Frugal Foodie
Food prices are skyrocketing everywhere. Nothing is left untouched. The Snickers bars in our work vending machine are now $1. They used to be $.50. As a community service, I want to know your favorite frugal recipes. My favorite is spaghetti because it lasts a long time and tastes even better the next day when the ingredients have settled. I have a new blog friend, The Frugal Cook, who offers advice on how to eat on the cheap. My paper offered up three affordable recipes in the Cook’s Corner column
Here is my spaghetti recipe:
1 medium onion 3 celery stalks 16 oz. tomato sauce 1 lb. ground round Accent Garlic salt 1-2 tablespoons sugar 1 medium green pepper2 garlic cloves6 oz. tomato paste8 or 16 oz. package of spaghettiLawry's seasoned saltCayenne pepper Cook the spaghetti as shown on box. Dice and saute onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic cloves in skillet with olive or canola oil. Add ground and the seasonings to your taste and cook until the meat is done. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste(add two-and-a-half 6 oz.tomato paste cans of water) to skillet with meat andseasonings and simmer.Either mix all of the sauce with the spaghetti or put the sauce onindividual servings. What's your favorite frugal recipe?
9 Responses to Frugal Foodie
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My frugal dish would be chicken, you can get it for a low price and do just about anything with it. It is great baked, fried or any other way that you can think of. I like creating my signature sauce and pouring it over well seasoned baked chicken. Tastes great the next day also so I guess that is my most frugal dish. Oh and add a nice green bean to the dish and you are set.
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I’d have to say that mine is cous-cous, mixed with cooked chicked, diced onion and red bell pepper, slivered almonds, dried cranberries and mozzarella cheese. OH, and some lime juice.
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OK, PJD, I see you are holding out on signature sauce recipe! I noticed!
GLM-Ok, I love cous cous, too. Does the mozzarella cheese go on top after it’s all cooked?
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I actually make my cous-cous to serve cold or room temperature. After cooking the cous-cous, I chop everything up and mix it in. I try to get the small mozzarella balls, which I cut up and mix in that way.
Especially in the summer, I don’t want to come home to a hot meal. There have been summers that as an adult, I’ve lived off of breakfast cereal and milk when I get home from work!
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i too have a frugal recipe- chicken over rice. you can find skinless, boneless chicken on sale at your local grocery stores. i usually stock up on chicken and freeze them. ground turkey is another item that is often on sale. i buy them on sale and freeze them. before freezing them i ration them out in ziploc freezer bags. since i’m usually cooking for my huband and i, it’s easier to plan ahead and have our portions set and ready to the thawed. one easy chicken over steamed rice recipe:
(this is pretty healthy)
ingredients-
5 to 6 pieces of skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tbsp of grated ginger
2 cloves of crushed garlic
3 tbsp of lite soysauce
1 – tbsp of sesame seed oil
1 tbsp of ground black pepper
1 cup of beef broth/stock
1 cup of diced carrots
1 medium sized shallot
rinse chicken thighs under running water to clean and
transfer to a deep skillet
add ginger and garlic and simmer (coverd) on low to medium heat for about 25 minutes
turn chicken over so they cook evenly
add beef broth and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes on medium heat (lid covered only 1/2 way)
then add soy sauce, sesame seed oil, and ground pepper and reduce heat to low medium and simmer (uncovered) for 10 minutes
add carrots and shallots and mix with the chicken as it continues to simmer on low heat
simmer for 5 more minutes and serve over steamed rice
** please do not cook in high heat as this will dry out the chicken. cooking chicken in low to medium heat will keep chicken tasting moist and tender.**
hope you’ll enjoy this recipe.
min
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Frugal Meal Suggestions:
1. Go to topless bars and nosh on their free buffets.
2. Join the Nation of Islam and eat one meal a day.
3. Stop by neighbor’s homes during dinner time.
4. Accidentally take someone’s lunch out of the office refrigerator
5. Wendy’s $1 menu
6. Dig through supermarket dumpsters … what does not kill me makes me stronger
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1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oil of choice
1 cup lentils (green or brown)
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups water
Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
Throw the onion and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat with the oil and a pinch of salt. This is called ‘sweating’.
While your onions sweat, rinse the lentils and rice and pick out rocks. Yes, there are rocks in lentils. After the onions are translucent, toss the lentils, rice, tomater sauce, spices and water in and cover.
Cook for about 40 minutes, checking to make sure the thing don’t boil over. DO NOT STIR.
This meal contains a combination of all amino acids you need to create a complete protein.
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You’re right — as long as you don’t use super fancy ingredients, cooking at home is cheaper.
I love doing crazy things with chicken. It’s so cheap and it’s healthy.
We love ground turkey burgers too. Though I refuse to make them without tomatoes!
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Hi, Natalie and thanks for mentioning the blog! Spaghetti is always good but if pushed to name just one recipe I guess it would have to be a Spanish tortilla. Just eggs, onions and potatoes. Great hot or cold!
PJD