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cheap food you can bang up a notch

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11-10-2014 , 12:05 AM

#26

El Diablo

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Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 70,770

amoeba,

I suspect you are underestimating the "without doing any real cooking" requirement.

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11-10-2014 , 12:07 AM

#27

kioshk

Nixonian

Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92,841

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Diablo

amoeba,

I suspect you are underestimating the "without doing any real cooking" requirement.

exactly, that stuff sounds like real cooking to me. Throwing garlic powder in something is more my speed.

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11-10-2014 , 12:07 AM

#28

amoeba

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Schnitzel. Buy some pork chops. You can get ones that aren't the tenderloin for $3 a pound. Or you can use chicken breast. Pound flat. If you don't have a meat mallet, use back of knife in a fine cross hatch fashion. Dredge in seasoned flour , then beaten egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs. You can substitute panko for breadcrumbs. Can also substitute Parmesan cheese for 1/2 of breadcrumbs.

Fry in oil until golden. Drain serve immediately with lemon wedge. Alternatively top with marinara and a piece of mozzarella. Bake in oven until mozzarella melts.

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11-10-2014 , 12:28 AM

#29

AlexM

ignored

Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,655

Ground beef, pork chops and other $3 a pound foods aren't cheap. They're reasonably priced real meats, but not cheap. I'd define cheap as $1 or less per meal.

Note that you can get the pink slime ground beef from random hole in the walls for cheap, but you really don't want to.

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11-10-2014 , 12:34 AM

#30

mullen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexM

Disagree. $1 a meal is basically impossible unless you're not eating any meat and even then it's rough. I guess plain pasta and dirt cheap cheese/sauce.

Buying chicken in bulk, potatoes/rice, and veggies can be done for ~$2 a meal and that's quite good imo

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11-10-2014 , 12:49 AM

#31

AlexM

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Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,655

$1 a meal is actually really easy. It just doesn't seem that way to people who are used to eating more expensive, better quality foods. Beans and rice and eggs are excellent staples for such a diet. Peanut butter and jelly is cheap. If you don't mind going pure garbage, generic Mac and cheese and ramen noodles are even cheaper.

But I agree that if you can afford it, you're much better off going the chicken and veggies route.

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11-10-2014 , 12:52 AM

#32

eobmtns

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,470

If $3 is too much for a meal, God bless you; consider quitting poker; and you are probably eligible for food stamps.

Generic stir fry:
Obtain protein (chicken, beef, pork, krab).
Put some cooking oil in wok and preheat.
Fry the protein.
Add fresh or frozen vegetables (onions, red and green bell peppers, garlic, mushrooms).
Add salt, pepper, chinese musstard powder, teriyaki sauce (the watery kind not the gooey kind).

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11-10-2014 , 01:09 AM

#33

SirOsis

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Whoever mentioned that eggs are cheap is right. Also a lot of vegetables don't cost very much. If you are poor and have a girl over for the night make her scrambled eggs with sliced or diced red pepper in them for breakfast. For some reason a lot of women fawn over colorful food.

Maybe my favorite cheap meal I saw someone make was when I was like 20 traveling through Australia staying at hostels. Some guy cooked up a bunch of ramen and then dumped a can of tuna on top. I laughed at the time, but I guess it makes sense. Probably cost like $2 and was filling with a decent amount of protein.

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11-10-2014 , 01:11 AM

#34

ih8ustfu

grinder

Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 664

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Diablo

amoeba,

I suspect you are underestimating the "without doing any real cooking" requirement.

+1 a lot of this food is cheap and sounds delicious, but im talking about stuff you can put together on a 5 minute break.

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11-10-2014 , 01:13 AM

#35

mullen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexM

Well ok, but there are no meat in those items (PB + J, ramen, etc). And if you are considering a single ramen portion a meal you can get down even lower than $2/meal with one that includes chicken. I mean I think the cheap bulk packs of chicken at Costco are like $2.39/lb or so, freeze all the excess and cook enough for a few days, grab 5 oz of that and some rice/various cheap spices and you're at about a dollar a meal there.

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11-10-2014 , 01:15 AM

#36

amoeba

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Ok . Something more simple.

Chop up some smoked sausage. Cook in pan with some garlic slices, jalapeños. Drop in a can of beans, I like Ranch Style beans. Extra paprika, cayenne, hot sauce optional.

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11-10-2014 , 01:17 AM

#37

5kids2feed

old hand

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,396

Quote:

Originally Posted by ih8ustfu

+1 a lot of this food is cheap and sounds delicious, but im talking about stuff you can put together on a 5 minute break.

And my point was that to get your sustainance, you're best off devoting a little time to cooking in bulk. Nothing I suggested really requires more than a half hour per week of cooking, even the marinara because you won't have to stir it in a crock pot.

If you eat too much food that is too fast, you're gonna feel inconsistent, get dehydrated with too much high sodium stuff, or just take in bottom of the barrel foods.

Poached eggs can be refrigerated btw.

Last edited by 5kids2feed; 11-10-2014 at 01:24 AM.

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11-10-2014 , 01:18 AM

#38

offTopic

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Two caveats:
- "2 meals" depends on how big of an eater you are
- I'm not sure if #8 is still #8

I used to get #8 from JitB with substitute onion rings (it's their version of chicken nuggets) and a salad in a bag.

Dump the deep fried goodness on a cutboard and rough chop the whole thing

Toss the salad in a bag with the chopped chicken and onion rings and dressing...you can get two meals out of this.

