Current Events > With food prices climbing, what is your home cooked "cheap" meal?

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Vyrulisse posted...

Hamburger Helper.
The Lasagna is my favorite

I would get this more often if my Wife didn't turn her nose up at it. When she was a kid she had 4 siblings and her family were kind of poor, so Hamburger Helper was part of their meal rotation as a special treat.

I like the cheesy bacon one, and I sometimes add freshly diced tomatoes on top.

Fry up some onions, add tomato paste, dump in beans, lentils, crushed tomatoes, carrots, sweet corn. Season with whatever spices you want. Add some broth or bouillon, cook until tender. Serve over rice.

Cheap, healthy, and a big pot lasts a week so you don't spend much time cooking.

Minute rice
Can of chicken
Mix and season as desired

It's a $4 meal for two and takes like 2 minutes

All of my meals are cheap compared to eating out. Best thing I only cook for myself so it's a whole family meal for me to eat all week! What do you want?

• Butter chicken
• Monterey Jack cheesy Chorizo gravy on fried potatoes topped with cilantro, fresh serranos, green onions in a squeeze of lime
• Japanese chicken curry
• Mapo Tofu
• Chinese chicken and broccoli with brown sauce and white steamed rice
• Actually good smashed cheeseburgers
• Italian sub wraps
• Fresh baked chicken bacon ranch pizza
• Authentic Mexican tacos (chorizo or asada)
• Mexican Pozole
• Greek chicken with rosemary, lemon, olives and tomatoes served over white rice
• Gourmet tuna salad served open face on a piece of sourdough
• Asian lettuce wraps (I prefer them salad style)

And many more!

I don't really think my main staples such as rice, lentils, beans, tofu, veggies, etc. really increased in prices much.

It's mainly the extra side stuff that has increased. Things like sauces, frozen items, cheese, etc.

If your meals are fairly basic, I don't think the inflation will have really impacted you much.

Rice + black beans + tomatoes + seasonings

I use canned beans and tomatoes. Dry beans are cheaper, but I find dry beans tedious to prepare due to needing to check for rocks and the time it takes for them to become soft. I also sometimes add things like canned chiles, fresh jalapeos, canned chipotles, soy chorizo, and frozen corn. If I have shredded cheese, Ill throw some on top and stir it in when I put the rice, beans, and tomatoes in a bowl to eat.

The cans are both less than a dollar each and white rice is pretty reasonably priced (sometimes I use jasmine which isnt breaking the bank either). A person should always have seasonings on hand, and they last a while, though I definitely get the big container of cumin.

Nachos. Just toss some sliced or shredded cheese on some chips, add some peppers and a bit of meat and you've got some tasty food.

MangaBroski posted...

Dry beans are cheaper, but I find dry beans tedious to prepare due to needing to check for rocks and the time it takes for them to become soft.

Lol, I don't think I've ever actually checked my dry beans for rocks

Japanese curry with either pork or chicken. If I'm lazy ill make chicken and dumplings or gumbo and those will last the entire week.

If I'm cooking for everyone, spaghetti is my go to. Can feed the three of us for ~ $12.

When I work late I'll sometimes stop by the store and get some Amy's soup and a bag of frozen veggies. Costs maybe $6.

Coconut rice and black beans. Costs nothing, tastes incredible, takes like 20 minutes to cook. You can drop some of the spices if you want it cheaper.

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic minced (Note: Can substitute pre-minced garlic where 1 tbsp = 1 clove)
1 tsp table salt
3 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp Better Than Bullion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 (15.5 oz each) cans black beans, with liquid
1 3/4 cups water
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions
1. Mince garlic and set aside.
2. Place coconut oil and olive oil in a large heavy pot and heat on medium until coconut oil melts.
3. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for a bit. Remember, garlic cooks much quicker than onion.
5. Add the bullion, the bay leaf, cumin, oregano, and rice. Stir until all the rice is coated in oil.
6. Add the beans with their liquid, the water, and vinegar. Mix to combine.
7. Cover and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Do not peek. Keeping pot covered, let it rest off heat another 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions if desired.