Limited Food Budget + Food Issue = Help?

@Lerxst ooh thank you. I normally eat them raw, but garlic is always a plus.

@budgie oh! I didn't realize the greek yogurt was just a thickening thing. I can get the almond milk for cheaper than normal milk, but the greek yogurt is always so pricey and I fret about it going off on me. Thank you!

 

For the record, I also have cooked pasta using this method (just leave it in the bowl until soft before draining, maybe reheat it a little if it gets too cool) and it works wonders. Does require more water, obviously, but it does the job.

 

You can turn regular yogurt into Greek yogurt!

Proper way: Strain the yogurt by putting a pile of it in cheesecloth suspended over a bowl for an hour or two. Feed the liquid to the cats and keep the now much thicker yogurt.

Cheater way: Stir a few spoonfuls of powdered milk into the yogurt. That's how they actually make most commercial Greek yogurt.

 

Oh, and I think you mentioned kale is a no-go, but is that just a texture thing? Because kale chips are super easy and have a nice light but satisfying crunch. Just get a bunch of kale and on a good spoon day, rip the leaves off the stems, wash them, shake them off, spread them out on a cookie sheet, spritz them with cooking spray (I get an olive oil spray at the supermarket that's fairly cheap), and sprinkle on some seasoning (a packet of Ranch dressing mix works well, so do popcorn seasonings). Toss them around a little and spray/season more as you like. Put them in a low oven and come move them around a little every ...20 minutes or so. I use a toaster oven to do mine, so your mileage may vary. When they rustle like dry leaves (which I guess is what they are at this point, aheh) take them out, let them cool, and put them in a baggie.

Just be advised that eating these delicious clumps of green leafy matter out of a baggie in public is going to get you some funny looks...

 

Is oatmeal on the good list or the bad list?

 

@rigorist thank you for the tip on the yogurt! Oatmeal is hit or miss, but it might be I'm just not making it right. I do eat cream of wheat (when I remember to by it. I need to put that cute hello kitty shopping list thing I bought to use)

@Lerxst kale is a I don't know thing? I'm hesitant to buy any in case I don't like it.

 

I'm weird and like it kinda under cooked at the 'cooked but soupy' stage, but I like it in its more solid? form too. I actually really love the texture of it in all it's forms, whereas oatmeal if not just right put me off eating for hours.

 

I used to love under cooked cream of wheat. I had a whole formula in college for getting it just right. I know some people suggested peanut butter but I want to add that if you can eat it on whole wheat bread, which makes it a complete protein.

 

Try overnight oats. Little known fact--the oatmeal you can buy is already cooked, you're just rehydrating it. That's why this works.

Anyway, it's super easy and the recipe is all proportions

1 part rolled oats (get the cheap kind in a cylinder)
1 part milk (I use 2%, but you can use whatever you like, including things like soy milk)
1 part yogurt (greek is preferred but not necessary)
1 part flavoring. This can be anything sweet. I like fruit cocktail (the cheap kind with the cherries) or raspberry jam. But go with what you like.

You can add extra stuff or try flavored yogurt. It works fine with cheap store brand yogurt, too. No need to get fancy. Remember--we're eating cheap!

Mix it all up. Put it in the refrigerator overnight divided into individual servings of about two cups each. You can make three or four servings at a time--it gets better if it ages for about two days in the 'fridge.

The rolled oats will slowly rehydrate and absorb a lot of the liquid milk.

 

Frozen vegetables are a great option. Many fresh vegetables are picked a few days before full ripeness because they have to travel, and then lose nutrients while travelling, while frozen vegetables can be frozen very close to the fields, so that's not an issue. So frozen vegetables can have more nutrients than fresh vegetables. And they're cheap and generally come peeled, chopped, etc, so it's just a matter of adding them late in the cooking stages.

As you like potatoes, one low-energy meal is tray bake made from frozen roasted potatoes with frozen mixed Mediterranean vegetables, and sausages. Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, chop the sausages into bite-sized chunks, put into a roasting dish with roast potatoes and other vegetables, drizzle over a bit of oil or butter, mix together and then put in the oven for 20-40 minutes until potatoes and sausages are cooked. If you're feeling a bit more energetic you can add some dried rosemary or other herbs.

Another, bit more involved cooking, is frittata. Cut potatoes into small chunks and microwave to cook. Beat a couple of eggs together with a couple of tablespoons of milk. Add in any other left-over vegetables, or frozen vegetables, and some parsley (fresh or dried). Mix in the cooked potatoes, pour into a frypan, gently heat the bottom and then either turn over (messy) or put under the grill to cook from the top. It's basically a thick omelette.

Also, how do you feel about dried peas, lentils, and tofu?

 

ooh, re: frittatas--

You can do these in muffin pans too. On a good spoon day you can make a pan or two of them and freeze them, and now you have pre-portioned nukeable frittatas.

 

Slightly more spoon cost, but if you're going to buy fresh produce, you can often chuck the ends in water and have more grow. My mom does this with cooking herbs pretty much any time she buys some and then you can use one purchase a whole bunch of times.

 

Peanut butter and eggs are both good ways of getting a lot of bang for your buck, as far as protein and some other nutrients go. A spoon or 2 of peanutbutter (or an egg) + some vegetables + a not-totally-trashy starch to fill you up = an okay meal.

Also this is just a shot in the dark, but if cream of wheat is okay with you sensory-wise, then you might be okay with refried beans?

 

A lot of things can be stretched out with rice (or noodles); perfect for budget eating.

 

The smell usally gets me there. I don't know even know why my brain as a thing against beans. Like firm green beans (and well steamed soy beans) are all I can do -- don't ask why those get around my color issues. My brain is the dumbest about food.

One of my friend pointed out that when I get soup it tends to be my mom giving me cans that have sat in her pantry for uh quite a while and that might be the issue and reminded me to check expatriation dates in the future. I'm going to snag some chowder when my snaps renews on the 5th - I will look into soups that go good with rice and stuff too! Thank you.

Yeah, I need to utilize my rice cooker more, especially since it has a littler steamer basket so you can cook stuff while cooking the rice.

You all are awesome! Thank you.