Easy Meals in Hard Times

[Raziaar]

I'm making this thread to sort of probe our community here on what sorts of meals they have for themselves. Meals they prepare for lunch at work, foods they make for dinner.

As some might be aware, I've been working pretty consistently for the past half year. I have a real job now and have to deal with the issues of making a lunch to eat at work, or going the foolish route and eating at restaurants and fast food joints all the time.

Let me tell you, those fast food joints are ****ing expensive! Fast food has always had a reputation as being cheap, but at most places it's anything but cheap. In fact, it's so expensive that I've decided that the only way to save all that extra money I'm blowing for unhealthy food is to instead make cheap healthy lunches for myself.

I just made an awesome soup tonight for dinner, with enough for lunch tomorrow. It was incredibly easy to make, quite cheap, and tasted awesome. I just took a bunch of carrots and onions, chopped them up and put them into a pot. I added water, some olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, pink lentils(dahl) and white rice(not a whole lot of either these last two things) and just let it cook on low for 20-25 minutes after first bringing it to a boil. Beyond the simple prep work, I didn't have to labor over the meal at all, didn't measure a damn thing, and I'm left with a freaking amazing meal.

I guess I'm lucky to be able to say I can enjoy simple meals like that, and they taste better than most things I can buy from a restaurant. Incredibly cheap, fast, easy and most importantly healthy... that's my philosophy.

I need more ideas though. You guys have any?

 

[ríomhaire]

This is a great dish from a pretty good recipe website

They also have a section for cheap recipes.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Lunch is usually toasted (as opposed to grilled) Cheese with low sodium soup or just the sandviches by themselves. Maybe a PBJ.

 

[Raziaar]

One of the reasons I'm trying to eat this way as well is that eating at fast food places for lunch has caused me to put on weight since I started this job. I was hovering at the same weight for a long time, but started gaining more weight due to the poor eating habits introduced by the need to eat meals while away from home.

Hopefully if I stick with cheap healthy vegetables and not meats or carb heavy foods I'll actually be able to drop pounds while working and make a transformation for myself.



Riomhaire. Some of those meals seem quite fancy in preparation and ingredients.

Me personally, I'm going to try stick with simple. Stuff I can toss together quickly without long prep or cooking times... or if the cooking time is long, have it be pretty much completely unattended.

When I make my rice pilafs, It's super fast prep and I only have to tend to it like once after prep before I can eat it, and that's simply to take it off the heat and wait another 20 minutes to let it keep cooking.


Deathmaster, I should try the PB&J route some time soon. It's been a good long while since I had a nice PB&J. I might have to get my own jelly though because we typically only have nasty splenda sweetened jellies and jams here, or grape jelly which I absolutely hate. I'm more of a jam guy myself.

 

[Remus]

Well here's what I've been eating for the past few weeks:

Breakfast - cheap cornflakes + milk

Lunch - Either order out from the nearby fastfood/restaurant or...
I take one frozen fish fillet, frozen vegetables, peel and slice up some potatoes. Put it all into my steam oven for about 45 minutes, and done!

Dinner - ham and cheese sandwiches

I highly recommend the steam oven. If you're into healthy meals, it's ideal. Hell, it even makes stuff like broccoly taste good.

 

[Raziaar]

Well here's what I've been eating for the past few weeks:

Breakfast - cheap cornflakes + milk

Lunch - Either order out from the nearby fastfood/restaurant or...
I take one frozen fish fillet, frozen vegetables, peel and slice up some potatoes. Put it all into my steam oven for about 45 minutes, and done!

Dinner - ham and cheese sandwiches

I highly recommend the steam oven. If you're into healthy meals, it's ideal. Hell, it even makes stuff like broccoly taste good.

Steam Oven... is that just a fancy name for a rice steamer? I have a rice steamer and it makes for awesome easy meals.

I do EXACTLY what you do sometimes... I take that frozen tilapia or salmon fillet and some frozen vegetables and just toss it in the steamer and 30-45 minutes later I have an awesome meal. And I've started to really enjoy the vegetables and fish flavors without anything more than maybe a little bit of salt or lemon juice, or more often than not nothing at all. It's damn tasty. Steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots for the win.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Nothing wrong with some quality Korean raamen once in a while. My roommate eats frozen bagged chicken nuggets almost every single night.
I also feel like mentioning that I use split top wheat bread for the toasted cheeses and the large grainy kind for the PBJ (which I also add a slice of cheese to).

