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Kathana
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« Reply #60 on: October 13, 2008, 07:54 PM »

The only time I eat ramen is as a base for veggies and meat.
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« Reply #61 on: October 13, 2008, 09:55 PM »

Another important thing to keep in mind is where you shop. In any neighborhood, there are generally produce stores and bread stores. They almost always have food that is nearing its expiration date and can be bought on the cheap. If you use a brand name store, be sure and get whatever type of card they have that saves you money. You can get in on some really good deals that might enable you to bring the occasional red meat to the table.
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« Reply #62 on: October 14, 2008, 05:13 AM »

For fresh fruit & vegetables, take advantage of grower's markets if they're in your area, and buy in season.

Examples in my locality:  lettuce from grower's market $1.50.  Lettuce from supermarket $3.50.
                                       2 litre container of milk from grower's market $2.00.  From corner dairy $4.00.

Also, ask someone's grandmother to show you some tips.  Grandmothers have often had to raise families with little money and a far more basic range of food available.       

Eat red meat.  It put hairs on your chest.   
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« Reply #63 on: October 19, 2008, 04:41 PM »

I am interested!

I love you, Nedroid.

Shit You Need:
2 potatoes chopped into half-inch cubes.  I like Yukon Gold, but russet are cheaper.
half head of cabbage, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 cup dried lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 quarts chicken stock, or 2 quarts water and a 6g cube of chicken boullion.  Might be able to substitute a ramen flavor packet.
1 can diced tomatoes, or i guess you could just dice a tomato.
whatever fucking spices you like to use.  I put in a little salt and pepper, and then some rosemary and paprika at the end, but your mileage will vary.

Here's the general procedure:
-Rinse the rice and a cup of dried lentils.   Cook the rice and simmer the lentils in 3ish cups of water for 5-10 minutes to soften them up a little. Simmering the lentils might be optional, but I wanted to soften them up a little first.  Set that shit aside for now, and drain the water out of your lentil pot.

-Cover the bottom of your big-ass fucking pot with olive oil, throw in the taters, onions, and garlic.  Cover and cook on med-high for 5-10 minutes, opening occasionally to stir and make sure those fucking potatoes don't stick to the bottom permanently.  You wanna get the onions a little bit translucent and the potatoes maybe a little bit browned.

-Now put in your 2 quarts stock or "stock", and the carrots, celery, lentils, cabbage, and onion soup mix.

-Bring that shit up to a boil and then then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Throw in the can of tomatoes, juice included.  You can put in your spices now or later, I have no idea if it matters.  I put in some rosemary, celery salt, and some seasoning salt that's heavy on the paprika.

-Simmer until the taters and cabbage are soft enough--20 minutes worked for me.  Serve over rice.  Serves: a small army.

-You are now a cook, which will score you mad points with the bitches.  This may or may not make up for the fact that you are poor as fuck, as evidenced by the fact that you are cooking this kind of thing.

So I made this today but I forgot the carrots and tomatoes...that's fine it wouldn't have made too huge a difference. 

Huge problem which I found out after the fact...a clove of garlic is not a bulb........................................................I'm a little disheartened that I thought a clove was a bulb since I never really used a recipe with garlic until now.  Now I know and I will try this again in a week or two with hopefully different results and not a pure garlic soup.
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Carrot
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« Reply #64 on: October 19, 2008, 04:59 PM »

2. Dumpsters. Have been mentioned, but there's an actually feasible way to use them. Usage obviously depends on your sense of dignity, but if it allows or the budget forces you to do this, this is how it's done: Garbage bins on the street are not worth your time. go to the back of supermarkets, and look into the bigger containers. go around or shortly after closing hour. you should find a lot of usable fruit and vegetables (apples with spots from handling, slightly ruptured tomatoes, zucchini or cucumbers that broke in half etc) and dairy products that expired the same day or will expire the next day.

