How to Eat Cheap

[n2doc]

Posted on: November 27, 2011 3:03 PM, by Sharon Astyk

For the last few weeks and over the next month, attention to hunger will be at its annual peak. People will donate turkeys, time and checks, canned goods and garden produce to food pantries. Many of us will find ourselves thinking of those in need in this season. We'll dish out cranberry sauce and decorate cookies, volunteer at the food pantry or in the shelter kitchen, and focus on making sure that the season of lights and joy is also one where people aren't forgotten. This is a very good thing.

It is also important to remember that most of the regularly hungry or food insecure people in the US experience hunger and food insecurity 12 months a year. Some of us work on these issues all year 'round, but the cycle of media attention and all the other pressing issues to work on mean that for many Americans, November and December are the only time to remember that food is a struggle on many tables at many times.

My skill set for getting along on a tiny income was honed by necessity. As a college and graduate student I lived on less than $15 per week for long stretches. Our first year in upstate NY Eric made 19K for a family of four. Although we have leeway in our budget now, I still remember those times clearly and their lessons have helped our family live comfortably with minimal debt (mortgage) on an income that only ocasionally breaks 50K per year.

Not everyone can eat cheaply in the ways I am proposing. Single parents with multiple jobs, homeless folks, those living in shelters or in motels with limited cooking facilities and those with no cooking skills at all have more limited choices. Still, many of us can do this - it isn't terrifically time consuming or that expensive. Moreover, eating cheap means mostly eating lower on the food chain and focusing on what's available with a minimum of packaging or processing and in season. Cheap eating can be a gift for all of us if we have the good fortunate to have a home or a place we can cook and store food - at the same time, let us recall that we are blessed, because not everyone does..

more

http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2011/11/how_to_eat_cheap.php

[uppityperson]

1. Sharon Astyk has a great blog. thanks.

[MADem]

2. That's kind of how I eat, anyway! nt

[LeftyMom]

3. "heads of cabbage could easily provide a large portion of your vegetable needs"

Please remain downwind of me if you try this.

[eridani]

47. For people who aren't taking coumadin anyway n/t

[dembotoz]

61. awwww good ole coumadin

take everything you know about heathy eating and do the opposite when you take coumadin

or at least it seems that way.

[eridani]

68. There is no such thing as "healthy eating" that is the same for everyone

Soy is healthy for a lot of people, but not for people with allergies or intolerances to it.

[dipsydoodle]

4. k & r

.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Having 4 grandparents from Spain, I have a suggestion for eating cheap and healthy:

Beans.

The basic recipe (family secret!!) for making delicious beans is as follows:

1 lb of beans ((ANY beans! You can choose navy beans, chick peas, kidney beans, black beans, lima, pinto beans, lentils, or any beans).
1 small can of tomato sauce.
1 large onion (diced).
5 or 6 cloves of garlic.
1 Large potato, cut into chunks (oh, about 1 square inch or so).
About 4 oz (or more if you're into it) of some meat of this type: spicy sausage, smoked ham, chorizo, plain old ham, whatever, cut into uneven chunks.
Olive oil.
Salt and Pepper.
Maybe paprika.
Clean water.


The night before: Wash the beans WELL, pick out any beans that are ugly, or any stones you might find, or whatever doesn't look great, then drain. Place in a big pot, then fill with clean water (water should cover the beans a few inches - oh, about 3 inches?), to soak overnight. (You'll use this water to cook them in, so don't throw it out in the a.m.)

In the a.m.: Put the pot on a low flame, or low on the electric range, covered. They'll soon begin to simmer. You'll want to stir the beans once in a while until the whole process is finished. About 30 minutes later, do this:

Sofrito:

In olive oil sautee on low the chopped onions a bit.
A minute or so later, then throw in chopped garlic.
Sautee this a bit and put in salt & pepper to taste.
When you can almost see through the onions, put in about 4 oz. of the meat.
If you selected a meat that isn't high in flavor, then add a teensy bit of paprika to the mix.
Then sautee a bit longer to release the juices from the meat.
Now add a small can of tomato sauce.
Stir and remove from flame.

Add the sofrito to the beans that are simmering. Let the beans simmer 15 minutes more and then add the potato to the beans.

Allow the beans to continue cooking (stirring periodically still covered) until the potato is very soft and so are the beans. Then taste for salt. You will definitely need to adjust the salt, particularly once the potato is in there.

Let it simmer until the potage is thick. If it's not thickening, remove the lid and let it thicken that way.

