RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap

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sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 8:28:34 AM)
I wanted to encourage you about following recipes. I love to follow them exactly. I'm not a good cook, but I wish I were. I've learned that I have to kind of analyze the food and make a LOT of substitutions. I just made a big pot of chili in my crock pot. I couldn't find any chili powder, so I used a jar of spicy salsa to give it some kick but still have a familiar flavor. Some ground beef, kidney beans, some stewed tomatoes to cut the heat of the salsa, and a few hours in my crock pot. When I came home, it smelled like an October night in the USA. I had a bowl of it with a piece of wheat bread and then froze the rest of it. Yep, I'm ready!

0ldhen -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 8:54:41 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kalikshama I just LOVE pea soup made with ham hocks, nom nom nom! (Split peas are very cheap and yummy.) I have several servings of this in my freezer. Being single/living alone, you tend to eat what ever is easy. To prevent myself from being a tv dinner or junk food junkie, I cook huge batches of stuff about twice a month then freeze it in individual servings. So I always have a variety to choose from without eating bad for you stuff. The other thing I do is weekly make salads, cut up fruit, make a few simple desserts, jello, zucchini breads, stuff like that, so I have both snacks and little things to serve company that drops in.

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 9:17:57 AM)
Watch for a particular veggie goes on sale.... Trim, blanch, freeze.... Of course, not every veggie works that way. Yes on sliced carrots, shreded zuchinin, brocolli, cauliflower. NO potatoes! NO onions! Oh, and my Target experience bears telling. Went to "regular" grocery store, bought some pears on sale. I LOOOoooove 'dem 'der pears. I think I could live on them. Anyway, went to Mega-Target --- clothes and food under one roof. Sure, 'nuff.... IDENTICAL pears for less. How did I know? The same label had same number on them. Bulk buying works for stores as well as indivduals. LOL! ETA: I watch for pork roasts in the "dead meat" bin. That is meat that "expires" that day. Have buthcer cut into stew size pieces for free. Get home and divide into one pound portions. Freeze. Then when sweet bell peppers go on sale (50 cents each) it's pork and green pepper stew time. Tomatillos in the can? Watch for those sales! I get 8 servings out of $10. That's my crock-pot "goal" Just now, whole roasing chicken got "whacked." You do not need to butcher for this recipe. Just make small enough pieces to fit. Into the crock pot, maybe you bought a bent tin of chicken broth? water to cover. Couple stalks of celery, some (not many) of those frozen carrot slices. LOL! Half an onion in 1/2 inch pieces. Italian spieces, black pepper. Maybe salt. NOT if you added commercial broth. Turn on high and wait until meat is falling off bones. Stir and if you have a bone without meat..... why that's what I mean. Scoop out meat. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Strain broth. Discard veggies, return meat to broth. Refrigerate overnite. Scoop off fat. Probably close to gelatine, so divide in half! Freeze half Add some water - NOT much. NOW add your veggies to eat - go wild..... fresh green beans happened to come to hand from neighbor whose homes has vines growing up side.... well almost. LOL! Potatoes, some of those frozen guys. (or fresh.) I love those bell peppers, but most that are going to share out to don't so I hold those out until I have my portion. YMMMmmm. I'll probably get 12 servings out of $10. I like whole-grain toast to dunk. Oh it IS worth going to bakery for bread at VERY low (like 1/3 retail) price. They also have favorite sweet rolls in entire world. TREATS! Again at 1/3 OF retail, Not 1/3 OFF. Mouth waters into key-board as Lance plans trip.

sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 9:21:46 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: 0ldhen quote: ORIGINAL: kalikshama I just LOVE pea soup made with ham hocks, nom nom nom! (Split peas are very cheap and yummy.) I have several servings of this in my freezer. I'll trade my chili for your pea soup!

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 9:41:03 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss quote: ORIGINAL: 0ldhen quote: ORIGINAL: kalikshama I just LOVE pea soup made with ham hocks, nom nom nom! (Split peas are very cheap and yummy.) I have several servings of this in my freezer. I'll trade my chili for your pea soup! And that reminds me - single people making bulk do get tired of over-n-over. Find a single friend making bulk and, why there you have it! Fun to have dinner for two at one place, then exchange frozen containers and then next time, dinner at other end. Also, invite other friends..... GREAT fun! ETA: Recipe exchange? Cooking club? Get single moms in club. Sure, price goes up, but a sigle mom might give you $5 bucks for 2-3 servings healthy home-made instead of spending much more than that at MickieD's. SPREAD THE WORD! // Lance, did you have your morning meds yet? LOL! //

LinnaeaBorealis -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 3:00:00 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss I wanted to encourage you about following recipes. I love to follow them exactly. I'm not a good cook, but I wish I were. I've learned that I have to kind of analyze the food and make a LOT of substitutions. I'm just no good about following recipes. One time, in the early 80's, I decided to follow a recipe to the letter to prove that I could. It had probably 10-12 ingredients in it & I was good till about number 7 or 8. And I just had to add my own touches. That was the point at which I gave up on recipes. For me they are suggestions; if I have some ground beef & some rice, I might look up what kinds of dishes might be good with those ingredients, get an idea or two & then I'm off & running. Which reminds me, I gotta make me a big vat of something tonight to eat on til payday on Wed.

