Good cheap recipies anyone?

[the tree]

So, I'm going to University in a bit. I think I'll handle it okay. One of the hardest things to live without (besides money) I suspect will be my families cooking. I was wondering if any of you guys had any advice/resources/recipes that you'd like to share for fellow scientists-on-a-budget?

 

So far I've found Student Recipes.com which is well, varied to say the least. I'm a little apprehensive about taking advice from a site where one of the contributors considers this to be a full meal.

 

Also, since odds are I wont be able to afford locally farmed free range meat any longer, I welcome any advice on cooking vegetarian stuff.

[insane_alien]

Bread, Heinz tomato ketchup. enjoy.

[Royston]

Buy a bazil plant, you can get 5kg of Pasta from Tesco for under £ 1.50, canned plum tomatoes, veg gravy to thicken.

 

Of course you can add any combinations to the above, peppers, courgette et.c whatever you have knocking around in the fridge. Quick, healthy...and most importantly very cheap.

[Phi for All]

Casseroles are great because you make them when you have the time and then you can eat them all week with a few variations in sides. They also use up a lot of odds and ends in the fridge that may go to waste otherwise. And a well-made lasagna is almost better the *second* time you heat it up.

[Guest Shaz024]

Hi, the recipe you posted with the microwaveable rice and tomato ketchup can actually be ok if you replace the ketchup with tomato sauce and also fry a couple of eggs. It's popular in Spain, where it's known as Arroz a la cubana. You can't go wrong with a baked potato filled with beans, cheese, chili con carne, anything you like really!

[insane_alien]

Shaz, ketchup IS tomato sauce.

[Royston]

Shaz, ketchup IS tomato sauce.

 

No it's not

 

EDIT: If you can find a pub that serves proper tomato sauce with it's chips, give it a try...it tastes nothing like ketchup (just pure tomatoes). Not meaning to be pedantic, but it's the equivalent of saying pasta sauce is ketchup.

[insane_alien]

hmm. i always used the names interchangeably.

[iNow]

Frozen pizza, mac and cheese, I survived all four years, eating just these.

[YT2095]

have a look here: http://www.discusscooking.com/

I`m a member there also, and you`ll get Millions of ideas!

 

it`s also a VB format like it is here too, so it`ll be easy to use.

 

Shaz, ketchup IS tomato sauce.

ketchup is A tomato sauce.

[ParanoiA]

I'm with iNow...pasta and sauce was my lifeline for years...come to think of it, I've only recently upgraded to Hamburger Helper so I guess I'm still doing it. That's why my wife doesn't let me cook much...

 

Cheap Fav's:

 

Pasta smothered in butter and parmasean cheese

Pasta smothered in velveeta cheese and salsa

Pasta smothered in tomato paste (Trailer Park Spaghetti)

 

And don't forget chicken or beef broth mixed with a couple tablespoons of flour or corn starch is a basic sauce. From there, add pasta (like you didn't see that coming), chunks of beef or chicken, corn, etc...

[YT2095]

don1t forget t3h ramen!

[Reaper]

http://www.cheapcooking.com/

 

This site might help you here. And ramen noodles and anything microwavable are always cheap enough.

[DrDNA]

A few peeled baby carrots, sprouts (eg, mung or soy bean, alfalfa, etc) a few slices of whole wheat bread (choose wisely, read the label), and a can of white tuna in water makes a fine nutritious meal for less than a buck. Sprinkle some olive oil/vinager on the carrots and sprouts for extra flavor and essential fatty acids/oil.

And don't forget the Flinstone vitamins.

You can live on this stuff (protein, complex carbs, good fats, fiber, vitamins.

[blike]

After nearly 2 years of perfecting, I can finally reveal the recipe for John's Ultimate Dinner Recipe

 

Macaroni and cheese

 

...on your hot dog.

 

Serve during the daily show / colbert report.

[ParanoiA]

After nearly 2 years of perfecting, I can finally reveal the recipe for John's Ultimate Dinner Recipe

 

Macaroni and cheese

 

...on your hot dog.

 

Serve during the daily show / colbert report.

 

That sounds awesome. I might try that tonight and I'm not even broke!

[the tree]

Macaroni and cheese...on your hot dog.

This is the best idea I've heard, ever.

 

Serve during the daily show / colbert report.

Oh dear, I am going to miss television so much.

