Baked potatoes:

Rinse/dry as many potatoes as you need. Poke with fork, cover in oil or margrine. (I like to salt/pepper the skins.) Bake at 425* for 60 minutes or soft when squeezed (use a mitt!) Remove from oven, split, add margrine, cheese, bacon, or whatever else you like. Bake another 5 minutes.

If you only have a microwave, you can microwave them until done, starting at 6-8 minutes. Do not overcook.

Homemade sloppy Joe sauce (you can skip this if you have canned stuff but it's yummy!)

For each pound of cooked, seasoned, and drained ground meat:

- 3/4 cup diet Dr Pepper or generic equivalent, (diet cola also works, but is less flavorful)

- 1/2 cup ketchup

- 1 tbsp worshire

- 1 tbsp vinegar

- 2 tsp flour

- If you like, diced onion/peppers

Combine all sauce ingredients and meat. Simmer until thick.

Pretty proud of this dish and it’s cheap to make. Recipe below used Gruyère, it can easily be replaced with a cheaper alternative like Colby jack. IMHO, Colby jack is the most versatile cheese out there! A 16 oz block of store brand cheese at our local store is $4.29 for Colby jack. Sales routinely pop up for this and also brand names. Look for 8 or 16 oz blocks and shred yourself. Avoid pre shredded cheeses due to anti caking agents that interfere with melting. Gallon of milk is normally $2.99 and a half box of pasta is all you need for this meal. Directions below.

It was easy to make. I made 8 oz of pasta that I cooked a minute less than al dente per package instructions. Set aside in the strainer. Made a béchamel using 1/4 c flour, 1/4 c butter and 2 c milk. Added spices (1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp mustard powder and pepper to taste). Melted 8 oz shredded Gruyère into the béchamel off the burner. Mixed pasta and sauce into 10” cast iron skillet and added more shredded cheese (Colby jack) to cover top. Baked in 375 deg F preheated oven for 18 min then finished under broiler (hi) for a minute or 2. Watch it when broiling so it doesn’t burn.

This would be my BIL/SIL staying at our place with their two kids when they come into town for different events. I know I can always ask them to do their own shopping or to pay me back. But when I am a houseguest, even if I buy organic for my kids, I don’t request it of others. Especially for 4 days, my kids would survive lol.

Just asking if this reasonable or do you think my SIL is being “extra?” Would you find it off-putting or a normal request? And if it makes a difference, she did this years ago too before organic was mainstream and was even more expensive compared to conventional groceries. We also help them a lot when they come into town with driving around, lending our car, helping with anything they need, etc. Thanks.

This turned out so good that I put it in a decent plate so I could take a picture.

Here is a recipe but really you just make it with whatever you like in your egg salad.

1 can great northern beans mashed

2 hard boiled eggs

3 tbls (approx) mayo

2 to 4 tbls finely chopped onion

2 tbls sweet relish (I didn't have any so I had to use some red peppers from dollar tree that I had)

Salt, pepper, seasoning, sugar to taste

Mash the egg yoke and beans together. Mix in mayo onions relish and seasoning. Chop up the egg white add and mix well.

Sometimes an apple goes into a lunch bag and it travels back and forth for a few days without getting eaten.
Of course it gets a bit bruised and banged up lol.

This was the case with 2 large Granny Smith apples this past week. I also had 2 very small Macintosh apples that came in a reduced bag.

I had purchased a frozen package of 30 small tart shells when they were on sale about a month back, I think around $5 CND.

Today it’s thanksgiving here in Canada and we will be heading out to a small family dinner. I thought I would whip up this small treat to bring along.

Happy thanksgiving 🍁

Mini Apple-Walnut Tarts

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20 to 25 minutes
Yield: 12 individual tarts

Ingredients
For the Apple Filling:
12 frozen individual tart shells
4 medium apples, peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional, for brightness)

For the Walnut-Oat Topping:
4 tablespoons rolled oats
3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Prep and Preheat
   Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
   Arrange the 12 frozen tart shells on a large baking sheet.

2. Make the Topping
   In a small bowl, stir together the rolled oats, chopped walnuts, flour, and brown sugar.
   Pour in the 2 tablespoons of melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture is fully moistened and forms small clumps. Set aside.

3. Cook the Filling
   Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat.
   Add the diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice (if using).
   Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, simmer until the liquid evaporates and turns into a thick, syrupy glaze around the apples. Remove from heat.

4. Assemble and Bake
   Spoon the warm apple filling evenly into the 12 frozen shells.
   Press a small spoonful of the walnut-oat topping firmly onto the top of each tart.
   Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes until the tart shells are golden-brown and the walnuts are beautifully toasted.

