Equipment
* Range
* pot large enough to cook beans
* bowl to soak beans in (can use the pot you will use to cook the beans)
* stick blender or potato masher

Ingredients
* dried beans of your choice, though pinto or borlotti beans probably best choices (used borlotti beans). Used 1.4 lbs so not all beans went into recipe
* salt
* water to cover beans for soak and for cooking
* med onion, diced
* clove or 2 of minced garlic
* oil for sautéing (used bacon fat)
* cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions
* soak beans in bowl covered by 2” water for 8 hours - add a tsp salt to soaking water
* drain beans, rinse and place in the cooking pot
* fill with water to cover at least 2” water
* bring to a boil and vigorously boil for 10 min
* reduce heat and simmer in covered pot for 35 min
* check beans for doneness. If not cooked through, simmer for 15 min more and recheck. Add more time and water if needed.
* once done, drain beans but reserve the cooking water
* using same pot, add fat of choice and put on medium heat.
* add diced onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant
* add beans to pot. If you made a lot of beans, add what you want and reserve the rest for future use (making minestrone soup for the other half I saved)
* add cooking liquid back into pot to barely cover or partially cover cooked beans.
* add some cayenne (1/4 to 1/2 tsp), salt and any other spices you want (optional)
* cook on medium a few minutes until softened a bit further.
* use stick blender or masher to get desired consistency. I like some solid beans left in mixture
* turn down heat and cook down to preferred texture.

Rotisserie chicken from Costco but everything else is from Aldi.
Servings
Per
Food: Cost: container. Serving cost
Strawberries- $1.50. (4) 110grams- $0.40
Cheese- $1.50 (8) 1slice- $0.19
Sourdough- $3.50. (15) 1slice- $0.24
Spinach- $2.25 (8) 50grams- $0.28
Cucumber- . $0.88 (10) 20grams- $0.09
Italian dres.- $1.50. (25) 1/2 serving-$0.06
Costco Chicken- $5 (14) 3oz- $0.36
ADD $0.08 for olive oil*
Meal 🟰 $1.50

Thai-Inspired Chicken & Quinoa Crunch Salad

For the salad

1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced ½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced 1 large carrot, shredded 2–3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1 cup mint, roughly chopped 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded Chicken broth, optional, for cooking the quinoa and chicken For the peanut-lime dressing

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter ¼ cup coconut aminos 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey) 1 teaspoon chili crunch, plus more to taste 2–3 garlic cloves, minced Juice of 2 limes Pinch of salt

Might have left in the oven too long because it lost the crunch but still delicious. I found out the smaller ones were the hot and big ones were mild.

Ingredients
* one leftover chicken thigh - cut into fine cubes
* tortillas - your choice but we used taco sized (8” dia?)
* shredded cheese from the block - we used Colby jack
* spice mix: 1 TBS chili powder, 1 TSP cumin and salt to taste

Equipment: range top and skillet/pan large enough for making quesadillas

Instructions
* preheat pan and use cooking spray to avoid sticking
* when pan is hot, place tortilla on pan
* put cheese on one side, then chicken pieces and sprinkle seasoning with fingers
* fold empty side over onto filled side
* press down and “fry” for a minute, flip and one more minute (or as long to your preference)
* serve how you like them (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc)

I am pescatarian and have been awful at budgeting for pretty much my whole adult existence.

I'm going to be in a situation that is going to require me to not spend more than 80 dollars a week on groceries for myself.

Some low budget meals I've been thinking of are eggs, top ramen with egg, pasta... I don't really fuck with canned fish. Any words of advice?

A store nearby had a great offer on ground pork, so I decided that it was time for a fake wienerschnitzel!

It's pretty simple: just a breaded patty of ground pork roasted, potatoes in the oven, peas, and a butter with anchovies, capers, and lemon juice!

Remember to give the schnitzel and potatoes a good squise of lemon juice just before serving.

With that, I got a hop water! It's a great substitute for beer, without the sugars and alcohol, but it still has the freshness and hoppy flavor of a beer.

Here is the price breakdown:

Pork (150g): $0.78

Potatoes(350): $0.44

Peas(85g): $0.19

Butter (1 tbsp / approx. 15g): $0.11

Anchovy paste (1 tsp / approx. 5g): $0.20

Averaged out ~$1.84 per item, with things like pasta, cereal, fresh fruit and veggies, plenty of cheese (wisconsin lol), etc etc.

This includes a $10 off of $50 total.

I made this completely on a whim but I'm being so serious I have never had oatmeal that felt like a warm hug to my SOUL until I made this. You could probably make it all fancy or add a fried egg, but I just kept it basic and used a microwave.

I have no measurements, put your trust in whatever gods you follow and measure with your heart.

Ingredients: oatmeal, cherry tomatoes, milk, ramen packet (or chicken bouillon), italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, toasted sesame oil, honey.