What the fuck?
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« Reply #65 on: October 19, 2008, 08:13 PM »

Well I'm a uni student in the Netherlands too, though not dutch. And I feel ya on the budget thing... a few months overspending and now i gotta cut down. On topic:
Beleive it or not, Albert Heijn has some cheap shit, and I'm not talking only about Euroshopper.
 - The AH Gerookte Kipfilet - the cooked boneless chicken thighs, 750 gram for 4EUR - 6 or 7 pieces, gives you a few days' worth of meat to add to whatever recipe you like.
 - Then again, Euroshopper - 2.5 kg of french fries for 1.69, again a good side dish.

 - The kipfilet in Aldi is also relatively cheap at .89, kalkoenfilet is even cheaper IIRC. Good for sandwitches, but you know how fucked the situation with bread in .nl is.
 - About bread - C1000 or turkish shops sell the turkish bread that doesn't go bad for quite a while, at around 1-1.25 a piece. Shit is much better than the white undercooked bread they sell anyways, especially for sandwitches.
 - Also in Aldi and AH (not sure about C1000) they have two prices for bapao's - the .80 and the .25 a piece. You just gotta look in the freezer section for the cheap ones.
 - As previously mentioned - spaghetti is a kicker when it comes to budget. They have cheap-ish bolognese sauces, not those crappy mixes but actual bags of the stuff you just pour in.
 - And you can try a variation of the macaroni/cheese thing with the hanne cheese (white cheese, better than feta) from AH and spaghetti. Shit is great for breakfast.

 - For snacking purposes - Aldi has some cheap-ass cashew and pistachio nuts.
 - Chips are at .45 for 200 gram packages (was wtf'ing when I saw it - my home country is/was a cheap-cheap place and the crisps there were more expensive). Seriously those Indians that invented them knew their shit - potatoes and fat, what better energy source. Too bad I don't like'em.

And a thing that may make some of these tips useless - what do you have? Stove, oven, micro-nuker, toaster, etc etc.

Cheers from Eindhoven
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« Reply #66 on: October 21, 2008, 05:40 PM »

Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients
200g/7¼oz basmati rice
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8 shallots, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh root ginger, grated
6 chicken breast fillets or 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced into strips (chicken breast fillets are the small, tender fillets on the underside of the chicken breast, available in some supermarkets)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground turmeric
generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
¾ cup plain yoghurt
2 tsp caster sugar
4 or 5 handfuls raisins


Method
1. Wash the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, then leave to soak in tepid water with the salt for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the rice and place in a pan with enough cold water to come about 2cm/¾inch above the top of the rice.
3. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat to as low as possible, cover and cook for about ten minutes, or until 'holes' begin to appear on the top of the rice and all the water has been absorbed.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan, burning it.
5. Realise food does not, in fact, taste good burnt
6.throw into trash
7.Get phone
8.Order chicken biriyani from nearby indian takeaway
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Nate
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« Reply #67 on: October 22, 2008, 04:50 AM »

I am interested!

I love you, Nedroid.

Shit You Need:
2 potatoes chopped into half-inch cubes.  I like Yukon Gold, but russet are cheaper.
half head of cabbage, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 cup dried lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 quarts chicken stock, or 2 quarts water and a 6g cube of chicken boullion.  Might be able to substitute a ramen flavor packet.
1 can diced tomatoes, or i guess you could just dice a tomato.
whatever fucking spices you like to use.  I put in a little salt and pepper, and then some rosemary and paprika at the end, but your mileage will vary.

Here's the general procedure:
-Rinse the rice and a cup of dried lentils.   Cook the rice and simmer the lentils in 3ish cups of water for 5-10 minutes to soften them up a little. Simmering the lentils might be optional, but I wanted to soften them up a little first.  Set that shit aside for now, and drain the water out of your lentil pot.

-Cover the bottom of your big-ass fucking pot with olive oil, throw in the taters, onions, and garlic.  Cover and cook on med-high for 5-10 minutes, opening occasionally to stir and make sure those fucking potatoes don't stick to the bottom permanently.  You wanna get the onions a little bit translucent and the potatoes maybe a little bit browned.

