Redditor FIeshEatingPineappIe wanted to hear about what everyone has found appetizing when eating on a budget, so they asked:
"What cheap meals helped you save money through tough times?"
Bonkers
Hungry Food GIF by TescoGiphy"I managed to grow a pile of tomatoes last season (I only had 2 plants but they went bonkers) so cooked the majority of them up into spaghetti sauce and froze it. I'm still eating through it."
WaluigisFacialHair
Basics
"Ramen. PB&J sandwiches. Spam rice and eggs. Stewed/roasted chicken leg quarters with root vegetables. Learning how to bake sucked at first but it's really cost-effective money-wise cooking from scratch. Lately, I've been roasting/braising a full pork shoulder (I stock up when it's on sale)."
"Shred and freeze what I can't eat quickly. works really well with rice and beans (roll it up in a tortilla you got yourself a burrito. Put in ramen with an egg. Or with some stir-fried veggies with soy sauce and rice. Or as a gravy with pasta. It's really versatile."
aznkidjoey
Write this Down
"Lentil soup. A bag of dried lentils costs like a buck at a cheap grocery store and will cook you like three very filling meals worth of lentil soup. Unlike most dried legumes, they cook for 30-40 minutes of boiling. And pretty much any savory vegetable or cheese will go well with it."
"There are many ways to spice it. My favorite simple, ultra-cheap way is like 1 cup of dried lentils boiled until cooked and water is sufficiently absorbed, 1 tsp each curry, garlic, and onion powder, a finely cut carrot, a tsp of vinegar or a dash of lemon, and a Tbsp of parmesan cheese. That's like a 50-cent meal that's very high in protein, fiber, and vitamins."
"The carbs are also slow burning, low glycemic-load, complex carbs. If you wanna get fancier use fresh garlic and onion and add some herbs and feta cheese. The hot sauce works amazing with it too. Never hurts to add a can of diced tomatoes either. If you do that though you don't really need the vinegar/lemon."
Yak-F**ker-5000
Under $10
"Spaghetti. My mother would be able to feed all of us for under $10. Pasta, cheaper grade prepackaged beef and a jar of sauce. On really tight days, she’d just cook straight pasta and mix in some garlic and that powdered Parmesan cheese."
"So when I grew up and was trying to save money, I did the same. Pasta sauce freezes very well. I would make a huge pot of sauce and freeze it in bags and then I’d just have to cook single portions of pasta which cost next to nothing."
I_like_Birds56
All. The. Time
rabbit eating GIFGiphy"Oatmeal all day every day."
Klappersten
"I recently discovered savory oats and it was life-changing. I'm not a fan of sweet breakfasts but wanted to eat more oats. It's comfort food for me now."
BeagleGal39
Oatmeal is not just cheap but nutritious.
And it's surprisingly filling.
And a bit of Grog
middle ages fun GIF by Kajetan ObarskiGiphy"Bread, apples, and cheese. You feel like you're in a medieval movie or something and you can supplement with a bowl of hearty soup or stew."
Early_Yesterday_6819
Stretch it Out
"Rice with seared cabbage and a fried egg. I slice it pretty thin and throw it in a ripping hot pan with a touch of oil. It should get slightly charred but still be crunchy."
DruidicBoogaloo
"Love seared cabbage. A sprinkle of sugar improves the flavor and takes away some of the cabbagey smell. Whatever you're eating, I promise seared cabbage tastes good either in it or beside it. Great way to stretch a meal."
notreallylucy
"Half an onion and a slice of chopped bacon with half or a quarter head of cabbage all fried up in a wok or a CI pan is an amazing meal or side and cost practically pennies."
edthach
All for a Dollar
"In college, I ate peanut butter on toast for breakfast and .99$ bean burrito from a taco stand next door to my apartment for dinner."
Scuta44
"I used to get those El Monterey burritos in college. I still vividly remember the day they went from a 10-pack for $2.50 to an 8-pack for $3.50. I was literally starving at the time and it made my f**king heart sink. Those same packs of burritos are almost $6 now and the burritos are markedly smaller."
Spez_Guzzles_
All Day, Everyday
"Pancakes. Veeeery cheap and soul food on top of that, which should not be neglected when going through hard times. Just some ground Hazelnuts and sugar as filling, delicious. Noodles with vegetables. Fry the vegetables in a pan, season them, and mix it with noodles. Simple, healthy, and also very cheap."