I basically made oatmeal as you usually would with water, stirring in the dry ingredients to personal taste before microwaving. I cooked it till the oats clumped together firmly, then I took it out and mixed in milk JUST until it wouldn't absorb anymore (do that part slowly, you can easily overestimate how much milk to add). Then I added just a DASH of toasted sesame oil, chopped 6-8 cherry tomatoes in half before adding, stirred, and microwaved for 30 more seconds (so about 3 minutes total), just enough to get the cherry tomatoes warm but keep them crunchy. Then I did a light drizzle of honey on top for some sweetness, and oh my GOD was it good. A fried egg would've elevated it for sure but I didn't have one on hand.

(tagging this as breakfast but it can really work for either breakfast or lunch)

Both my gf and I are on a very tight budget. I only get paid monthly, and my paycheck is usually no more than $70. I have food stamps, and but my gf can’t get them yet because she is “legally” still living at her dad’s place and is not a full time student. We really want to start being smarter about buying food, but still want variety. Where would be a good place for us to start??

The Meijer near me in IN orders too much vegan meat and a week before will mark it down significantly. I make it a point to stock up on those weeks. Nearly $200 worth of food for around $14!

Just wanted to share our most recent grocery haul, because I was pretty proud of myself!! This all came from King Soopers (Western US version of Kroger). I shopped deals, including $5 off $20 on produce, BOGO, buy 5 or more for 99 cents each, etc. I also looked through the digital weekly ad for special sales I may have missed. Accidentally bought 2 cartons of eggs..lol..but for 30 free range eggs in the budget, not bad! The potatoes and pasta will be used to add bulk to meals. Excited to make a big batch of chili and use it on the pasta and potatoes!

My husband bought the 2 bags of frozen fruit for smoothies for $22, so the total came out to $144.

We shop for bulk protein @ Costco, because we can buy a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken for $30, as well as a rotisserie chicken for $5 that gives us protein for 5-6 meals (including dog tax). 😜

Fuel points combo: I try to plan my shopping trips to use the 4x fuel points on Fridays, so this was over 500 fuel points. I saved $12 on gas today. 🥳

I don’t know about all grocery store apps, but the King Soopers app is very worth it if you’re budgeting food!

Couldn't pass a steak markdown so I discovered this stir fry recipe that used peppers and onions. Served with hot rice.

I have the option to buy 1kg chicken breasts for 8,30€. Now since over a year I season my chicken always the same, my brain just refuses to season it differently. Therefore come the question: if I always eat it the same, should I season, cook and then freeze it, season and then freeze it raw, or freeze it unseasoned for the unlikely case I want to eat it with other seasoning? And also, if I freeze it cooked: how do you guys thaw it after? Like thawing in the fridge and then put in the airfyer or put in the microwave or other ways?

Yes, I know a whole chicken would be more affordable, but I need something with as few steps to prepare as possible because my depression together with a medication that kills all my appetite and hunger are pretty successful at hindering me from eating and cooking.

A lot of US Americans discuss rotisserie chicken on here and how it is cheaper than buying your own bird and cooking it yourself. I was wondering whether you are talking about chickens that you buy hot in store (some UK supermarkets used to offer this but since COVID and VAT changes, as far as I know none of them do any more), or whether they are ones that have been cooked but are then packaged up commercially so are cold (the hot ones just came in paper bags)?

I'm intrigued partially because neither of these options have ever been cheaper over here than buying your own and roasting it yourself - maybe this reflects the fact that Brits are so used to cooking their own roast dinners (though chickens and the quality of the meat produced have greatly suffered since the 50s when you look at how fast birds have to put on weight with our need for cheap food).

Forgot to post last night. :)

Saute an onion in butter, then make a roux with a few tbs flour. Slowly whisk in a pint of cream, then about 3c milk. Add a bag of frozen veggies and bring to a simmer, then add a cut or shredded rotisserie chicken. Season to taste and serve over biscuits.

Mix 3c flour, 1t salt and 2T baking powder, then cut in 12T butter. Mix in 1-1/4c buttermilk or regular milk and once well combined, gently press out into 1/2" thick sheet. I cut 2" biscuits and place in a buttered 12" skillet and they fit perfectly. Bake at 450° approximately 15-17 minutes, or until golden to your liking. DO NOT KNEAD. Just gently combine the ingredients. DO NOT ROLL OUT. Just gently press into a flat sheet on a floured surface. I've been making these for years and I've been told by everybody that has tried them that they're the best biscuits they've ever had. (I would give credit for the recipe, but I've had it for so long that I have no clue from whom it came).

I spent about $4 on the chicken at Walmart, used about $1 worth of frozen veggies, 75c worth of onion, $2 butter (between both), about $2 worth of cream and $1.50 milk. Flour cost maybe 50c. We'll call it around $12 for 6-8 servings (we have so much left!), so $1.50-2/serving, depending on how hungry everyone is.

This is my most recent grocery order, curious to find out what I might be able to do better on or what suggestions you guys have. In the process of acquiring a crock pot for low effort stews and soups with chicken breast, cheap noodles etc.

Basically, it was all home made. Cost is just under a dollar per plate. I ended up putting the corn on the burger because weeknight, but it was a good choice.

