Poor Man's Diet

[AoE]

Figured I would hit up the BG Consultant Agency for advice.

I just recently started going back to college and because of that, how much I bring in a week took a drastic cut (working part time someplace so wasn't making a whole lot to begin with.) I live with my brother during the week and he pretty much lives paycheck to paycheck and I don't make enough to contribute as a full time student as much as I'd like to. I've been getting a lot of assignments lately so as much as I want to pick up another job, at the same time I dont want my grades to suffer since I'm coming back to school after three years on academic probation.

Anyway wanted to ask anyone what's usually good to buy that won't cost me too much that'll last me the week when I'm away from home? I'd prefer it to be something healthy since I don't really wanna gain weight as a result of bad eating habits away from home.

Basically looking for ideas besides Ramen Noodles. ;p

[killerx]

beans and ham
potatoes and ham

[Maguspk]

Figured I would hit up the BG Consultant Agency for advice.

I just recently started going back to college and because of that, how much I bring in a week took a drastic cut (working part time someplace so wasn't making a whole lot to begin with.) I live with my brother during the week and he pretty much lives paycheck to paycheck and I don't make enough to contribute as a full time student as much as I'd like to. I've been getting a lot of assignments lately so as much as I want to pick up another job, at the same time I dont want my grades to suffer since I'm coming back to school after three years on academic probation.

Anyway wanted to ask anyone what's usually good to buy that won't cost me too much that'll last me the week when I'm away from home? I'd prefer it to be something healthy since I don't really wanna gain weight as a result of bad eating habits away from home.

Basically looking for ideas besides Ramen Noodles. ;p

Baked Pasta is really easy, I make it a lot like once every few weeks or so and the pan usually lasts about a week or more if you eat it once a day or less. It's really tasty and really cheap.

1 lb. Penne/Shells/Ziti (whatever you want)
1 lb. Any Meat you want (I have tried Beef and Crab/Shrimp, both tasted great. Be sure to put the beef into a bowl and season it with a little ginger and stuff so it tastes good)
1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (I use the Sockarooni flavor of Newman's Own pasta sauces and all the profits go to charity so it's a plus :D)
1 lb. Ricotta
1 lb. Mozzarella
A little Parmasean/Asiago/Garlic/Italian Herbs/Salt/Sugar and Pepper. I am just really good at throwing shit into my food and it coming out amazing for some reason, everytime I make it for friends they say how good it is so just fool around and find a balance you think tastes good, it's hard to go wrong unless you put literally too much in.

Cook the pasta and then drain. In another bowl mix the cheeses and all the seasonings I mentioned above. Then mix the pasta with the sauce in the pan and then add the cheese mixture but don't stir it too much if you want nice chunks of cheese. Get it as even as you can in the baking pan then add some sauce on top and sprinkle on some mozzarella that's left over and some seasonings if you want. Put it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for like 40-50 minutes or until it looks crispy around the edges (it'll look good once it's done).


Another thing that's really cheap are Potstickers. I just started making these and they are a big hit too. Take some pork, mince it (I use a food processor thing I bought) and season it with ginger, salt, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil (A LITTLE) then throw in some green onions. Now you just scoop about a tablespoon into a wonton wrapper (you can get these in the produce section of your grocery store, at least that's where I found mine, go with the square variety). Fold it however you want by dipping your finger into some warm water and running it along the edges and folding over onto it so that the water acts as an adhesive. Make sure you get all the air out. Now you can freeze them in your freezer by putting them on a baking sheet and put them into a freezer bag. The great thing about these is you can store them for like half a year in your freezer haha, and cooking them takes minutes (literally). So you can make about 100 one night and have them ready whenver. To cook them just throw them into a pan on high heat (if it's not a non-stick pan brush the pan with vegetable oil) and then don't fuck with them for like 2-3 minutes while they brown on the bottom. Then add about a half cup - cup of water (eyeball it) and cover it. Wait about 7-8 minutes and uncover, they should look done. [Oh ya, about a pound of meat will cover about 50 wrappers from experience]

God I sound like a loser for knowing how to cook. But fuck it I just like making my own food how I like it and I haven't met a girl yet who's complained about me being able to cook, they like it so whatever.