DukeManbert
"Pancakes for dinner was our go-to when stretching another day to payday. Also, chips and salsa. We used to keep a pound of ground beef in the freezer for end-of-the-month nachos. Fried spaghetti noodles can be a quick meal too. Pre-cooked noodles fried in butter and lemon juice."
JohnYCanuckEsq
Portion Control
3d character GIF by FabricioLimaGiphy"Rice stretches out anything. I've made many a sad a**hole meal out of a small portion of food atop a bowl of rice."
ArghNooo
"You can actually make some really cheap meals with some veggies and rice that are delicious AF. It's a bit of an upfront cost for the right spices but it'll save you a boatload in the end."
tinyhorsesinmytea
I put rice in everything.
And it is a life saver for finances and diet.
Not everyone can afford an upscale night on the town with a swanky menu.
Sometimes the menu is simple and concise.
And it may need to be repeated 3-4 times a week.
The money and food struggles are real.
But that doesn't mean you can't consume foods that are yummy.
Redditor bADDKarmal wanted to discus the foods that signal some life issues but are still yummy.
So they asked:
"What is the best struggle meal?"
Pea soup. My grandma made it with just water, a bag of peas and some spice. So good.
Basics
butter get GIFGiphy"Toast with butter and sugar."
nobid_leon
"My dad would always make toast with butter and brown sugar. Toss it in the oven to get a crisp and it was magical."
11646Moe
Special
"Spam and rice. The poor hawaiian kid special."
Xxaxis366
"I agree with the rice part, but Spam is insanely expensive. It's like $5 a can minimum around here. Not Hawaii."
"A bag of beans that costs $2 or less, some tomatoes and spices. Will last longer, be more filling, and not give you a sodium overload. Honestly, most things go good with rice."
DreamPig666
"Had this for lunch today and threw in a couple of eggs too!!"
MeNicolesta
For food reason...
"Noodles."
hyprsensitive
"I know this is a bit gourmet relative to this, but try the Shin Ramyun brand ramen some time. It is so freaking good, especially the Black one. It's surprisingly close to standard restaurant ramen. About 2 bucks, bigger portion than most ramen. I saw some people doing a huge ramen tournament, and Shin Ramyun won. For food reasons."
appleparkfive
"Yes pretty much any Noodle will do. Straight fire."
bADDKarmal
The Best Basics
"Red beans and rice."
Caseated_Omentum
"I was going to say, as long as you have beans and rice, you can live off of that alone for a very long time or potatoes by themselves has more nutrients than any other 1 food and can keep you alive longer than anything else. Potatoes has kept kingdoms and countries from starvation through times on war, droughts, and high inflation."
RonAnFawn
Good easts...
Grilled Cheese Meme GIFGiphy"The comfort food I had when poor as hell was grilled cheese that you dip in warm tomato soup. Taste like pizza, I still do it from times to times."
MoleHester
Everyone needs comfort and this food.
The Fav
honduras avocado GIF by JenChibiGiphy"Frijoles from a pot with fresh Pico and a tortilla is my fave. Or queso fresco, tomato and onion in a tortilla."
UpstairsSize
Oh Shin...
"Ramen, alternating out the seasoning and sauces you use each time."
Nondenomabomination
"Try Shin Ramyun. It's bigger and costs a little bit more. But it blows the others out of the water. Especially the Shin Ramyun Black one. Has some vegetables and mushrooms in it."
"I saw Good Mythical Morning do a ramen tournament and Shin Ramyun won. Wasn't surprised at all. You can find it at any Asian market, but it's pretty common in other stores these days. International section often has it."
"It's pretty similar to the ramen you would order in a little mom and pop restaurant. Put an egg in it if that's your thing, but it's good as is."
appleparkfive
That’s life...
"Soft fried egg added to a tortilla with cheese and salsa, put back into the pan for a minute to get the tortilla crispy."
souvenireclipse
"Nice. I do this too but with beans instead of salsa."
kale_blazer
"I toast my tortilla first using a skillet. Try that. I sometimes add a slice of ham. That’s life. No salsa for me though."
txpharmer13
Use Jiffy
"A couple of cans of tuna (in oil or water, as you like), drained. Prepare a box of macaroni and cheese (the deluxe if you can swing it). Add a little finely chopped onion, half a bag of cooked frozen peas, salt and pepper. Give it a dash or three of celery salt if you have it, really makes the dish. Heat it through, stirring occasionally, serve."
