3 DOLLAR MEALS

Bean, carrot, and broccoli salad:

1 can mixed beans ($1) -- or dried beans if you have the time/inclination
1 small head broccoli ($1 - $2)
1 bag carrots or baby carrots (whatever is cheaper, or less expensive per unit) ($1-$2)

Pantry items: Olive oil, lemon juice, herbs & spices, salt & pepper, pre-minced garlic (or use the leftover cloves from one of the previous recipes!)


def gonna try this how yummy

Recipe:
Peel one or two medium 7" carrots then slice thinly on the diagonal.
Chop half the head of broccoli into small bite-sized florets.

Using nonstick pan, heat carrots, broccoli, and one or two cloves minced garlic (1-2 tsp) on low-medium heat for several minutes, until broccoli begins to turn bright green. Use a drizzle of olive oil, or, if you want to cook with less fat, use two tablespoons of water and a few squirts of lemon juice to keep the veggies moist while cooking.
Once the broccoli has turned bright green, drain and rinse beans, and add to pan. Add some more water/lemon juice.
Season to taste with spices, salt, and pepper. I like using about 1-2 tsp each of dried marjoram, basil, and thyme, with a couple shakes of salt & pepper (salt may be ommittted, it's not really necessary). It's really hard to 'go overboard' with the spices here - you can pretty much add as much as you want, it just tastes better and better!
Cook beans & veg for another 4-5 minutes.

Mix 1 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp lemon juice and pour over mixture to season.

Serve warm or refrigerate - makes a great lunch, should make 2 fair sized portions of ~400 cals each, depending on how much oil you use. Of course feel free to use whatever veg you prefer, you should be able to find some green beans or celery for pretty cheap at the grocery store too, and they go great with this.

...I am eating this for lunch right now!!

I'm loving this thread too!

Not sure if anyone's mentioned eggs, but eggs are cheap and full of protein. for any meal.
Breakfast: Scramble and stick into a tortilla
Lunch: Make into egg salad for lunch with some light mayo, chopped celery and mustard and eat on a bed of salad greens or make into a sandwich
Dinner: Mix into fried rice, yum! Or scramble with veggies and low fat turkey sausage and serve over potatoes/hash browns.

Speaking of fried rice--one of my fave easy, cheap dinners. This would be great for your leftover rotisserie chicken and broccoli monkeyboy! Cook up your veggies (you don't really have to fry it, just a nice non-stick pan with a little spray), I like onions, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, whatever you have. Add some already cooked rice, cooked chopped chicken or other meat and then pour your egg in(whisk in a bowl with soy sauce and a couple drops of sesame oil). Stir a bit until the egg coats everything and cooks up and eat.