When I was at my most broke I only bought three things for a whole week, dog food (for the dog, you have to draw the line somewhere), bread and peanut butter. I am glad I am not in that situation any more, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. These days a "poor" week means potatoes prepared a lot of different ways.
Another of my favorite 'broke foods' is tostadas with refried beans, shredded cheese, and salsa verde. If I have lettuce and tomatoes on hand, I add those, but if not, I just use the salsa, or if I don't have salsa, I always have a can of Rotel or other mixed diced tomatoes and green chilies. Sometimes I'll add sour cream and/or avocado, but it just depends on what I have here at the house. They're very economical, and taste delicious!
Good one, Diane, I was just about to bring up Mexican foods. I don't know why I didn't think of this one sooner, but bean burritos. This one is especially cheap, if you're already making a pot of beans, which many people do for "broke food." So, you mash up some leftover beans, spread them on a flour tortilla, roll it up, and bam! Bean burrito. If you happen to have some salsa or cheese or other stuff to add then that works too. If you're using ready to eat refried beans, watch for sales. They can be found for 59-69 cents per can. Tortillas always work when you're broke. They're cheap and easy to use, satisfying, and you can do a lot with them.
@Diane Lane We do the tuna mac and cheese also! I have done a spin on it also when I had to fix something in a pinch out of what I had and used white rice, melted cheese, tuna and peas. It was surprisingly delicious! Another one I just thought of is breakfast-bowls-for-dinner. I will fry up some small cut or diced potatoes like O'brien or hash browns then scramble in eggs. Mix two packets of cheap instant grits in and it's a filling dinner that goes a long way. We usually add some tobasco sauce or ketchup to our own bowls to taste.
Mmm, that sounds delicious. I love breakfast for dinner! I usually have cooked rice on hand for myself and the cat food, plus I do a lot of fried rice dishes (another cheap meal), so I might have to try making your rice with cheese, tuna and peas, that sounds pretty tasty, as well .
Another of my favorite 'broke foods' is grilled cheese sandwiches. They're pretty inexpensive, and I like to include other things so I don't get bored, which is hard anyway, because I love grilled cheese. Sometimes I'll add sliced tomatoes in, bacon if I have it, a few avocado slices if I have one on hand, and often, I will pair it up with tomato soup or cream of tomato soup.
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese! YUM! We've even done tuna and cheese grilled before and it was surprisingly really good with tomato soup! We do tomato sandwiches, BLT's and cucumber tomato salad at least a few times a week every summer in our home. My dad always has an abundance of tomato plants each year and keeps us supplied with more than we can eat! It's our summer broke food!
My favorite broke food would be 'adobo'. You just need chicken, soy sauce, vinegar and pepper, that is it! Did I mention it tastes delicious? Yum! I think a lot of Filipino dishes are broke foods because most of us here are in the middle class!
Avocadoes! Hahaha I wish. Rice. With sauce. Or with lentils. Whatever. And whatever veggie is discounted.
My Dad always had a garden out back, as well as a very large one at work, that he started and maintained, where everyone there shared in the bounty. We also had lots of free veggies in the Summer, and it was so nice. I sure do miss that. I usually plant a tomato plant and a pepper plant. I planted lettuce last year, but my cats ate it all . Mmm, I have been craving cucumber tomato salad, and have some on hand, so will have one later, for lunch, yummy, glad you reminded me! @hellavu Are avocados expensive where you are? I usually buy a couple a month, they're around $.59 or $.69 each where I shop.
Oh my! Here I got some lately for 0,69€ on discount, and they're pretty small, but I felt so lucky! Though to be fair, my mom used to only buy them in the summer when they were 2 for 1$. I'm just either not that patient or that lucky! But I could eat them every day. In fact, I had two just today to celebrate finding them on discount!
If you happen to live near a restaurant supply store, particularly ones that are open to the general public such as Gordon Food Service, they actually sell large bags of already peeled, pitted, and halved avocados in the freezer section. I've been meaning to try them, since I hate spending an arm and a leg on fresh ones only to find out they're either not ripe when I cut them open, or they're all brown and rotten when I do. I don't know what they do to preserve them frozen, but they were all bright green and fresh looking. And the whole bag was like $8 or so, for a rather large bag. I almost forgot how inexpensive home made pancakes and waffles are as well. Those are a nice change of pace for breakfast if you don't normally eat them. And you can make a large batch of them in advance and freeze them to have them on hand if you are in a hurry in the mornings. Polenta is another great cheap meal, and it''s also a great way to stretch out some ground meat, if you're making a meat sauce to go over it. Just prepare a big plate of it while it's still soft, then top it with a beef or sausage ragu and plenty of Parmesan cheese. If you're vegetarian, perhaps do a mushroom ragu instead. Cabbage and potatoes is also a great base to any meal, plus both are inexpensive and can fill you up quickly.
Yep, this is another great option, and not just for breakfast. I have served pancakes for lunch or supper as well, at times. I usually forgo the syrup if it's for supper, but a nice bit of fruit on top will work, even canned fruit. I buy "lite" syrup anyway if I catch it on sale, so it whatev. I love freezing pancakes for later, since I always seem to make too many. Everybody wants lots until they remember how filling they are, lol. Now, I'll have to give it a go with waffles. My mother just sent me a waffle maker.
As a current college student, I can honestly say that I know the struggle of trying to eat as cheaply as possible. However, I often find myself in a constant tug of war between eating something that is healthy and eating something that won't break the bank. However, I've adapted to the lack of cash flow and now have a few easy recipes that aren't overly unhealthy and are affordable. At Costco, they sell large 50 pound bags of whole grain pasta noodles for $5 to $10. Pasta noodles take a long time to decay, making it the perfect prep buy for the frugal cook. Then, I make a simple three cheese sauce by melting cup sized amounts of mozzarella, cheddar, and pepper jack (not all three cheese are necessary). After boiling some pasta, I pour the melted sauce into the dish for instant cheap deliciousness. I'm also always making fried rice (put whatever vegetables or meat available in) because you can reuse white rice to make it and most of all, it's super easy.
