Cheap Eats for Those of Us On a Budget

[elleng]

Eat like a king with the income of a pauper.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/68861692-nyt-cooking/4229631-cheap-eats-for-those-of-us-on-a-budget?

[Xipe Totec]

1. I could live the rest of my life on beans & chorizo, and flour tortillas

It doesn't get any cheaper than that.

[BootinUp]

4. I think some variety is healthier. JMO

[Xipe Totec]

6. Comfort food

I said I could live on that. I didn't say I would.



Add a little salsa (tomatoes, onion, green chiles, lime), green beans, and eggs, and you got yourself a more balanced diet.

[guillaumeb]

2. One can eat very well on a smaller budget.

But it helps to have access to good foods.

[BootinUp]

3. Pay wall

[elleng]

5. A few provided:

Red bean stew, Oatmeal w greens +, Spaghetti w eggs, Marinara, +++

Interested in any, + I'll cut and paste.

[left-of-center2012]

8. Oatmeal w greens

Moo ?

[elleng]

9. Savory Oatmeal With Greens and Yogurt (you asked!)

FOR THE TOASTED OAT AND NUT TOPPING:
¼ cup oats
¼ cup slivered raw almonds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup hemp seeds or sunflower seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE OATMEAL:
½ cup oats
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, finely diced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
5 ounces spinach leaves, about one large handful washed and drained
Plain full-fat yogurt, preferably Bulgarian yogurt, for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the toasted oat and nut topping: Mix the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds together in a small bowl with salt and olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or just until fragrant and lightly toasted.
Make the oatmeal: In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil, then add the oats and a pinch of salt. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let steam for an additional 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the greens: Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and crushed red pepper. (The garlic should just sizzle but not brown.) Then add the greens, salt to taste, and briefly wilt for around one minute (but no longer than two); turn with tongs to evenly cook.
Place the oatmeal in the bowl, surround with greens and pan juices, and garnish with about 1 tablespoon toasted oat and nut topping. Finish with a dollop of yogurt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017989-savory-oatmeal-with-greens-and-yogurt?

VOILA!

[luvMIdog]

7. I made a delicious bean soup. Later if I'd had a propeller there would have been lift off

I'll have to limit the beans to one day a weak

[mitch96]

10. One word...

BEAN-O!!
m

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. Since NYtimes is behind a paywall, I won't be reading that article,

but all of us here know how much less expensive it is to cook from scratch. That's why when I see the ads or reading stuff from people extolling the wonders of those companies that will ship all the ingredients for a good meal straight to your home, I look at even the discounted cost (the come-on to sign up) and I'm horrified. Typically they seem to run at least $15/per serving, which is about five times what my cost per serving is on most of the things I make for myself.

It's not that I never eat out, it's not that I never splurge on something that costs more, but I'm pretty committed to keeping my food budget under $8.00/day.

[Cairycat]

12. I think to do that takes planning

and few are willing to do that sort of planning. But I am amazed at those who will pay exorbitant amounts to have that planning done for them.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. Yes, there is a certain amount of planning involved.

But it's not rocket science. There's always the crockpot, or cooking multiple meals on a weekend to freeze and then just microwave or whatever.

I'll also admit, that various things I've read about those food services seem to all center around foods or flavors that I don't care for and therefore don't eat. There's probably a lot more choice than I realize, and anyone signing up for them can pick and choose just what they want.

In my own cooking there are recipes I don't bother with that I might otherwise like, because they'll call for a tablespoon of tomato paste, and ingredient that I don't use often enough that I'd then finish up the rest of the little can.

My biggest problem is that I live alone, and some things are not easy to make just for one.

[Worried senior]

14. Tomato paste

is available in tubes which cuts down on the waste.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

15. People have told me that, but I doubt I'd be using tomato paste more than once a year.

I'll have to plan ahead and buy it that way the next time I find a recipe that only calls for a little bit, and see how it works out for me.

[Major Nikon]

16. There's all kinds of great things you can make with cheap ingredients

I can afford to eat whatever I want and I still eat beans at least once per week. Protein tends to be expensive, but I look at what's on sale and then figure out what I'm going to do with it. I do pork shoulder and whole chickens quite often. There's no end to how many different ways you can do eggs. The same can be said for pasta.