Serve hot, with a nice piece of hot, buttered bread! You can also serve over rice, if that's what you like.


Read about the antioxidants and protein in beans. It's amazing: http://heart-healthy-recipes.fitsugar.com/Health-Benefits-Common-Beans-1090505

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. I forgot to say, if it's getting too thick, you can add a little hot water, but it's generally eaten

thick.

[badhair77]

7. I copied this, thanks.

Sounds delicious and I have everything in my pantry.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. It's yummy, healthy, filling & cheap. Part of the Mediterranean diet & good for cold weather.

If you have any problems, let me know.

[Lorien]

11. Sounds good! I've been eating mostly raw vegan lately, and I feel much better

for it. I do have a cooked bean dish every so often though.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

14. Raw vegan is good, but if you must get something hot (& cheap) in your tummy...

try my great-grandparents' recipe for beans. My grandparents lived to 99 and 100 (all of them), and my great-grandparents lived to similar ages. The mediterranean diet is awesome.

I suppose there's a way to do it vegetarian, but I never tried it. In Spain they eat a huge amount of cheeses, generally hard cheeses, many cured yummy ones.

[NNN0LHI]

13. We prefer great northern beans and eat them through good times and bad

I consider a pot of them cooked slowly with a ham hock and vegetables thrown in for flavor with some warm cornbread just out of the oven on the side a delicacy.

There is not a better meal in existence.

Don

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. Makes me hungry to think about it! nt

[MichaelMcGuire]

18. Sounds a wee bit like pea and ham soup

[Sarah Ibarruri]

21. Yum!!! And guess what I made today? :) nt

[MichaelMcGuire]

27. Good old pea and ham

[Sarah Ibarruri]

33. Yeah, yum!! nt

[emcguffie]

37. Me too.

Love those Great Northerns!

I recently had to give up the cornbread though -- a cross sensitivity from wheat gluten. No more wheat bread, now no more corn either! But beans are still good.

My daughter won't let me put any meat in. I love them with some pork, myself. But they are still good without it.

[Mendocino]

23. I'll try that without meat.

I'm vegan. I would then caramelize the onions for the sofrito and add some chopped shrooms and my favorite, smoked paprika.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

35. Oh my goodness, I just posted exactly that to you! Browned mushrooms! They really

look meat-like and have consistency, so they'll be good.

[Fokker Trip]

48. Smoked paprika is amazing.

I finally found some a while ago. Got the sweet, the hot and the ?...medium maybe.

Just a touch in many dishes that I make. More for a more smoky flavour.

[Odin2005]

40. That sounds delicious, Thanks!

BTW, is Ibarruri your actual surname? It sounds Basque.

[tammywammy]

41. That sounds delicious

I'm always looking for new ways to cook up some beans.

Does it freeze okay?

[UndertheOcean]

43. ~copy and paste~ .... goodbye family secret :) n/t

[Mimosa]

51. I love beans, all kinds. Love cassoulet, red beans and rice, lentils...

But about 3 years ago I learned beans can actually trigger spasms from multiple sclerosis. A co-worker of my sisters who has MS (as do I) heard about me and said I might want to test out whether beans could trigger muscle spasms. Trust me, it's something I didn't want to know. Since i was kid, i've loved and cooked refied beans, Cuban black bean soups, Monday red beans and rice, etc.

But over the past years I've tested this. And found that normal servings of various beans to make me 'hurt' more about 12 or more hours later. Especially beans cooked from scratch. Yet, I will eat them anyway sometimes. Here's info:

http://www.mstherapycentre.com/diet/legumes.htm

Some MS diets advise the opposite. *shrug*

[KamaAina]

58. Hmmm... I wonder if it's specific kinds of beans that trigger that.

Somewhat like certain people of Mediterranean ancestry having a severe allergy to fava beans, but not other types of beans.

[Mimosa]

60. Might be.

Something to do with enzymes.

[Lyric]

9. Ah--the old "Let the poor eat beans and rice" schtick, again?

Imagine that.

:eyes:

[Lorien]

12. Not just for the poor. Rice, beans, fruits and veg are much heathier (and cheaper)

than McDonalds. With the right spices they can be delicious too.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. Knowing how to use spices is vital, if food is going to taste delicious! So yes! nt

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. Actually, it's my main staple, tho I am not 'poor' at this moment, by definition.

It's part of the Mediterranean diet of my ancestors on both sides.

Also, if we're going to fight the power, we need to have good nutrition in our bellies. Doesn't get any better than something that has antioxidants and protein, and is delicious.

