People say that their strict budget does not allow for them to go out for meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. So when it comes to dinner, for example, I say, why not stay in and have fun creating your own pub style restaurant food?
My husband and I enjoy pub food, especially Nachos with salsa and sour cream, and add a side of chicken fingers.
At the beginning of this year we made the decision, based on our new budget, to dine out less and less.
While many people may feel deprived by not being able to dine out, we decided that instead of feeling deprived we would just make our favourite pub food at home, using these delicious frugal recipes. Not only is this a great way to save money, but we also know exactly what ingredients are in our meals.
Now you may be thinking that one of the other benefits of dining out is that you do not need to do all the cooking and cleaning.
Instead you get to relax, enjoy a drink or two, and just unwind.
I agree. That is definitely a benefit.
But if you make meals that are quick and easy to prepare, and require little clean up afterwards, you will still have time to relax and unwind.
These are some of our favourite pub style meals.
Four Delicious and Easy to Make Frugal Recipes
Homemade Chicken Fingers With French’s Fried Onions
1 can French’s French Fried Onions
2 tbsp flour
Boneless chicken breasts sliced into long individual pieces like chicken fingers.
1 beaten egg
Using a plastic Ziploc bag, pour in can of onions and flour. Crush the onions.
Dip chicken pieces into the egg then drop chicken pieces into the bag of onions and toss to coat well.
Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 F. for 20 to 25 minutes.
Oven Baked Fries
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Scrub 4 or 5 potatoes and cut into wedges. Pat dry with paper towel.
Place in large bowl and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Sprinkle with Sea Salt.
Toss potatoes around in the bowl until they are well covered with oil.
Arrange potato wedges on baking tray lined with foil wrap and lightly sprayed with Pam, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Keep an eye on them so that they do not overcook. They should be golden.
Thin-Crust Tortilla Pizza
Preheat your oven to 375 F.
Use your favourite tortillas. I like whole wheat tortillas.
Place tortilla on a baking sheet.
Spread on pizza sauce.
Add your favourite pizza toppings such as bacon, ham, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni.
Sprinkle cheddar, parmesan and\or mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Baked Chicken Wings
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste
10 chicken wings per recipe
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Combine the olive oil, garlic, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large, Ziploc bag; seal and shake to combine.
Add the chicken wings; reseal and shake to coat.
Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet.
Note: I always line the baking sheet with foil wrap first and lightly spray with Pam to prevent sticking and to allow for a quick and easy clean up.
Cook the wings in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until crisp and cooked through.
Remove from oven and let them sit for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet. That allows the chicken to cool slightly, which makes it super easy to remove them from the foil wrap.
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