The "I'm poor as hell recipe collection"

Rice+beans+a sprinkle of cheese. There is just about the most nutritionally sound cheap meal around. Add a cheap in season vegetable, and you're spending 2-3 dollars a day on food.

Beans on toast. I have this as lunch a few times a week. Very simple. Can of baked beans, bread and a little grated cheese. Get a couple of lunches out of that. Add brown sauce optional

a reply to: boymonkey74


Ummm...why...?

Didn't they like the spidey suit...?

Cretins...




YouSir

originally posted by: Atsbhct
Rice+beans+a sprinkle of cheese. There is just about the most nutritionally sound cheap meal around. Add a cheap in season vegetable, and you're spending 2-3 dollars a day on food.

I use a $3 bag of organic brown rice.

Each cup costs 60 cents and you can get about two to three meals out of that.

I add one can of organic black or light kidney beans, 85 cents a can.

Organic shallots can be added for cheap

Chicken, pork or beef can be bought in small quantities to stretch and round out the meal.

Add a half cup of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper

All under 5 bucks (including shallots and protein), after the initial investment of $3 for rice.

Go to youtube and type in "great depression cooking". This little old lady has a ton of videos of what they cooked when broke during the depression. She is in her 90's.


Pcg

a reply to: Daavin

Great idea! I love it!

I will think of some recipes to add to your thread but, in the meantime what one of the above posters stated about being able to shop and cook , properly, IS important.
One trick is to browse the weekly flyer and see what's on sale. You have to really know your store AND regular prices though as sometimes this is a trap. What do I mean? Well, I have noticed that on some items, they will jack up the prices the week before, then this week "put them on sale", and really they are what they were originally...

Also, I don't know if anyone else has noticed but, MOST bacon is no longer being packaged in a 1 pound package. Nope, it is 12 oz. Looks the same. You won't notice until you pick it up and look at it. So, for example:
At my local (fave grocery) Oscar Mayer bacon is going for $3.99.
One of the other brands (not a national name) is going for $4.29.

On the surface it would appear that the OM bacon is the way to go but, hold on, the OM bacon is packaged in a 12 oz container and the "other brand" is the old standby 16 oz.

What's $.30 right?!
Well, if you do the math (not my strong suit so not hard for the average Joe! )
Each slice is about 1 oz so...
OM 12 oz package= around $.33/slice
The "other" guys in the 16 oz package= around $.26/slice.

Another hint:
The old man loves the spiral sliced ham that comes in the pretty, colorful, shiny foil, I mean salivates over it!
Right now, it is $1.65 a pound, bone in. The fresh ham is even cheaper. It weighs in at $1.19 a pound.
So, for around 16 bucks you can get a 10 lb fancy ham with a glaze packet included...lol.
For about $12 you can get one and cook it yourself.

Buy one to make for Christmas dinner and one to slice and freeze. Yes, slice it and freeze it. If you buy the fresh ham, cook it first, saves time later.
A 2 pound package of sliced ham for lunch meat regularly goes for about $5.99 her locally. There's about 24 slices per package. That's about $.25/slice.
Truly it is flavorless (IMO), skimpy, and generally yuck...so take advantage this time of the year and use the sales to YOUR advantage.
You can also invent other dishes to make from your "score" on the sliced ham.

Last week our store had 5 pound bags of russet potatoes for $.99.
Each bag has about 11 or 12 taters in it. Back to the math...that's about $.11/spud.
The eggs, if you have good buddies could be free or cheap...
Let's us MY math at $.24/egg
Chop up some of the ham, maybe one slice per person...$.55/slice
Okay so, per person, dice up your taters and you could bake them in the oven or boil, whatever your preference.
Scramble one egg in a pan per person and add the already cooked and chopped (cause you are ahead of the game)ham.
When the egg is done, add the taters.

Cheese? Sure, you can afford cheese as this meal has worked out to around $.90/serving...
If you AREN'T using the pretty, colorful, in foil spiral ham then you come out even cheaper! I know! It's hard to believe!
Want some greens? I have actually had this recipe over a bed of fresh spinach and it was yummy...
I suppose you could reinvent it many ways. You could just dice the tater, cook it, add the ham, put that over the bed of spinach and then fry an egg for on top. If you like the "runny yolk" thing

I hope you like the idea and I will have some more later...
I'm not much of a "couponer" as I always forget them, same with my list.
One trick is to browse the store first, before you even put anything in your buggy. Do a cursory search for items on sale, what looks good that week, what haven't you had in awhile?

You can build quite a week surplus if you just shop smart. And, walking around in the store for 2 hours IS exercise. Isn't it?

I wanted to add one more thing I have noticed my local chain grocery doing...

ATS members would be too smart to fall for this one but, you may know someone not so smart.
They will take two chicken leg quarters (thigh and drumstick).
Then they sprinkle on some lemon pepper seasoning or barbecue seasoning and sell them for about $2.50-$3.00.
They are flying out of the meat department!

A 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters generally goes for $4.99.
You can easily get 10-12 quarters out of that one bag.