 

[Raziaar]

Nothing wrong with some quality Korean raamen once in a while. My roommate eats frozen bagged chicken nuggets almost every single night.

Ugh, hope you or he doesn't pretend that's healthy though.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Oh can't forget the pastas, just add hot water (and of course the kickass sauce)!

 

[Raziaar]

Oh can't forget the pastas, just add hot water (and of course the kickass sauce)!

My only problem with pastas is that they are typically just empty carbs... or at least how many prepare them. I also don't like "whole grain pastas'.

But that works for some people, and it also has worked for me in the past, so it's great. Pasta is very cheap after all, and easy to prepare.

 

[dfc05]

Egg. Broccoli. Rice.
This is usually my meal if I'm getting home around 9 pm and forgot to take meat out of the freezer in the morning.
But if I get home around 10 pm I usually have to eat out .

Also quick -- stir-fried sliced beef with onions. I use very little oil.
Spinach or chard or beet leaves stir fried in a tiny bit of oil with some garlic is good too.
Shrimp is surprisingly easy and quick to cook. Peel & throw a little bit of cooking wine and salt on them. Cook in a little bit of olive oil with garlic. Also they defrost fast if you forgot to take it out of the freezer....

[edit] I don't know how healthy any of those really are. But they are easy. I know this because I can actually make them.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I just realized how much the title reminds me of that Christian Bale movie Harsh Times.

 

[Wanted Bob]

Pasta or rice. Then just add whatever you feel like having on a given day. A pot can last for a couple of dinners too if you cook for just yourself.

 

[VirusType2]

BLT. Bacon, lettuce, (Iceberg or Romaine) and sliced tomato on toasted bread. (mayonnaise and pepper if desired).

****ing amazing (I use fake vegetarian bacon )

EDIT: Oh, I used to be a cook. Here's the trick:

Three slices of bread.

In between the center slice of bread: 1 or 2 tomato slices, two or three half-sticks of bacon, lettuce, mayo.

So you'll cook 2 or 3 strips of bacon and break them in half.

EDIT: Obviously, this sandwich must be kept refrigerated or in a cooler.

 

[Robbo]

Get a pressure cooker and make stews, best thing I ever did.
I put it together and cook it for a few hours then put the pot in the fridge and take it out as I need it.

 

[15357]

I have a rice cooker that I can use to make a bowl of rice, about half a dollar's worth, season them with salt, and this keeps me going for a whole day.

Sometimes I wish I could have 2 or more meals a day. Those days I drink a lot of water to ease the hunger.


Anyway, I know how to cook, fried rice being my specialty. Fried rice is easy. Cook some rice, get some spam and assorted vegetables in accordance with your tastes, and cook the whole thing in a frying pan. Easy, cheap, and very edible.

 

[Ravioli]

Since i dont work or study atm (its not my fault, society has abandoned me, its the guvamints fault etc etc) so my meal consists of either Pasta or Rice along with Hotdogs, swedish meatballz, pizza, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hamburgers, muffins, noodles.

However, i get 1 meal a day that is cooked by my dad who i consider to be a god damn professional.

I occasionally go out and eat Pasta Al Ragu or some other all italian food in a fancy resturant down the street, but only when i get that "holy shit im white and upper middle class i should enjoy it while it lasts" feeling.

 

[Uriel]

Oatmeal <-------- Gives me ma boday

 

[VirusType2]

Sometimes I wish I could have 2 or more meals a day. Those days I drink a lot of water to ease the hunger.

You only have one meal a day? You better head to the pet store and get some groceries.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Does that bother you for me to joke about that?

Spoiler

Well, I guess that is the point of teasing someone.

No seriously, are you having economic problems or something? What's up? You can't possibly be on a diet.

 

[JUL3]

There's a great place in Melbourne called Lentil As Anything, fantastic place. Great vegetarian food, run by hot uni volunteers, pay by donation, so it's free if need be.

Yep, I know where I'm eating for the rest of my life.

 

[ríomhaire]

Riomhaire. Some of those meals seem quite fancy in preparation and ingredients.

Me personally, I'm going to try stick with simple. Stuff I can toss together quickly without long prep or cooking times... or if the cooking time is long, have it be pretty much completely unattended.

When you do a recipe search you can search by difficulty and also by preparation time. Just go for "easy, less than 20 minutes." There were also sections for "student meals" and "five ingredients or less" but I'm having trouble finding them again.

