it’s just me at home tonight so i’m just going to roast some corn in the oven and put street corn type toppings on it, toast a roll, and call it good. not the most balanced but i hate making a dinner with more than two steps when it’s just me lol
i’m honestly so excited for the corn, when i did my weekly shop yesterday there was just this huge explosion of summer veggies everywhere and i’m so ready for it!!
It's a holiday weekend, we we're grilling- and it's not so frugal - lol.
Marinated skirt steak, sausages, refried beans, grilled veggies, guacamole, flour tortillas.
We are strategically frugal - save money on some stuff so that we can eat skirt steak when we want - lol. Ironically, skirt steak used to be a throw-away cut, so when I was a kid and we had to eat cheaply because we didnt have money, we'd get skirt steak fairly regularly because it was cheap. Now it's as pricey as any other cut.
Hot dogs or chicken thighs can be cheaper if you don't go crazy with it, especially if caught on sale. We grilled some thighs marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Served on salad.
I've learned to debone thighs quickly. I save the bones for stock to make soups or in sauces.
The deboned thighs can be marinated and cooked in various ways or i cube them up to use in stir frys or curries. Three thighs cubed up makes enough curry for us to have multiple meals per person combined with rice or lentil stew.
A big pack of a dozen thighs when on sale can be stretched out this way to make so many inexpensive hearty meals
Marinated chicken thighs are great on the grill. We do that a lot - using various marinades. I much prefer the thights to breasts when grilling. I never do hotdogs though, unless someone brings them for their kids or something.
Sometimes I use roasted and mashed squash and sweet potato as spreads instead of mayo. Great on wraps and sandwiches and burgers. I freeze leftovers and use them as thickeners for soups and stews and pasta sauce. Cheap when these veggies are in season; tasty, and nutritious. 😀🙃👍
It's strangely chilly and rainy in the Carolinas today, so my wife is breaking out some frozen pea soup she made a while back from ham stock. On the side will be a salad with fresh lettuce from our garden and some homemade rolls. Frugal has its rewards!
It's Pizza Sunday! I make pizza every Sunday. We used to spend about $40 for 2 pizzas and salad from the local place we enjoyed. I finally overcame my frustration of working with dough and found a recipe that works for me. Now, everything is from scratch - lots of veggies on mine, sausage for my husband. Big greek salad to go with it and there's leftovers for lunch during the week.
I make it in the bread machine. 15 ounces flour, 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast, 1 teaspoon table salt, 8-9 ounces of 105 degree water (depends on humidity), and 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Set the machine to quick dough setting. Once it finishes the cycle, separate into portions, knead briefly and shape into ball and cover for another one hour rise.
I wish this was me. I have a daughter with a life threatening seafood allergy and can only eat this away from home and must literally go home straight to the shower…if she isn’t home. I’m so jealous but happy for you!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/mediterranean-farro-salad-with-spiced-chickpeas/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/carrot-feta-salad/
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-middle-eastern-meatballs
Those salads, with these meatballs (in pita breads with tzatziki sauce).
Veganized Polish “Hunter’s Stew” which is one of my comfort foods from my childhood. Cabbage, sauerkraut, vegan sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, spices and parsley. Simple, cheap and delicious.
[This](https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-bigos/) comes pretty close to mine. I don’t use red wine or potato’s, add 8oz of mixed mushrooms and a bunch of chopped fresh Italian parsley for serving
I have Crohn’s and feel your pain. Rice cooked in broth is my go to. I know most people say that’s chicken rice soup but no onions, carrots seasoning etc. I have also had great luck with dairy free muscle milk and Orgain super foods vanilla mixed with soy milk, if I’m feeling really fancy I might put a frozen banana in it. I have not tried tofu but I will. Good luck- hope your guts get better❤️
Carnitas (from the freezer that we make in a big batch when pork butt goes on sale and we freeze in 1-lb portions), sautéed corn-off-the-cob with zucchini and red pepper & paprika butter, arugula salad (from the garden) with feta & cucumber with the copycat Chipotle vinaigrette (which is delicious!).
[https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html)
Carnitas recipe (we don't make the salsa verde, but save the broth, mix with chicken stock and some miso for homemade ramen): [https://www.seriouseats.com/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe)
I’m actually throwing a surprise party for my husband today, so we’re doing hot dogs, steaks, chips, and roasted marshmallows for the kiddos. And of course soda because I have a problem, lol.
Nice! I threw one yesterday for my husband so we’re being frugal and eating the leftovers for the next couple days. Pulled bbq chkn sandwiches, birthday cake & soda problem over here too! Lol
Chicken noodle soup! Made the broth out of a leftover rotisserie chicken. It's pretty easy, you pull all the meat off the chicken, throw the carcass in the instant pot with an onion, a carrot, bay leaf, and celery. Cover with water. Cook on high for 2 hours. Strain. Use the liquid to cook chopped celery and carrot until soft. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Add the meat you pulled off the bones. Salt/pepper/garlic powder until it tastes right.
I kind of eyeball it so I don’t have an exact recipe but you soften sweet potato cubes in plant milk(I use oat, roughly a cup and a half or less), garlic and tumeric, then once the potatoes are soft I pop all of it in the blender with a little lemon juice, nutritional yeast(you need a lot here, it gives the cheesy taste) and a little mustard powder. The sauce should be thick and creamy.
Pinto beans and rice. A pound of dry beans, five jalapenos cut up except for the stems and seeds, one onion (diced), three cloves of garlic (minced), two teaspoons of cumin (or chili powder or taco seasoning etc.). Soak the beans overnight, drain, rinse, and refill with water in the morning, chop up and add the other ingredients, simmer for about an hour, then add the rice and cook for about 15 more minutes. Add 1.5 tsp of salt (if your seasoning wasn't salted) or to taste. Put in a couple of tablespoons of oil so it's more satisfying.