-Now put in your 2 quarts stock or "stock", and the carrots, celery, lentils, cabbage, and onion soup mix.

-Bring that shit up to a boil and then then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Throw in the can of tomatoes, juice included.  You can put in your spices now or later, I have no idea if it matters.  I put in some rosemary, celery salt, and some seasoning salt that's heavy on the paprika.

-Simmer until the taters and cabbage are soft enough--20 minutes worked for me.  Serve over rice.  Serves: a small army.

-You are now a cook, which will score you mad points with the bitches.  This may or may not make up for the fact that you are poor as fuck, as evidenced by the fact that you are cooking this kind of thing.

So I made this today but I forgot the carrots and tomatoes...that's fine it wouldn't have made too huge a difference. 

Huge problem which I found out after the fact...a clove of garlic is not a bulb........................................................I'm a little disheartened that I thought a clove was a bulb since I never really used a recipe with garlic until now.  Now I know and I will try this again in a week or two with hopefully different results and not a pure garlic soup.

Well, if you're planning on trying again, I have a few things I've discovered:

If you simmer the lentils before throwing them in with the rest of the stuff, some of them will dissolve into the soup, thickening it up into an almost stew-esque consistency.  If you just wash them and then put them in when the cabbage goes in, they'll get plenty cooked but not dissolve at all.

I like it either way, it just depends on how thick you like it, and how much you want the broth to taste like lentils.

Also, I discovered that some lemon juice and paprika added at the end will add some tang and a little heat to your final product.  It felt like it was missing something, seasoning-wise, and I think that was it.
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Porkchop
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« Reply #68 on: October 22, 2008, 01:08 PM »

I made this last week, and I only washed the lentils, they turned out fine.

Also, when i did it I used the juice of half a lime and a little very thinly sliced ginger, it  added a delicate freshness to the whole thing which I found quite pleasant.
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« Reply #69 on: October 22, 2008, 01:11 PM »

I'd also like to add that I substituted the cabbage for a leek and some peas, which was really really nice.
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Gnuoyiy
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« Reply #70 on: October 22, 2008, 01:25 PM »

I am interested!

I love you, Nedroid.

Shit You Need:
2 potatoes chopped into half-inch cubes.  I like Yukon Gold, but russet are cheaper.
half head of cabbage, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 cup dried lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 quarts chicken stock, or 2 quarts water and a 6g cube of chicken boullion.  Might be able to substitute a ramen flavor packet.
1 can diced tomatoes, or i guess you could just dice a tomato.
whatever fucking spices you like to use.  I put in a little salt and pepper, and then some rosemary and paprika at the end, but your mileage will vary.

Here's the general procedure:
-Rinse the rice and a cup of dried lentils.   Cook the rice and simmer the lentils in 3ish cups of water for 5-10 minutes to soften them up a little. Simmering the lentils might be optional, but I wanted to soften them up a little first.  Set that shit aside for now, and drain the water out of your lentil pot.

-Cover the bottom of your big-ass fucking pot with olive oil, throw in the taters, onions, and garlic.  Cover and cook on med-high for 5-10 minutes, opening occasionally to stir and make sure those fucking potatoes don't stick to the bottom permanently.  You wanna get the onions a little bit translucent and the potatoes maybe a little bit browned.

-Now put in your 2 quarts stock or "stock", and the carrots, celery, lentils, cabbage, and onion soup mix.

-Bring that shit up to a boil and then then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Throw in the can of tomatoes, juice included.  You can put in your spices now or later, I have no idea if it matters.  I put in some rosemary, celery salt, and some seasoning salt that's heavy on the paprika.

-Simmer until the taters and cabbage are soft enough--20 minutes worked for me.  Serve over rice.  Serves: a small army.