[Sisyphus]

Anything tastes good sauteed in olive oil, vinegar, basil, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Potatoes are cheap, and can be cooked lots of ways. Mexican food in general can be made cheaply and easily (although I guess in UK you probably have no idea what that entails). Bananas are the cheapest fruit (my breakfast in college was often a banana or two and a huge thermos of black, black coffee). If you can find a hippy grocery store, buying granola in bulk is an extremely cheap way to eat well. Also, remember that beer is basically liquid bread.

[iNow]

Cereal is good too. When studying in the evening, and dinner is starting wear off, a quick bowl of cereal can really wake you back up and help you stay focussed.

 

I also enjoyed juices and smoothies quite a lot, so try to find a blender and a local fruit stand for cheap. Can even add protein powder if you need a quick meal substitute.

[dichotomy]

So, I'm going to University in a bit. I think I'll handle it okay. One of the hardest things to live without (besides money) I suspect will be my families cooking. I was wondering if any of you guys had any advice/resources/recipes that you'd like to share for fellow scientists-on-a-budget?

 

Anything like curries, casseroles and hearty soups are the best. Why? Because they are filling, they keep refrigerated well for at least 3 days, can remain frozen for months, you can easily reheat them at any hour of the day or night.

 

This is my favorite easy 3 day meal –

 

Large stock pot - fry diced beef until lightly browned with 1x chopped onion, butter, pepper and salt, chopped parsley.

 

Add water, 1x quartered lemon, 1x can of chopped tomatoes, 1x can of chickpeas, 2x stock cubes (beef or chicken). Simmer for 45mins and you are done.

 

Optional - steamed rice to add separately to soup as required. (I always go this way).

 

Optional Meats to use – lamb, beef or chicken

Optional beans to use – red beans, borlotti beans, add softer type beans last (although chick peas rule!).

Optional things – paprika.

 

Basically you can add and subtract most of this recipe to suit yourself.

 

Have fun.

 

cheers

[DrDNA]

boxed mac and cheese, cheap wieners from parts unknown, frozen pizza.....

 

Oh man....If you eat that through 4 years of undergrad and/or 5-7 yrs of grad school, you are going to be one sick, miserable, albeit smart, largaone .

 

Of course, Hebrew National 97% lean hot dogs one whole wheat buns are an exception and healthy (but they are relatively expensive).....

 

If you do make these poisons a major part of your diet, please do yourself a favor and scarf down some raw vegies and sprouts each day too....they are REALLY cheap (in the short run and the long run).

 

Don't be fodder for some overpaid cardiologist's mansion payment.

[iNow]

I just realized that a lot of us here are simply describing what we ate while in college, instead of offering recipes like you asked. So, here's a super easy one.

 

1 pkg of stuffing

1 can of cream of SOMETHING (chicken, mushroom, brocoli, etc.) soup

Some cubes of chicken

 

Put the chicken in a pan with some salt and pepper, cook through and brown edges. Prepare stuffing according to instructions. Mix chicken and stuffing and contents of soup can together and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top, put in oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes. You just made a $3 casserole. For an extra dollar, you can add some frozen peas or assorted veggies to the mix before putting it in the oven.

 

 

Btw... couscous and brown rice are two ingredients that are always nice to have around. That and some garlic (which is easy to roast... just cut off the top/twistie part, sprinkle with salt and olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 30 mins...). Mmmmm....

[DrDNA]

The bestest, cheapest, easiest recipe in the world.

2 cans tuna.

1 can cream of mushroom soup (generic is fine).

Handful of frozen peas.

A little chopped onion (optional).

Mix together and layer these over potato chips (for the original tuna-potato chip cassarol) or cooked flat noodles (for better nutritional value...egg noodles-the cheap kind are great) in a cassarole dish.

Sprinkle cheese of choice over the top (sharp cheddar is best).

Bake or microwave until the cheese melts or browns

Yummy.

[dichotomy]

couscous

 

It took me a while to get couscous right. But once I got it, it rocks with most casseroles!

 

stews and casseroles rule!

[iNow]

It took me a while to get couscous right. But once I got it, it rocks with most casseroles!

I'm not sure I follow, but I've probably never had "real" couscous. I buy the Far East brand (there are different flavors), and I just put the flavor packet and some butter or oil into water, boil it, then take it off the heat and pour in the couscous. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes and then it's done. In other words, unless you're doing something differently or using a different (more authentic?) product, it's pretty hard to screw up.