I am not sure that I could recreate it because I put it on and then got a meeting at work and almost accidentally burnt it. But about 2.50 worth of chicken legs, .50 worth of butter, water and seasoning.

My $20 comfort stew that I put together the other day with drumsticks, bok choy, fish tofu, soup base packet, onions and rice.

Mom sent a funky snack mix that I up-cycled into our weekly oat bars…

2c toasted oats
1/2c snack mix chopped
1/2c peanut butter
1/3c honey and/or maple syrup
3T coconut oil

Combine oats and trail mix. Warm together the pb, sweeteners and oil, add any optional spices (cinnamon, cardamom, protein powder, etc). Combine all ingredients and press well into lined 8x8 with spatula. Freeze 1hr.

Just wanted to let my friends out there know that Safeway has this current online only promo spend $75 get $30 or even $40 back but here's the kicker they also have a spend $25 to get $10 back on certain items I love Amy's frozen meals they're usually $8.99 which is crazy expensive but by combining both of these I was able to get what normally cost $8.99 each down to $3.49 each! I always buy these when they go on sale but never have I been able to get them this cheap I believe it's a glitch in their systems(was told can't combine these cash back promos) but it worked! See screenshot of my $160 order for $48. I think this ends on the 27th of October 202. if you like Amy's frozen food this is your chance hopefully I won't regret posting this cuz they might shut it down if too many people order it. Good luck people should work still.

​

Hey everyone!

I live in Germany, I'm currently on a very tight budget, and I want to start building muscle and gaining weight.

I'm relatively underweight and would like to put on some healthy mass while getting stronger. However, I'm not very knowledgeable about nutrition yet, and I can't afford expensive foods, supplements or complicated meal plans.

I have no food restrictions and am open to pretty much everything.

I'd appreciate advice on:

How to estimate how many calories I need to gain weight.

How much protein I should aim for each day.

Cheap, calorie-dense foods that are easy to find in German supermarkets.

Affordable protein sources such as eggs, quark, milk, lentils, beans, oats and whatever else you recommend.

Simple meals that are filling, nutritious and inexpensive.

Weekly meal-prep plans that don't require much cooking time.

How to eat enough when I don't have much money or a huge appetite.

Cheap snacks and homemade high-calorie shakes.

Which foods offer the best value for money at stores like Aldi, Lidl, Netto and Penny.

Free YouTube channels, websites or meal plans for gaining weight on a budget.

I'd especially love examples of realistic weekly grocery lists and meal plans with approximate prices in euros.

I want to keep things as affordable as possible, ideally without needing protein powder or other supplements.

If you live in Germany and have successfully gained weight and muscle on a low budget, what did you eat, and what would you recommend to someone starting out?

Thanks for any help!

Made this a few weeks back.

I had leftovers of roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and onions.

My kid had come down with a cold so I used the leftovers to make a chicken soup.

I used my homemade chicken bone broth (from the freezer) and chopped up some fresh celery, onion, carrots and a few radishes.

My veggie choice was just what I had available in my fridge. If I didn’t have, I would use frozen veggies from a bag, peas, green beans, etc.

I removed the meat from the bone and kinda rough chopped it. I kept the bones and added it my bone stash in my freezer to make more chicken bone broth another day.

This can be made on the stove top, but I used my instant pot only because I wanted to keep it hot for hours and it has a keep warm function.

To start I put some butter in the heated pot, about a tbsp, once melted I added in the raw vegetables and onions. Fry it up and stir around for about 2-4 minutes, till onions translucent.

Next I tossed in the chicken pieces, potatoes and the frozen chicken broth and stirred it around until the broth was completely liquid. If it wasn’t enough broth I would have added water and some chicken powder.

I then let it come to a boil and then switched on the keep warm (high setting) on the instant pot. I put the lid on and when my kid was ready for soup it was ready for them.

Tyson chicken nuggets, prepared in the air fryer according to directions. Great value pancake mix mixed according to directions. Dip the nugs in the waffle mix and throw on the waffle iron for 5 minutes.

No need for fancy breading for chicken and waffles!

Meal base options:

1 egg + 1 slice bread = 24 meals

Or

1/2 can tuna + 1 slice bread = 8 meals

Or

1.1oz cereal + 1 8oz cup milk = 32 meals

Plus Meal extras, 2 per meal:

+ 1oz pb = 32 meals

+ 2oz yogurt (1 tube) = 32 meals

+ 1 8oz cup milk = 32 meals

+ 1oz cheese = 32 meals

Plus fruit/vegetable = 64 meals

I always want donuts at about 8 PM -- when there's not a fresh donut to be found anywhere.