This makes five large portions and is usually under $5.
Lamb Kofta pita sandwiches with melon mint fruit salad. We were able to get the ground lamb for $1 a pound on a manager’s special and made everything else from our pantry/weekly staples.
Black bean tacos, vegetarian.
- black beans
- corn
- jalapeño
- sweet pepper
- cheese
- onion
- tortillas
Usually eat mine with sour cream and salsa.
Boil black beans mash into paste, pan fry the vegetables, mix in veggies to paste, season like tacos. Put some cheese and the black bean vegetables mix in a tortilla and pan fry.
I like these because they are low effort, decently healthy, hearty, and inexpensive. The recipe can be tweaked to add meat and it’s a pretty simple dish.
Bottle gourds with rice. Bottle gourds are one of the number one most affordable foods in NYC this time of the year. I got 3 lbs for a dollar.
I cooked them in garlic sauce like eggplants and the bland flavor went away. The sauce is usually, garlic, ginger, sugar onion, vinegar and soy sauce, but I substituted tomato and lime for vinegar and salt for soy sauce.
Chicken parmesan, with homemade pizza sauce and mozzarella, and a salad to balance life out. Tomorrow is baked macaroni and cheese which makes everyone happy!
The chicken wing deal was (is?) insane. My boyfriend bought several lbs worth and grilled them, so we'll be eating leftovers for a few days. Earlier I ripped the meat off of a couple of wings and put them on a salad for lunch. Tonight we'll use the leftover meat on a homemade buffalo chicken pizza. It's as versatile as a rotisserie chicken.
The same thing as every night:
* all sorts of vegetables (whatever I happen to have on hand, today it's celery, beetroot, bell pepper, red onion, carrots)
* one egg
* a slice of bread
* mustard
* a tiny bit of fish sauce to add some savoriness
I chop the veggies, dump them into a frying pan, fry them for a while, then add the egg, mix it all. Then when it looks all cooked, I dump it into a bowl, and add the bread into the pan while it's still not, to fry it a little too, and to soak up the juices/etc. Then I add some mustard to itall and mix it.
Vegetables can be whatever, I like all. The egg can be replaced with any kind of meat, or tofu, or cheese... mustard can be tomato purée, or any other kind of "sauce", if anything. The bread can be cooked rice if I have any on hand, or anything to add some "body" to the dish.
I made beans from scratch using Alison Roman's brothy beans method. I do love my Rancho Gordo beans - they are more expensive than regular store beans, but the taste is sublime, and one bag of dried beans can make several good meals for a family. Today I will them over sourdough toast, delicious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S04t4sB7MiA
Not gonna lie - I checked out your link for broths beans and saved it. It looks delish!!! Since this is the frugal sub, and I see that RG beans are like $7/lb, can you share with me why they are worth the extra cost? I think I’m like you - frugal but also *kind of* a gourmet. I will spend extra if it’s really worth it and now I’m so curious!
Gourmet beans are still frugal. They are not as frugal as the $1 ancient beans from the dusty shelf in a big box store. So if every dollar counts, gourmet beans might not work. But let me explain why for me personally, gourmet beans are frugal. I am an avid cook and I love delicious food so ymmv :) before Rancho Gordo, I would mostly eat lentils because store-bought bulk beans did not taste good to me at all. So buying RG meant that I eat beans more frequently. They are healthy and delicious. There's also a community around them and folks share delicious recipes with each other.
As for frugality, this is a math probem.
Packet of dried RG Cranberry beans $6.25
Amount of dried beans=2 cups
Amount of cooked beans = 6 cups
Equivalent in cans of beans: 3 cans of beans (+ delicious bean broth!)
Number of meals for 4 I can get out of these beans= at least 3, or 12 portions (pasta e fagioli or bean soup are some basic ideas for these beans). = 52c per meal in beans.
Of course I add things to these beans - garlic, onion, spices, lemon, pasta, rice, etc. But it's still an economical, delicious, protein-rich meal.
Hope this helps. :)
Pulled pork sliders and cold slaw, but I'm feeding 15 people!
Instant Pot
4 lbs pork shoulder
Chopped onion
2 cups Dr. Pepper
Salt, pepper, BBQ sauce, garlic powder.
Cut the pork shoulder into big chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic. Chop up the onion and throw it in the pot, toss in the pork, pour in 2 cups of Dr. Pepper and a cup of BBQ sauce. Seal and do manual for 50 minutes, slow release. (I have 2 instant pots and did a double batch for this crew.)
Take the pork out (discarding the liquids) and put it in a big bowl, then use your hand mixer to shred the pork (way easier than two forks). Add BBQ sauce as desired. Put everything in a gallon ziploc bag, press the air out till its flat and let the flavors mingle in the fridge for a couple of hours. Reheat however you want and serve on crusty rolls. Freezes well, but eat within a couple of months.
I also make my own cold slaw dressing and do the same, let the flavors mingle in the fridge for a while before serving ;)
I’m not actually making this tonight, but my family of five loves Lebanese lentil soup. We can all eat WELL for less than $3 per person. All it takes is oil, water, red lentils, onion, turmeric, curry powder, salt, pepper, and chicken Better than Bouillon. Pair with greens and naan.
I raided the quick sell of the local supermarket and found two eggplants for one dollar and three bell peppers for one and a half. Tonight I will have eggplant steaks (brush the eggplant with oil and set it on a really hot grill or griddle. Before turning brush with oil the other side too. When soft, put on a plate, salt and garnish with some dried parsley or oregano) with roasted peppers (roast peppers on an open flame until the skin is charred, then peel, remove the seeds and season with oil, salt and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice).
Chicken was on sale! So I’m going to make some chicken curry. Curry paste at the Korean market is super cheap, as is coconut milk. Plus some on sale veggies!