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 4:57:12 PM)
I always follow recipe exactly for the first time. One must understand the .... flavor.... <pun intended> of what the recipe is trying to accomplish. Then, one's own ideas can be incorporated. An ethic dish? I might look up three or four versions on the internet and see what is the same - what forms the "signature" of that dish. Then I'll take flourishes from two or three others. There are different ways to cook some dishes and I'll take the one I'm most familiar with. PLAY! The only thing that makes it inedible is (1) too much seasoning - so I say, "Sneak up on it." Write down what seasoning you did NOT like and which you did. OR (2) you've burned it.

0ldhen -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:01:08 PM)
Lance..I do the Dead Meat bin thing. Cut it up and freeze it. I often buy steaks that way to use for stew meat or to make beef tips with mushrooms and gravy served over egg noodles. But I still make my own noodles. I love to get a pork loin to make Souvlaki. Slice it very very thin, add onion, green peppers, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil. Stir fry very fast until tender, serve on pita bread with cucumber sauce. Cucumber sauce, peel and remove seeds from a cuke, then grate it. Add to a 8oz container of sour cream or plain greek yogurt, add garlic, olive oil, a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.

0ldhen -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:02:12 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss quote: ORIGINAL: 0ldhen quote: ORIGINAL: kalikshama I just LOVE pea soup made with ham hocks, nom nom nom! (Split peas are very cheap and yummy.) I have several servings of this in my freezer. I'll trade my chili for your pea soup! Anytime my Sunshiney one, anytime!!!!!!!!

sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:28:58 PM)
By the way, I found a package of pesto at Costco (there is a poem in that I swear). Anyway, it's BIG. Can I freeze pesto in smaller portions so it doesn't go bad?

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:31:22 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss By the way, I found a package of pesto at Costco (there is a poem in that I swear). Anyway, it's BIG. Can I freeze pesto in smaller portions so it doesn't go bad? YEP. ETA: (from a web-site. Google is your FRIEND!!!!) Once the pesto is made, I put small amounts of pesto into a plastic ice tray – I usually use the miniature ice cube size trays although the regular size will work too. I usually spray the plastic tray lightly with Pam and then put a spoonful or so of the pesto. I freeze it and after a couple of hours I move the frozen cubes of pesto into a heavy duty plastic zip bag. I try to remove all the extra air out of the bag (my husband even does the human vacuum cleaner act to suck out the air), zip lock the bag closed and put the bag in the freezer. Then when you get the craving for pesto, you can grab a few cubes from the freezer depending on how many people you’re feeding. Often you only need a small amount of pesto, so freezing in smaller sized cubes makes it much more convenient. Pesto freezes well and you can’t beat the convenience of the small mini cubes of pesto. ----------------------- Lance here: And that reminds me.... I buy 20 oz. size of tomato PASTE - not those tiny 6 oz. ones. I have a flat measure 1 TBS. measure. Smack that much onto wax paper in rows. Freeze 'em, and after frozen, peel off waxpaper and put in a zip-lock bag. When recipe calls for 3 TBS of paste, you don't have a open, half-used 6 oz. can, now, do you?

dcnovice -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:33:45 PM)
A friend of mine uses ice cube trays to freeze small batches of pesto. Always makes it an adventure if you're just looking to cool a drink.

sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:49:02 PM)
Thread hijack - Hello Lance, Yes, google is my friend and is often on my computer. However, it is rare, due to time differences, that I'm online at the same time as the rest of the folks here. I miss the interaction. If I can ask a question and someone else knows the answer, I get the opportunity to talk with you all. My experience of CM is I think different from most folks. When I'm awake, all the rest of you are asleep. I ask a question and it sits there like a lead balloon until hours later when you all will answer and have a discussion. I've often come back to find 2 pages of conversation - that I'm left out of. I happen to be on vacation and can actually interact, and I want to! Please don't begrudge me that. smooch sunshine quote: ORIGINAL: LanceHughes quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss By the way, I found a package of pesto at Costco (there is a poem in that I swear). Anyway, it's BIG. Can I freeze pesto in smaller portions so it doesn't go bad? YEP. ETA: (from a web-site. Google is your FRIEND!!!!) Once the pesto is made, I put small amounts of pesto into a plastic ice tray – I usually use the miniature ice cube size trays although the regular size will work too. I usually spray the plastic tray lightly with Pam and then put a spoonful or so of the pesto. I freeze it and after a couple of hours I move the frozen cubes of pesto into a heavy duty plastic zip bag. I try to remove all the extra air out of the bag (my husband even does the human vacuum cleaner act to suck out the air), zip lock the bag closed and put the bag in the freezer. Then when you get the craving for pesto, you can grab a few cubes from the freezer depending on how many people you’re feeding. Often you only need a small amount of pesto, so freezing in smaller sized cubes makes it much more convenient. Pesto freezes well and you can’t beat the convenience of the small mini cubes of pesto. Oh that's a great idea! I'll do that. I just washed an ice cube tray, and I can go get a couple more today. YAY!

