coupon that works. 45. Hi! A couple of weeks ago, I took one of those large cuts and made pozole and Chile Verde and canned them- ended up with 24 pints of pozole and 18 pints of Chile Verde. This included all the steaks and roasts. However, they had still had access to meats most of us would now consider offal. Salivating. They do meatless recipes. Some are wild others we raise ourselves or purchase from local farms or auctions. I buy rabbits in summer at auction sometimes low as $2 a piece full grown. 27. Invite the family over. Worn fabric was woven into a rug or turned into cleaning rags, tires became garden . From hearty stews to creamy soups, there's something . Great comment, Linda. Its interesting because we were raised this way, its the norm to cook from scratch. In the stores, the cosmetic counters normally have samples of things. I love to cook and can make something out of nothing and its almost always pretty damn good. We use tons of beans too. They didnt sell it in the stores and you had to ask for it. Fry up a cheap meal of peppers and eggs to keep you full in stomach and pockets. a long counter, freezer, meat slicer etc. Leftover Potato Pancakes. Last night I made a lemon pound cake to have on hand from ingredients I had in the house. 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. 9. Serve the finished product over toast. Linda. Creamed Chipped Beef & Toast - S.O.S. I know, and prices just keep going up. Depression-Era Hot Milk Cake. 33. Make EVERY meal count. I hope these ideas help you save money even if you are eating Great Depression Meals just like me. Just the other day, I got $10.00 off a new suit for my 7-year-old because I diligently stood at the register until I found a coupon code she would accept. This included all my paper goods, so it doesnt represent food only. Linda, a follow-up about Walmarts price matching: Their price matching policy is online and they are very specific about some things. Little greens, a slice of cucumber, few chopped onions, a small grape tomato, and a few carrot curls. Great Depression Meals-How To Eat For Less Money. My parents were born prior to the First World War and came as immigrants for a better life. Heres the unique thing she Googled for names of ALL the grocery stores in her area, even very tiny or ethnic ones. Growing some foods (small plot or pots) or even just sprouts on a window sill can help help fill our pantry. Grandma created a great meal with these beet tops. We buy food at a scratch and dent store. Said it tasted like eggs so they ate it. I am sharing responses on this post from real people just like you and me on how they are trying to cut food costs. , it is worth it to make rice with milk, cinnamon, and add garlic... 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