"Hey presto, stove top tuna casserole. Tuna packed in oil will give a better flavor and be more calorie dense. Deluxe mac & cheese has the cheese goop in a pouch instead of the cheese powder. If things are really tight use a couple of boxes of the powder sort."
"Also, beans and cornbread. A bag of pinto beans is cheap, do them in a slow cooker if you have one. Add a little bacon if you have it. Make the cornbread from scratch or use the Jiffy cornbread mix. Yum."
darrellbear
Grounded
meat beef GIFGiphy"Ground beef, egg noodles, and packet gravy mix. Can feed a family of four."
WhichDuck5191
"Ground beef is not cheap these days though.
"Leather-Highway7374
Now I'm hungry. Who else?
Do you have a favorite struggle meal? Let us know in the comments.
I'm always up for a some new flavors. So tell me what I can whip up.
Portions
Hungry Food GIF by pikaoleGiphy"Rice cooker meals. Throw your rice, some chicken or pork, veggies, seasonings and stock into the rice cooker and wait for it to finish. Most any rice cooker can cook meat and veggies at the same time with the rice, just gotta watch your portions."
Wage_slave
'petto al limone'
"Italy here. you can find lots of different types of frozen pasta and pizzas at the grocery store. A fresh and fast dosh that I cook often in 'petto al limone' (lemon chicken breast). You take some sliced chicken breast, you cover it with a thin layer of flour, the put it into a pan with some olive oil and while it's cooking squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the chicken."
"Or, I don't know if it's known/popular here, 'uova al pomodoro' (tomato eggs). Take a pan and drizzle a bit of olive oil in it (we put it everywhere). When it's hot add tomato sauce and maybe a bit of water. After a bit ad your eggs and let them cook. your dish is done."
That_Biribiola
Holes & Tibs
"It's called Injera. I'm American, but mom is Ethiopian and you make it in advance. It's basically flat pita bread that's soft and has a lot of holes. Tastes freaking great too."
ultmore
"I was in my late 20s when I was 1st introduced to Ethiopian food when I lived in the DC area. My brother worked with some Ethiopian chaps who kept asking him why he never ate their food....and they introduced him to their favorite local Ethiopian restaurant. He in turn took me there... the rest was history. I could eat Tibs and Injera at least once a week."
ImAScurred1138
'freselle'
"In Italy we make 'freselle.' It’s a kind of dry-hard bread that you wet with water to make it soft, then you put a salad on top of the bread. The salad is made with diced tomatoes, tuna, onions and olive oil. Very quick and easy dish, eaten in the summer!"
Elettra_of
"Still say the only good thing about Tuscan bread is that no one wants to eat it, so you always have plenty left over for Ribollita (which is fantastic)."
BattleHall
The Thing
pasta cooking GIFGiphy"Pasta with Thing. Also Pyttipanna (it's small bits of potatoes, onions, and mystery meat that you buy frozen in big bags and heat up in a pan. Often with fried eggs and pickled red beets. It's really good.)"
ipakookapi
"Ah, in the US that is called a hash. Most frequently seen with corned (ie salted, boiled, and for this application inexpensive, finely ground) beef."
TheyHungre
How have I never had most of these things?
Patty Fry
space browns GIFGiphy"Also pretty fast:"
"Rösti. You grate potatoes (raw) and onions, mix them with egg (or without depending on the type of potato), add some parsley, salt, and maybe pepper. Then you fry little pattys in a pan with lots of oil."
Cheshire1234
Favorite
"Shakshuka. I like mine spicy so I usually add a hot pepper of some sorts. You can add tomato paste if you want more tomato flavor. Honestly this is a basics recipe. Once you've got this down, feel free to experiment! Also you can finish it off in the oven if you prefer your eggs baked, but it does take longer. Really good with a piece of bread or pita."
f**k_ya_bud
Good Taste
"Putanesca. It's a pasta sauce made out of anchovies, olives, onions and tomato paste (there are variations)."