Hence, my ersatz jelly donut recipe:

Butter a slice of bread. Add a glop of raspberry jam in the middle. Fold in half over the jam. Powder the outside with powdered sugar.

Quite a satisfactory substitute for the real thing. Feel free to choose the bread, use a different filling, and, if you must, omit the powdered sugar (but it won't be as satisfying).

EDIT: A couple commenters have mentioned alternatives requiring frying. That's all well and good, but decreases how easy my method is. Do what you prefer and enjoy!

I currently live in Louisiana, i make too much to qualify for most government benefits(especially since I live alone) but too little to actually live comfortably.. i also have 3 cats that I absolutely WILL NOT rehome.. after paying all of my bills and leaving room for 25 dollars a week of fun.. and after putting money away into my savings for emergencies(I tend to have car related problems and want to save for a newer car) I have about 100 left for food for the month. I think it's a decent amount, but I have also just moved into a new apartment and am starting with the basics. For the past two years, I have mostly relied on Ramen or discounted food from the restaurants I worked at, but now i got a new job as well and it's not even close to food industry anymore. 100 a month is about 25 a week, i know I can do it i just dont know how.. my mom helped me get some frozen meat and veggies, as well as some bags of beans- so I think that will help me out but it will only last so long... i saw others posts and ngl I feel like im complaining when I've been very fortunate.. i got a new job a couple months ago, a new apartment a few weeks ago, and another car around the same time as my job(but it has over 200,000 miles and gives me constant trouble)... and I'll be starting up school again.. I've just never thought about food budgeting much and just spent the money, but I want to start... i also want to work on getting healthier and losing weight.. im 5 ft 160 pounds. Thankfully my apartments offer a workout facility lol... i MIGHT even get a small raise in a few months👀

Filling you can eat by itself:

1 box of Spanish rice, prepared

1 can corn, drained

1, 4 serving can of chicken, drained and broken up

(Feel free to substitute what meat you have)

1 can beans, if desired. All I had was baked so I ate them on the side.

Shredded cheese to taste

Nachos

Filling prepared above

Bag of tortilla chips, I prefer restaurant style

Shredded cheese, I usually have cheddar

Sour cream or Greek yogurt for topping

Prepare in layers on a baking sheet or oven plate. Mine took about 3 layers. Bake at 350* 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

I got 60 bucks to make dinner for my sisters and my parents as its my day to cook. I dont like cooking, but it is my day and I don't have the money to buy food from someplace else. Anyone got a meal for 5 people? Im allergic to mangoes and my sisters dont like peppers. Any help would be very much appreciated.

I’ll be posting the recipes in the photos. I figure if anyone wants a copy it’s easy to save the image.

I’m pretty, busy so I don’t usually get the chance to post right when I make meals. But I try to take photos while I prep/cook to try to post here for ways I stretch my food.

When I cook big meals I only do it on my day off, and pack it away. The family work and school schedules are so all over the place that we don’t always get to eat together.

This was made mid September.

I had purchased a family size ground beef for just under $19 CND. This would be the main meat protein for the week. I decided to go with 2 meals that could feed 3 of us for 4-5 days.

The 1st was meatloaf.
I did not make the glaze as I just wasn’t feeling it this time around. I had used my last 2 eggs to make this meal.

As you can see I decided not to use a loaf pan but instead I wanted to make a giant meatball 🫠 for fun. I still followed the temp and time.

For the side I made peas from a frozen bag and a big pot of rice to go with this and the stir fry.

The 2nd meal I made, as the giant meatball was in the oven, was a stir fry.

I had to use just slightly under 2lbs for the meat loaf so I could get a pound for the stir fry, since I only had 1.354kg of meat.

I used what ever vegetables I had on hand. I did not purchase more to make this. I had 2 carrots, 2 small radishes, a broccoli with stalk, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1/2 of a green pepper, 1 celery rib and a small onion.

I keep a few clubhouse season mixes for quick use of leftover meat. So I decided to use it for the stir fry.
I posted the directions from the package in the images but I did it my way, and I use more cups of veggies than they ask for.

I cooked the ground beef till done then drained the fat.
Once the fat is removed I added in the onion and celery for about 2 minutes.

Next I added in the clubhouse season mix and stirred it around and cooked for another 1-2 minutes, just to get the meat and onions flavoured up.

Then I added in about 1.5 cups water and the recommended 2 tbsp soy sauce. I added in more water because I had more vegetables than I was suppose to.