-You are now a cook, which will score you mad points with the bitches.  This may or may not make up for the fact that you are poor as fuck, as evidenced by the fact that you are cooking this kind of thing.

So I made this today but I forgot the carrots and tomatoes...that's fine it wouldn't have made too huge a difference. 

Huge problem which I found out after the fact...a clove of garlic is not a bulb........................................................I'm a little disheartened that I thought a clove was a bulb since I never really used a recipe with garlic until now.  Now I know and I will try this again in a week or two with hopefully different results and not a pure garlic soup.

Well, if you're planning on trying again, I have a few things I've discovered:

If you simmer the lentils before throwing them in with the rest of the stuff, some of them will dissolve into the soup, thickening it up into an almost stew-esque consistency.  If you just wash them and then put them in when the cabbage goes in, they'll get plenty cooked but not dissolve at all.

I like it either way, it just depends on how thick you like it, and how much you want the broth to taste like lentils.

Also, I discovered that some lemon juice and paprika added at the end will add some tang and a little heat to your final product.  It felt like it was missing something, seasoning-wise, and I think that was it.

I am eating attempt #2 as I write this...this time I remembered everything and my only substitute was spinach instead of cabbage.  But yea, I simmered the soup for about an hour and the lentils broke down so I did get a stew which I don't mind at all.  It's thick, tasty, and another very healthy meal I can add to my arsenal.  I was pretty depressed after I failed the first attempt because a bulb is not a clove and now am very happy with this delicious stew.  Thank you very much for this recipe, how much lemon juice and paprika do you suggest adding for more tang?
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Nate
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« Reply #71 on: October 22, 2008, 06:44 PM »

I am eating attempt #2 as I write this...this time I remembered everything and my only substitute was spinach instead of cabbage.  But yea, I simmered the soup for about an hour and the lentils broke down so I did get a stew which I don't mind at all.  It's thick, tasty, and another very healthy meal I can add to my arsenal.  I was pretty depressed after I failed the first attempt because a bulb is not a clove and now am very happy with this delicious stew.  Thank you very much for this recipe, how much lemon juice and paprika do you suggest adding for more tang?

Hard to say.  I was adding it on a per-bowl basis, but I'm starting a pot right this moment, so I'll see if I can be a little more scientific about the amounts.  I'm aiming for 1 tbsp paprika and a whole lemon's worth of juice, and we'll go from there.


edit: one tbsp paprika, added while sauteeing the potatoes and onions.  The lemon seems to lose its tang if I cook it too much, so I add it to taste right before serving.

edit 2: I ended up doing a lot of revising with the new batch, and I think I've simplified things a lot, and also added beer to the thing.  This is going to be awesome if I ever get around to recompiling the recipe.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2008, 08:40 AM by Nate » Logged

Kit Kat
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« Reply #72 on: October 22, 2008, 11:41 PM »

The food bank at my school gives out grocery store certificates before holidays. See if you are eligible.
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« Reply #73 on: November 04, 2008, 11:51 AM »

Curse those Mediterranean Papists, their rich haughty cream sauces, spiced meat patties and fragrant and savory flaked pastries.,  Give me a good Protestant American portion of hard tack, and a strap of horse hide to bite down on when the humors reflux from the famine-spirits, perhaps a dollop of laudanum for good measure. 
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« Reply #74 on: November 19, 2008, 10:42 PM »

If you can afford ramen, then you can afford rice and beans, which have actual nutritional value.

Nate, do you have any easy yet manly suggestions on how to prepare rice and beans?
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« Reply #75 on: November 20, 2008, 12:50 PM »

I love eggs

pickled eggs...nom nom
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« Reply #76 on: November 20, 2008, 01:33 PM »

Yakisoba is really good, cheap food. Chop and fry in a pan some cabbage, carrots and onions. Add a little water and one or more packages of boiled noodles (curry-flavoured is the best, you get the spices as well), add some chili sauce, stir, eat. You can also add some thin slices of meat in it of you like.
The excellent thing about yakisoba is the fact that it only gets better after a few days in the fridge, and you can eat it cold between a sandwhich as a tasty lunch.

