Cheap, Cheap!

I like adding chicken to ramen. And cooking rice with beef broth and adding eggs. But want some more ideas. No diary though as I’m allergic.

Turkish lamb shish kebab at it's finest!

My latest “surprise basket” delivery from TooGoodToGo wasn’t much of a surprise… unless you count squished pears, mouldy peaches, smashed pears, shrivelled apricots, slimy celery and a mountain of overripe bananas.

Instead of binning it all, I decided to turn it into a challenge: how much could I actually salvage?

Here’s what came out of the kitchen:

• Banana bread and Mangalore buns (a type of fermented fried dough)
• Celery, zucchini and aubergine tart with tomato and red pepper paste, seasoned with zaatar
• Pear and apricot achar — doubles as a spread, marinade, and even fried my breakfast eggs with it
• South Indian ripe mango curry with curry leaves, sesame and coconut
• Butter-braised peaches and grapes with rosemary from my windowsill pot

What began as a box of disappointment turned into a feast of creativity. Feels good to know that with a little imagination (and a lot of spices), even the most tired produce can shine again.

1 cup of dried red lentils is enough to double a pound of ground beef/ turkey/ tofu or whatever. u have to add broth or water but it really helps to stretch the meal for less than a dollar. i do this for spaghetti sauce, chili, cottage pie or anything else i use ground beef for!

Ingredients:

• 150g potatoes that have been previously boiled and cooled
• 100/125g pressed tofu
• 20g olive oil
• one teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried thyme and dryed chives
• 4 eggs (seasoned with pepper and one teaspoon of salt or 50g grated parmigiano reggiano)
• optionally: one tablespoon or two of yogurt (if you have some yogurt sitting in your fridge that you need to consume asap)

Procedure:

1. Cut the potatoes and boil them until fork tender. Cool them rapidly on a wire rack, pat them dry and put them in the fridge in no more than 1.5/2 hours (funky things can happen to potatoes after that time has passed)
2. After 8/12 hours, take your potatoes and fry them in the oil until golden brown along with the tofu and the spices (you can be creative with the spices)
3. whisk eggs with the salt and/or parmigiano reggiano (and optionally yogurt) and pour them over the potatoes. Cook for 6/8 mins at medium low heat, then flip the frittata (there are a lot of videos that show how to do it) and cook the other side for roughly ~3 minutes or until golden brown.

Hello, I’m looking for some cheap budget friendly meal ideas for a small crockpot or in the oven no stove top no microwave no chopping no other appliances (blender, food processor, mixer, etc.) fridge and freezer available.

Prefer no raw chicken, beef, pork. Frozen cooked meats, smoked sausage, cold cuts, etc. are okay.

Which means that we have to cut back on everything, especially food. Everything has gotten so expensive!

I've been looking for affordable, low-cost meals that I can prepare often when we are completely retired, and I have 3 very easy meals currently.

1. Ground sirloin beef patties with brown gravy and mushrooms. I was shopping for ground beef when I discovered that ground sirloin costs about 7 dollars a pound. It looks like ground beef, but actually tastes like steak (at a fraction of the cost of steak), and my hubby loves it. Add a side of green beans or peas, and it's about an 8-dollar meal. I buy the 99-cent gravy brown gravy mix. After the mushrooms are cooked, set aside the patties and the mushrooms and mix up the gravy in the same pan. This is my absolute favorite cheap meal.
2. Speghetti, I like to use Hunts canned sauce with garlic and herbs. It's $1.47 a can. Great Value pasta costs about 99 cents a package, and I think it tastes great. Cook up some low-cost ground beef, strain it, and add the canned sauce. With over-the-counter sauces, I like to spice them up a bit with Oregano, garlic salt, onion powder, and a little bit of Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce. Tastes fantastic.
3. Chicken legs, I make my own Shake N Bake, and It turns out (in my opinion) better than the store-bought stuff. I use italian bread crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning mix. Put it all in a plastic bag, add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to help it stick to the chicken legs, and shake it up until it's well mixed. Then add the chicken one piece at a time, and shake it up to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

When I make mashed potatoes, I make enough for two meals. With the second night of having mashed potatoes, I use them in a "shepherd's pie." I use a pound of ground beef to line the bottom of the pan. Then pour a can of corn over the ground beef, and then spread the potatoes over the top of all of it. Finally, add cheese to the top. I usually use sharp cheddar. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I don't like to complicate shepherd's pie because I think it tastes best with just those basic ingredients. I didn't add that to the "meal" list because I actually use leftover potatoes to make it.

🌴🥥 Just made the creamiest Coconut Chicken Curry ever – my kitchen smells like heaven! 🍛

I just uploaded a step-by-step YouTube video showing exactly how I made this rich, flavorful coconut curry from scratch. The chicken is tender, the sauce is silky with coconut milk, and the spices… wow. If you love hearty comfort food with a tropical twist, you’ll want to see this!

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/LfwH2Bl_UmQ?si=cQE23jLHvL8SJoC1

What’s your secret spice for a perfect curry?

All ingredients shown in first slide 🍚

Added my favorite veggies and served over rice with a spicy mayo sauce. Most expensive item was the salmon. Delish!!

I need to find a small food that will fill up my tummy. I’m really stressed out lately so food makes me feel sick. Anything small that will fill me up? No eggs, meat is a hit or miss. I just moved out and my hunger pains make me feel nauseous. I can’t finish a full child’s meal.

Sourdough bread, 2 eggs cooked about over medium. I already ate the toasted bread rounds with jelly so they're not in the Pic. What do you call these?

Do you have butter or margarine? Do you have frozen berries or peaches? Do you have any form of plain short bread cookie?

No? All items can be bought at dollar tree!

You will need

1 baking dish. Size doesn't matter as this is a "to your liking" recipe.

Some form of way to bake. (I have made this in a air fryer before also came out great)

Instructions

Pour frozen fruit into buttered baking dish. (The butter in this step is for sticking issues. If you have nonstick spray that will work well.)

Pour frozen fruit in dish till you have a even layer that is roughly 2-3 inches deep.

Crush your cookies.

(I like to use butter rings or nilla wafers. Crush enough so you can evenly cover the frozen fruit.)

Evenly cover your frozen fruit with the crushed cookies.

You will then add small pats of butter on top of the cookies. Use your own judgement to determine what will be necessary for your dish.

Bake at 350°f till bubbly and the crushed cookies are beginning to brown.

Let cool so it can set.

Optional add ons.

I like to add a little bit of sweetened condensed milk on top with the butter pats. Again, use your own judgement. This dish can be made in a small glass dish for 1 or in a large dish for a gathering.

I like to eat this with a bit of ice cream or some whipped topping, but it tastes wonderful on its own.

I don't know what to call this dish. I don't know if it's a cobbler, I just know it's good and I can throw it together in minutes for less than 5 dollars assuming I'm using all the ingredients in one batch.

I’m not trying to save money but sometimes I will just have a whole can of black beans for dinner. I know it’s a little unhinged but I really enjoy beans.

I usually drain them, heat them up, and then add garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce. You can add rice if you’d like but I usually enjoy them on the rocks.