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11-10-2014 , 01:18 AM

#39

AlexM

ignored

Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,655

Quote:

Originally Posted by ih8ustfu

+1 a lot of this food is cheap and sounds delicious, but im talking about stuff you can put together on a 5 minute break.

Then you're looking for like a can of Chef Boyardee or a PBJ or a tuna fish sandwich.

Pre-making egg salad is also good.

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11-10-2014 , 01:21 AM

#40

amoeba

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The cheapest non egg proteins will be dark meat chicken value packs which I've seen for around 1.25 a pound. That and chicken livers which actually costs about the same.

Fry up a bit of bacon, pat dry your chicken livers and dredge in some seasoned flour. Fry livers in bacon fat along with garlic and onion. Season again. Plate up livers and onion. Top with crumbled bacon.

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11-10-2014 , 01:30 AM

#41

amoeba

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Potstickers.

Buy bag of frozen dumplings. Put oil in a pan. Line dumplings in pan with widest side down, it's ok even If still frozen. Heat up pan and fry for a bit until you can see a bit of crusting. Pour water over dumplings until dumplings covered. Cover pan with lid. Cook until all water evaporates. Potstickers will lift away from pan. Optional sauce - mix soy sauce, chili sauce mentioned in hot sauce thread, sesame oil.

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11-10-2014 , 01:35 AM

#42

eeonblue

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Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 562

Quote:

Maybe my favorite cheap meal I saw someone make was when I was like 20 traveling through Australia staying at hostels. Some guy cooked up a bunch of ramen and then dumped a can of tuna on top. I laughed at the time, but I guess it makes sense. Probably cost like $2 and was filling with a decent amount of protein.

Ate this daily in prison. Mix tuna and diced pickle with ramen noodles. Mix pickle juice with hot sauce, mayo, and barbecue sauce. Wrap in tortilla and add the sauce.

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11-10-2014 , 01:36 AM

#43

El Diablo

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Amoeba,

Mmmmm, potstickers. Two comments:
1) you use a lot more water than I do.
2) I like to brown them a little on the sides too.

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11-10-2014 , 01:40 AM

#44

hugeballs999

journeyman

Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 237

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5kids2feed

As for tortillas, corn tortillas are great and cheaper than flour. Pulling pork or chicken is super easy in a crock pot, big loaves of fresh french bread is also cheap. Have the bread and tortillas on hand for the pulled meats are important. Rice is another cheap way to mix it up with pulled meat in bulk.

Cole slaw, corn relish with vinegar and scallions, sriracha, pico De Gallo are all easy and cheap ways to take the same meal and switch it up.

You really can feed yourself on less than $2/day. Just need to be disciplined and the cooking in bulk pays you back.

I am concerned about your username

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11-10-2014 , 01:40 AM

#45

offTopic

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Should be "until bottom of pan is covered" imo, also, a couple drops of your favorite vinegar

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11-10-2014 , 01:46 AM

#46

samuri8

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Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 2,061

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerowo

Shakshuka:

Frozen cut up peppers and onions (2 bags)
2 little cans of diced tomatoes or 1 big can
half dozen eggs
Goes great with a little loaf of bread.

In a large skillet with a cover
saute the frozen veggies
add the tomatoes when the veggies are hot
simmer until the liquid has reduced a bit
crack the eggs onto the top and cover
let the eggs poach until they are as hard as you like

Makes 3 or 4 meals and is great. Add whatever spices you want. I add the Costco pulled rotisserie chicken and it's even better.

No salt? Or is that part of the any spices you want? Sounds pretty good.

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11-10-2014 , 01:56 AM

#47

ast

enthusiast

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 50

Homemade chicken salad is great option:

Just buy the cheapest chicken available, with bones usually can find around 0.99 per pound (sometimes whole chicken, sometimes legs and thighs with bones, etc.). Get maybe 10 lbs or so.

Cook chicken in crock pot or stove top in water until meat is falling off bone, pick all the meat off. Mix with chopped celery, mayo, mustard, hot sauce. Store in fridge, will last a week easily.

$10 chicken
$2 bread
$2 celery
+ Mayo/Mustard/Hot Sauce/Salt Pepper/Garlic to taste

Easily can make 20 sandwiches/10 meals. Only have initial prep (very easy) and then rest of the sandwiches are <3 min to make.

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11-10-2014 , 02:05 AM

#48

eobmtns

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,470

Hoisin Pork Wraps

Boneless pork chops; flour tortillas; green onions; Soy Vey garlic hoisin sauce; Kikkoman teriyaki sauce.

Cut pork chops into strips/small pieces. Drip teriyaki sauce all over pork and bake or fry. Scatter pork pieces into a tortilla, add chopped green onions and hoisin sauce, roll up tortilla.

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11-10-2014 , 02:25 AM

#49

GooseHinson

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Crack an egg into your ramen, add some hot sauce.

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11-10-2014 , 02:48 AM

#50

NhlNut

KANGZ

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 18,192

Quote:

Originally Posted by ih8ustfu

+1 a lot of this food is cheap and sounds delicious, but im talking about stuff you can put together on a 5 minute break.

The casserole is your friend.

mix 1 can cream mushroom soup, a couple spoons of sour cream, handful of cheese (cheddar)
pour over chicken parts in an baking pan.

bake (like an hour, but varies on chicken used)

serve with rice (microwaveable uncle ben's long grain and wild rice if price is no object.)

as cheap as you want to go.
minimal assembly time and effort.

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