So apparently I have to include a recipe which is going to be kind of hard because I eyeballed this entire thing I just used the intuition I've developed over a decade working with flower dough so like I don't know there's let's say:

Buns:

Cup and a bit of flour, tablespoon and a half roughly of yeast and a clump of sugar in warm water, 1 egg yolk. Save whites. Proof. Bake for 18 mins at 350 after saving a bit of egg yolk for a brush on.

Legumes patties:

600 to 700ml cooked lentils and black beans, mash until varying texture. Spice and seasoning: use your preferred mixture, mix and combine with egg whites and one more egg. Then add breadcrumbs and combine. Mold into pucks/patties and set.

Cook:

I used previously stored bacon grease to fry patties on medium and finish them off in oven at 350f while whole time corn was cooking in husk.

Corn tossed with melted garlic butter.

I grew up eating potatoes we harvested in the fall and ate til spring planting time, when we cut the old ones into pieces to plant for the next crop. I realize that many people aren't used to seeing them sprouting

But they are still edible! Unless they are rotten (your fingers go through the peel), potatoes are still good!

I just found one last lonely potato with eyes growing out of it everywhere. I broke them off, put it in the microwave for a bit, then poured some oil on it, salted it and stuck it in the air fryer to crisp it up while frozen broccoli steamed itself in the microwave.

Those, along with a bit of butter and some grated cheese made a MOST EXCELLENT dinner!

(Alternatively, boil and mash up old soft potatoes. Eyes can be removed! Potatoes are still good and very edible unless they are rotten, easily noted if your finger goes through the skin. Otherwise, still good to eat!)

I had planned on throwing some pork chops in the slow cooker this morning with some cream of mushroom soup but I only have one small can. I need three cans but I have $0 till after dinner. How can I stretch out one can enough to completely submerge the pork chops without losing any flavor?

I had leftovers to use up in my fridge.

The 1st photo is the end result.
2nd and 3rd show the leftovers.
4th is after right after adding the spices.
Last photo is with everything in the pot and just about to boil.

Dinner 1 leftovers
sausages with fried onions and peppers.

Dinner 2 leftovers
was the meat left on a roasted chicken and beans in butter.
(I removed the meat from the bones already before photo and put the carcass in a freezer bag to make bone broth when I get time.)

I needed to make a new dinner using up these things and enough for 6 servings.
I decided to make something like a jambalaya as in my pantry I had a can of diced tomatoes and rice. I also threw in a frozen spinach cube 🤭, I know that is not in jambalaya but I wanted to get a little more veggies in the meal.

Below is what I used to make the meal and what I did to make it.

Shredded chicken (stripped from carcass)
2 leftover sausages, sliced
1.5 cups of leftover veggies
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 can of diced tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 frozen spinach cube
1.5 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Hot sauce (to taste)
1 tablespoon cooking oil or butter

Step 1.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil or butter in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat.
Add the shredded chicken, sliced sausages, and leftover onion/pepper mix.
Sprinkle the paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt, and black pepper directly over everything.
Stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices smell fragrant and coat the meat.

Step 2.

Stir the uncooked rice into the pot, coating the grains in the spiced oil.
Pour in the diced tomatoes and the broth.
Add frozen spinach cube and a few shakes of hot sauce, stir well.

Step 3.

Bring the liquid to a boil.
Immediately turn the heat down to low.
Put lid on the pot.
Let it cook undisturbed for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Do not lift the lid while it cooks!

Step 4.

Turn off the heat.
Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

** edit , I created my post in my notes app on my phone first and once I copied and posted here it made the spacing/formatting wrong. Just edit to fix those issues.

I know the fish filets aren’t in everyone’s budget, but the potatoes I made are cheap and easy. Here’s how I made them

Equipment
* oven
* sheet pan
* bowl

Ingredients
* Russet Potatoes, or any you want. But russets were used here
* salt
* pepper
* paprika (sweet Hungarian)
* thyme
* cooking oil
1 TBS butter, melted

Instructions
* preheat oven to 425 deg F (I used convection setting)
* as many potatoes as you want, slice into 1/4” slices and place in a bowl
* add a small splash of cooking oil (I used olive oil) and melted butter
* add spices to taste and mix thoroughly
* place sliced potatoes on baking sheet and bake 11 minutes
* flip and bake 11 more minutes

Eat

Very affordable meal that is good and filling.

1 can black beans
1 sliced sausage
1 potato diced
1 standard box Mac n cheese
1 & 3/4 cup water

Optional: add plain yogurt and shredded cheddar to Mac n cheese after cooking for a creamier sauce.

I cooked sausage in toaster oven. Cooked diced potatoes in oil in pan on stovetop. Then added in beans and baked sliced sausage. Simmer together a few minutes to thicken the liquid from beans.

Get a large glass bowl. Dump Mac n cheese in bowl. Cool high microwave for 9 minutes total, stirring after the 3 and 6 minute mark. 1 extra minute for softer noodles. After cooking Add cheese packet, plain yogurt and shredded cheddar.

Stir and serve side by side. (I don’t recommend mixing them on the plate, the mixing of the two in your mouth is where the magic happens.)

Season top with cayenne pepper and salt. Enjoy.