I have limited food and need ideas

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RaijinPapi
RaijinPapi Posts: 47 Member
in Recipes
564c38rips9h.jpg
College student so be sure to keep that in mind. Alright so I have made some posts about this before and people bring up some weird things and expensive stuff. tuna is not cheap it is like $4 for a little can. Now I'm not in a situation where I can afford chicken. There's a picture of my fridge. For breakfast in good but all I have for lunch is ham and rice. I don't think eggs can be used in a lunch or a dinner. No oven recipes please the oven is more complicated than rocket science.
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  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Where do you live that tuna is $4 a can?? I can find it on sale for a $1 all of the time and not on sale for not much more.

    What's wrong with ham and rice for lunch? Food really doesn't have to be complicated. If you're trying to use a recipe to create a meal then you don't have as much problem with the oven as you're making out. :smile: You have eggs, milk and ham; why not make an omelet?
  • cmoni2
    cmoni2 Posts: 18 Member
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    What other ingredients do you have in your pantry, such as cans of beans or grains of rice and canned tomato sauce or any sort of pasta? If we know what ingredients you have available, then more relevant suggestions can be made. A pot of any beans with a side of rice and vegetables is always delicious and extremely inexpensive -- and very filling, too!! Right now, there's zucchini still growing wildly in a lot of people's home gardens, along with tomatoes and herbs. There's a lot of fruit still on trees -- lemons, oranges, figs, papayas, apples, pomegranates, etc. I'm in Southern California, and we are fortunate that our neighbors always share with everyone whatever's growing in their yards.
  • emhunter
    emhunter Posts: 1,212 Member
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    Also do you have any local farmers markets or butchers?? The food is really cheap. And can you go to your school and ask for a small loan? If you go to the financial office they usually can give you a few hundred dollars for the semester if you explain to them that you are really struggling.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    RaijinPapi wrote: »
    564c38rips9h.jpg
    College student so be sure to keep that in mind. Alright so I have made some posts about this before and people bring up some weird things and expensive stuff. tuna is not cheap it is like $4 for a little can. Now I'm not in a situation where I can afford chicken. There's a picture of my fridge. For breakfast in good but all I have for lunch is ham and rice. I don't think eggs can be used in a lunch or a dinner. No oven recipes please the oven is more complicated than rocket science.

    There is almost no recipe anyone can suggest for you, if you find the oven too complicated.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Whatever, I never use the oven. Just put things in a pan, and add different spices to it every night until you find a concoction you like. And why can't eggs be used for lunch or dinner? That is when I prefer them.
  • cmoni2
    cmoni2 Posts: 18 Member
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    If you have canned beans, canned diced tomato, and frozen or canned corn, you can make a Southwest Salad!! Just mix the beans, tomatoes and corn all together and then top with some chopped chili or any of your favorite hot sauces that you might already have on hand and then mix everything well. If you prefer not to have the hot and spicy flavor, you can top your Southwest Salad with any Italian Dressing or Greek Dressing for a variation, instead of the chili or the hot sauce.

    It's even better if you have 1/4 fresh Onion and/or a few sprigs of fresh Cilantro to dice finely and then mix into the Southwest Salad.

    Also, you might want to visit a local Church. Most have a weekly "Food Pantry" for the Community to access, so you can go there and select several items (fresh, canned, frozen and packaged) for your ongoing nutrition.
  • RaijinPapi
    RaijinPapi Posts: 47 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    Where do you live that tuna is $4 a can?? I can find it on sale for a $1 all of the time and not on sale for not much more.

    What's wrong with ham and rice for lunch? Food really doesn't have to be complicated. If you're trying to use a recipe to create a meal then you don't have as much problem with the oven as you're making out. :smile: You have eggs, milk and ham; why not make an omelet?

    That stuff is good for breakfast but for lunch and dinner no way
  • RaijinPapi
    RaijinPapi Posts: 47 Member
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    emhunter wrote: »
    Also do you have any local farmers markets or butchers?? The food is really cheap. And can you go to your school and ask for a small loan? If you go to the financial office they usually can give you a few hundred dollars for the semester if you explain to them that you are really struggling.

    I'm already takin out loans
  • RaijinPapi
    RaijinPapi Posts: 47 Member
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    cmoni2 wrote: »
    If you have canned beans, canned diced tomato, and frozen or canned corn, you can make a Southwest Salad!! Just mix the beans, tomatoes and corn all together and then top with some chopped chili or any of your favorite hot sauces that you might already have on hand and then mix everything well. If you prefer not to have the hot and spicy flavor, you can top your Southwest Salad with any Italian Dressing or Greek Dressing for a variation, instead of the chili or the hot sauce.

    It's even better if you have 1/4 fresh Onion and/or a few sprigs of fresh Cilantro to dice finely and then mix into the Southwest Salad.

    Also, you might want to visit a local Church. Most have a weekly "Food Pantry" for the Community to access, so you can go there and select several items (fresh, canned, frozen and packaged) for your ongoing nutrition.

