Just Eat It

But only if it’s good for you.  And it didn’t cost you a lot of money.  Or make you look like Weird Al.

Folks who know and tolerate me know of my deep and abiding love for food in all its many forms.  I’m what you call a “good eater.”  And though I don’t love to cook, I do love to be fed.  My favorite food is Stuff Made By Other People with a side of Free Drinks.  However, I can’t always rely on my friends and family to feed me (they do their best), and I can’t always shell out my precious funds for restaurant/fast food.  Which means from time to time, I have to fend for myself.  Quelle horror.

I may not be the best cook in the world (I’m really good at washing up, does that count?), but I do have a few fail-safe items in my repertoire.  And as befitting a frugal living expert (that would be me, and no, I did not give myself the title), my recipes tend to be on the thrifty, make-a-huge-vat side.  Better still, they’re low fat/low cal, so you won’t feel guilty eating them.  Best still, they’re all dead easy to make, because I am the biggest slacker you know.

Cheap Breakfast For Below Zero Weather:  You’ll need a can of quick, rolled oats (Target brand for under $2) and a container of fat-free soy milk (also available at Target).  Mix 1/2 cup of oats with 1 cup of soy milk in a LARGE cereal bowl.  Nuke on high for 3 minutes.  Let it stand for 1 minute –don’t cook it any longer as it will boil over the side of the bowl and make a disgusting mess in your microwave.  Trust me.  Stir and eat.  The soy milk is sweet enough on its own so you won’t need to use one of those sugared oats mixes.  Calories – 210.

No Chopping Involved Salsa For Lazy People:  Grab a container of chopped veggies for chili at Cub Foods (in the vegetable aisle with the other prepped stuff) – it’s $4.99, but you’ll spread it out over two recipes.  Then hit Target for their canned tomatoes (cheapest to be found).  You’ll need 3 cans, and I like to use at least one can of hot chili and tomatoes.  Grab a lime, some red wine vinegar, and get ready to salsa.  Mix 2/3rds of the chopped veg with the three cans of mostly, not completely, drained tomatoes.  Season with salt and red pepper, squirt over it all the juice of 1/2  the lime, stir, and add the vinegar to taste (some people like a more tangy salsa than others).

Note:  You can add fresh chopped garlic (I use a garlic press) to your salsa, or cilantro if you can find it for cheap.  Or if you grow your own – which I’m far too lazy to do.

Spicy Beans To Eat On Brown Rice:  At Target, grab two cans of seasoned black beans (cheaper than Cub).  Drain and rinse the beans (the beans will still be seasoned) and add the remaining 1/3rd of the chopped veg.  Squeeze the other half of the lime over the top, season with chili powder, mix and presto!  You’re done.  How I eat this – Nuke 1 cup of frozen brown rice.  Throw 2/3rds cup of the bean mix on top and nuke for one minute more.  Sprinkle a bit of hard cheese on top (I just use canned Parm), then top that with a bunch of your homemade salsa.  NOM.

Cheap Tip:  I buy huge bags of brown rice and store them in my fridge.  Then, once a week I cook up a vat of rice (I season the cooking water with chicken bullion, pepper flakes, heck – even leftover white wine).  Last, I portion up the rice into 1 cup servings and freeze the lot of it.  That way, I’m only 3 minutes in the microwave away from starting a cheap and nutritious meal.  One of favorites is brown rice mixed with veggies and soy, topped with a fried egg.  But then, I’m weird – I’ll eat an egg on just about anything.

Let’s get this party started – share in the Comments any frugal-n-fab recipes, cooking tips, eating ideas, what-have-you.  Everyone likes to talk about food, right?  RIGHT?  Or is it just me…

Other foodie sites you might enjoy.  If you like food, that is.  Otherwise, why are you still here?

Just Hungry and Just Bento for home-style Japanese cooking (i.e. cheap and nutritious)

The Girl Who Ate Everything for hilarious NYC food reviews

Shazam In The Kitchen for recipes you can actually use

Serious Eats for all food talk, all the time