[Mendocino]

19. I eat beans and rice

at least 4 times a week. It's not poor, it is rich.

Imagine that. ;)

[Sarah Ibarruri]

20. Let's not forget DELICIOUS and healthy! nt

[Mendocino]

26. And meatless.

:)

[Sarah Ibarruri]

34. Yes, exactly. It can be made meatless. Although I have never made it that way...

I'm sure good flavor could be given it with more onions, garlic, vegetable broth, browned mushrooms, paprika, and lots of stuff.

[LeftyMom]

22. Cabbage!

The author once got a very good deal on cabbage, and supposes that a reader could stretch ten heads out for two weeks, provided their will to live (or that of anybody forced to breathe in their vicinity) could be maintained on such a diet.

Some tomatoes and peppers would go a long way in making that rice and beans into something tasty and health-promoting, but omitting them (and all of the flavor and nutrients they add) and eating the cheapest things that will keep you alive seems to be okay with some people. An interesting phenomenon, considering how many of our ancestors left Europe at least partly to escape meager diets like that.

[Fokker Trip]

49. I have a huge spice cupboard.

I can't stand bland food but we eat as cheaply as possible, with the right flavorings and spices almost any food can be a feast.

The initial price of the spices may seem a bit high, but I think they are cheaper now than they ever have been. I remember when all I could get were those little bottles, it seemed like gold then. The spices go a long way and will keep bland ingredients interesting for a long time. Canned tomatoes too, as you mention.

[noamnety]

50. Cabbage is actually more nutrient-rich

and cheaper than your suggestions.

They are regularly 19-29 cents a pound around my area, I have one in the fridge at the moment. I could just about live on homemade coleslaw - 20 cents a pound for the cabbage, 10 cents for an egg, a bit of oil and salt for the mayo, and lots of vinegar (I have balsamic vinegar that I got free with coupons during a sale).



http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2010/02/the-top-10-most-nutrient-dense.html

[LeftyMom]

53. I think you missed my point.

I was talking about things to add to the rice and beans.

I can't think of ANYTHING that would be improved by cabbage. Ugh.

[noamnety]

59. Well, I see your point

that tomatoes and beans is healthier than just beans, and in fact the author suggests a number of vegetables to add to the bean or meat dishes she recommends.

but I disagree with your other point which is that recommending cabbage (one of the most nutritious and cheapest vegetables) is somehow bad and insulting, while adding tomatoes is good. I can understand if that's your personal preference because cabbage disagrees with you, but you know for other people with acid reflux, tomatoes can be equally evil to the point of contributing to cancer. That doesn't make either recommendation worthy of exclamation points of outrage.

As for how long the cabbages would last, it's not the two weeks you refer to - that's just storage time without a fridge. The author points out that the 10 cabbages would give you a healthy serving of greens three times a day for up to 8 weeks, which is a great deal for $10 - just over a dollar a week for fresh vegetables is hard to beat, and it is great advice.

[kestrel91316]

24. Stupid rich people think beans are beneath them. Hahahaha!!!!!

[Mendocino]

29. I live on beans,

lentils and split peas. Let the "rich" live without them. I'll outlive them. BRAWHAAAHAAAHAHA!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

36. They're missing out on a delicious staple of the Mediterranean diet. Silly people nt

[nolabear]

44. Nine posts to turn a positive into a negative.

[Codeine]

52. There's a reason beans and rice are so ubiquitous.

It's tasty and nutritious. I'm not poor and I eat a shedload of beans and rice. :shrug: What's wrong with them?

[Ratty]

63. I live on my vegetarian black bean chili

From the Green's Cookbook:

http://christinecassidy.blogspot.com/2010/01/greens-restaurant-black-bean-chili.html

I'm not a vegetarian but this chili would be weird with meat. I make a double recipe and eat it throughout the week (actually frozen for at least a week is the BEST). I never seem to get tired of it. It's so good. And I can't think of anything healthier. Complex carbs, protein, low in fat. Plus I put literally only a pinch of salt in when I saute the onions and season it instead with rice vinegar (about 10x as much as the recipe calls for). I do put salty crackers on top so you really don't miss the salt at all. Used to top it with cheddar cheese but found I didn't need it.

I also add a package of the Yves meatless ground for texture.

An amazingly cheap and healthy way to eat. The canned tomatoes are the most expensive part so I'm always looking for specials and sales.

