Looking for Recipes to Feed 6 People

I would look into crockpot recipes as well as casseroles. Lasagne can go pretty far, and isn't too pricey to make if you don't put in a lot of meat. My kids love cornbread, and we make that several times a week from those jiffy mixes that are only 59 cents. It isn't the best cornbread, but it is pretty good, and goes a long way for 59 cents! I would also reccomend going to Costco to get things in big quantities, because it will save you money.

I have made this Rachel Ray "Mexican Lasagne" several times for my family as well as for a dinner exchange with some moms in my neighborhood. It is hearty and kid friendly. Not to spicey and you can alter the veggies in it that your family likes.

Go to the Food Network website. Type in Mexican Lasagne, select Rachel Rays. This also freezes well.

Also, I would recommend you consider doing a dinner exchange with some other moms you know. This is so great. This is how I have done it... Each mom cooks 4 meals of the same thing. Then, you keep one meal for your family and they you exchange the other 3 meals with the other mom's.So now you have 4 different meals, ready to go, you can freeze them, eat them, and even leftovers. This has really cut down on our food budgets, because we just by food for one recipe meal, not 4. You get a great variety, and it is a huge time saver during the week.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your growing family. How blessed your family is to have you willing to care for your nephew's.

L.

allrecipes has good recipes for german pancakes. They are simple enough the kids can make them - just throw the ingredients in the blender. Good luck and grow as much as you can - young kids can get interested in gardening, and vegetables are expensive while seeds and dirt are relatively cheap.

Chicken pot pie
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pot-Pie-IX/Detail.aspx

For my big family it isn't a matter of finding things that fit into the budget (although we do that too) it is a matter of finding the things that they like because I have a few picky eaters. One thing that they like that I do is Toast and Tuna Gravy. Using your favorite white gravy recipe, just add the tuna (drain it first) and then serve over toast with your favorite veggie. It is one that the kids actually love. Another thing that I do is use the hamburger helpers and tuna helpers (because they are really pretty cheap) but add things to them to make a casserole. There is one that I can think of the cheesy tuna pasta that I add frozen broccoli too and it makes a wonderful casserole. There are even times when you can find a recipe on the back of the box for a casserole that is good---we just tried one on the back of a cheesy scalloped potatoes. My kids also like a tatertot casserole. Use ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and a can of green beans, mix them together and put into a casserole dish then you can top with tater tots or even instant (or the real thing) mashed potatoes. Good luck and happy eating.
J. SAHM of 6

Beef Stoganoff(SP)-family favorite
Chicken and rice with cream of mushroom soup
Tacos-great make your own and easy
Homemade pizza-get the kids involved
Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill
potatoe soup
cornbread and bacon
Baked potatoes
BLTs
All made from scatch and can be made in large amounts. Also fits into a tight budget.
C. B