tell me about your cheap tasty meals

[zenithblue]

So now that I'm finished with my semester, I can get started on the real work. My program offers us a certain amount of money towards "professional development," which we can take for almost anything--conferences, production costs (for the playwrights and screenwriters), or summer writing projects. I've taken some summer money so I can get a jump

Comments

[deadkytty9]

Hummus + pita + fresh spinach, and an orange or some berries for dessert, is my favorite.

[zenithblue]

Good call--I love hummus. Plus it's actually easy/cheap to make from scratch with a food processor, which I now have.

[decemberthirty]

Beans! Canned beans are pretty affordable, but dried beans of all varieties (black, cannelini, kidney, you name it) are even cheaper. You have to put in a little time with soaking them, but once you do that, you can season them how you want and use them in all kinds of ways... Puree them into a spread and make sandwiches, mash them and form them into patties for homemade black bean burgers, use them as the filling for burritos, use them in soups, white beans simmered with a can of diced tomatoes and a little rosemary and served on pasta (that one is super hearty, so it stretches well too). Lentils have a similar cheapness and versitility. Plus, you're getting protein

[decemberthirty]

Oh yeah, there are also lots of foods that might otherwise be prohibitively expensive but that become very budget-friendly if you make them yourself. Granola is a great example of this: homemade granola takes about 6 minutes of actual work, and costs mere pennies--way cheaper than any cereal you could buy. Oatmeal too--packets of instant oatmeal are kinda pricy, but just making it yourself with oats and milk is much cheaper.

Sorry to go on and on about this, but I've just had my wisdom teeth out this morning, so I'm lying on the couch with nothing better to do than think up cheap meals that I can't eat. The only foodstuff that I've consumed today has been pudding, so all of this stuff sounds appealing to me. Mmm, black bean burritos, spaghetti sauce with lentils, hummus and pita.....

[zenithblue]

This all sounds great. I like making my own food, too, but haven't had any time due to school stress. But this summer it'll be a welcome thing to do after writing.

[sixcylinders]

Ooh, I'm good at this. Here are some of my favs

[zenithblue]

Soups and stews are great, except I live in Texas and it's about to be summer...ugh. But the spaghetti variations are good ideas and I *love* ginger anything, so these are all helpful. Thank you very kindly. :)

[drawgirl]

Slasher and I have been eating very cheaply lately. We did do about two months of potatoes, pasta, sandwiches which came to an abrupt end when I nearly had a breakdown in the supermarket at the thought of buying another can of spaghetti sauce.

Now we're making meals with fresh ingredients - which can be very cheap in season - and actually spending less then we did on the other diet (plus I've been enjoying the cooking a lot more when I get to measure out spices and cut food up). As long as you're ok with eating leftovers the recipes in Easy Skillet Meals (and the other cookbooks I know you have) can be made for very little and you can get lots of lunches and second dinners out of them.

Plus, I'll take care of you, baby, when I see you in a couple weeks! ;)

[zenithblue]

I have an oregano plant I've been using in my canned pasta sauces--it actually makes a lot of difference. Definitely recommend herbs if you're looking to sex up some of the old standbys.

[zenithblue]

That mushroom sandwich is a brilliant idea. I'll give it a whirl. And anything else you want to put on the blog I'll be excited to try out. Thank you!