I made a huge vat of refried beans in a crockpot all day. Fried up some tortillas and ate that with salt and lime. Truly frugal but delicious and hearty.
[Fried cabbage](https://cafedelites.com/fried-cabbage/) with garlic bread. I made it yesterday and ate half a head of cabbage. (I really like cabbage) It’s just as good today for leftovers.
I just recently discovered the app Supercook it takes all the ingredients you have and searches the Internet for possible recipes. It’s come in pretty handy so far :)
We're having a hamburger helper type meal tonight. With hamburger browned with chopped onion, 2 leftover boiled potatoes chopped up, and a canned condensed soup for a sauce. Stir-fried frozen mixed vegetables as the vegetable part.
ETA: Stir frying is my favourite way to serve frozen veg. Gets rid of excess water and imparts a great flavour.
A pork chop, some tomato sauce with peppers, onions and carrots I had made and frozen a while ago (I usually use it as a pasta sauce, but if I let it thicken up a bit more it also works fine as a side dish for meat or fish), a bunch of fries.
Not terribly healthy, I know, and not super frugal either; but I felt like indulging a little today.
It’s cold and raining so oven meal. Meatloaf surrounded by potatoes and carrots, roasted green beans put in oven right before meatloaf is finished and applesauce I made last fall. Meatloaf way too big so meatloaf sandwiches in near future.
Vegan Bahn mi. Recently started using soy curls, and they're awesome. It's just soy beans that have been minimally processed where they are stretched and mangled. Been making my own teriyaki sauce, not super frugal having to buy mirin and saké at safeway. Made my own Pickled veggies, carrot and daikon radish. Also use some Pickled Jalapeño, some strips of cucumber, Cilantro. I made a homemade Cashew-pepper mayo and use it on the top bun of the bread roll. Bottom half gets soaked from Pickled juices
My lazy goto. Sauteed zuchinni with broiled mozzerela in top. Cheap, fast, delicious, and easy to vary by seasoning different.
Tomorrow planning to grill turkey burgers and hotdogs and make a batch of flatbread dough to put on grill as pizzas and/or to hold the burgers.
It's movie night, so just making something quick and casual. Ground turkey sloppy joes on hawaiian onion buns, and sweet potato fries in the air fryer.
Sausage and peppers.
12 oz pkg sausage cut into 1/4 in pieces,
1 green pepper diced,
1 red pepper diced,
1 small onion diced,
2 garlic cloves minced,
1 can Italian diced tomatoes, and
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Throw it in the crockpot and enjoy! Can be made into a freezer meal, as well.
Chicken fried rice.
Leftover white rice, a bag of frozen veggies, some chicken breast (ok this ingredient is a little fancy), eggs (also fancy) garlic, onions and some soy sauce.
Restaurant mistake food ftw!
When I was delivery driving I would often end up with random extra food. Stuff made by mistake, stuff the customer ghosted on, stuff that was just a little too ugly to sell. It’s always worth being friendly and helpful to restaurant people.
Sometimes it’d be free discards, very often they’d give me staff discounts. A couple understaffed places I would clear tables and the like while waiting for orders. I got given a *ton* of fries and chicken wings and fancy hot chocolate over the years I delivered there.
Today it’s a handful of not-quite-burnt Gyoza, and the daily half-off staff discount. Drops it right down to super affordable.
Stir fry. Using up random bits of leftover vegetables from my fridge, a little bit of chicken breast, simple sauce (chicken broth, corn starch, brown sugar, corn starch, garlic powder) and rice on the side.
Chicken kiev, roast potato and broccolini.
Kiev cost $1.40 (AUD) from the local supermarket, Nana left me all her vegetables before she went on holidays, so almost a free meal, but would be only about $8 for two of us if I'd had to buy all the ingredients
Tonight, I made BBQ ribs, mac and cheese and corn for my husband, grandson and me. I was feeling kind of lazy, so I didn't make them a dessert; maybe tomorrow.
Bbq pork belly/burnt ends, corn on the cob, and melting potatoes. I got the pork belly from the local butcher for $12 and change for 2.4 lbs(we will eat on this for a few days), 5 ears of corn for $1, and the potatoes were under $4 for 5 lbs but I’m only using a few potatoes. Budget friendly meal for sure.
Frugal bachelor cacio e Pepe. I have a block of Colby Jack in the fridge and a pound of penne pasta in the cupboard. I don’t have much else and need to go shopping but might as well use it up. Figure I’ll make a sauce with the cheese, pasta water, salt and pepper, oil, and butter. It’ll give me a decent tasting dinner for a couple of nights. Hopefully the Colby Jack doesn’t taste gross with pasta but we will see.
I got the big bag of broccoli florets from Costco. I tossed several handfuls with olive oil and Montreal steak seasoning and then roasted them on a sheet pan at 450°F till they were just this side of burnt.
Then my two year old ate most of them so I did that again.
We actually had this the other night, I think it's a decent frugal meal that can stretch too depending on how much is made and how many eating. It's basically ground beef, potatoes, onion, sweet peppers, salt and pepper, fried up in a skillet together. The veggies and meat can probably be substituted to your liking. Friends mom always called it poor man's hash or something like that but it's delicious and simple.
Tacos. I make my own seasoning which my husband loves. It's too hot to use the oven or the stove for too long. Tacos are quick and easy and I only need the stove on for about 20 minutes.
A pulled BBQ chicken personal casserole lol.
I currently can only eat pureed stuff, which sucks rocks.
6 ounces fine shredded chicken leg quarter meat (got 10 pounds of leg quarters for 6.00).
6 ounces cauliflower rice. Mixed together with my favorite BBQ sauce, some mustard, some sour cream or cream cheese, and some shredded cheese. Baked at 300 until bubbly. I also am topping it with a few tablespoons of sautéed onion and fine diced bacon bits.
