Low Budget Meals that Stretch

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  • Weaz66
    Weaz66 Posts: 1,846 Member
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    To every single one of you......THANK YOU :) Your responses are all greatly appreciated and I will be incorporating them. Looks like I need to learn to do beans in a crockpot.
  • Weaz66
    Weaz66 Posts: 1,846 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Weaz66 wrote: »
    @janejellyroll thank you, great idea! Gives me something to research. I've never made dried beans before so this will be a first. I like the ideas of mixing them with frozen veggies (I really need to incorporate them into my daily plan) and changing up the spices, again all new to me to experiment with.

    If you have a crockpot, preparing beans is super-easy. Even if you don't, you can do it in any large pan. The bonus is that cooked beans freeze really well so you can make a big batch and then save some for later meals. I will often cook a whole pound at once and then save what I don't plan on eating right away.

    So can you walk me through how to make beans in a crockpot so I can freeze them?
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Beans and rice FTW.

    Beans in a crockpot, I could only get them to work by soaking overnight, draining, putting the beans in the crockpot and pouring boiling water over them to start them.

    LOL at "a whole pound", that's maybe one meal for us. Usually two pounds makes enough for everyone plus lunches the next day.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    With falafel, you don't even have do more than just soak the chickpeas. You DO NOT want to cook them prior to baking or frying or even grilling the patties. Falafel dough freezes extremely well so you can make a large batch and divide it into quart Ziploc bags to pull out of the freezer whenever. I have actually a huge bowl of chickpeas soaking for tomorrow to make freezer falafel and chana masala with.

    Here is a starter recipe:

    http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/01/falafel/

    I generally will food process the beans first, put into a large bowl, and then process the spice binder. You can add baking powder if you like. I find it adds an extra fluffy element, but that's entirely up to you. I also use egg whites to help bind, but again, not necessary.
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
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    Check out A girl called jack ......
  • Weaz66
    Weaz66 Posts: 1,846 Member
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    A lot of great ideas, thank you everyone! :)
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
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    My favourite cheap filling recipe is mushy pea curry and yes it's all tins and is relatively high in sodium but when you've only got £2 for a meal it fits the budget.....2 tins m.p, 1 baked beans in tomato sauce, 1 tin plum tomatoes, an onion, curry powder to taste...a touch of sugar or a tin of sweetcorn....soften onion add all tins (not s.c) and curry powder....heat and simmer for 10-20 mins blend if you want add s.c to.warm serve with boiled rice....
  • grigglipuff
    grigglipuff Posts: 44 Member
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    Love all these tips! One I'd like to add is don't be afraid or too proud to get assistance from a food bank. My ex had to use one for a month or two before and she came out with a months worth of veggies, fruit, proteins...some of it was even organic! A lot of people don't think of this as a viable resource, but they are there to help for this reason :)
  • Weaz66
    Weaz66 Posts: 1,846 Member
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    grigglipuff wrote: »
    Love all these tips! One I'd like to add is don't be afraid or too proud to get assistance from a food bank. My ex had to use one for a month or two before and she came out with a months worth of veggies, fruit, proteins...some of it was even organic! A lot of people don't think of this as a viable resource, but they are there to help for this reason :)

    I actually just started to volunteer for a local church's food bank. They have 2 per month. One day is for regular pantry and produce type items, the other is for frozen/refrigerated items. My role is to pull a garden cart, other volunteers load it and I take it to the person's car and help them load their vehicle. There are a lot of elderly. When we are finished what ever food is left over the volunteers get to have and we split it among us. So that will help me out a lot. I want to think of little inexpensive things I can do on special occasions (like holidays) to donate for people to have as a "Pay it Forward".. I was thinking of maybe some homemade drink mixes or spices/rubs. I can't afford the meal in a jar type but was thinking the others would be on a lower and cheaper scale. Or collecting from friends/neighbors/family items that may be needed...for instance they just had a table of school supplies that families could take for free....maybe for winter I can get people to donate scarves, hats, gloves, etc.

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