To put it in perspective...above...each quarter (1st ex) is around $1.25 each...(low end)
each quarter (2nd ex) is around $.50 (high end)

They fool people with the "convenience" of it...for gosh sakes all they did was sprinkle some dried seasonings on it...
You can store chicken in the freezer for a LONG time as long as it is packaged correctly.

originally posted by: Atsbhct
Rice+beans+a sprinkle of cheese. There is just about the most nutritionally sound cheap meal around. Add a cheap in season vegetable, and you're spending 2-3 dollars a day on food.

I agree with you on beans! Pinto beans, Navy beans, whatever. They are very nutritious and you can buy a bag of beans for less than a buck!

Potatoes cost around three bucks for ten pounds. Leftover bacon grease saved in a cup supplies the grease. Just before done add a patty of butter.

Peel and slice potatoes fairly thin. a pound costs around thirty five cents if not bought on sale. Slice up a half an onion, they cost around seventy cents a pound on sale put some bacon grease in the frying pan and dump in the potatoes, add salt and pepper and garlic salt to taste. The potatoes don't stick so much if you don't salt them till you turn them a few times. Potatoes can be bitter and salt neutralizes the bitterness. Fry to desired brownness, don't burn them. Add a patty of butter right near the end for added flavor.

Bacon grease....Free byproduct of making bacon.
one pound of potatoes....35 cents
Half a small onion...8 cents
salt, pepper, garlic salt, patty of butter....12 cents

Total cost..55 cents. Between the grease and the carbs in the potatoes it keeps you full for many hours.

You can add leftover meat of any kind about three quarters of the way through frying the potatoes.

Lots more nutrition than Ramen but twice the price of Ramen.

a reply to: Daavin
Everyone has their own idea of what cheap recipes are. I am annoyed by the ones floating around on some social website with a blue theme... each recipe there has some ingredients that are uncommon and the meal easily costs 10-20 or higher. If I wanted to spend that I would make a nice huge Lasagna, with real everything. Also some people do not know what portion control is... no further comment since most of the US is technically overweight, especially where I live [I blame wide screen TV's that make everyone wider and therefore "normal" or "ideal"].

Here is a healthy recipe that I make a lot. It can feed you for days for 1-3 dollars. I buy in bulk.

cheap:
1 chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon butter or some peanut oil
1 cup Rice
1 can chicken breast
1 can creme of chicken or mushroom
some frozen vegetables

add bullion cube to water, bring to boil... add rice, everything else on top of rice... cover and put on low for 25 minutes. Stir. Done. Cost > about 3 bucks or less. Add rice for more servings for a few cents.

Cheaper:
1 cup rice
1 can chunky style soup (like chicken corn chowder or some creamy chowder)

bring water to boil. add rice. add soup, don't stir. cover and reduce to low for 25 minutes, stir and enjoy. Cost > about 1 dollar for a few days.

The real cheapest is to go to McDonald's and get the dollar menu. This saves money over your lifetime because... well... you die sooner.

Cheap doesn't always have to mean unhealthy or bad for you. Oh, and use real rice.

I also add paprika and pepper....

My contribution: Train Wreck

- 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 box mac and cheese (kraft is what i like for this) prepared according to instructions
- 1 can of corn
- 1 can green beans
- 1 can Ranch Style Beans

Dump all the ingredients into a pot, bring to full heat, and serve.

Itll make at least 10 portions for about $12, including buying a can of condensed milk and tub of margarine to make the mac and cheese. That is about $1.20 per serving, full of at least minimal vitamins, protein, and energy

Another contribution: Fish and rice. Haven't found many folks who like this, but i love it.

- 2 cheap white fish fillets (tilapia likely fits the bill...of maybe swai)
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 can peas
- 2 eggs

Steam the rice as normal. Bake the tilapia wrapped in foil on 350 for about 10 minutes (or until done). Scramble the eggs in a microwave bowl.

When its all done, mix all ingredients together. The fish breaks apart and just becomes part of the rice. I usually add butter since there is no fat really otherwise (and fat = flavor).



one more: Chili cheese ramen

- 2 packs ramen
- 1 can chili
- 1/2c velveeta cheese cubed

Make the ramen, drain, return to heat and mixin the chili and velveeta. Not much of a meal...but itll feed at least 4 with a fairly low nutrition meal.

a reply to: Daavin

When I have had lean times(and boy have I had quite a few!) I use this not just for one meal,but for a weeks worth. Now I am not saying this is healthy and you should eat like this every week.This is just for those weeks you get caught low of cash and have to feed several people in a pinch.

1.Find a canned chili you like and buy 4 cans of it
2.buy noodles for spaghetti,the sauce,cheese and a pound of hamburger
3.buy a pkg of mac and cheese
4. IF you have enough money,also get a pkg of hot dogs if you like them

I then make the spaghetti,mac and cheese,then just heat up the chili to make.....chili dogs,spaghetti,3-way chili,chili mac or just chili.