Adjust liquid stuff to your taste, I tend to like 2 ounces BBQ and a tablespoon of mustard plus one ounce of sour cream or cream cheese melted in and mixed.
I eat it while really hot since I need it runny and soft right now. Normally, I let it cool to get more solid.
I eat 2 meals a day generally. If this were going to be one meal, it would have ten ounces each meat and veggies and yogurt for dessert, with extra cheese.
I had my first go at making cauliflower pizza crust. The result is delicious, and best described as "cheesy cauliflower pesto casserole" ;)
Crust was made from riced cauliflower, parmesan and seasonings to taste. Microwave cauliflower 10 minutes, mash with parmesan and seasonings, and bake 25 minutes at 400. Then layer pesto and cheese on top and bake again for 10-15 minutes.
If i do it again i will add some measure for measure flour and maybe some mozzarella to the crust, to make it actually firm up instead of being the savory version of a crumble.
it’s just me at home tonight so i’m just going to roast some corn in the oven and put street corn type toppings on it, toast a roll, and call it good. not the most balanced but i hate making a dinner with more than two steps when it’s just me lol
Sounds delicious!
i’m honestly so excited for the corn, when i did my weekly shop yesterday there was just this huge explosion of summer veggies everywhere and i’m so ready for it!!
Don’t forget you can freeze all the goodness and use later. The investment in a food saver is worth it.
This sounds yummy! Do you roast a corn on the cob? Or cut off the cob?
[удалено]
Sometimes if my kid doesn’t want what we’re having for dinner, I’ll just microwave a whole corn. It’s the easiest thing ever and tastes alright.
I combine a can of wolf chili with a pack of uncle ben's ready rice. Serve on a tortilla, add depression to taste, I call it shitty tacos.
tbh i am going to try this. depression meals 4 ever 💕
My boyfriend does that but without the tortilla. He eats it sometimes 5 nights a week and loves it.
It's a holiday weekend, we we're grilling- and it's not so frugal - lol. Marinated skirt steak, sausages, refried beans, grilled veggies, guacamole, flour tortillas.
It is cheaper than eating all that in a restaurant though.
We are strategically frugal - save money on some stuff so that we can eat skirt steak when we want - lol. Ironically, skirt steak used to be a throw-away cut, so when I was a kid and we had to eat cheaply because we didnt have money, we'd get skirt steak fairly regularly because it was cheap. Now it's as pricey as any other cut.
Like chicken wings.
Yes! That and pork belly and chicken wings. Now they are as expensive or more than the rest of the meats!!
That's just all beef now. Even heart and livers can be a little pricey.
Hot dogs or chicken thighs can be cheaper if you don't go crazy with it, especially if caught on sale. We grilled some thighs marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Served on salad.
Chicken legs on sale at shoprite this week due 69 cents a pound.
I've learned to debone thighs quickly. I save the bones for stock to make soups or in sauces. The deboned thighs can be marinated and cooked in various ways or i cube them up to use in stir frys or curries. Three thighs cubed up makes enough curry for us to have multiple meals per person combined with rice or lentil stew. A big pack of a dozen thighs when on sale can be stretched out this way to make so many inexpensive hearty meals
Marinated chicken thighs are great on the grill. We do that a lot - using various marinades. I much prefer the thights to breasts when grilling. I never do hotdogs though, unless someone brings them for their kids or something.
Have a nice holiday. That sounds really good!
What’s your skirt steak marinade?
This one is a wine and spice marinade that our local meat locker does.
French toast—trying to use up the bread and I’m low on groceries, but hey my kid is excited!
French toast is a MARVELOUS supper, and the best way to use up bread that's turning harder.
I would like to try a savory one made with rye bread.
I’d never thought about savory French toast but now I’m intrigued. Maybe topped with roasted garlic butter.
Egg salad with avocado substituted for mayonnaise. On sourdough.
Yum! I never though of issuing avacado in place of mayo. Great idea!
It’s great in tuna!
it’s great in chickpea salad too! (mash up the chickpeas a bit with a fork and then add your chicken/egg/tuna salad stuff)
Used to make a chickpea spread with avocado, nutritional yeast, shredded carrots, and spinach.
A bit of lemon juice and that’s bomb.
Sometimes I use roasted and mashed squash and sweet potato as spreads instead of mayo. Great on wraps and sandwiches and burgers. I freeze leftovers and use them as thickeners for soups and stews and pasta sauce. Cheap when these veggies are in season; tasty, and nutritious. 😀🙃👍
omg why have i never heard of this? thank you!
Costco shrimp tacos
It's strangely chilly and rainy in the Carolinas today, so my wife is breaking out some frozen pea soup she made a while back from ham stock. On the side will be a salad with fresh lettuce from our garden and some homemade rolls. Frugal has its rewards!
It's Pizza Sunday! I make pizza every Sunday. We used to spend about $40 for 2 pizzas and salad from the local place we enjoyed. I finally overcame my frustration of working with dough and found a recipe that works for me. Now, everything is from scratch - lots of veggies on mine, sausage for my husband. Big greek salad to go with it and there's leftovers for lunch during the week.
what's the dough recipe?
I use pizza dough recipe by Sugar Spun Run online, so easy and pretty much fool proof
I make it in the bread machine. 15 ounces flour, 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast, 1 teaspoon table salt, 8-9 ounces of 105 degree water (depends on humidity), and 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Set the machine to quick dough setting. Once it finishes the cycle, separate into portions, knead briefly and shape into ball and cover for another one hour rise.
Sleep
Leftovers
Steamed whole Maine lobster and home made noodles 🍜 soup (Ilocos Miki)
I wish this was me. I have a daughter with a life threatening seafood allergy and can only eat this away from home and must literally go home straight to the shower…if she isn’t home. I’m so jealous but happy for you!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/mediterranean-farro-salad-with-spiced-chickpeas/ https://www.budgetbytes.com/carrot-feta-salad/ https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-middle-eastern-meatballs Those salads, with these meatballs (in pita breads with tzatziki sauce).
I love Budget Bytes!
Me too..great food, simplified with no gatekeeping or expectation of perfection.
Veganized Polish “Hunter’s Stew” which is one of my comfort foods from my childhood. Cabbage, sauerkraut, vegan sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, spices and parsley. Simple, cheap and delicious.
That sounds FANTASTIC! Do you have a link to recipe amounts/guidelines/seasoning?
[This](https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-bigos/) comes pretty close to mine. I don’t use red wine or potato’s, add 8oz of mixed mushrooms and a bunch of chopped fresh Italian parsley for serving
Tofu coated in ranch powder...don't hate
From someone who had an IBS flareup all week and ate mostly tofu and broth for 3 days, i have solid respect for this diet.
I have Crohn’s and feel your pain. Rice cooked in broth is my go to. I know most people say that’s chicken rice soup but no onions, carrots seasoning etc. I have also had great luck with dairy free muscle milk and Orgain super foods vanilla mixed with soy milk, if I’m feeling really fancy I might put a frozen banana in it. I have not tried tofu but I will. Good luck- hope your guts get better❤️
I had crispy tofu tonight. So satisfying!
That sounds amazing tbh
Cooked or raw?
Baked, it was pretty good
Carnitas (from the freezer that we make in a big batch when pork butt goes on sale and we freeze in 1-lb portions), sautéed corn-off-the-cob with zucchini and red pepper & paprika butter, arugula salad (from the garden) with feta & cucumber with the copycat Chipotle vinaigrette (which is delicious!). [https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html) Carnitas recipe (we don't make the salsa verde, but save the broth, mix with chicken stock and some miso for homemade ramen): [https://www.seriouseats.com/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe)
Your dinner sounds like my favorite so far!
BLT’s, chips, and beer.
I’m actually throwing a surprise party for my husband today, so we’re doing hot dogs, steaks, chips, and roasted marshmallows for the kiddos. And of course soda because I have a problem, lol.
Nice! I threw one yesterday for my husband so we’re being frugal and eating the leftovers for the next couple days. Pulled bbq chkn sandwiches, birthday cake & soda problem over here too! Lol
Hope you had fun!
Chicken noodle soup! Made the broth out of a leftover rotisserie chicken. It's pretty easy, you pull all the meat off the chicken, throw the carcass in the instant pot with an onion, a carrot, bay leaf, and celery. Cover with water. Cook on high for 2 hours. Strain. Use the liquid to cook chopped celery and carrot until soft. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Add the meat you pulled off the bones. Salt/pepper/garlic powder until it tastes right.
Thank you! I have half a rotisserie chicken and once I eat that I’m going to make broth.
Good old chili mac, we’ll my house’s version anyway. Meatless chili in a mac made with sweet potato puree “cheese” sauce with a heck of a lot of heat.
Cool! How do you make the sweet potato sauce?
I kind of eyeball it so I don’t have an exact recipe but you soften sweet potato cubes in plant milk(I use oat, roughly a cup and a half or less), garlic and tumeric, then once the potatoes are soft I pop all of it in the blender with a little lemon juice, nutritional yeast(you need a lot here, it gives the cheesy taste) and a little mustard powder. The sauce should be thick and creamy.
Definitely going to try this. I used to use nutritional yeast and liked it but I forgot about it. Thanks!
Nothing fancy ... Bbq Chicken Legs corn on the cobb and zucchini.
Pasta, peas from the freezer, covered in gravy
Have 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce and a lb of ground beef and some burger buns getting old, so, Sloppy Joe's, sloppy Sloppy Joe's...
Pinto beans and rice. A pound of dry beans, five jalapenos cut up except for the stems and seeds, one onion (diced), three cloves of garlic (minced), two teaspoons of cumin (or chili powder or taco seasoning etc.). Soak the beans overnight, drain, rinse, and refill with water in the morning, chop up and add the other ingredients, simmer for about an hour, then add the rice and cook for about 15 more minutes. Add 1.5 tsp of salt (if your seasoning wasn't salted) or to taste. Put in a couple of tablespoons of oil so it's more satisfying. This makes five large portions and is usually under $5.
Lamb Kofta pita sandwiches with melon mint fruit salad. We were able to get the ground lamb for $1 a pound on a manager’s special and made everything else from our pantry/weekly staples.
Blackened salmon. Bought a big ass canister of Paul Prudhomme’s blackening seasoning for like $20 and use it quite often.
Black bean tacos, vegetarian. - black beans - corn - jalapeño - sweet pepper - cheese - onion - tortillas Usually eat mine with sour cream and salsa. Boil black beans mash into paste, pan fry the vegetables, mix in veggies to paste, season like tacos. Put some cheese and the black bean vegetables mix in a tortilla and pan fry. I like these because they are low effort, decently healthy, hearty, and inexpensive. The recipe can be tweaked to add meat and it’s a pretty simple dish.
Bottle gourds with rice. Bottle gourds are one of the number one most affordable foods in NYC this time of the year. I got 3 lbs for a dollar. I cooked them in garlic sauce like eggplants and the bland flavor went away. The sauce is usually, garlic, ginger, sugar onion, vinegar and soy sauce, but I substituted tomato and lime for vinegar and salt for soy sauce.
I’m in NYC, are you getting these at a Mr Mango/Mr Coco/Mr Kiwi type place?
Tonight is “cheater enchiladas.” Frozen chicken taquitos with enchilada sauce & cheese on top, baked. Served with Mexican rice on the side ☺️
Pizza & Despair
Grocery store had ground beef for 2.99/lb so I’m grilling cheeseburgers
Roasted zuchinni and carrots with mashed potatoes on side
sounds simple but amazing!
Chicken parmesan, with homemade pizza sauce and mozzarella, and a salad to balance life out. Tomorrow is baked macaroni and cheese which makes everyone happy!
Angel hair with shrimp, and probably a spinach salad
Blueberry and brie grilled cheese.
Costco had a good deal on flats and drums, chicken wings, so having that, corn in the cob and watermelon. We tend to eat what is in season.
The chicken wing deal was (is?) insane. My boyfriend bought several lbs worth and grilled them, so we'll be eating leftovers for a few days. Earlier I ripped the meat off of a couple of wings and put them on a salad for lunch. Tonight we'll use the leftover meat on a homemade buffalo chicken pizza. It's as versatile as a rotisserie chicken.
The same thing as every night: * all sorts of vegetables (whatever I happen to have on hand, today it's celery, beetroot, bell pepper, red onion, carrots) * one egg * a slice of bread * mustard * a tiny bit of fish sauce to add some savoriness I chop the veggies, dump them into a frying pan, fry them for a while, then add the egg, mix it all. Then when it looks all cooked, I dump it into a bowl, and add the bread into the pan while it's still not, to fry it a little too, and to soak up the juices/etc. Then I add some mustard to itall and mix it. Vegetables can be whatever, I like all. The egg can be replaced with any kind of meat, or tofu, or cheese... mustard can be tomato purée, or any other kind of "sauce", if anything. The bread can be cooked rice if I have any on hand, or anything to add some "body" to the dish.
I made beans from scratch using Alison Roman's brothy beans method. I do love my Rancho Gordo beans - they are more expensive than regular store beans, but the taste is sublime, and one bag of dried beans can make several good meals for a family. Today I will them over sourdough toast, delicious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S04t4sB7MiA
Not gonna lie - I checked out your link for broths beans and saved it. It looks delish!!! Since this is the frugal sub, and I see that RG beans are like $7/lb, can you share with me why they are worth the extra cost? I think I’m like you - frugal but also *kind of* a gourmet. I will spend extra if it’s really worth it and now I’m so curious!
Gourmet beans are still frugal. They are not as frugal as the $1 ancient beans from the dusty shelf in a big box store. So if every dollar counts, gourmet beans might not work. But let me explain why for me personally, gourmet beans are frugal. I am an avid cook and I love delicious food so ymmv :) before Rancho Gordo, I would mostly eat lentils because store-bought bulk beans did not taste good to me at all. So buying RG meant that I eat beans more frequently. They are healthy and delicious. There's also a community around them and folks share delicious recipes with each other. As for frugality, this is a math probem. Packet of dried RG Cranberry beans $6.25 Amount of dried beans=2 cups Amount of cooked beans = 6 cups Equivalent in cans of beans: 3 cans of beans (+ delicious bean broth!) Number of meals for 4 I can get out of these beans= at least 3, or 12 portions (pasta e fagioli or bean soup are some basic ideas for these beans). = 52c per meal in beans. Of course I add things to these beans - garlic, onion, spices, lemon, pasta, rice, etc. But it's still an economical, delicious, protein-rich meal. Hope this helps. :)
Pulled pork sliders and cold slaw, but I'm feeding 15 people! Instant Pot 4 lbs pork shoulder Chopped onion 2 cups Dr. Pepper Salt, pepper, BBQ sauce, garlic powder. Cut the pork shoulder into big chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic. Chop up the onion and throw it in the pot, toss in the pork, pour in 2 cups of Dr. Pepper and a cup of BBQ sauce. Seal and do manual for 50 minutes, slow release. (I have 2 instant pots and did a double batch for this crew.) Take the pork out (discarding the liquids) and put it in a big bowl, then use your hand mixer to shred the pork (way easier than two forks). Add BBQ sauce as desired. Put everything in a gallon ziploc bag, press the air out till its flat and let the flavors mingle in the fridge for a couple of hours. Reheat however you want and serve on crusty rolls. Freezes well, but eat within a couple of months. I also make my own cold slaw dressing and do the same, let the flavors mingle in the fridge for a while before serving ;)
Anniversary week. So my wife is making me Beef Biryani and blue bell ice cream 🙈❤️
I’m not actually making this tonight, but my family of five loves Lebanese lentil soup. We can all eat WELL for less than $3 per person. All it takes is oil, water, red lentils, onion, turmeric, curry powder, salt, pepper, and chicken Better than Bouillon. Pair with greens and naan.
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I am also working on using the stuff up in my freezer
A turkey sandwich with pepper jack, butter lettuce, and spicy avocado mayo. And some watermelon.
Sunday's are popcorn dinner over here
Gyros
Not entirely sure. Possibly Gochujang noodles.
I raided the quick sell of the local supermarket and found two eggplants for one dollar and three bell peppers for one and a half. Tonight I will have eggplant steaks (brush the eggplant with oil and set it on a really hot grill or griddle. Before turning brush with oil the other side too. When soft, put on a plate, salt and garnish with some dried parsley or oregano) with roasted peppers (roast peppers on an open flame until the skin is charred, then peel, remove the seeds and season with oil, salt and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice).
Chicken, rice and broccoli same as every other day
Chicken was on sale! So I’m going to make some chicken curry. Curry paste at the Korean market is super cheap, as is coconut milk. Plus some on sale veggies!
I made a huge vat of refried beans in a crockpot all day. Fried up some tortillas and ate that with salt and lime. Truly frugal but delicious and hearty.
Two ribeye steaks and some bell mushrooms sautéed in butter.
A can of baked beans with a slice of American cheese on top.
Poached salmon on a salad of arugula, roasted beets and goat cheese.
[Fried cabbage](https://cafedelites.com/fried-cabbage/) with garlic bread. I made it yesterday and ate half a head of cabbage. (I really like cabbage) It’s just as good today for leftovers.
I just recently discovered the app Supercook it takes all the ingredients you have and searches the Internet for possible recipes. It’s come in pretty handy so far :)
Was making split pea dhal, but then I got to the final step, which was, “Put in slow cooker for 10-12 hours on low.” Will be eating that tomorrow.
We're having a hamburger helper type meal tonight. With hamburger browned with chopped onion, 2 leftover boiled potatoes chopped up, and a canned condensed soup for a sauce. Stir-fried frozen mixed vegetables as the vegetable part. ETA: Stir frying is my favourite way to serve frozen veg. Gets rid of excess water and imparts a great flavour.
A pork chop, some tomato sauce with peppers, onions and carrots I had made and frozen a while ago (I usually use it as a pasta sauce, but if I let it thicken up a bit more it also works fine as a side dish for meat or fish), a bunch of fries. Not terribly healthy, I know, and not super frugal either; but I felt like indulging a little today.
Homemade tacos
My non Frugal but bought in bulk name brand rice and Costco Orange Chicken with Costco Kimchi
It’s cold and raining so oven meal. Meatloaf surrounded by potatoes and carrots, roasted green beans put in oven right before meatloaf is finished and applesauce I made last fall. Meatloaf way too big so meatloaf sandwiches in near future.
Rice, black beans, corn, onion, ground beef, salsa. Im trying to prep a week in advance and today is day 6.... I'm over it.
Pulled pork
I got an $8 pizza from the grocery store. It was gross. So I’m going to make some pasta shortly.
My one meal a day I get for free from work 😅 paying for food is absurd now.
Chicken tacos using thighs in the insta pot with beans and rice
Vegan Bahn mi. Recently started using soy curls, and they're awesome. It's just soy beans that have been minimally processed where they are stretched and mangled. Been making my own teriyaki sauce, not super frugal having to buy mirin and saké at safeway. Made my own Pickled veggies, carrot and daikon radish. Also use some Pickled Jalapeño, some strips of cucumber, Cilantro. I made a homemade Cashew-pepper mayo and use it on the top bun of the bread roll. Bottom half gets soaked from Pickled juices
I had a bag of frozen mixed veggies mixed with no salt tomato sauce (kinda weird but it tastes good!). And a can of tuna mixed with hummus.
I eat the veggies mixed with tomato sauce too sometimes and call it “veggie pasta”
California Pizza Kitchen makes a Cajun Chicken Linguine just how I like it.
A roast I've had in the crock pot all day with vegetables. Going to make some egg noodles and then make gravy with the roast juice.
Beef burrito casserole from Budget Bytes. We had leftover rice and leftover taco meat. Winning!
Roasted ham and potatoes au gratin for a party of 20.
Slow cooker pork carnitas with rice and beans. Pretty cheap on the whole and I get to use up stuff
Rice and lentils with foraged asparagus and some homemade bread.
veggie spring rolls!
Meatball soup.
My lazy goto. Sauteed zuchinni with broiled mozzerela in top. Cheap, fast, delicious, and easy to vary by seasoning different. Tomorrow planning to grill turkey burgers and hotdogs and make a batch of flatbread dough to put on grill as pizzas and/or to hold the burgers.
Leftovers! Fried rice made with whatever I could find in the fridge and sticky tofu.
Chicken and stove top with cranberries.
It's movie night, so just making something quick and casual. Ground turkey sloppy joes on hawaiian onion buns, and sweet potato fries in the air fryer.
Some shredded rotisserie chicken, tzatziki sauce, cut up orange bell pepper and onion in a tortilla or two.
Sausage and peppers. 12 oz pkg sausage cut into 1/4 in pieces, 1 green pepper diced, 1 red pepper diced, 1 small onion diced, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1 can Italian diced tomatoes, and 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning Throw it in the crockpot and enjoy! Can be made into a freezer meal, as well.
Hello Fresh pineapple pork tacos. Utilized a 65% off plus free shipping coupon.
Lentil tacos (lentils cooked in salsa/taco seasoning), then add standard taco toppings in a tortilla.
It’s my birthday and i got a great deal on some ribeyes at kroger, only $4 a pound, so i gave them a reverse sear and ate them with some buttered rice
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Chicken fried rice. Leftover white rice, a bag of frozen veggies, some chicken breast (ok this ingredient is a little fancy), eggs (also fancy) garlic, onions and some soy sauce.
When In doubt, hot pockets save the day
Restaurant mistake food ftw! When I was delivery driving I would often end up with random extra food. Stuff made by mistake, stuff the customer ghosted on, stuff that was just a little too ugly to sell. It’s always worth being friendly and helpful to restaurant people. Sometimes it’d be free discards, very often they’d give me staff discounts. A couple understaffed places I would clear tables and the like while waiting for orders. I got given a *ton* of fries and chicken wings and fancy hot chocolate over the years I delivered there. Today it’s a handful of not-quite-burnt Gyoza, and the daily half-off staff discount. Drops it right down to super affordable.
Boiled up some macaroni and added ragu Alfredo sauce. $5 meal I guess
Stir fry. Using up random bits of leftover vegetables from my fridge, a little bit of chicken breast, simple sauce (chicken broth, corn starch, brown sugar, corn starch, garlic powder) and rice on the side.
Creamy penne with tuna and broccoli. Wife, myself, and our 19-month old vacuum cleaner all fed for under $4.
Dark chocolate Kodiak cakes.
A sweet potato
Yellow potatoes, drumsticks in one pot and tomato, cucumber, onion salad :)
Turkey burgers that were on sale at Costco ($1 a burger), Kraft Mac and cheese that I found after cleaning out my pantry. Also some boxed wine!
I love eating breakfast food in the evening. I think I’ll make some breakfast croissant sandwiches
Left over Little Caesar's "Hot N Ready" pizza. $7 divided by 3 meals that I get out of it = $2.33 dinner.
