MSN Money offers some good tips for How to Eat When You're Really Broke — among them, getting familiar with lentils, couscous and quinoa for fast, inexpensive protein and grains and the idea that 40% of your food budget should be going to vegetables and fruit. Good advice!
One of my go-to meals for eating cheaply (and more often than not clearing out the crisper drawer) is a quick stir-fry over noodles:
- Heat a wok or large frying pan, add 2 tbsp of oil (sesame is ideal but almost any oil will do).
- Add chopped garlic and onion.
- As those are cooking, chop an add any of the following: bell peppers, celery, carrots, broccoli stalks, water chestnuts
- As those cook, chop and prep any of the following for the last moments of cooking (these veggies need less time to cook): bok choy, broccoli crowns, zucchini
- Add to taste any of: soy sauce, peanut sauce, hoi sin sauce, fish sauce.
Serve over rice or noodles — even super cheap Mr. Noodles will do. For protein you can toss in some tofu, chicken, a few shrimp, a handful of cashews, or grab the peanut butter and make a thick peanut sauce to pour over top!
What's your go-to frugal meal? Email info@frugalvictoria.com and I'll collect a few for an upcoming post.