Low-cost, low-fat and low-effort meals easy to make

Dear Heloise: I'm making a "budget" meal tonight, and I always add things to boxed pasta mixes that are added to hamburger or tuna. I add onions or veggies. Onions are added while browning the meat. Also, spices give it more of a homemade taste. Wendy in North Port, Fla.
Wendy, adding a few favorite and fresh ingredients makes the dinner a little more homemade. We polled "the girls" at Heloise Central for ideas on making quick budget meals, and here is what they had to say:
Have a box of instant mashed potatoes and a jar of ready-made brown gravy? In a baking dish, put a layer of browned ground beef seasoned with your favorite spices, then top with the gravy, a can of corn and one of peas, add the prepared mashed potatoes and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven until the cheese melts and the dish is heated through.
The new packaged rice dishes that only take 90 seconds to make in the microwave are great. Add some browned ground beef or strips of a grilled chicken breast with some favorite spices, and voil & agrave; -- dinner in a snap!
Chop up leftover steak or similar meat and heat. Also prepare a box of beef-seasoned boxed rice mix. Combine the two in a skillet and stir in a bag of mixed veggies. Heat and enjoy. Three food groups in one! Heloise
Dear Heloise: I just saw your column on ways to prepare asparagus, and I wanted to tell you another way. After the asparagus is prepped, place it on a cookie sheet, spread just a little olive oil over it and place it under the broiler until it is cooked (with a little crispness left). Another option is to either add a little salt and pepper or sprinkle on a little Parmesan cheese before broiling -- delicious! Vicki, West Monroe, La.
Vicki, sounds yummy! Lorraine from South Dakota sent in the following asparagus hint: "Just wash tender asparagus in cold water, snap off the ends and then eat it raw. It is crispy and full of flavor, not mushy. Sometimes it's a little stringy, so you might want to use a potato peeler to peel off the outer skin. You get all the vitamins and minerals, as they are not left in the cooking water." Heloise
Dear Heloise: I am watching my calorie intake, so instead of butter or sour cream on baked potatoes, I have started using picante sauce. It is delicious and only adds a few calories. You can choose mild, medium or hot, depending on your taste. Give it a try! Melissa Reuger in Roanoke, Va.
Dear Heloise: When I make rice, mashed potatoes, soup, etc., I make a big batch and put what I don't eat in yogurt containers and freeze them. They make perfect serving sizes for one person! Carol P. Zengerle, San Antonio
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate