Sixteen Days

[neadods]

I eat a lot of takeout. Quite literally, morning, noon, and night - breakfast on the way in to work, grab something over lunch to get out of the office, and then on the way home I'm usually so wrapped up in whatever I've got planned that I don't have food in the house or time to cook it if I did.

Tonight, I ran some numbers, wondering how fast I could afford an iPod - a full bells and whistles 60-Gig iPod brand new - if I just ate something homemade and cheap long enough to set aside the food money.

Sixteen days.

Sixteen DAYS!

Getting a grip on what I eat has got to rocket to the top of the list, for both my health and the health of my debts, the Stratford Fund, my savings, and that damned iPod which is rapidly becoming my holy grail.

The interactive part of this:

What quick, healthy, cheap meals do you like? I'm relatively lucky in that I actually do like oatmeal, but I can't eat it twice a day. Ditto chicken and rice and broccoli, which is my default steamer meal. I have a crockpot, so long slow-cooked meals are an option. Spicy-hot stuff is not.

Comments

[lizbetann]

I've gone to Smart & Final (or probably any warehouse store) and bought Cup-a-Soups. IIRC, a package of 12 were about $8, and it's easy (add hot water).

[zinelady.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you have an Aldis store, but they are very reasonably priced. They have Fit and Active ham and cheese hot pockets (store brand) that are quick and taste good as well. Just throw them in the microwave for a couple minutes. They also have chicken and beef chow mein in cans that you just heat up and make some instant rice.

They also have their brand of Hamburger helper that's pretty easy to make.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

One thing I can recommend is to watch your local supermarkets' sales for ham (often as low as $0.69/lb). Not only can it get quite cheap, but once cooked, it provides both meals as itself and also ingredients in fairly easy to cook additional food (for example, cheese strada, which is easy, becomes a serious meal with ham in). It is a bit salty, but provides an excellent alternative to chicken.

I'd suggest checking out recipe sites for the crockpot. There are a zillion and one fairly easy things to do with it, many of which you can start as early as the day before, or in the morning before heading out, and come home to a hot meal.

Wr're also fond of pasta with red sauces, usually with meat in them: a large pot of that (cooked separately, but combined for a pseudo-one-pot meal) is good for several days and can be transported to the office for heating at lunchtime.

Good luck; looking forward to hearing you've bought the iRiver Creative Zen iPod (oh, it hurts to type that, knowing it's support for the Evil Empire Lite)!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I do keep looking at all machines, but so far neither iRiver nor Zen come in the same size (physically that small) or the same size (60 gig) as the iPod, and they're not significantly cheaper than the Evil Lite alternative.

[moropus.livejournal.com]

There are webpages devoted to cooking all day, freezing and microwaving. I must try this again. I made twenty cheese burgers, a giant pot of soup, spagetti and meatballs, a gazillion biscuits with ham and cheese filling and a roast with veggies. It wasn't bad, but I needed more variety.

these days, I'm so worn out, we live on frozen microwave dinners and sandwiches.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Once a Month cooking? I did a lot of research into those sites when I got the vacume sealer. The problem is that all of the recipes I found were heavy on starch, short on vegetables, and were all either based on cheese sauce or tomato sauce.

So like you, I need more variety. I've been tryign to figure out about 15 to 25 ur recipes (since they say we all eat more or less the same 25 things in rotation) to freeze - but that's when my brain starts shutting down.

[twistedchick]

I'm fond of homemade soup -- anything in broth, can be frozen in serving sizes and reheated.

Also, ploughman's lunch: good sharp cheese, crisp sweet apples and wholegrain bread (with or without butter or additional trimmings), with something to drink. Always good to have on hand. We also keep on hand some version of smoked/cooked fish or meat (reheatable chicken sausage, for example) so it can be added at about a minute's notice (microwave time.)

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Me too. I blow on average $20.00 a day in buying food where I could have bought grocs instead. I'm sure this transition to civilian life will result in a lot more sammiches in my future. ;P
-=Jeff=-

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

Rick Rodgers has a good Crock-Pot cookbook for more than the standard recipes, but I second what people are saying about checking sites.

If I don't make a stew/soup in the Crock-Pot or on the stove on the weekends to portion out and make the week's lunch/dinner: Chicken breasts tossed into a foil package with or without vegetables, seasoned to taste, and baked after I get home while I'm doing something else. (These can also, of course, be done in advance and microwaved for lunch at work.) Cottage cheese. Scrambled eggs. (I am weird in that I can eat breakfast meals at any hour and anything for breakfast.) Random vegetable and beef/chicken stir-fries depending on what's on sale. In the summer, salad.

On the prepackaged side, the Morningstar Farms veggie burgers are good when they're on sale (my supermarket's been doing a lot of "buy one for $3.99, get one free" sales so I've been stocking up).

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Big pots of lots of things can be individually containerized and frozen for meals later. Ziploc reusable/disposable containers are your friends.

You might try making a pot of chili; look for Cincinnati-style recipes if you don't want heat -- or Russ says you can substitute ancho peppers, dried or powdered, for the chili powder. Then add garlic, onion, comino, and a little sweet paprika to make it red. Oh, and if you use beans, also add some epazote; it works like Beano. A small container of chili poured over a slice of stout bread is effectively a Sloppy Joe, but be sure your plate has enough of a rim to contain the juices.

If you can find HamBeens black bean or 15-bean soup mixes, we've had extremely good luck with those. Make some rice at the same time, and put both into the containers.

Big pots of pasta-and-sauce also containerize well. I'm fond of fettucine Alfredo (using a mix packet for the sauce) with a little sauteed chopped ham and onion added, for carbonara on the cheap.

If you don't have a bread machine, you're really missing a trick. They run $20-$40 at discount stores. Get one with a square loaf pan -- round loaves don't make good sandwiches. Half a sandwich made with the kind of bread you get from one of those is a MEAL, and you also save on bulk purchase of flour and yeast.

E-mail me if you want further suggestions, or more detailed recipes.

[shawan-7.livejournal.com]

I've got a bread machine you can borrow if you want.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Got one. What I keep wanting to do is have a bread baking marathon some weekend and put literally half-baked dough in the freezer to pull out and finish whenever I'm in the mood. But that takes time, which is slipping away rapidly...

[lagilman]

I make lasagna and then store individual portions in microwavable tupperware, for lunch and/or dinner.

I've also started making wraps for breakfast -- shredded cheese and deli meat of your choice, heated quick in the microwave and eaten on the go. Much healthier and cheaper than anything you can get at the fast food pits...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Breakfast is the one meal I want to hang onto, but I'm not eating it at McFakeFood, fortunately. There's a deli with a hot bar on my way in; I leave early enough for me to grab eggs and half a bagel there. At by-the-pound I've got portion flexibility, and it's worth it to me for that one meal to have someone *else* do the cooking and the cleanup.

[lagilman]

well, last night I got home so late and so wiped I made a burito with a whole wheat wrap, shredded cheese, some diced leftover cooked chicken, and half a red bell pepper, and nuked it for 30 seconds just to melt the cheese. If I'd had some fresh spinach or gree leaf to add to it, would have been the perfect meal.

(and all the ingredients can be bought in bulk and stored in the frdge for easy preparation)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Perfect! That's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for.

The cool thing is that would make the perfect lunch for work too - it could be assembled the night before without getting too soggy, nuked into edibility the next day, and finished off with a little fruit.

Thank you!

[jennetj.livejournal.com]

If you're too lazy to get the ingredients separately, look at the South Beach Diet wraps (in the grocery case with the Lunchables). Whole wheat wrap, meat (usu. chicken or turkey), cheese, topping/sauce and even a little cup of jello. They're about $3, tasty and nutritious. I probably have one a week, but I've also just bought "fixings" to make my own.

I'm also a fan of the Campbells "Soup at Hand", and the little containers of cottage cheese and fruit. I've been packing my lunch (and my breakfast) for almost 2 years and it's made a considerable difference in my budget (now if I can just take the train instead of driving I'll really start saving).

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Continuing a bit with the theme -- I think the real key, for someone like you who doesn't cook for the fun of it and doesn't have much time, is to devote a day to cooking and then make your own "fast food" meals, things that can be heated up quickly in the microwave. If you want TV-dinner type meals, things that have a main dish and side dishes, you can make your own from portions of a large entree and servings of frozen veggies (or even desserts) in compartmented trays. If you like a salad with your meals, buy pre-shredded salad mix in bags at the grocery; pull out a couple of tongfuls, add dressing, and there's your salad.

On an evening when you do have a little time and want something fresh, buy thin-cut bottom round -- the slices should be no more than 1/4" thick. Preheat a non-stick skillet and drop in a slice, cook 30-60 seconds, turn over, cook 30-45 seconds, remove to plate. (You'll get a feel for how long to let it cook depending on how done you want it.) Add a slice of French bread and butter, and a little fruit salad, and you've got a meal that takes no longer than waiting in the drive-thru, and is a lot better for you.

You might see if your library has a copy of anything with a title like Cooking for One -- but I suspect that overall, you'll be better off with the cook-lots-and-containerize approach.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

For mornings, you can buy supermarket muffins much more cheaply than purchased muffins (and maybe muffin mixes cheaper than those). Cheapest of all is making them by hand, which can be done in batches of 20 million, freezing the excess for later, and bringing five or so out to defrost on Sunday. (Same thing if you get a good sale at the supermarket.) Or you could grab fruit and granola bars (probably a sotre brand or whatever), or fruit and cheese if you're a protein-needing-person in the morning. Or store-brand yogurt cups. If you like breakfast at work, do it.

The big key, if time is the issue, is to make leftovers and have almost-ready-made things on hand. There's hot meals, but there's also looking at what delis do, and doing that for yourself. For lunches, make a few non-lettucey salads (random steamed veggies, or tomato-chunks/good-olives/red-onion with mozzerella chunks added later, or apple and walnuts and steamed chicken chunks, or the standard tuna salad, or sliced cucumbers and dill - you could make all six of those combined, 3-5 servings each, in about an hour, and eat all week with no work if you could stand cold meals a lot), and pack them with the quick bagged lettuce (for speed) or regular lettuce (for cheap). Or stock your fridge with things that you pre-cut to size and just need to be put into tupperware together, like pre-sliced cheese wedges, or pre-steamed veggies, or whatever. Make a quiche on the weekend; that's several meals right there. (And very good with salad, and also very freezable, IIRC.)

For crockpots, canned crushed tomatoes will be the source of many good meals. Stock up on those. They're cheap, you can get them with basil if you don't want to pay for tomato sauce (which is not cheap), they store forever, and they're the source of all varieties of stew, mexican, italian, and indian-flavored dishes, when combined with a protein and some vegetables. One of my faves when I craved takeout was a can of crushed tomatoes, skinless chicken thighs (bone optional; they'll melt right off anyway), a packet of taco spice, sliced onion, a can of black olives, and whatever green vegetable I had on hand. It makes many meals, and the chicken comes out rather wonderfully shredded. Also, red lentils (which are pink) make wonderful soup (which is yellow) - throw them in a crockpot with lots of water, some garlic, a bay leaf, and either Indian or Italian spices (and optionally some tomatoes). That's a huge amount of tasty soup for about a dollar. Use less water, and it's a side dish. Consider yogurt and fresh fruit for a fast, light supper if you're really low on time - get the largest-size store brand yogurt for your home use. Buy French bread or good peasant bread for your dinner; they'll make either of the above feel like real meals, unlike regular bread. If a loaf is too much to use before it goes bad, freeze half of it. I've learned where I'm living now that already-cooked pasta and rice in excess of what you need can be frozen, which is an option both for eating at home, and for packing hot lunches; make the stuff, put it in single-serving tupperware, freeze it, pack whatever cold dinner leftover stew you want into it, and it'll be kept cold until you get around to microwaving it. (Note that I haven't tried this one; I'm allergic. But I suspect the rice would work better, although both seem to work fine. Maybe undercook the pasta a tiny bit, if it's intended for freezing and reheating.)

So, yeah, in conclusion, by storebrands and sale items of whatever single-serving things you realistically need to pack your meal (or want to pack your meal); make enough for many meals at a time, so you can quickly throw something into tupperware or your microwave; stock up on cheap things that make good crockpot and low-effort meals; freeze what you can't use now, either direct from store sales or after you've made it; figure out meals you enjoy made of premade things; don't run out of food at home. And whatever luxuries you have to add to stick to it will be cheaper than eating out.

[calenorn.livejournal.com]

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Whole grains.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Yeah but - in what? I mean, there's only so much oatmeal and fruit I can eat. I'm trying to find actual recipes that aren't too much fuss and can be faced on a regular basis.

[havocthecat]

See, I can eat fruit any time. Mmmm. :)

Maybe try and make your own hummus? Though I've tried it a bunch of times and can never get it to turn out properly.

Make a huge batch of taco salad - a pound of ground sirloin (lower fat, or ground turkey for even lower fat than that), a can of black beans or refried beans, whatever veggies you want cooked with that, plus avocado, sliced tomatoes (or throw a can of diced tomatoes into the skillet), lowfat sour cream, and skim milk cheese. Open a bag of tortilla chips, and you're set.

[calenorn.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been on a real simplicity kick since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; the less processing, the better. Processed foods seem to always run high in either salt or sugar, not to mention genuine poisons like trans fats.

Fresh fruit is just fine as is. Fresh vegetables in salad or just boiled. Skip the salad dressing (pure fat) and garnish with sunflower kernels or sun dried tomatoes. There are lots of lovely choices out there that people don't often use: sugar snap peas, squash and zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower, etc.

There are whole grain substitues for all wheat products: breads, pastas, etc. Highly processed starch (wheat flour, white rice) hardly pauses a minute in your stomach before being converted into sugar - something I need to watch for.

I've also become a big fan of herbal teas. A pitcher of one of the fruit flavors, chilled in the fridge, is as satisfying as any soft drink or fruit juice (two more things I need to avoid).

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My thing is what I'm really looking for are specific recipes. I can eat a banana and a handful of almonds, for example, but I don't feel like I've had a meal, and the transient nature of fruit makes it hard to stockpile unless I'm using juices, or trying again to develop a taste for slushies.

[lagilman]

Check your store for the Lean Cusine stir frys. My local supermarket runs sales on a semi-regular basis, and they're not only good, but surprisingly filling. One package is actually two servings -- you can split it into two freezer-safe bags, or cook it all at once and store the leftovers for lunch the next day. I don't like to do it too often (I don't like eating too much processed food) but it's occasionally a life-saver, when otherwise I'd be reduced to sticking a spoon into the jar of peanut butter.)

[havocthecat]

My newest favorite cheap-and-plentiful recipe is from this site. The initial layout for spices can be kind of high, if you don't have the right ones on hand, but spices last forever.

Recipe alternations - I've tossed in instant brown rice and had it work just as well as regular white rice would. I always up the garlic content. And I've used either diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes in this and it works out just fine too. I don't bother adding salt, as the canned tomatoes I use have it in, and I usually add extra black pepper.

LENTIL AND TOMATO SOUP - SHAWRBAT `ADAS MAA BANADOURA
(Serves from 8 to 10)

Enjoy this delicious soup.

1 cup lentils, rinsed
7 cups water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium size onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup lemon juice

Place lentils and water in a saucepan and bring to boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

In the meantime, in a frying pan, heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until they turn golden brown. Stir in remaining ingredients, except lemon juice, and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Stir the frying pan contents into the lentils and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until rice and lentils are well-cooked. Stir in lemon juice and serve hot.

[havocthecat]

I forgot to say--you can make a double batch of this and freeze it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Perfect -this is exactly what I'm looking for - recipes!

some favorites...

[lagilman]

lemon & garlic chicken

olive oil
salt & pepper
2 chicken breast halves
1 lemon
garlic cloves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1 tsp oil, pinch of salt and pepper in a baking dish. Roll the chicken to coat, then place skin-side down in dish. Squeeze hal the lemon over the chicken, cut the rest into slices and cover chicken. Add one garlic clove per breast (or more, if so inclined; I tend to mince a clove and add it to the original oil, salt and pepper). Bake 15 minutes, turn over and cook another 15 minutes or until done. Is good warm, is excellent the next day for lunch. recipie doubles easily.

simple pepper steak

12 oz boneless chuck steak
bell peppers (red and yellow, preferably, as much as you like)
3/4 cup beef bullion
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
ground pepper

Broil steak until rare, cut into thin strips (can be done ahead of time, and some of it reserved for another recipe, or dinner that night). Heat skillet with vegetable oil, slice peppers into thin strips and saute until tender. Add steak, broth and soy sauce and cook for about 3 minutes. Gradually stirr in corn starch and cook until sauce thickens. Season with pepper to taste. You can also add in other vegetables, as preferred, to increase fiber and satiation.

You can serve this over rice, but I never felt it needed it.


If you'd like my lasagna recipe, e-mail me. I tend not to give it out too often, 'cause then what would I make for pot lucks? *grin*

Re: some favorites...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Oh, that chicken sounds nummy beyond belief!

I'll pass on the lasagna; if I'm going to make something like that, I'll make my lasagnoid instead, invented when I was trying to lower the amount of meat I eat:

Lasagnoid:
layer cooked lasagna noodles on bottom of pan
add layer of canned, drained kidney beans and cooked ground beef or lamb
pour over 1/2 can of spaghetti sauce
another layer of cooked lasagna noodles
layer of thawed and drained spinach
layer of ricotta or other creamy cheese (I've used borsin), with LOTS of garlic
last layer of lasagna noodles
Second half of the spaghetti sauce

Cook in 350 oven till warm through and serve with either garlic bread or beer bread.

If/when I make this again - it's symptomatic that I consider this "too fussy" a recipe for a worknight - I'll probably also throw in a layer of shredded, chopped spaghetti squash, probably between the spinach and the cheese. I'm looking for ways to majorly up my vegetable consumption.

Come to think of it, if I wilt my own spinach, it's probably freezable.

Any ideas for alternatives to lasagna noodles? I tried it once with rice and once just as strata and it seems to need *something* starchy.

Re: some favorites...

[havocthecat]

Ooh, can I snag your lasagna recipe?

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

Quick, healthy and cheap. Pick two. :)

You want healthy, you want to aim toward poultry and fish. I have a small George Foreman grill that comes in very handy. Since I'm a solo act up here, I buy single-serving fish fillets and chicken tenders. A bit of soy or teriyaki marinade and some seasoning, a few minutes on George, and there's two meals right there. Fish fillets get breaded and baked.

I've been eating brown rice, making two servings worth--there's another two-meal deal. I've got a deadly chili recipe from my wife if you want it, but I've also found this works:

Two cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (garlic seasoned)
One onion cut up
Two-four garlic cloves smooshed up
Two or three potatoes sliced up
Carrot chips (carrots sliced up like potato chips--I love 'em)
One round steak or generally tough piece of meat, cut up into chunks

Throw it all in, let it cook 4-5 hours and you're in for a treat.

JSM

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Quick, healthy and cheap. Pick two. :)

That is my problem!

I'll try your recipe.

Here's one for you, if you have a steamer (I bought a double-basket just for this), for one person:

1 chicken breast (frozen)
1 head broccoli (whole, or also frozen stiff)
1/4 c rice

Put in separate sections of steamer. Come back in about 40 minutes. Change the taste by putting difference sauces on the chicken and/or rice.

(If left to my own devices, I'd live on that. It's not the healthiest alternative, but it's a tempting one.)

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

Do I have a steamer...heh.

I got a big chunk of money as a one-time deal for moving up here. I borrowed a futon sofa, dresser and a dining table from my inlaws, got a cheap desk, TV and stand from Nebraska Furniture Mart and Office Max.

The bedframe and mattresses (also from NFM) were a little pricy, but I like comfort when I sleep.

The biggest chunk-o-change went to the kitchen. I am GEARED, dream babies. :)

JSM

Ideas

[relativeatbest.livejournal.com]

Hi, I’m Tina’s friend, she directed her lj friends to the recipes and ideas here.

I make a quiche to keep in the fridge for the week, but tends to get soggy. So I make “quiche muffin cups” and take three to work each morning, heat them up in the microwave, and eat them with a banana or something. I don’t use the spinach and I think next time I may subs. more cheddar for the moz. Makes about a dozen.

½ c each of: ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms (really to your taste).
10 oz pkg spinach (thawed and drained)
6 eggs
onion (how much you want; caramelized they add a tough of sweetness)
S&P to taste

Mix eggs with ricotta. Add other ingredients, mix. Pour into well-greased muffin tin (they don’t rise much, so fill as high as you want). Bake at 350 for about 20-25 mins (they’ll puff up and brown a bit). Run a knife around each edge and lift gently to remove from tin.

Also I make a ton of egg salad and keep it at work. It works for lunch or breakfast; you can eat it with bread or crackers or veggies.

There is a good chicken recipe I have that makes good snack/small meals if you want it.

Falafel, if you like it: the mix is cheap (I know a place that sells a huge mix for $2) and it makes a lot; you can store it for a few days and eat it for lunch, dinner, or snacks, in either pita, with hummus, with veggies, etc (Basha hummus is the best brand if you have to get store-bought).

Re: Ideas

[havocthecat]

Oooh, that sounds good. I'm on a recipe printing binge today!

Re: Ideas

[neadods.livejournal.com]

That sounds utterly delicious! I'm going to have to try it.

[book-geek.livejournal.com]

After going through several household unemployment binges, I've found plenty of cheap ways to eat. Maybe not the most healthy, but heck, if it's only 16 days, it won't kill you....

Beans and rice. There's a reason it's an ethnic staple. Buy bulk dried beans. Toss 'em in the crockpot. Fill the crockpot with water. Come home to yummy beans. If you can get a hamhock to toss in, too, it becomes even better. I've got an old (1970s orange) crockpot. I use 1 lb of beans, and the rest water, and have NEVER needed a presoak. As for the rice, well, follow the instructions on the bag.... I lived on this for a week of unemployment while I was living alone.

You can also make meatloaf in your crockpot (yes, I have done this multiple times, and it's always good)! Line the crockpot with aluminum foil (do this first before your hands get goopy with the meat mixture). Mix your meatloaf ingredients of choice together (ground meat [whatever's on sale; turkey is often cheaper than beef, and better for you!], onions, garlic, ketchup, starchy filler [stale bread, croutons, oatmeal, whatever], onion soup mix, italian seasoning, shredded cheese, etc.). Shape into a ball of the appropriate size to fit in the pot. Put it in, making sure not to have any of it outside of the foil lining. Cover, set on low, go to work. Come home to one of the most wonderful smells in the world! Make some instant mashed potatoes and steam a bag of frozen broccoli, and you've got dinner in less than 10 minutes....

