Fun with Ramen ... or other cheeep food

[MHunterB]

I still cruise the 'scratch 'n' dent' shelves in the supermarket to decide what would be on the menu.... sometimes there are 10 or 12 packages of mushrooms for a buck each (instead of $2.49 or more!), which can be cooked up en masse and stashed in the freezer in baggies of assorted sizes.

I also freeze leftover veggies, and then throw them into soup/stew/pasta. Or else just stash 'em in the fridge to add to the next day's salad.

It's cheaper to just use regular pasta and add 'broth' - you can get 'gravy starter' in several different flavors and add as desired. Or freeze leftover gravy to toss in.

And then there's the all-purpose easy meal: Glop. Thing-in-a bowl. There are many many variations of this, but the basic idea is some kind of meat with some kind of veggies in some kind of sauce over some kind of starch. It could be a pound of boneless chicken strips, a package of mixed veggies and a jar/can/packet of gravy, served over rice or potatoes. Or pasta with meat sauce. Or 'Sloppy Janes' - which is ground turkey with the sauce AND half a bag of diced onions and peppers added, on buns.

 

[Ringel05]

Cream of mushroom soup, mixed veggies and hamburger over rice was one of my staples, it would last for days, I ate once, maybe twice a day back then. Still do it on occasion but now I use chicken and add cheddar cheese soup, diced onion, garlic, dijon mustard and real cheddar cheese.
Another one that's cheap and goes a long ways is make a bread pudding but instead of it being a desert use a pound of breakfast meat and a pound of shredded cheese layered in the bread. You can use the cheap white bread or save up (refrigerate) any stale bread you have left until you have enough.

 

[Sarah G]

Cream of mushroom soup, mixed veggies and hamburger over rice was one of my staples, it would last for days, I ate once, maybe twice a day back then. Still do it on occasion but now I use chicken and add cheddar cheese soup, diced onion, garlic, dijon mustard and real cheddar cheese.
Another one that's cheap and goes a long ways is make a bread pudding but instead of it being a desert use a pound of breakfast meat and a pound of shredded cheese layered in the bread. You can use the cheap white bread or save up (refrigerate) any stale bread you have left until you have enough.

I used to and still do make gr. beef, chopped pepper, can of mushroom soup and a can of tomato soup and put it over bread, rice or even mashed potatoes.

It stays good for several meals.

 

[koshergrl]

Mushroom soup is a thing of wonder.

 

[Ringel05]

Here's one that goes a long way:
(Remember, when do this I'm cooking for 30+)

4 large cans condensed cream of chicken
4 large cans condensed cream of mushroom
6 regular size cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
4 bags frozen broccoli pieces, thawed and the big pieces diced up.
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 5lb bag potatoes, diced
5 lbs diced, cooked chicken
1 small bottle Dijon mustard
1 2lb bag shredded cheese (Colby or cheddar)

Mix everything except the mustard and cheese, cook till the potatoes are done then add the mustard and cheese, let simmer on low for about 15 to 20 minutes. They'll be coming back for seconds.

 

[Sarah G]

Mushroom soup is a thing of wonder.

Love the stuff.

 

[earlycuyler]

Its hard to beat the canned biscuit as a component is a cheap and easy meal.

 

[earlycuyler]

I also forgot to point out that Amelia is obviously a stoner.

 

[Amelia]

 

[MHunterB]

Sheeeesh, Ringel - Only 2 cloves of garlic for all that???? What are you, Swedish?????*
Now if it were bulbs, then it'd be OK........




*(My friends of Swedish descent claim that garlic is considered an exotic spice by Swedish cooks)

 

[Ringel05]

Sheeeesh, Ringel - Only 2 cloves of garlic for all that???? What are you, Swedish?????*
Now if it were bulbs, then it'd be OK........




*(My friends of Swedish descent claim that garlic is considered an exotic spice by Swedish cooks)

Ya have to remember, the numbers I cook for are typical American mix of tastes some of who don't always like "stronger" flavors. Besides, it's a soup which is supposed to accentuate the Cheese and Dijon, not the garlic.
Now if ya want garlic, when making Chicken Cacciatore cut two bulbs in half and add them............ You'll be sweating garlic for weeks.

 

[Samson]

I found a Hawaiian Fast Food place in San Diego, L & L Hawaiian BBQ and HAD TO GET THIS:

Musubi:

A block of rice with your choice of meat, wrapped in flavored, dry seaweed. Available with spam, Portuguese sausage, chicken katsu, or barbecue chicken. A local favorite!




OMG SOOOOOOOOooooOOO CHEAP!

 

[MikeK]

They have 20 piece packs of chicken drums or thighs at my store for 3.99. When I was poor starting out, I used to buy that kind of stuff along with veggies and potatoes. You can get quite a few meals out of that. One drumstick and a boiled potato is a lot better than a styrofoam cup of noodles.

I still buy a big 24 piece sausage link, bigger packs of ground beef, etc, divide it up into smaller bundles and freeze it.

I do the same -- especially with ground beef. Buy the big packs, chop up a couple of vidalia onions, mix it in, mold a batch of burgers and chopped steaks, wrap them and freeze them.

Of course I never bought beer in place of food. I never even heard of Ramen noodles until later in life. We all have our priorities but shopping well should be part of the curriculumat school. Real life stuff.

I agree!

 

[koshergrl]

I found a Hawaiian Fast Food place in San Diego, L & L Hawaiian BBQ and HAD TO GET THIS:

Musubi:

A block of rice with your choice of meat, wrapped in flavored, dry seaweed. Available with spam, Portuguese sausage, chicken katsu, or barbecue chicken. A local favorite!




OMG SOOOOOOOOooooOOO CHEAP!

We have a place that sells $5 hawaiian lunch specials, and another that's "aloha sushi" which I imagine sells something like that, lol.

I'm going to have to try it. Not the spushi, but the lunch specials. $5 is a better deal than McDonald's.

 

[Amelia]

^^^
Why does Ramen get such a bad rap? lol ... I like it better than those other foods.

 

[koshergrl]

Last night I sliced up a strawberry and added it after I stirred up my ramen. Liked it so well I tried it again today with more strawberries.




What fun/weird stuff do you do with your cheap food?

Boiled egg and green onions in ramen. Not weird, I guess, except I use soft boiled egg.

Mayonaise and cold spaghetti sammiches. Yum.

 

[koshergrl]

^^^
Why does Ramen get such a bad rap? lol ... I like it better than those other foods.

You could eat buckets of it every day and still starve to death.

 

[tjvh]

You could smoke those Bath Salts, then even your neighbor, or their pet might become palatable.

 

[koshergrl]

Lol..no thank you.

Zombie drug.

 

[Missourian]

Homegrown tomater sandwich.

My wifes from Michigan...she calls it my "poor people food "...but she knows I'd trade a porterhouse steak for a homegrown tomater sandwich and know I'd got the better end of the deal.

Two slices of toast, REAL mayo, 1/4 slice of tomato, salt and pepper...very thin slice of onion optional. Mmm...mmm, good.