houstonian1970-blog

[houstonian1970-blog]

Budget foods

This is a response to https://www.reddit.com/r/budgetfood/comments/5mrq4c/moving_out_soon_and_i_want_to_save_money_and_not/, posted here because /r/budgetfoods strips out or overrides formatting for numbered and bulleted lists. It turns out, this is just easier... :(

The reddit question was for fast and cheap foods. The OP was interested in ramen dishes, but I recommended potato- or rice-based dishes instead for greater variety and health. Another person asked for pointers, so here they are. 

This isn’t a comprehensive list of what you can fix based on rice and potatoes, but just a few recipes that might guide you. “Recipe” might be a bit generous -- all of these are basically mixing a few vegetables and then setting them in the oven. They are fast, easy, cheap, and much healthier than fast food. 

Fast “meat and 2 vegetables” meals

 The neat thing here is that there's no planning or prep, no waste, no real cooking, not a lot of money, and it's healthy.

 From Walmart or similar store, you can buy bags of individually-frozen tilapia fillets, boneless and skinless chicken thighs, or boneless and skinless chicken breasts. At my Walmart, the 32 oz. bag of tilapia fillets is $5.38, or you can gt a 64 oz. bag for $10.66 ($0.17/oz. either way). An 80 oz. bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs is $10.33 ($0.13/oz.)

 You can also pick up bags of frozen produce, and if you get the plain options (store brand, no added sauces) they are also very cheap. For example, a 16 oz. bag of corn is .88 (0.06/oz.), peas are .95, broccoli is 1.44. It can be a bit more than fresh, but it has the benefit of not going bad, so you can stock up and take fewer trips to the store.

To make the meal with fish:

Note: You don't need to thaw anything. Just put stuff in the oven, check it until done, cook the potato in the microwave.

On a baking sheet, put frozen vegetable in a layer. Top with frozen fish fillets. Add seasonings.

Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Flip fish, return to oven, and increase temperature to 450 degrees.

While fish finishes cooking, wash a baking (russet) potato. Prick with a fork several times, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave for about 5 minutes. Turn and microwave for another 4 minutes or so until done. (The total amount of cooking time depends on your microwave and the number of potatoes.)

When baking potato is finished (about 10 minutes from step 3), it's time to check the fish. Flip it over again and cook for another 5 minutes or until done.

To make the meal with chicken:

Note: Same as with the fish, you don't need to thaw anything, just set everything in the oven.

On a baking sheet, put frozen boneless chicken breasts in a layer.

Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Flip chicken, add seasonings and frozen vegetables, and cook for 15 minutes.

Flip chicken and cook for 10 minute more.

While chicken is finishing, microwave the baked potato.

Baked Potato Bar

You can add just about anything on top of a baked potato, but this list might help you brainstorm.

Herbs and seasonings:

Salt and pepper

Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, oregano, dill

Crushed red pepper

Chopped chives

Fats:

Butter (whipped, herbed, garlic)

Olive oil

Sour cream

Cheeses:

Cheddar or jack

Crumbled blue or feta

Grated Parmesan

Meats:

Chili

Taco meat

Chicken or beef fajita

Pulled pork

Crumbled bacon

Chopped ham

Chopped salami or pepperoni

Vegetables:

Sauteed or caramelized onions

Chopped scallions or red onions

Creamed spinach

Blanched and chopped broccoli

Grilled corn

Sauteed mushrooms

Grilled onions

Sliced canned or fresh jalapenos

Thawed frozen peas

Sauces:

Salsa

BBQ sauce

Gravy

Alfredo sauce

Nacho cheese

Ranch salad dressing

Marinara sauce

Pesto

Soup + Rice Casseroles

Don't forget all the casseroles you can make that are basically uncooked rice mixed with canned condensed soup and optionally some meat and then cooked in the oven. Putting everything in a dish takes about 3 minutes or so, then you're just letting it sit in the oven. If you get the store brand of condensed soup, the price is even cheaper. And remember, these recipes usually make 4 to 6 servings, so depending on your family size you'll have leftovers (no cooking the next meal!) Below are a few example recipes to get you started, and then you can modify them as you wish depending on what you have on hand.

Rice casserole

This is the bare-bones recipe. In my opinion, the butter is optional (if you use butter or margarine, remember it can be melted in the microwave).

1 cup rice 2/3 cup melted butter 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 1/2 soup cans of water

Mix all ingredients together.

Pour in a buttered casserole and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. If mixture becomes dry, add more water.

Chicken rice casserole

Look this one over to see how a similar recipe can be made with chicken.

1 1/2 c. uncooked rice 1/2 c. water 1 can onion soup 1 chicken, cut up Pepper 1 can cream of chicken soup

Spread rice in buttered 4-quart casserole; pour water and onion soup over rice.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Place chicken, skin side up, on rice and soup mixture.

Spoon chicken soup over chicken.

Cover; bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Tuna rice casserole

One can of condensed cheddar cheese soup One can of tuna, drained About 4/5 of the empty soup can filled with milk 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice

Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish

Whisk together the soup and milk in a large bowl

Stir in the tuna and cooked rice

Bake in 375-degree oven until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes

Let it set for 15 minutes before serving

Potato-Based Casseroles

There are also lots of casseroles you can make that require nothing more than slicing some potatoes, layering them with a few more items in a dish, and setting it in the oven. Here are a few to get you started. 

Pork chops with potatoes and onions

3 potatoes 3 onions Salt and pepper 6 pork chops, 1/2-inch thick 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Peel and slice potatoes and onions into 9x13 inch pan.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chops; lay on top of vegetables.

Spoon soup onto chops and potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

Package steak supper

This one doesn't even require a dish to cook in, but be careful because the package contents will be hot.

One 1 1/2 lb chuck steak, 1-inch thick 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix 1 tsp. steak sauce 3 carrots, quartered 2 stalks celery, cut into sticks 2 to 3 medium potatoes, halved 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1/2 tsp. salt

Place meat in center of a large piece of foil; sprinkle with onion soup mix and steak sauce.

Cover steak with vegetables; dot with butter and sprinkle with salt.

Fold foil over meat and seal securely.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until done.

Ham and potato meal-in-a-dish

1 lb. sliced ham 2 large potatoes, sliced thin 1 large onion, sliced thin 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup milk (optional) Grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese

Brown the ham on both sides and place in casserole.

Cover with alternate layers of potatoes and onion until all are used.

Dot with butter and season. Add the milk.

Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

(Optional) Top with grated cheese and brown.