By the end of the week,you will be sick of chili no doubt,but it will fill you up,and keep you going.I used to be able to buy everything I needed for about $25,now? Who knows how much it all is.You can get chili on sale of course,and shop around for the other ingredients. Like I said,I wouldn't eat it week after week for sure. But it has been my "fall back on" plan over the years when trying to meet bills.

a reply to: Ghost147

In my defence for the stuffing recipe here in Canada we have bulk food stores that sell the spices per weight, total I pay for the spices is around 5 cents/spice and the bread that i bake myself costs me after you break it down per loaf to 50 cents. Total cost for this recipe factoring in the rest is about 3 dollars and when I made it for our company christmas party it was enough for 20 people with left overs.

Generations of my family ate pinto beans/tortillas every day and loved it. Nothing smells/tastes better than homemade tortillas. Sopping up bean juice with soft, fresh tortillas is heaven.

You can get as rich/poor as you like depending on what you have. Add a side of fried potatoes and of course chili sauce/salsa or Spanish rice and it's guaranteed to keep you full all day.

Here's my Spanish rice recipe:

1 cup long/short grain long cooking white rice

1 can whole tomatoes chopped + liquid, add water to make 2 cups

1 tsp. salt and whatever seasoning you like I use chili powder, cayenne, onion/garlic powder

add dry spices/salt to chopped tomato/water set aside

1 tsp oil, butter, cooking spray, lard, bacon grease, whatever fat you have on hand.

that's the cheapest basic recipe but depending on your budget you can add more.

We like green peppers/onion.

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 small onion chopped

you can add chopped celery, mushrooms, garlic cloves etc. whatever you like and can afford

Use a large skillet with a tight fitting lid.
Heat pan over med heat add fat.
Add 1 cup of rice.
You'll want to toast the rice until it's golden brown, stirring often. Before the rice browns, while it's still white/tan, I throw in the chopped onion/green pepper/celery/whatever raw vegetables but no liquid.
The vegies will saute while the rice browns. At this point it smells amazing.

When the desired color is reached add watery chopped tomato/spice mix all at once into hot pan.
It will whoosh and probably make a mess but it's worth it. Just make sure your skillet will hold that much liquid and don't let it boil over.

Bring the rice/tomato liquid mix to a boil uncovered. Lower heat to simmer, #3 on my electric stove, and cover.
Simmer covered for 15 minutes. I check it after 15 minutes if the rice appears undercooked I add about 1/4 cup more water and simmer for 5 minutes more. I'm at altitude so cooking times can be different.

When you're satisfied the rice is cooked and plump remove it from heat but keep it covered. Let it sit for a few minutes then fluff with fork.

You will get the feel of it over time adding more/less water can change the texture, whether you like it sticky or dry/fluffy it's up to you. Recipe can easily be doubled just make sure your pan is big enough. For extra richness meat juices/broth can be used instead of water. Pork broth is fabulous, chicken is good too.

There's lots of good tortillas recipes on the web. Experiment to see which you like best but they're all cheap. Just flour, salt, fat and water or milk. Practice makes perfect. At first they will be funny shapes but taste is what counts. Roll them thin, they will swell. I cook them on an old cast iron skillet.

I cook pintos in the pressure cooker with salt/bacon grease, onion, garlic but you can throw in whatever. Serve with raw onion, cheese, chili sauce/salsa/green chili, lettuce, tomato etc. whatever garnishes you can afford. I've got some awesome chili recipes too Yummmmy.

At one of our grocery stores we can get a frozen box of chicken breasts (24 per box) for 35 dollars, thats about $1.45 per breast, makes for some pretty low cost meals. one of my favourites is a baked chicken and creamy rice.

I'll brown a couple of breasts in a frying pan then put them in a glass baking dish.
add a cup of rice, a can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups water, a few drops of hot sauce, and bake it in the oven for about an hour till the the rice is tender.
Then we boil some frozen peas to go with it.

a reply to: Daavin

Most stores have Totino's Pizza's (at least in the parts of the US i have visited/lived in). They are around a buck apiece to feed 1.

Nutritious? Not at all. But "not starving" isn't always nutritious in my experience.

A good alternative to rice (cheaper too) is barley. Dry toast it in the pan a bit, add a bit of water (or stock) at a time until it's cooked down a bit. It takes about 4 times the water as barley once it's all cooked.
Cook in little veggie bits (onion, celery, etc) and/or herbs, grate in some cheese at the end if wanted.

Another is to soften a few cloves of garlic in a pan with olive oil, then add a chopped tomato, some basil, and put over some type of cooked pasta. Cheap and easy.

a reply to: CranialSponge

we make a version of this that is cheap with canned hams from Aldi's. I think they are around 2 bux?
It's very tasty and easy too!

Dried beans, bag rice, pasta are all pretty cheap and easy ways to bulk up what you are making.

Watch your sales and you can pick up bagged frozen veggies for under a buck/bag. Additionally, carrots are almost always right around a buck/bag fresh.

Eggs are an easy to cook, very versatile and cheap protein. One egg for a meal can go with just about anything and be cooked in a variety of ways.

Bagged shredded cheese. One bag for just under $2 can add some flavor and fat to most things and if you are judicious, last you quite a while.