Eggs are another option for definite. I wouldn't say that it is one of my broke foods, but they are extremely easy to whip up, and they are extremely tasty. The only thing is that I am lazy. When you are making eggs, you usually have to stand over them until they are ready and whatnot, and sometimes I just cannot be bothered. I like certain types of oatmeal, yes. But if I have too much fiber, my stomach tends to turn on me. I think I have IBS, so I have to be very careful what I am eating.
A simple sandwich would do fine. I'm a vegetarian so meat would not be included, which means that I really wouldn't have to pay for much. The most expensive thing that would be going into my sandwich is probably the avocado and hummus spread that I love. Other than that, I'd probably opt for mac and cheese if I had no bread available.
I like to make a Spanish tortilla, which is basically an egg fritatta with potatoes in it. Potatoes and eggs are very cheap and something I always have in my kitchen. Other times I just cook up some pasta with butter or olive oil and whatever frozen veggies I have in the fridge. Rice and beans is also a staple. I make veggie "burgers" with the leftover rice and beans. Yum!
The latter is actually one of the best ways to save on food: making leftovers into something else, so they don't go to waste. This is actually an area in which you can get really creative. It doesn't have to be a "chore," it can be a way to test yourself and see what you can do. There are so many meals that can be made from a few leftovers, and of course, we're talking about being broke so why waste anything? Veggie burgers from black beans are good, but I've never tried making them from rice and beans. Now, I have something new to try. This is probably a good way to make meatless "meatballs" too, for another completely different meal.
Oh goodness. I know this situation all too well when I was growing up. Whenever I am low on funds, my "broke" foods are Michelina's Lean Gourmet Dinners with broccoli, shrimp and pasta. These are nice and cheap for only $1.00 in my area. I eat fish, bananas and Ramon Noodles. Can't go wrong with Ramon Noodles.
I used to eat a few specific flavors of Ramen noodles all that time. They're not the healthiest food because of all that salt but not too bad. I also got tired of them after a while but when you can't afford anything else, I suppose they do just fine. They're definitely very cheap. I think you could always mix them with something else that isn't too expensive to spruce it up if you get bored of the same thing.
A meal that I like to make when we are broke is Annie's mac and cheese with cut up sausage dogs, grilled onions, and broccoli. It seams as though these ingredients would not all mix well together, but it actually turns out very tasty as is filling. My family actually loves it when I make this meal, but being broke, not so much.
I've never really liked Ramen Noodles. I like salty stuff, but they are too salty for me. I don't much care for the flavors either. There are times when I've bought them as "broke food" and just used the noodles for other things. That is about the cheapest package of noodles you're going to find, unless you get lucky and come across some generic mac and cheese that's 5 for a dollar or something (which rarely happens these days but I used to find that deal at times when the kids were little).
Well I'm in college so when I go out and buy food I will buy those instant lunches. Honestly, they are so cheap, how can you go wrong? It's just so easy to make that I will buy a bunch of them. At the end of the school year, I had so many left over. When I'm low on money, I will also buy just some cheap caned food. I know that's not food that you cook, but it's just easy for me to make. A lot of time I just don't have a ton of time to make food, is it's easier.
I've made those three ingredient peanut butter cookies and they are AMAZING! We love them. Our go-to "po'folks" food is "Open Faced Hot Dog Sandwiches" On a cookie sheet we put however many pieces of bread for each person. Then, slice hot dogs long ways and put them on the bread, covered by a slice of cheese. Pour a couple spoonfuls of pork n beans over that and pop in the oven until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Ketchup and mustard to taste. Sooooo bad for you, but so cheap and yummy. LOL
Funny you should mention Pork and Beans. I was just thinking about it and how it used to be a staple "poor food." I remember people eating that a lot when I was a kid. Pork and Beans as a side dish, also as a main dish with hotdogs cut up in it or with some browned ground beef in it, etc. My mom made the ground beef one quite a bit. What's for dinner? "Hamburger beans."
This thread has a cute title, hahahaaa. When funds are getting scarce and we should scrimp on food expenses, the sardines and the tuna are my saviors. The canned sardines can be eaten by just heating in the microwave for a minute. With canned tuna, I sautee it in garlic and onion to give it a semblance of a hot dish. Those food costs less than 10% of the cost of real dishes that we usually cook.
My go to dish if I'm really low on funds is pasta. I can generally find a few bits and pieces to go with a pasta dish that'll make it pretty tasty even though it didn't cost a whole lot to make it. I'll also sometimes make a sort of flatbread in a pan on the stove top which I'll add herbs and spices to and that tends to come out pretty well too. If I want something sweet I'll generally just make a microwave cake as it's fast and easy. Frozen fruit works great too!
Pasta is a broke food staple and a life saver in my house- doesn't take much to add flavor to it and it's nice and filling. Same with rice....a cheap little stir fry fills the kids up quickly and it's tasty, too. Soups are good as well.
Rice and beans or lentil rice. Lietrally the cheapest healthy food you can eat! Whole nations survive on this combination. This nice thing is the versatility, you can serve it up a million ways!
Right now I am very broke. My go to foods seem to be consisting of non parishable items like granola bars and such. I mush say, it is not only good for my waist line, but also I have noticed an improvement in my digestive health.
Ah, another good option is making homemade soups. Nearly all of the things mentioned so far can go into soup as well. Beans, rice, pasta... a few little veggies or some potatoes. Soup goes a long way. You can make a bunch of it from a small amount of inexpensive ingredients. It also counts as a hot meal, so there's that too. I can pretty much make anything into soup, and doing so will help stretch food a lot further. Only have one chicken breast or a handful of ground beef but have four people to feed? Make soup!
Whenever I don't have very much money, I will make a bowl of pasta and chopped tomatoes. It costs less than 25c per portion, which means that it is the type of money I am always able to get my hands on if I need it. I find that if you make more than one portion at the same time, your money will go a lot further, so this is something that I try to do when given the chance. You can save a lot of money, over time, just by thinking about what you're doing with your ingredients and where each thing is being used.
My go to 'broke' food is tuna mac and cheese, with peas or green beans in it. It's pretty cheap, since the boxes of mac and cheese are very inexpensive, especially if you buy the generic brands, which I do. I just add in a little extra milk when I'm making it, so it doesn't come out too thick when I add the tuna and vegetables. I save a little of the tuna and all of the tuna water, and give that to the kitties, which they appreciate.