Shinylittlelamp
"Gotta love the etymology of that dish. 'In the style of a sl*t.' As in, it tastes like it took all day to cook, but was actually so easy to make the wife could spend all day entertaining gentlemen callers and then whip out a delicious meal before the husband got home."
Probonoh
5 Minutes
"I like to eat salads when I don't want to cook: lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, tuna (or salmon, mozzarella, canned beans, hard boiled eggs you choose) and the you add salt, olive oil, pepper and vinegar if you want. You can make it in 5 minutes and you don't even need to cook (except for the eggs) though it might be a problem if you have children who don't eat vegetables. A few others are pasta (as someone else suggested) and omelette."
elix01
simple and delicious...
hummus GIF by Leon DeniseGiphy"Hummus and a pita pocket. simple and delicious. I mean at that point I think it's a snack not a meal. But in the same sense that a hot dog can be either or."
tomixcomics
Now I'm super hungry. Great.
What would you add to this list, readers? Let us know in the comments below.
I'm not very adventurous with my pizza toppings. But entice me...
Voodoo
Season 7 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"I don't know about toppings but just wanted to say, re-heating left over pizza in my air fryer made the pizza 5x better than when it originally was. Some type of voodoo in those air fryers."
AstroPaco20
Spicy Touch
"Calabrian Chiles. A local place did Calabrian Chiles and Pepperoni which is now my single favorite topping combo."
BionicLeo13
A place I used to go in Chattanooga had them as a topping. My favorite was ordering it Detroit style and EVERY time the waitress, 'Do you know what Detroit style is….ok do you know what Calabrian chiles are? Ok.'"
"I asked the waitress if those come up as complaints often and she said, 'often enough we always ask those questions to avoid issues later…'"
neo_sporin
"super pizza"
"Add some different cheese on top of frozen pizza, changes the game."
zavkafedroi
"I've been doing this since I was a kid. Any frozen pizza with added cheese/toppings becomes known as a 'super pizza' in my family."
"I'm a single dude and I like to grill at least once a week so I have some dank meat to use throughout the week for work lunches, ramen noodles, stir fry, and super pizzas. I buy cheese pizzas because they come with fancier cheese and then I add whatever I got grilled up (usually pork loin or chicken) and I add some extra cheese of my own just to make sure it's a true 'super pizza.'"
staitfarejudge
Hot Sweet Touch
"Spicy Honey."
FrostingOk8911
"I had this one friend who dipped her pizza in honey back in high school, and we gave her so much crap for it. We thought she was so weird, none of us had ever heard of anyone doing that before and she kept trying to tell us that it was a thing other people did too, and we weren't buying it."
"It became such a big running thing that we would be out having a completely unrelated meal at like chipotle or some Chinese food place, and someone would break out a bottle of honey from nowhere and offer it to her, deadpan, then she'd go all red in the face and we'd burst out laughing."
"One time when we were older, she finally got a few of us to try it. The look of vindication on her face at that moment was legendary. The pizza almost tasted good enough to make up for the taste of having to eat all the crap we gave her over the years before that."
Phoenix042
AMAZING!
italian eating GIF by Feliks Tomasz KonczakowskiGiphy"I had a pear, caramelized onion, and Gorgonzola pizza last night and it was AMAZING!"
sensualsqueaky
Well those are some interesting options. Not sure if I'll try. But hey...
Spuds
Giphy"Potatoes in thin slices."
fleidloff
"Love some loaded Baked Potato Pizza. Sour cream instead of pizza sauce topped with low moisture mozzarella, thin potato slices, bacon, green onions, and cheddar cheese. Our local place makes it."
SaggingZebra
Fruits
"So I went to a local pizza spot, and tried a pizza with strawberries on it. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. Super weird but also super delicious."
pineappledaddy
"This is the first answer I’ve seen that seems remotely unusual. In that same vein, while vacationing in St. Augustine, I had an amazing popsicle flavored with strawberries and local hot peppers. Sweet, ice cold, late heat!"
TrentWolfred
"I had one with blueberries and goat cheese a few years back - it was really good!"
PomegranateRex007
Decadence...
"Pesto base, roast or confit potato, blue cheese, rosemary."
lysergicDildo
"I just googled confit potato, thinking 'If this is just mashed potato with duck fat, Imma fight someone.' Only to learn that it is not. It is far more magical. Just when I thought potato had no more to offer the world."
BroccoliDemon
Delightful...