    Ah I can but it will be a bit emberassing
  • BekahC1980
    BekahC1980 Posts: 474 Member
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    So the other option is go hungry???
  • emhunter
    emhunter Posts: 1,212 Member
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    RaijinPapi wrote: »
    emhunter wrote: »
    Also do you have any local farmers markets or butchers?? The food is really cheap. And can you go to your school and ask for a small loan? If you go to the financial office they usually can give you a few hundred dollars for the semester if you explain to them that you are really struggling.

    I'm already takin out loans

    Even if you are already taken them out, when I was in school I was able to go to my financial aid office and get like an emergency loan. It was small and in addition to my loans I already had. Just talk to them and see. And look for a local farmer around town, their food is often really inexpensive.

  • TinyTexn59
    TinyTexn59 Posts: 96 Member
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    OK I am up to the challenge. How about Ham Fried Rice in the microwave? If all you have is rice and ham. Dice up some ham, add to a full cup of rice or two, some spices if you have some (dollar tree is a cheap source), some soy sauce , a pinch of dried ginger and sugar and mix well in a large glass bowl which you spray with cooking spray (dollar tree again). Nuke in microwave for 2 minutes and give a quick stir with each turn (two minutes, stir, two more, stir). This makes a very filling meal. You can add some fresh veggies (asian blend or peas and carrots from dollar tree again) to this as well. It is good for lunch or dinner.

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    TinyTexn59 wrote: »
    OK I am up to the challenge. How about Ham Fried Rice in the microwave? If all you have is rice and ham. Dice up some ham, add to a full cup of rice or two, some spices if you have some (dollar tree is a cheap source), some soy sauce , a pinch of dried ginger and sugar and mix well in a large glass bowl which you spray with cooking spray (dollar tree again). Nuke in microwave for 2 minutes and give a quick stir with each turn (two minutes, stir, two more, stir). This makes a very filling meal. You can add some fresh veggies (asian blend or peas and carrots from dollar tree again) to this as well. It is good for lunch or dinner.

    Did you see he finds an oven complicated? A microwave has many more buttons and features, unlikely that will work for him

    Best bet is prob something like a fruitarian diet, that is super simple to prep and eat
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    rice, oatmeal, and beans are your friend
    hit up the food pantries. that's why they are there.
    eggs are good.
    find cheaper tuna.
    canned fruit is cheap if you are worried you aren't going to eat it all.
    ditto for veggies.

    i used to do ritz, mozzarella, pepperoni-in the microwave.
    tuna, mayonnaise and a touch of garlic salt and pepper. eaten with lime tortilla chips
    refried beans with tortillas or tortillas chips-you can also add ground beef
    oatmeal with either fruit, honey, syrup, pb
    spagetti
    chicken and rice
    and of course, lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

    also, keep an eye out for coupons. if it's not on sale, don't buy it if it's not necessary. you can try emailing or writing letters to companies for coupons. some will say bugger off, but some will send you a lot of coupons. i wrote a burrito company that i got the wrong product in a package and i got five coupons that significantly reduced the price of them.
  • Justifier
    Justifier Posts: 336 Member
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    1. Tuna is less than a dollar for a 4oz can. Where the hell do you buy tuna?
    2. You have a butt-load of milk in there. That costs way more than tuna.
    3. SuperCook.com allows you to enter what you have in your kitchen and it will return recipes that use those ingredients.
    4. Yes, you've posted about this before. If you are that hard up for money, fix your financial situation. If you keep posting, you'll keep hearing the same advice. Stop making excuses and do something to better your life. Maybe dieting isn't in the picture for your life right now.
    5. Ovens aren't difficult. Turn the knob to the right temperature. Wait 15 minutes. Put food in. Set timer. Take food out when done.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    I've never seen tuna for less than a 1 dollar per can!? I like the nicer stuff so yeah, it is at least 4 dollars, but even bumblebee is at least 2.
  • Justifier
    Justifier Posts: 336 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    I've never seen tuna for less than a 1 dollar per can!? I like the nicer stuff so yeah, it is at least 4 dollars, but even bumblebee is at least 2.

    Really? 4oz cans are the little ones. Most places here have the generic brand at $0.79-$1.00. Name brand may be more than a dollar, but less than 2.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Justifier wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I've never seen tuna for less than a 1 dollar per can!? I like the nicer stuff so yeah, it is at least 4 dollars, but even bumblebee is at least 2.

    Really? 4oz cans are the little ones. Most places here have the generic brand at $0.79-$1.00. Name brand may be more than a dollar, but less than 2.

    I don't know. Maybe it's because I live in the city or something.
  • Justifier
    Justifier Posts: 336 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Justifier wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I've never seen tuna for less than a 1 dollar per can!? I like the nicer stuff so yeah, it is at least 4 dollars, but even bumblebee is at least 2.

    Really? 4oz cans are the little ones. Most places here have the generic brand at $0.79-$1.00. Name brand may be more than a dollar, but less than 2.

    I don't know. Maybe it's because I live in the city or something.

    Which city? I live in downtown Minneapolis and our food prices are decent for most everything. I shop at Target, local chain groceries, and Aldi.

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