 

[Stormy]

Try wipping up some pesto...

Few good hand fulls of basal
Hand full of pine nuts
Hand full of parmasan cheese
Olive oil
Salt/pepper
Squirt of lemon juice of you fancy.

Then, boil some pasta, stick 4/5 table spoons of pesto on top, give it a good mix... sorted!

 

[ríomhaire]

Pesto goes with anything. It's amazing. I was totally addicted to sun dried tomato pesto last year.

 

[Stormy]

Made some for the first time last week using ^^ recipe and it was fantastic. Should keep well over a few days and its so easy doing variations, like you say, sun dried tomarto or any mix of nuts/seeds/hurbes! Had to make it with a big chopper knife which took a wile but just ordered a pretty cheap hand blender so its easier and will make it far more regularly along with hummus and soups! NOM!

Another great pasta dish...

Bunch of bacon / panchetta (panchetta is better really)
Leek, diced
creme fresh
Black pepper!

PASTA!

So fry your panchetta off in some oil for a few mins, then thow in the diced leek. Cook on for 5/6 mins to soften the leeks. Once soft thow in a tub of creme fresh and a bunch of corse black pepper (powder is evil) - Mix in and alow to warm through.

Thow over your fav pasta. Its ****ing tasty and takes 20mins to prep/cook.

---

It might be worth checking out jamie olivers new book "30 minute meals" Its all about cook big healthy meals in under 30 mins. Been watching the show most nights recently and the food looks really quick, easy and he cooks like you would at home, ie cheating, using some pre-made pastry etc... Going to be getting the book my self soon.

 

[15357]

You only have one meal a day? You better head to the pet store and get some groceries.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Does that bother you for me to joke about that?

Spoiler

Well, I guess that is the point of teasing someone.

No seriously, are you having economic problems or something? What's up? You can't possibly be on a diet.

Nah, I'm fine. Just kinda strapped for cash and time at the moment because someone wouldn't pay me the fees they promised when I started tutoring their son. Also, I am busy with schoolwork, but it was bit of an exaggeration, anyway.

 

[Raziaar]

Nah, I'm fine. Just kinda strapped for cash and time at the moment because someone wouldn't pay me the fees they promised when I started tutoring their son. Also, I am busy with schoolwork, but it was bit of an exaggeration, anyway.

The least you can do is get some protein into your diet man. I'm assuming it's white rice you're eating, not brown? Yeah, that's not going to cut it. Add a cheap protein source there somewhere. Even if it's just a damn jar of peanut butter. Peanut butter and rice go pretty good together anyway.

 

[15357]

The least you can do is get some protein into your diet man. I'm assuming it's white rice you're eating, not brown? Yeah, that's not going to cut it. Add a cheap protein source there somewhere. Even if it's just a damn jar of peanut butter. Peanut butter and rice go pretty good together anyway.

Lol wut. I've never tried peanut butter and rice. I'm gonna take your word for it one day, though.

Also, yes, I prolly should get some meat. I'm gonna fry a can of spam now for dinner. Anyway, I'm getting the money tomorrow, so more meat and at least 2 meals a day for me.

Btw, does anyone else here usually skip breakfast? I get up at like 5 in the morning and don't have time to eat breakfast, so I eat a lot at noon.

 

[VirusType2]

Peanut butter and rice go pretty good together anyway.

Seriously? How do you pull that off? Just lop some peanut butter on some white rice?

Speaking of all that, I like steamed broccoli on white rice with lots of melted cheddar and soy sauce. Oh, god.

It started off white rice with soy sauce with a side of broccoli and cheese, but then I realized they were absolutely awesome together.

 

[Eejit]

Leftovers from the night before, pop it in the microwave. Easy

 

[DEATHMASTER]

on the BLT thing...I recommend replacing the B with some potato. I think the best preparation is to cook them first so they get soft but not completely mushy. And pepper is a must.

 

[Polaris]

Make yourself a grilled cheese. It works for me.

I have a rice cooker that I can use to make a bowl of rice, about half a dollar's worth, season them with salt, and this keeps me going for a whole day.

Sometimes I wish I could have 2 or more meals a day. Those days I drink a lot of water to ease the hunger.

And I thought that you are from South Korea, not North.