"Really fresh arugula put on after the pizza comes out of the oven and drizzled with EVOO, salt and pepper. Makes any pizza a delight!"
femsci-nerd
"One of the best pizzas I ever had was arugula and figs. Still paled in comparison to the red baron I ate the first time I smoked. But yeah arugula is nice. I remember thinking 'Why is a salad on my pizza? Oh yeah I ordered it.' 9/10 would try again."
Admirabletooshie
Special Topping
Tik Tok Cooking GIF by Sanne69Giphy"Roasted garlic. You don't think about wasting a topping on it but when you do, it makes the pizza taste absolutely amazing."
ToastedMaple
Some of those sound fantastic. Yum.
RedditorRecent_Cauliflower54wanted to hear about what items on the menu are an obsession.
They asked:
"What food will you never get tired of no matter how many times you eat it?"
I could gobble Chinese food (well American's version for now, until I visit China) everyday. Anything on the menu.
Carbs
"Bread." ~ goodnightwren
"Bread is my weakness. Anything with Bread, I'm all in, lol." ~ MotorCityDude
GiphyVersatile
"Fried rice." ~ djtan73
"I love fried rice because it’s so versatile. You can do so much with it. Different rice every time and different toppings. Whatever’s in your fridge or freezer you can toss in there. Eggs for protein. It’s so forgiving. I make lazy omurice using more ketchup than I should and just lay the egg on top and my husband is slowly coming around to it." ~ tachycardicIVu
Simple Yum
"Banh mi. Never ever ever will I get sick of them." ~ Extension-Ferret5682
"Vietnamese springrolls are the best too. So simple but so tasty so its easier to eat a lot without being overwhelmed. Tons of sauces you get with them are bomb." ~ LeynaSepKim
Spuds
"Potatoes... made anyway." ~ Flimsy_Respect_8886
"There is an incorrect way to make potatoes, actually that will dramatically reduce the quality. I didn’t know this until recently, but adding cold things to hot potatoes congeals the outer layer, giving it that papery texture; not delicious. A lot of folks add butter and milk after the potatoes are boiled for mashing/whipping but you should always heat up the milk and butter before adding it."
"And the potatoes will be 100x better. As a kid I had to put ketchup on my mash because my dad made such awful spuds. I realized why they were so bad later in life - he added the butter and cream from the fridge once he strained the water, and also rinsed the potatoes after boiling. Rooking mistake." ~ josiahpapaya
Fries forever! And they're from potatoes!! YUM!!
it's a pie...
"Pizza, for sure." ~ Mc_Bubbles00
"How is this not the top answer. There is a pizza for literally all tastes, all occasions. F**k it I might even have a Pizza at my wedding." ~ UnresolvedInsecurity
GiphyJust in Cape May NJ...
"Burritos, there is so many types of burritos it will never get old (along with different condiments). Including breakfast burritos! I also love burritos in general." ~ potatoesrawesome_
"I went on vacation one year and ate a burrito every day from a different restaurant for 8 days straight. I wasn't even in a Hispanic country or anything where it was some kind of specialty local cuisine; Just in Cape May NJ." ~ Jaboodee
Berries all the way...
"Strawberries… I will eat then until I feel like my stomach will pop. I can eat them everyday and never get tired of it." ~ Stay_Cozy_
"That’s me with raspberries. Didn’t help that I worked overnights at a grocery store so I’d get two large packages almost everyday. There were some occasions where I only ate one so I didn’t need any more." ~ NotSoSlenderMan
When in ASDA
"Gyoza. They've started selling them at ASDA, and I have to stop myself buying £50 of it every week." ~ TomasNavarro"
"I can't hear about this food without thinking about the show Dorohedoro (based on a manga, but I've only seen the show). It's very much not a cooking show, but they made a big deal about how good it was in every episode." ~ LevelSevenLaserLotus
"For anyone else wondering what 'Gyoza’s' are, they are East Asian pork dumplings that you boil." ~ DB-Wolfson
From the Sea
"All seafood. If it weren’t for seafood I would be a vegetarian. In particular scallops and shrimp. I will never not eat scallops and shrimp." ~ Vesuvius_v
GiphyNow THIS is a menu. If I didn't have a ton of seafood allergies I'd be ready to go. I still love me shrimp and salmon.
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