Enter the First Frugal Mavens Contest – Cheap Meal Planning Ideas
We posted an article with a meal plan for a cheap and fast chicken meal, and have already gotten enough emails to know we hit a chord with lots of people. Our readers want to prepare healthy meals for their families, but do not want to spend a lot of time or money doing it!
So we decided to hold our first ever Frugal Mavens reader comment contest. The idea is fairly simple, but we think that we can get you to help us help lots of struggling families stick to their budgets while eating well. I know that I have picked up some of my meal planning staple tips from internet posts, and I hope this results in more.
Prizes for the Cheap (and easy) Meal Planning Contest
Enter (and maybe win) the contest for some valuable publicity to your own favorite website. This could be your website, or it could be a favorite charity, etc. As internet publishers, we get asked for links (free and paid) back to other websites all the time so we know that we are giving away a prize with value.
All competitors can post one (1) link in their entry. Winners can get a free article on this website which highlights their favorite website page! These links and articles must suit our guidelines, and we get to be the final judges of that. But the usual guidelines apply – no hate speech, no adult content websites, nothing illegal, and nothing that smells a tiny bit scammy.
Again, we will be the judges, but please keep your entries within the family friendly spirit of FrugalMavens.com!
Judging and Enering the Cheap Meal Planning Contest
All entries will simply be entered as comments to this post. You must register to post your comments, but that is totally free. Simply use the “subscribe” link to the right, or look down on the left side for a register link. Once you are logged in, you can summarize your cheap and easy meal plans. If you have a problem, you can use the contact form on this website to shoot us an email.
All judging will be done by users. Just use the “stars” ratings to vote for your favorites. At the end we will find the entries with the highest votes.
Frugal Mavens Contest Rules
Forgive us because we have never done this before, so this may seem a little unscientific. But on the other hand, we also want you to be creative and clever, so we don’t want to publish a lot of rules.
- You must register to post an entry in this post’s comment section, and you must register to vote!
- You may post more than one entry, and you may vote for multiple entries too. Try to be fair.
- Entries should have a summary and general instructions. There is no set minimum or maximum for prep time or cost, but the faster and cheaper (and better) the meal turns out, the more popular it will be!
- If you are not sure what to do, read some of the existing entries to use as a guideline. But please be original and use your own ideas. Voters, if you see the same meal idea posted several times, please give some weight to the earliest one.
- Please estimate the cost per person too. We know that some food prices vary by season, location, and brand. But please try to estimate the cost based upon your experience.
- Please give us a realistic estimate of prep time. We like entries that don’t take more than half an hour to prepare, but if this recipe can be stored for later meals, we would relax that.
- All entries will be approved before posting! Like all website owners, we constantly battle spam. We will approve any sincere entries, but be prepared to wait awhile to see your post live!
What are you waiting for? Simply subscribe and start shooting us your best ideas. For some examples, start reading the comments below.
Related posts:
Thanks for running with this idea. I think it’s great! Let me start off with my one allowed plug for Frugal Living Website!
Simple Stir Fry Chicken For Four
I like this meal because it is a one pot (or one WOK) solution for quick and inexpensive meal planning that is also budget friendly. I make us this recipe to feed four people, but you can double it so you have some to freeze for later meals.
Prep Time – 30 Minutes Maximum, and maybe less.
You Neeed:
1 pound boneless chicken (costs varies, but you can buy 3 frozen bags of chicken breasts or tenders for about $8.00 at my supermarket). Cost Estimate – $3.00
1 Bag Stir Fry Veggies – $3.00
Rice – If purchased properly, it should mot cost more than $2
Non-Stick Spray – Cost of a couple of sprays? I am estimating .10
Store Brand Terryaki and Soy Sauce – $2
The Prep:
Start the rice according to package directions. It may take 20 minues to cook it though faster cooking varieties are available. Quick cooking brands will cost more, and in my opinion, taste worse.
Simply spray a large frying pan with you rnon-stick spray. Slice the chicken into bite sized chunks. Dump the chicken and veggies into your pan. Cover with a generous dose of Terryaki sauce to taste. I usually add about 1/2 of a 12 ounce bottole, but you could use more or less. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is well done and the vegetables are tender. You may also add some onion, garlic, or ginger to taste.
The Cost: About $2.50 a person for a balanced meal that includes a meat protein, vegetables, and a starch.
Vote for Me!!!
[...] They plan on running some simple contests with the basic theme of saving money. The first one is a cheap meal plan tip contest, and it is very [...]
[...] the Cheap Meal Plan Tips Contest Here! —— Get Free Frugal Tips In Your Email [...]
Cheap and Healthy Tostada (Taco Salads) for Dinner.
Hi, I love the idea of having a cheap and easy meal planning contest. If your family is anything like mine, it is tough to make something that is affordable, easy to prepare, and that everybody will eat! But when I make these tostadas / taco salads, I get asked for seconds.
I did see Emeril (the TV chef) make them as tostadas. But I also have these special pans to crisp tortillas into taco salad shaped bowls, so I guess you can call them either one.
You Need –
1 Package of Flour Tortillas – $2 (I like to use the larger, burrito sized ones, because it seems easier.) It is aso fairy simple to make them (flour, water, salt, oil) – but it takes more time, so I usually buy them.
Lettuce and other salad fixings to taste (onion, tomato, etc.) – $3 – If you add an avacado, which we do, it will cost another dollar or two.
1 Pound Lean Ground Meat (hamburger, turkey, etc.) – $5.00
1 Jar Salsa $1.50
Crispy Shells – This can be simple. Just buy a pack of tortillas, and then lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Brush them with olive oil (or spray it on). Bake them at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes until crisp. Sometimes I’ve baked them a bit longer (like 20 minutes) and it seems ok too. The type of tortilla, and the size, probably affects baking time, so you may want to watch them the first time.
Note on Crispy Salad Bowls – This is really easy too. Instead of laying the tortillas flat, you can use a small metal bowl (or buy metal molds that look like metal bowls). You put them upside down, and drape the tortillas over the top so they fall into a bowl shape. After they bake, they will harden into the shape. One lady saved up small metal nut cans to use as the base.
Ground Beef – Simply crumble and fry the ground meat. Drain the oil. Then when it is almost cooked pour in a couple of tablespoons of salsa, and you have automatic taco meat!
Assemble – Simpy add salad fixings and ground beef. You can drip on more salsa as a dressing, or use regular salad dressing, guacamole, or whatever you like and have.
Note: We also make a vegetarian version of these with rice, beans, and a little cheese.
Cost – I can buy the basic supplies for less than $12, but since I don’t use up a whole jar of salsa or head of lettuce, I think that’s a high estimate. So the worst case might be about $3 a person.