[ZarakiKujata]

Bulk sacks of rice, canned foods particularly beans make a nutritious and relatively cheap meal. With canned stuff you can get creative with w/e is on sale that week. My grandma is particularly fond of bargain hunting @ the grocery store and she makes friends with the butcher for cheaper cuts of w/e they have left over, I know stop n shop (pretty sure youll have those in new york) has a discount produce shelf that has some good deals to be had at as well.

[Jefe]

Cook your meals and it's less expensive in the long run. Buy your groceries from Sam's or some other clubs w/ discounts, and don't be afraid to use coupons.

There are a ton of things you can prepare... Rice w/ veggies, or chicken w/ rice, beans too because are loaded w/ proteins and are cheap. But yeah, stay away from those cheapo cup noodles, that shit doesn't have any nutritional value.

[Metah]

But yeah, stay away from those cheapo cup noodles, that shit doesn't have any nutritional value.

It may not have any nutritional value, but its good FOR YOUR SOUL

At any rate, I like to buy those sunrype fruit and veggie bars. 2-3 fruits worth in a single bar, taste pretty good, about a dollar each at my local supermarket.

If you're looking to save on pop or whatever, if there is a 7-Eleven near you, you can do refills for drastically cheaper (partially because pop is dirt cheap to make).

Like, its 2.95 as a final cost to purchase a 2L of pop where I live (at the 7-Eleven I work at), but to refill a 1.8L plastic cup, its only 1.35. There's tons of people who do that where I work, and you can just pour it out from the main cup to smaller ones at home if you want. I don't know if you drink a lot of pop or have a store like that near you, but if you do it might be worth looking into.

In terms of money saving, also go and buy bulk if you can, or use a supermarket. Convienience stores tend to increase the prices of some food items (candy bars, juices, some other foods, not all foods though). Also try to purchase according to good deals (Buy 1 get 1 free, etc). I don't know how tap water quality is in your city, but it might be a good idea to drink more tap water (buy a purifier if you need to). If you have time to prepare lunches, do so, its more cost efficient.

I dunno if you have them where you live (too lazy to check), but if you have an Edo Japan you get quite a bit of food for your money if you don't have time to prepare food/are on the go. The cheapest meal is like 6.50 but I get that everyday at my university and it fills me up to basically stuffed, and its not necessarily bad food for you since its just stir fried. It also tastes super good. This is basically all the advice I can think of right now, hopefully something was helpful.

[Awoir]

But yeah, stay away from those cheapo cup noodles, that shit doesn't have any nutritional value.

Stop lying to the man!





That shit has like 300% of your daily Sodium intake.

[Elesirdur]

Pork is dirt cheap, and a good source of lean protein. Root vegetables will be abundant and cheap during the fall and winter so you can capitalize on their price, ability to keep, and good nutrition. You can really extend foods like soups and stews by adding beans or barley to them; essentially one-dish meals. If you really do want to save money or eat on the cheap get ready to reduce your meat intake. However, making up the difference with lots of vegetables is good anyway. Eggs are great too. They are very cheap and fritata is about the easiest thing to make in the world; tasty and a great refrigerator magnet (i.e. throw in whatever leftovers you've got). If you're going to have a proper oven, baking casseroles is a great way to stretch your food budget too. Tinned soups are great for binders, but try and get low-sodium soups if you do this since stuff like cream of mushroom can contain an ungodly amount of salt.

If you're looking to lose some weight, eating on the super-cheap is a good way to go lol.

[Seraphise]

Get a job at jamba juice

Free fruit shakes all day

[Senoska]

Ramen and Poptarts are the majority of my diet. Not even joking, maybe I'll take a picture.. hmm.. I bought huge boxes of Ramen and put some chicken and stuff in it. I live cheaply at least...

[Blarg]

Get a nice big rock and let it grow mold and then lick the mold. I saw it on some documentary so its legit.

[miokomioko]

Don't waste your money on "all-natural" shit because you could probably use all the preservatives you can get if you want to make food last.

There's a lot of cheap/tasty things to easily cook one's self but it's usually tied to nostalgia so it will usually be pretty subjective, as tastes tend to be.

A few white-trash recipes...

