Stir Fry--supper on the cheap

I sure have run into a lot of people who don't know how to cook.  I always hate to tell them that my 12 year old is a FANTASTIC cook.  If you ask her the secret to her cooking success...she will say: "Can't you read?" or most recently she says, "Do you not have any imagination?"....I hate to break it to her...some people don't.

  Although sometimes I have found that, it's not that they can't cook,, it's they cant figure out what to do with food.

Since we've always had some kids around, I've cooked alot.

Plus many times when Scott has been inbetween jobs, he's been the cook while I was away at work.  So I'm very fortunate to have a husband who understands about cooking and what it involves.

As I journey on my pioneering quest of becoming more self sufficient, I have found myself wanting to use what I have instead of wasting  things.  Besides I have the dreaded clean out the refrigerator phobia....I just hate it....

So today when I had the 4 p.m. thought of "What's for supper?"...I already knew ....left overs in some form...  Saturday we had grilled and Scott (aka "oleman") threw an extra one on the grill knowing I'd come up with something later in the week..  So stir fry is what I came up with today....

Stir fry is a cheap dinner! And I could have even made it cheaper if necessary.  But using the following ingredients that we like this is what I came up with....if you don't like these ingredients or don't have them on hand...substitute! (Sometimes your plan B is better!)

Two cups of rice (more or less depending how many you are feeding)
1 cup of frozen mixed veggies
1 cup frozen brocolli
1/4 cup (more or less) of onion
mushrooms
celery
carrots
1 steak
2 scrambled eggs
cooking oil


This is the order I add my ingredients to the hot oil that covers the bottom of my pan:

carrots (they take a little longer than anything else)
onions and celery
mushrooms
*(if you are using dehydrated veggies, you will want to rehydrate and drain them first)
frozen veggies
steak
add rice
scrambled eggs

I add my soy sauce last....it keeps it from being too much!  Only add a little and let everyone else add more if they need it.

I made enough to feed the four of us (with seconds) and my parents and Scott had some to take in his lunch tomorrow.

This meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and you can use food that is already on hand.

If you are really trying to stretch your money use more rice and less other stuff...add some noodles if you have them....it's stir fry....you cant mess it up.

From what I can figure...This meal cost less than $5 to feed a family of four (with seconds); 2 other adults; and lunch in a lunch box.  We don't eat tiny portions so I'm thinking 12 servings probable.  I don't always make a break down of how much a meal costs, but in uncertain economic times some people need to know not only how to budget their food $ but their food.  That's another post....