That's what my disabled roommate gets and she only gets $811 in SSDI.
I'm big on stocking up when things are on sale. In Texas groceries are probably cheaper than many places, but I always check the sale ads every week. The grocery stores put up new ads on their websites every Wednesday. So when hamburger goes on sale for $2.50, I buy 4 or 5 pounds. When chicken goes on sale for $1, same thing.
Here's my shepherd's pie.
1 to 1 1/2 ground meat
clove of garlic, minced
1 envelope beefy onion soup mix
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Seasonings for meat - salt pepper, thyme, whatever you like
2 cups warm water
3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
butter
milk
1 12 to 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables (peas and carrots works well too)
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
Shredded cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. You'll need a large casserole (3 qt. or so).
Start a pot of water to boil while you cut up your potatoes. Peel your potatoes if you want or leave the skins on. That's where most of the vitamins are, so I leave my skins on. Cut the potatoes in roughly 1 inch cubes. Put the potatoes in the boiling water.
Start browning the ground beef. Keep the chunks pretty small. If there's a lot of fat, transfer the meat to a colander and rinse with hot water. Return the meat to the skillet and add garlic, seasonings and Worcestershire. Sprinkle the envelope of beefy onion soup mix over the meat and add 2 cups of water. Stir the meat mixture. When it gets bubbly, add the frozen vegetables. Add more water if necessary, but the veggies don't have to be totally covered. Put a cover on the skillet and let it all simmer for a few minutes.
Check your potatoes to see if they're mashable. If so, drain them, add butter and milk and mash by hand of with an electric mixer. Nothing fancy, however you like to make your mashed potatoes.
Check your meat and veggie mixture. The veggies should be tender, but not mushy. The onion soup mix should be dissolved and the onions should be getting soft. Put the flour or corn starch into about 1/2 cup cold water and stir so there are few lumps. Pour into the meat mixture to thicken the gravy. Cut a few minutes longer until the gravy has thickened.
Spoon the meat and veggie mixture into the casserole, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Spoon the mashed potatoes onto the meat mixture in small spoonfuls so that the meat and veggies are totally covered. Top with shredded cheese if you like,or some folks just like a little paprika. Put the uncovered casserole in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it. You want the cheese to melt and brown a bit, but not burn. Bon appetit!
4 big servings or 6 small. Leftovers microwave well.
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