 

[StarBob]

I make a handful of pretty simple stuff that's really good. The thing I enjoy the most is spaghetti with chicken (or Chicken Marinara). It's crazy cheap because you can proportion it out and it's still good. You can store spaghetti (sealed container with a little oil to keeep the noodles from sticking) and cook the chicken in whatever portions you want. I also use penne because.. well.. it's good. I get these boneless chicken breasts that come in individual packets so you can keep them frozen and use however many you're cooking for while keeping them fresh.

Another cheap thing is just making homemade burritos. You can use the same kind of chicken or beef with some spice (make your own it's fun) and put delicious things on it. Make some white rice with some spice in it (like pepper, cilantro, etc) and then put other delicious things on it. It's like a 10 minute process max beause you only have to cook two things and you can do it at the same time.

I make chicken stir fry too sometimes. I have a lot of chicken. You start cooking the chicken first and then the easiest way is to pick up a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables (really cheap) and throw them in after the chicken cooks for a couple minutes. Make some white rice (practically free) and mix together a sauce. My favorite sauce is 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of sesame oil, some lemon pepper, a little crushed oregano, some some corn starch to thicken it. I usually add a little more black pepper because I like things spicy. Dump it in about 30 seconds before you finish cooking the vegetables and chicken and mix it up. Then put it on the rice and you're golden. I figure the whole meal costs like $2 or so for a generous serving.

I have some other stuff but it's probably not as cheap or easy. I like making thing that take less than 10 minutes to cook, though that speed kind of makes you rush around the kitchen trying to prepare things quickly. In the end though I feel like a chef and I'm in and out of the kitchen with good food that doesn't make me feel like I Wanna die.

Edit: Reading through these posts I feel like I just threw a chicken bomb in vegetarian conference.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I like burritos/soft tacos too, thing is the tortillas usually are the carb bomb. But it's still probably healthier than a fast food place in the long run.
Easy prep at least. On the very easy side: Open can of refried beans (or w/e), nuke it with the tortilla & cheese, add onions/sauce/etc. Reseal leftovers and store in fridge. I've done it for some midnight snacks.

 

[Raziaar]

Lol wut. I've never tried peanut butter and rice. I'm gonna take your word for it one day, though.

Also, yes, I prolly should get some meat. I'm gonna fry a can of spam now for dinner. Anyway, I'm getting the money tomorrow, so more meat and at least 2 meals a day for me.

Btw, does anyone else here usually skip breakfast? I get up at like 5 in the morning and don't have time to eat breakfast, so I eat a lot at noon.

Well, our cultures are different, so you probably won't like it, and apparently some people in the states still don't even know of it.

Seriously? How do you pull that off? Just lop some peanut butter on some white rice?

Speaking of all that, I like steamed broccoli on white rice with lots of melted cheddar and soy sauce. Oh, god.

It started off white rice with soy sauce with a side of broccoli and cheese, but then I realized they were absolutely awesome together.

Yeah, you just take some peanut butter and add it to white rice. Get a fork, some plain white rice, maybe lightly salted if you want and just get a little bit of peanut butter with the rice and it's a simple complete protein meal. I personally like it, and I sort of grew up it... but if you don't enjoy it hey, that's fine.

To me it's like the combination of peanut butter and celery... weird, but it works. Peanut sauce is pretty typical in Asian countries... often used with rice. I think it's fantastic.

Leftovers from the night before, pop it in the microwave. Easy

Leftovers from the night before... lol. I make all of my meals, and have for the past 10 years, at least practically all of them.

 

[dfc05]

I make chicken stir fry too sometimes. I have a lot of chicken. You start cooking the chicken first and then the easiest way is to pick up a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables (really cheap) and throw them in after the chicken cooks for a couple minutes. Make some white rice (practically free) and mix together a sauce. My favorite sauce is 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of sesame oil, some lemon pepper, a little crushed oregano, some some corn starch to thicken it. I usually add a little more black pepper because I like things spicy. Dump it in about 30 seconds before you finish cooking the vegetables and chicken and mix it up. Then put it on the rice and you're golden. I figure the whole meal costs like $2 or so for a generous serving.

Hey that sounds pretty good. I used to do something similar except with fresh veggies and none of the herbs -- and then cook up some noodles -- and stick the noodles in a pan to kinda dry them out, and then put the stir-fried chicken/veggies over the noodles. I'll have to try out the herbs sometime.

Nowadays I usually just stick my chicken on a pan with pepper and a little bit of salt. Or lately, I've been using some old clumpy lemon garlic rub my sister gave me.