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 6:58:52 PM)
You were reading my thoughts as I typed "Google is your friend." That is "the interaction here is at least half the fun"! But something so technical? So, that's why I said that about google. Actually, I have friends call me up to google stuff for them 'cause they know I "get" google better than they do. So, are you saying your vacation consists of doing "jet lag"? You want to interact, so you're whacking your body clock? I think that's GRAND! Glad to see you in "real time" LOL! I'm going the other way.... trying to chat with a CMer in Germany. My 3pm is his 10pm. His 5am is my noon. Bleah! AND! I just noticed your tag-line: the most amazing wonderful glorious food I have - is anything as long as I'm with a friend. ~me Has that been there for any length of time, or is it just my not paying attention? LOL!

LadyConstanze -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 7:13:19 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: JstAnotherSub The fat folks thread got me to thinking. Several people shared great, simple recipes, and while there may not be enough interest for this thread to survive, I figured ya can't get shot for trying. So...got any quick cheap suggestions for a fat chick who is really wanting to eat more whole foods? http://www.livestrong.com/ Tons of free recipes, weight loss tracker, exercise tracker, calorie tracker all for free I love rice and usually just have almost everything with brown rice or basmati, really easy to have something tasty and just use all the veg you have in the fridge, I tend to use toasted sesame oil, olive oil or rapeseed oil ("good oils versus bad fat") and tons and tons of seasonable veg. Drop or reduce meat greatly and no more ready made stuff, no sauces, nothing, make it all yourself so you know what goes in and you don't eat all the salts. If you can stand the feeling of drinking tasteless glue, try psyllium husks about 30 minutes before a meal but make sure you drink enough, fills you up and speeds up your digestion.

tj444 -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 7:25:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LanceHughes You were reading my thoughts as I typed "Google is your friend." That is "the interaction here is at least half the fun"! But something so technical? So, that's why I said that about google. Actually, I have friends call me up to google stuff for them 'cause they know I "get" google better than they do. hahaha So you are a better Googler, huh? I use the advanced search, i use it so much that its my home page! [:)] I just bought some pesto from trader joes, its not the green kind tho, its red, made from sundried tomatoes.. i was told that i could freeze it as well. .. yum!..

sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 7:29:59 PM)
Hey there - It's been there for a little while... the friend quote. No, it's 11:30 in the morning here - I'm usually working this time a day. My ex is from Europe - argh! We used to talk during my afternoon in the USA and then my 5 a.m. here... and now... I'm talking pesto with a hot gay man back in the USA... well... 2 out of 3.

LanceHughes -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/18/2011 10:04:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss Hey there - It's been there for a little while... the friend quote. No, it's 11:30 in the morning here - I'm usually working this time a day. My ex is from Europe - argh! We used to talk during my afternoon in the USA and then my 5 a.m. here... and now... I'm talking pesto with a hot gay man back in the USA... well... 2 out of 3. LOL! C'mon - enuff of zee jacking of zee thread. *Hot* gay man - yes, the temp has been brutal here in Denver. Once we had the monsoon rains, nothing to break the heat. Flash floods in Denver proper... usually misses the city, but not this year. Enuff.... enuff..... Back to zee topic...... I help a gay guy here in Denver sell his spices at farmer's markets. And that's a HUGE secret to eating well for cheap. Do NOT buy those little tins at the grocery store. He buys in small quantities, sells in small quantities - you are assured his stuff is so damn fresh! You can smell it right through the small teeny zip-loc plastic bags, like for jewelry. People ask, "How?" It's micro cracks in the plastic that let you smell the freshness..... Any-who.... he also has blends and rubs and hot sauces and dessert sauces. His "All Veggie Seasoning" makes "Mrs.Dash" dash for cover and hide. I use his veggie seasoning practically every day. Ask on other side for website - ships world wide. The hot sauces have flavor, heat and NO burn. Incredible. Here's a simple idea - stone fruits are in season, plums, peaches, etc. I took a purple plum, diced it, and sprinkled finely ground black pepper on it. OMG I cut up two more, it was so good. LOL! Of course, salt on cantaloupe has always been a favorite. I live within fresh delivery of the WORLD's best - Rocky Ford. You can look it up.

0ldhen -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/19/2011 8:07:46 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: dcnovice A friend of mine uses ice cube trays to freeze small batches of pesto. When I had the farm, I used to freeze eggs in ice cube trays like that. They were not good for fried eggs but perfect for scrambled eggs or any type of baking.

sunshinemiss -> RE: OK tell me how to eat well for cheap (8/20/2011 11:50:52 PM)
I tried freezing the pesto - it wouldn't freeze!

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