Plate-sized steaks, colossal chicken breasts, lavish fish fillets and double-patty burgers may once have served as the heart of your family's dinners, but no longer. A new age of meat eating has arrived, and it centers around a fresh mantra: Maximize, maximize, maximize. By bulking up smaller portions of meat with cheaper vegetables, grains and more, you can stretch what you buy (and what you spend).

The classic pot roast may be slow to cook and huge in size, but this budget-friendly take is neither. With all the flavor of the original, this quick-cooking, stir-fried take extends just a half-pound of meat to feed four people, thanks to filling egg noodles and potatoes.

If your standard pork chop dinner means one chop per person, it's time to rethink. Bulked up with grilled eggplant and green beans, this hearty Asian-style meal stretches a half-pound of pork to feed a family of four.

Serve just a half-pound of shrimp kebab style, pairing it all with a super-filling lentil salad side. That way, you can feed a party of four without shelling out a ton of money for pricey shrimp.

Though serving up a fish dinner for the whole family may not sound like the most fiscally responsible move, breaking out of the one-fillet-per-person mindset makes it doable. This satisfying miso-based soup stretches just a half-pound of salmon to feed four people. At only two ounces of fish per person, you may be able to spring for the ocean-friendly wild-caught variety.

Your family won't miss slicing into their very own chicken breasts when presented with this spiced, Indian-inspired meal. Broiled cauliflower helps bulk up these well-rounded rice bowls, stretching two chicken breasts to feed four people.