Megadogs:
1) split a raw hotdog long-ways in half (like a banana split)
2) place 2 scoops of mashed potatoes on it
3) top with 1~2 kraft singles
4) lightly bake until everything is melty and toasty.
5) NOM

Squashed-up Bread & Egg
1) put equal parts slices of bread and eggs (i.e. 2 slices, 2 eggs)
2) squash the fuck out of them with your hands into a lumpy paste
3) pour into a pan and cook like a pancake on medium/low heat
4) flip and cook until toasty and solid
5) put on a plate and spread a little bit of butter perhaps
6) NOM

Chili & Philly (lolunhealthy but lasts a while)
1) 1 can Dennison's chili con carne (NO BEANS for perfect ratio)
2) 1 block of philidelphia cream cheese
3) put in a pot on medium/high heat and stir consistantly
4) stir/cook until cream cheese is evenly dispersed
5) dip tortilla chips in it
6) NOM


Again, some might see these as disgusting, as I would probably myself (I can't stand cream cheese but that dip is the fuckin noms, trust me).

[Mojo]

Get a box of macaroni & cheese and a can of vegetarian chili(I'm not a fan of canned meat) and mix them together, add a fruit or vegetable of some kind on the side. It's super cheap(one box and can will feed 2-3 people), tastes pretty damn good, and provides decent nutritional value. Canned chili can be high in sodium, so I wouldn't recommend having it more than twice a week. If you're really concerned about it, you can read the label and shop accordingly(or even make your own).

Also, as silly as it sounds, think of stuff your parents made you when you were younger. Tuna fish sandwiches, potato salad, etc. If you have one of those giant 24 hour walmarts, they have a deli section where they make some of that stuff(potato salad) for super cheap, so it's something you might want to consider.

[AoE]

Noted all the suggestions and probably gonna take down some notes since a lot of this stuff seems tasty or I know how make. Luckily I work in a grocery store (produce section) so I can pretty much make my own discount. I can cook, my problem is deciding what to cook I guess. I'm actually really slim so I don't really need to lose any weight but then again I've never really had a consistent diet of anything. Not a picky eater either so don't mind giving up something for something else.

[Mr. Flippy]

hmm one of my favourite cheap meals consists of ground hamburger meat and two cans of this mexican suace called el pato and cabbage cooked together then put on a tortilla with some sour cream. it is so fukken good man. and easy to make. but then again you cant go wrong with some good ol chef boyardee.

[_chuchu]

Basically take advantage of economies of scale.

Chef boyardee is more expensive nowadays, but supermarkets sell a cheaper alternative. Sam's club (like someone else mentioned above) is a good way to go. You can feed 18 people breakfast, lunch, and dinner for roughly 20-25 bucks/week per person (400 bucks max), all from Sam's club.

You could also look into scholarship housing.

[Taera]

I made a thread similar to this about a month or 2 ago. It was about moving out on your own and trying to save cash, but there were some pretty good recipies and stuff posted in it. Wouldnt hurt to check it out!

http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60661

[Dayson]

I find that my godsend for saving when it comes to cooking is this baby here:

http://www.annaslinens.com/shop/stan...-crock-pot.jpg

The crock pot is a good way to prepare cheap food, and usually I'm left with quite a bit of leftovers.

A good dinner I make sometimes is Tater-tot casserole. Its easy to prepare. Just get a 16oz bag of frozen tater-tots, 2 cans of green beans, 1lb of ground beef, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and have at least 1/4 cup of milk.

layer the bottom of the crock pot with the tater-tots, then add in the browned and drained meat, along with all the other items. Cover and then cook on high for 4 hours. You can add shredded cheese to taste if you want afterward. This meal usually holds me for several days with leftovers.

Its not the cheapest method of cooking when you have options like ramen and such. But it is a nice change of taste.

The best part about crock pot meals to me is the fact that you can throw all the ingredients together, go to class, and come home to a dinner ready to eat.

[Aerin]

You guys should get a Costco membership, that's what helps me out the most I think. Lots and lots of pasta and Jimmy Dean sausage. Usually get a box of 90 granola bars for snacks.

[rezn0r]

get depressed and drink booze, if anyone tries to cheer you up blow up at them