Do you have one of those fast, easy, and inexpensive options that you whip up when time and money are scarce? Soups are not necessarily quick, but they are simple, inexpensive, and go a long way. You can also do other stuff while the soup is simmering, so it doesn't really take up your time, since you don't have to stand over it. Pasta is another good choice. Boil it up and make a sauce, using stuff you have. Doctor up some bottled spaghetti sauce, make cream sauce, or toss in some tuna. What other recipes go in this category? What are your "go to" dishes?
Open a can of Hormel's Corned Beef Hash. They had a TV commercial years ago that said, "Just like your grandmother used to open", and I used to love that saying. My grandmother used to actually make hers from scratch. You could open a can of Healthy Choice soup. Heat it in the microwave. You could order Seaweed chips from Amazon.com and dip them in yogurt as a meal replacement.
When I am really pressed for time, I don't bother with cooking at all. I simply head to the Hare Krsna restaurant in my town, where I can eat a quick, healthy vegetarian snack, or I have a take-away that I can comfortably eat on the metro. I like the fact that I can always be sure of the freshness of the ingredients and the high quality of the meals at the Hare Krsna restaurant.
Instant ramen or cup noodles are relatively easy to prepare. I can just add a bit of vegetables and spices and they'll look like your typical homemade meal. During times of impending disaster such as when there's an incoming typhoon or a series of aftershock, it would be more practical to prepare quick simple meals. So aside from instant or cup noodles, we also buy canned tuna and corned beef.
I typically don't want to cook or prepare anything for supper since that would mean dishes to wash before bed. I would just eat some nuts/chips as supper instead, at most make a sandwich.
Well most people wouldn't like this but what's easier to make than scrambled eggs for supper. They are quick to make and pretty cheap where I live. Actually if you keep poultry you won't even spend a penny buying the eggs. If I can't get free or cheap eggs then I'd boil some rice for my supper. It takes a bit of time to cook but hey, rice is cheap!
The answer to this question is very simple. It actually doesn't even require that much effort as what the others posted above. All you need for a quick little supper are two things. Your local pizza shop phone number and your telephone. This method not only requires no effort but they also deliver the food to you.
It has to be ramen noodles with a poached egg and throw in some frozen veggies, let it boil for a few minutes and cover. Then add some soy sauce and a few chilli flakes and you have a meal with no effort. You can jazz it up with spinach or sauteed mushrooms and broccoli, but it's so quick and simple and I use a vegetarian stock cube to flavor the soup and noodles.
Well, I live with a big family, so we usually eat with each other. But when I am alone, I cook up some good ole stir-fry noodles I make with pack Ramen noodles, eggs, ham, green onions and onions, carrots, broccoli, and a mix of seasoning. Sometimes, I use beef or pork instead, and it usually comes out to taste the similar. Takes about 30 minutes minimum to do overall, and it gets my belly filled!
Ah, yes, scrambled eggs or other breakfast items can work quite well for supper. It's very affordable to scramble a couple eggs or even to make a nice omelet. If I served plain rice for supper my family would think I'd lost my mind. I mean, I would if we had to, but thankfully, we are blessed to still be able to have a bit more food than that. I could put something with the rice though, or make like some fried rice. There ya go! That incorporates both of your ideas... scrambled eggs and rice to make fried rice.
Ramen Noodles are very popular I see LOL My go to quick, simple and cheap supper ideas tend to lean towards breakfast type meals. I do prefer supper to be savoury, but when time're particularly hard I sometimes have a bowl of Special K and maybe half a grapefruit, half a grapefruit and 2 boiled eggs or beans and egg on toast, which is very English. Those three option's my favourite; not exactly gourmet but at least I enjoy them.
Usually if I am really on the rushed, i just take out the peanut butter, the raspberry jam and the wheat bread and make me super-quick sandwich. But this is when I am really running out of time which frequently happens. But when I've got just enough time to prepare a descent meal, I make a tofu burger. I substitute the meat with the tofu and put a a barbecue sauce and add a pepper sauce and that's it. Sometimes when I have already a pre-prepared tomatoes and lettuce, I add them. But if I don't, I don't add them and just stick with the tofu alone. The tofu is fried by the way. Frying them doesn't take a lot of time actually.
Rice, chicken breast, canned soup, and some mixed vegetables. Throw them into a pot and stir, salt and pepper to taste. I've already got all my food groups in there, and it's just the simple matter of throwing everything into the pot and stir. I also like my eggs, so I might just throw a fried egg onto the dish for good measure.
Usually beans! I buy a can of kidney beans and toss them in a salad. They're filling and super cheap. A head of lettuce, a can of beans and other veggies or veggies from my garden. I can get a few meals out of this. I also like rice and beans. It's cheap and will keep you full.
We do a lot with pasta for quick, filling meals that go a long way- you can spice them up in so many different ways, so it doesn't feel like there's a lack of variety with meal potential. Rice, lentils and beans are all good cheap, filling foods as well. We're definitely all about stretching our dollar a little further these days.
Sometimes if I'm too lazy to cook I'll just make some hot and spicy tuna spaghetti. All I do is fry up some onions and some canned tuna and pour in some ready made red or white sauce then mix in some pasta noodles that I would cook for about the same time as the sauce would be ready for. The best part of this is that I get to finish the whole dish in just around 10 minutes.
I don't know how to cook, so I really have no choice but to fry hotdogs, eggs, and eat canned goods. I think canned goods are a cheap substitute for a heavy meal if you're on a budget.
My go-to simple, cheap, supper is a bag of ramen noodles. Just heat up the water to a boil and dump those babies in there. If you're feeling REALLY fancy you could make a couple of boiled eggs and dump that in there too. Add some cilantro and enjoy. Make sure you eat with your pinky out because you know...you're fancy
If I'm pressed for time I'll just whip up an omelet with whatever toppings I have laying around, sometimes mushrooms, shrimp, last night's leftovers, etc. It's quick, easy, cheap and allows me to use leftovers.