Dumpster diving is also popular among my friends, because stores many times throw away perfectly good food - one of the best finds was a whole watermelon and a package of freeze-them-yourself popsicles. Just use your common sense and check out thoroughly that the food does not smell or look suspicious in the slightest.
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« Reply #77 on: November 20, 2008, 03:14 PM »

Over the summer, I was spending around $6-10 USD a week on food. I bought bulk oatmeal and milk for breakfast, bread, peanut butter, and jelly for lunch, and bulk instant rice for dinner. I would add a little variety every now and then, but I'm pretty bad at it. I was very low in protein, though, so I've been watching that and eating protein supplements.
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« Reply #78 on: November 20, 2008, 07:42 PM »

Protein supplements are almost always going to be more expensive than actual protein. Some suggestions for protein sources on an ultra-low budget:

- If you have a farmers market near you, go at the end of the session and try to score some eggs. Depending on your area you may be able to score a dozen eggs for a dollar or two; spectacular value and a great source of protein and iron. Even at full price eggs are pretty cheap.

- Chicken legs/drumsticks. Most ordinary supermarkets will sell these for a few dollars a kilo; find some on special and freeze them. If you're willing to skin them yourself they're actually a decent, low-fat source of protein. Cut the bottom tips off and use to make stock.

- Cheap cuts of roast beef - topside roast is very low in fat and, in many places, very cheap - more often than not cheaper to buy in bulk than mince/ground beef, and certainly much better for you. Cut it up and whizz in a food processor to make your own, cheap, low fat mince, or roast whole for a meal and sandwich meat for days. If you're feeling really creative, cut the meat up into thin strips removing any fat, add 2/3rd of a cup of soy sauce per kilo of meat and whatever spices you like/have around. Leave in the fridge overnight. The next day, lay the strips of meat on the wire rack in your oven (right on the trays, if you need to, that's how I do mine) then cook at 60-70 degrees C for 6-odd hours. Voila, instant, obscenely cheap beef jerky that will keep for months.

Note that while the beef is cheap - I can buy this sort of beef for around 6-7 dollars a kilo - if you're on a no money at all type budget it might be a little over budget. Large orders and knowing your butcher will help.
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« Reply #79 on: November 20, 2008, 08:42 PM »

Beans and tofu, if that's something you're into, are full of lo-cal protein and cheap.  Dairy also has lots of protein, although it's not necessarily cheap.

Also a good thing to think about for those of you who are eating a very limited diet -- it's easier than you might think to suffer a vitamin/micro-nutrient deficiency and get sick, or worse, give yourself long-term problems.  A multi-vitamin (and a calcium supp if needed) is a pretty good solution; a varied diet with as many vegetables as you can get is better. 

If you're eating, say, rice, it's pretty easy and cheap (if not terribly delicious) to mix in a half cup or so of whatever frozen bagged chopped veggie is cheap that week.  Use some salt.  If you go the multi-vitamin route, you can often find them discounted when they're close to their expiration date -- any doctors here please debunk me if I'm wrong, but I think the expiration date on things like vitamins just indicates that their potency is reduced, not that they become poison. 

A good, basic cookbook can be really helpful.  It's unbelievable how much your options expand once you have even just a basic understanding of what flavors go together, what cooking techniques are suited to what foods, etc.  Being comfortable in the kitchen will save you a surprising amount of time and money, and can become a really rewarding way to spend time. 

Finally, consider your local food bank.  I can't speak for all of them, but I've used a few in my day and all I had to do was show up and they gave me food and sometimes household supplies -- they don't make you prove you're indigent or anything.  They're also really friendly and decent people and if you really need it, get over your pride and go.  And if you don't need to go to your food bank, please donate or volunteer -- it's a charity that's almost always really good at managing your gift and making sure it's well used.
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