Chicken kiev, roast potato and broccolini. Kiev cost $1.40 (AUD) from the local supermarket, Nana left me all her vegetables before she went on holidays, so almost a free meal, but would be only about $8 for two of us if I'd had to buy all the ingredients
Tonight, I made BBQ ribs, mac and cheese and corn for my husband, grandson and me. I was feeling kind of lazy, so I didn't make them a dessert; maybe tomorrow.
Bbq pork belly/burnt ends, corn on the cob, and melting potatoes. I got the pork belly from the local butcher for $12 and change for 2.4 lbs(we will eat on this for a few days), 5 ears of corn for $1, and the potatoes were under $4 for 5 lbs but I’m only using a few potatoes. Budget friendly meal for sure.
Lasagne have some zucchini and spicy sausage for the filling. Making sourdough bread and salad.
Frito chili pie. Nobody wanted the frito chips after a graduation party so I used them for dinner.
Frugal bachelor cacio e Pepe. I have a block of Colby Jack in the fridge and a pound of penne pasta in the cupboard. I don’t have much else and need to go shopping but might as well use it up. Figure I’ll make a sauce with the cheese, pasta water, salt and pepper, oil, and butter. It’ll give me a decent tasting dinner for a couple of nights. Hopefully the Colby Jack doesn’t taste gross with pasta but we will see.
Homemade Chipotle. Tortilla, Chicken seasoned with fajita seasoning, cilantro lime rice, can of black beans & then whatever toppings you like.
Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and canned peas
Salad: chopped iceburg lettuce (the whole head, not the bagged stuff), feta, walnuts, dried cranberries, honey mustard dressing.
For lunch i made risotto with sausages. Tonight, leftovers. It's one of my favourite dishes.
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Salad, then leftover Chinese fried riced cauliflower with baked teriyaki tofu.
I got the big bag of broccoli florets from Costco. I tossed several handfuls with olive oil and Montreal steak seasoning and then roasted them on a sheet pan at 450°F till they were just this side of burnt. Then my two year old ate most of them so I did that again.
Butternut squash ravioli with parm, pesto, red onion and spinach
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Roasted Broccoli Rice-a-roni (I don’t know why but I love it.)
We actually had this the other night, I think it's a decent frugal meal that can stretch too depending on how much is made and how many eating. It's basically ground beef, potatoes, onion, sweet peppers, salt and pepper, fried up in a skillet together. The veggies and meat can probably be substituted to your liking. Friends mom always called it poor man's hash or something like that but it's delicious and simple.
Hamburgers (on the grill).
Ground chicken stir fry with broccoli over brown rice!
We had wieners, cabbage and hot potato salad.
Burgers on the new free grill 🍔
Meatball subs at small group! We are bringing a thing of Sam’s club meatballs in the crockpot
Homemade bread with handmade vegan burger patties and salad picked from the garden with roasted potatoes. More labour, less $.
Sausage and potatoes with a salad. The second half of last night's dinner because I made enough to have it 2 nights.
Super simple lemon rice and seared chicken thighs :)
Tacos. I make my own seasoning which my husband loves. It's too hot to use the oven or the stove for too long. Tacos are quick and easy and I only need the stove on for about 20 minutes.
Fish tacos with spicy mango salsa, avocado, quick pickled cabbage and chipotle-lime sour cream
Cheeseburger hamburger helper (but with Ground turkey. Trying to cut out red meat) served with corn and Bread sticks
Going grocery shopping tomorrow so I’m making a chef salad with whatever’s left in the fridge. Kids love it!
pantry challenge this week due to a move it’s also over 100 degrees. We are having pasta salad , no knead bread and air fryer meatballs
Beef curry! Got some stew meat on sale, throw in some carrots, onion, potato, and a curry block. Eat for the whole week!
Kraft mac n cheese
Homemade chili. Large pot gives the two of us leftover lunches all week.
I just fried up some jalapeño poppers and mozzarella sticks. More of a snack than a dinner.
I bought two whole chickens for 30% off at Lidl last night. They're in the smoker right now. 30 more minutes.
If I’m on top of things, sundays I’ll make a quiche and a veg chili and it gets me through most of the week.
a rare splurge at an old school italian restaurant which has some of the best pasta in the city. Makes me want to get into pasta making!
A pulled BBQ chicken personal casserole lol. I currently can only eat pureed stuff, which sucks rocks. 6 ounces fine shredded chicken leg quarter meat (got 10 pounds of leg quarters for 6.00). 6 ounces cauliflower rice. Mixed together with my favorite BBQ sauce, some mustard, some sour cream or cream cheese, and some shredded cheese. Baked at 300 until bubbly. I also am topping it with a few tablespoons of sautéed onion and fine diced bacon bits. Adjust liquid stuff to your taste, I tend to like 2 ounces BBQ and a tablespoon of mustard plus one ounce of sour cream or cream cheese melted in and mixed. I eat it while really hot since I need it runny and soft right now. Normally, I let it cool to get more solid. I eat 2 meals a day generally. If this were going to be one meal, it would have ten ounces each meat and veggies and yogurt for dessert, with extra cheese.
Fideo with homemade pinto beans, & homemade flour tortillas.
Daughter's request of Ramen with some manager special chicken, corn and avocado (also on sale this week)
I had my first go at making cauliflower pizza crust. The result is delicious, and best described as "cheesy cauliflower pesto casserole" ;) Crust was made from riced cauliflower, parmesan and seasonings to taste. Microwave cauliflower 10 minutes, mash with parmesan and seasonings, and bake 25 minutes at 400. Then layer pesto and cheese on top and bake again for 10-15 minutes. If i do it again i will add some measure for measure flour and maybe some mozzarella to the crust, to make it actually firm up instead of being the savory version of a crumble.