Also, a tasty stirfry can be made with a bag of cheap frozen vegetables from your local cheap food mart (in CA we have Food 4 Less, but chains vary over territory), 2 packages of ramen, and a minimal amount of meat. To make the ramen, fill a pot with enough water to cover both packages of noodles. Bring to a boil, and add the noodles, along with the seasoning mix. Boil until done to your liking (I like squishy ramen, so I usually cook it for 5 minutes, but the package says 3). Drain the noodles. Boiling with the seasoning mix flavors the noodles. You can save a little of the liquid to toss in with everything else, if you want. Saute the meat, then add the frozen veggies and mix around till everything's defrosted. Add the noodles, some saved broth (if you want), and some soy or teriaki (whatever's in the cupboard). The noodles and veggies are the cheap part of the meal, and with enough of them, you really need very little meat.

Also, I second the suggestion someone made about keeping your eye out for grocery store sales. I always get fliers in the mail from the local food marts, and I used to just toss them. When I went through my poor period, I designed meals based on what was on sale, where.

Even now, I always make twice as much dinner as I really need, and bring the leftovers to work for lunch. I got my first set of tupperware-like objects at a thrift store for pennies, and used those for a long time (in case you don't have any of the fancy stuff). As long as where you work has a fridge and a microwave, you're set.

Oh and, "Hi!" Havocthecat sent me.... :)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

I particularly like the ramen stir-fry idea. I wonder if it would work with regular rice noodles or angel-hair pasta with a package of miso thrown in instead of the ramen flavoring?

Hmmmm...

Slowcooker

[ameliaamy.livejournal.com]

Also sent by Havocthecat, wanted to toot the horn of the slowcooker mailing list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slowcooker/) over at Yahoo groups. They have a monthly contest, and post the 3 best recipes submitted that month on the Winners page. (http://www.geocities.com/monthlyrecipe/index.htm) A good place to start for tried and true recipes.

Myself, I have a vat o' oats at the office that I cook each morning for breakfast. On the way in on Mondays I grab fruit, veggies, something for the "afternoon snack" category like peanuts, and 5 Lean Cuisines at the grocery store. It runs about $20, depending on the snack and how many boxes of tea I buy too. If you don't have a big fridge at work to keep it in all week, it's not nearly as easy.

Home made dinners: Pizza is pretty easy if you let the bread machine make the dough for you, and it makes several meals for one person, and it freezes well. The dough cycle is usually about an hour, then 20 min to flatten it out, top, and bake. Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup is a great quick meal on a cold night. Tonight's dinner took about 5 minutes to make, lessee hea....

quasi fried rice:

2 c. cooked day or two old rice
some cooked meat (optional)
1 egg
some frozen veggies, thawed
sesame oil
garlic powder, ginger powder
soy sauce
-=-=-
Heat 1T sesame oil in a large fry pan/wok over medium heat. Add the meat and veggies to heat through. Add the ginger/garlic seasonings (about 3 dashes each for mild) and then stir in the rice. Sprinkle soy sauce over top (1 tablespoon maybe?) and stir well. Allow about 30 seconds for it to heat though. Push the rice off to the side and add more oil to the pan (about 1 T again. I use chili oil, but sesame is fine). Let it heat up for about 15 seconds, then crack the egg into the pan, break the yolk so it "scrambles" and let it fry in the oil. When it's cooked to your liking, stir it into the rice/veg mixture. Makes 2 servings.

Very forgiving, and my favorite use of leftovers.

Re: Slowcooker

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Hello!

I'm going to check out the winners page - that sounds like a great resource!

My problem with lean cuisine is that they never fill me up - I always buy an extra box of veggies to keep from feeling hungry later, and by the time you've added veggies + box food, the price is starting to rise.

Although come to think of it, I like Stoffer's mac & cheese & broccoli, and surely I can make it for cheaper than their box!

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Try Twelve Months of Monastery Soups -- they are all tasty, most of them don't require expensive ingridients, and take about an hour or so to make, with a lot of the time being unattended simmering