Eating Well on a Budget

The cooking laws by which I abide to stretch my paycheck without sacrificing flavor, quality, or my health.

1. Meat is a seasoning, and the best one is value bacon. As a meat lover, I was shocked to find out how much I could truly love this approach to saving a little extra. Generally, I have half of a usual serving of meat or less in each meal I serve, but the whole thing always tastes like meat because I deliberately cook the rest of the meal in the fats left behind by the meat once it's cooked. Often, I buy cuts of meat at the grocery store and include about a third of a serving of meat per dish, plus one strip of value bacon (e.g. If I'm making stir fry for three, I use one and a half chicken breasts and three strips of bacon). The key of value bacon is that it's got a lot more fat and a single strip yields enough grease to cook a double serving of frozen vegetables, which leads me to my next point.
2. The magic food group ratio: 1-2-1: meat-veggies-carbs. I find that this balance helps me save on the more expensive meat, stay full on the extra calories from the reasonable serving of carbs, and get all the nutrients I need from the extra serving of veggies. (e.g. If I'm making hash for two, I'll roast one large or two medium potatoes with one onion, cook half of a large chicken breast and two or three strips of bacon, and three or four full cups of mixed frozen veggies.) When money is especially tight, I up the of carbs to make the dish last longer.
3. Go-to ingredients. In case you haven't noticed, I think frozen vegetables are a lifesaver. They're cheaper because they last longer, and they've come a long way since your mom told you never to try to cook with them back in the 90s. Additionally, I always have potatoes, onions, garlic, rice, eggs, and dried beans in the house. These are the best basics to add proteins and greens to, and they can go in a lot of directions. Soups, stews, stir frys, hashes, roasting... you get the idea.
4. Soup. Here's my fill-in-the-blank recipe: Put carbs (I usually use potatoes or soaked-overnight dried beans) in a separate pot to boil. Heat big pot, cook seasoned meat in oil, remove. Add vegetables to leftover meat fats and sauté. Add starch, meat, veggies, and stock. Heavy cream is a great stock additive, but it's usually best not to go nuts.
5. Flour can be snuck into any dish to make it stick to your ribs and go farther. Put it in the sauce, coat your meat in eggs and flour, toss your veggies in seasonings and flour before you throw them in a hot pan with a touch of oil... there are a lot of ways.
6. Get to know the fundamentals of your recipes. I had the privilege of being roommates with someone who has put a lot of work into learning the basics of food. I was lucky to learn a little from that roommate, but soon I was researching. Watch some youtube videos and try stuff like learning to fry your eggs perfectly. I've been working hard to learn and practice, and it has improved my quality of life so much to be able to turn trash into treasure.
7. Put fried eggs on everything. Everywhere. All the time. Or poached eggs. You can even put a raw egg over a hot bowl of rice and make an amazing savory porridge (sounds revolting, but it's actually a japanese breakfast to which a friend of mine introduced me). A little sriracha or cajun seasoning or soy sauce and garlic powder and BAM. Heaven on earth. You can even top it with thinly sliced pickled veggies, if you're a weirdo like me.
8. Save all bones and veggie scraps (onion and garlic skins; carrot, onion, celery, etc ends; potato skins; almost any parts of any fresh vegetables you’d usually throw away) in the freezer to make stock. Toss bones in a pot and heat to a boil, then reduce to the lowest possible simmer overnight. Vegetables only need about 45 minutes. This is a great way to get extra nutrients when your budget is unusually tight and you end up needing to live on rice. Rice cooked in homemade stock is surprisingly hearty and nourishing.
9. Cook for your friends. There is something profound about being able to give out of next to nothing. There is something amazing and rewarding about mustering a $15 pot of soup for 20 people. Food brings people together, even if it isn't fancy, and it's always allowable to encourage your friends to bring cheap wine or a loaf of bread along with them.

Hope this can help someone. If you have any questions or want any actual recipes, lmk