At this point I also added in the carrots and radishes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the faster cooking veggies, in this case the broccoli, green pepper and peas, then cooked for an additional 3-4 minutes.

I’ve been killing these beef bowls recently. I happened to have a bunch of random oils and sauces that are in this but I’ve made it probably 10 times and am still on the same containers of all of them, I haven’t used up anything and they had all been used in the past. I’ve been scoring some impossible frozen “ground beef” for like $5-$6, cooking cheap rice in the rice cooker, and using refrigerated minced garlic I bought in bulk and ginger paste. Haven’t made a dent in any of those, either. After startup ingredients my list for these is usually: protein, green onion, cucumber. If you use the cayenne, the bowls are spicy. If you use a mild chili or normal paprika, they are not spicy but more savory. Putting this out there because I can’t usually find new things I can eat on repeat and this is definitely one!

All right, Fuckers. Let’s get into it.

For this recipe you’re gonna need:
A roll of chorizo. Mine was beef and from the regular grocery store. Feel free to be better than me and get better chorizo.
An onion. Any onion will do.
Fresh garlic if you’ve got it.
Red and green bell pepper. One of each. The red was a real splurge at 1.10.
A jalapeño and a Serrano pepper because I found them at the bottom of my veggie drawer and they were still pretty firm.
A box of penne that literally had dust on it, the dust is fully unnecessary, but it adds character.
A block of pepperjack cheese, any melty cheese will do. Mozz, Monterey Jack, whatever you’ve got just don’t fucken use cheddar it will break. And you will ruin dinner.

Get a big ass skillet. Get your water boiling. Chop up your veggies.
Throw the chorizo in the pan nakie. It doesn’t need more oil. Once that gets going, add your onions and peppers straight to the chorizo no need to get precious with it.
Before you drain your pasta, get a mug full of starchy water. If you forget? Congrats! You have ruined dinner. So don’t forget.

Drain your pasta. Add it to your cooked chorizo veggie mix. Mix in your starchy water. Just eyeball that shit, we’re aiming for a nice glossy sauce not a fucken soup.
Add in your melty cheese like… one handful at a time.
Stir it in. You can add a dash of cream if you have it, but it’s not really necessary.

And there you have it folks.
Best served in a plastic bowl, with a room temperature off brand soda, while you watch Hulu (with ads)

You will need a few ingredients, but nothing crazy.
Salt your chops for like 45 minutes prior to cooking.
Pat them dry and pepper them.
Heat a neutral oil in a pan. I used a shitty nonstick from Walmart. Feel free to use something with less carcinogens.
Put the chops in and PRESS THEM DOWN. Hard. Like you’re trying to kill them again.
5ish minutes each side.
Add some butter and smashed garlic along with whatever herbs you have laying around. I had a questionable bag of dried thyme.

Let it cook a bit.
Finish in a 375 degree oven.

What's the most food one can buy from Amazon for $10? Some "happy mail" delivery from Amazon for someone struggling might be just the boost needed so maximizing quantity would be great.

Cooked on a 650f propane grill. Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
To be served as rice bowls or in Sonora style flour tortillas with white onion and fresh cilantro. Both topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Total cost= $2.50

I've been tracking food costs for decades. Different tools in different times. I thought I'd share what I'm doing and what I'm seeing for discussion.

I don't want to spend my life tracking every penny of every transaction, so I've made my budget categories align with where I shop so I can run through credit card bills and dump everything in a particular store into a category. So Giant Food, Sam's Club, Safeway, ShopRite, Food Lion, Target, Whole Foods et al all go into a single category for groceries, household cleaning, personal hygiene, and odds and ends. That's what I track. This takes me two minutes--literally--when I pay bills. If I buy something of substance at Sam's or Target that doesn't belong I use a separate transaction and jot it down on a Post-It so I don't forget when I do bills.

We're fortunate not to be cash flow limited. I'm just frugal cheap. So I apply some smoothing so long term trends aren't obscured by stocking up for our freezer or bulk buying when a great sale hits. The red line is our monthly spend. The blue line is double smoothed over a three month rolling window.

I have an MBA and a bunch of painful experience in forensic accounting that helped with selecting the methodology. The actual arithmetic in the spreadsheet is sixth grade material. There is nothing spiffy going on here.

The really interesting bit is the cyclic trend that shows a decline in late Fall to early Winter. I haven't done the research to see if that is due to shopping trends on our part, seasonal food, sales cycles, or something else. It's interesting though.

I use $/person/day because 1. I often have to feed crews off the grid for work and those units help with bidding and 2. it highlights how expensive eating out is.

We eat quite well. I'm a hard shopper. No junk food.