[MichaelMcGuire]

10. RE: How to Eat Cheap

Rice, potatoes, porridge, soups and burn/sea fishing

[kestrel91316]

25. Oats. Lots of oats. Good thing I love them.

[MichaelMcGuire]

28. I have mine traditional i.e. salt, little milk but the wife likes hers with sugar, jam, honey etc

[tammywammy]

42. You can do steel-cut oats overnight in a crockpot

Throw in some water and/or milk, dried fruit and some seasoning of choice. I like to use dried apples (that I cut into bite sized pieces) and a little cinnamon. Also good in it are figs and cranberries.

[MichaelMcGuire]

45. Sounds good

[Ratty]

64. You know I tried that once

But it all boiled over. What a mess. What's the trick?

[tammywammy]

65. I have never had that issue in a crockpot.

I have a bigger one though. Google around for overnight oatmeal or crockpot oatmeal and recipes will come up.

[OwnedByFerrets]

31. After googling, I still have to ask. What is burn/sea fishing?

[MichaelMcGuire]

32. Here...

Fishing in burns


Sea fishing


But I normally use these

Creel's


and for your viewing pleasure

[OwnedByFerrets]

30. The SHAME is that this is what America has come to in so very

many cases.

[noamnety]

55. I see two elements of shame

one, exactly what you suggest. That we're struggling and having to get resourceful just to meet basic survival needs.

The other is that people are more horrified at the thought of eating basic healthy nutritional sustainable foods than they are at the thought of eating the standard American diet.

[flvegan]

38. Lower on the food chain? Go vegan.

Good for you, good for the environment, good for your wallet.

[lonestarnot]

39. K & R!

[blueamy66]

46. yuck

grind up eggshells and add them to a dish? not

[Artie Bucco]

54. 99 Cents only stores of have the classic staples.

Pasta, Beans and rice along with fruit and veggies. I just scored enough Greek yogurt from one to last me for two weeks for less than $4.00. Recently they had a huge amount of pineapples there too.

[noamnety]

56. The oops shelves are also great.

Meijer normally has Oops shelves with produce that's just past prime. Sometimes it's beyond "just past" and I wouldn't touch it. Other times it's like bananas that are starting to get speckles, not definitely still great to eat if you like ripe bananas, or grapes that are firm and good, but not all still attached to the stems. I've gotten whole bags of organic oranges for a dollar there.

My local grocer does the same. I got a case of 12 large mangoes for $4 last week, two had to be tossed. And a bag of about ten huge sweet red peppers for 99 cents this week, two of which were getting soft on the end and I cut those parts off. Also this week - a gigantic bag of fresh snap peas for 99 cents. I compared them to the ones being sold for full price and couldn't see the difference. Some people - I think ones who don't garden - are afraid of food that doesn't look like plastic perfection, but if you are more realistic (more like other cultures) about how your food should look, you can get fresh produce for a small fraction of what other people pay.

[Arugula Latte]

57. Bananas, even over-ripe ones, are fantastic to have in the freezer.

I use them all the time in smoothies. :9 I've hardly wasted a banana in years.

on edit: Meant to reply to the message two above this one.

[Ratty]

62. Our dollar store has great produce

Found big, beautiful avocados - 3 for a dollar. A fraction of what they were going for in the supermarket. Ditto red bell peppers. Not old and leathery but fresh and crisp. Course it's about as non-organic as can be. I joke with my friend to bring a colander to drain all the pesticides off first before putting it in the bag. If you can't laugh ...

Stocked up on a LOT of dried black beans for what I thought was a good deal but they weren't very good and turned out they were only a few cents more at the super. Live and learn.

[AsahinaKimi]

66. During the days of low money ..

What I used to do is go to our local farmers market and buy veggies. I would then go to Chinatown and buy 5 pound bags of rice which was fairly cheap. (Less than 5 dollars a bag.) Peanut oil was also cheap there. If needed, I could buy a whole Chicken for 5 dollars. Its amazing how far you can spread out your meals. I always bought Chinese curry very cheaply, or buy Nori rolls 10 for $1.00 ~ rolled my own maki rolls.

I am still doing this somewhat today. Though I don't have to travel clear down to Chinatown (Zhonggou Cheng) to get everything. We have a few mom and pop stores here, run by several Asian families who still sell food at a decent price.

[deucemagnet]

67. Ahhh, grad school.

Memories of buying enough beans and rice for the week on the money from returned beer bottles. Now I eat beans and rice because I like it, not because I have to. Pasta and cabbage is another one of my low-budget standbys, and I still like that, too.