Meal planning

Cook chicken thighs in a crock pot with butter, water, and seasonings for a versatile, cheap base for multiple meals.

It is cheap and can be used for enchiladas, rice bowls, sandwiches, or ramen.

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Cook unsoaked black beans in a pressure cooker instead of a crockpot.

It takes 40 minutes rather than 8-10 hours, making it easier to cook beans more often.

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Prepare slow cooker recipes like chili that improve with reheating and can be stretched with rice or pasta.

They stay good for a long time if stored properly, and the taste improves with each reheat.

• must be stored properly

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Cook cheap meats in a slow cooker, shred them, and use the meat for enchiladas or tacos.

Most cheap meats cook well in a crock pot.

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Make split pea soup with ham for a cheap, nutritious bulk meal.

It is cheap, easy to make in large quantities, and has lots of nutrition.

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Make your own taco seasoning using onion, garlic, paprika, and cumin instead of buying pre-made packets.

Pre-made packets are 99% salt.

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Use falafel mix for shelf-stable meals that lack bean consistency.

it is so good

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Cook beans with cumin and paprika; add salt only after they are cooked to prevent longer cooking times.

Adding salt before cooking may increase the time required for beans to cook.

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Prepare bean and cheese burritos for a cheap, nutritious lunch.

They are nutritious, keep you going, and save money.

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Use an Instant Pot to make chicken stock in one hour.

It reduces preparation time compared to stovetop methods.

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Use cooked chicken in varied dishes like sandwiches, salads, tacos, soups, and pasta to prevent boredom and stretch the purchase.

• Shredding the chicken can be time consuming.

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• Make a fancy chicken salad by mixing leftover chicken with mango chutney, sliced almonds, and mayonnaise.1

Combine black beans, diced green peppers, corn, mushrooms, and seasoning with cheese to create a filling for burritos, rolls, or eating by itself.

It is very cheap.

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Eat Hormel Compleat meals with mandarin oranges and peanuts for a no-work lunch.

req'd no work

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Divide cooked staples into small bags (1 measuring cup each) and store them in larger freezer bags for future weeks.

This allows you to thaw portions for the following week.

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Cook dry beans and rice in broth instead of water.

It provides a huge flavor boost.

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Cook pinto beans in an Instant Pot with water and Beyond Bullion, then serve on tortillas.

This method produces a fantastic result suitable for immediate eating.

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Use bullion when cooking lentils to improve the flavor.

It is described as a game changer.

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Flavor pulses, legumes, and grains just as heavily as meat products to get the most from flavor potential and avoid a bland taste.

To prevent the dish from tasting like a sock.

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Use cabbage as a low-calorie pasta substitute and top it with seasoned beans.

Cabbage acts like pasta but has none of the calories.

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Pour cornbread batter over chili in a slow cooker to bake them together.

It locks in moisture and provides a ready meal.

• Do not overfill the cooker.

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Soak uncooked lentils overnight, drain them, and rinse them several times a day until inch-long sprouts grow, tripling your yield.

Sprouting increases the volume of lentils available for salads.

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Use a modern pressure cooker to save energy and keep food moist without drying it out.

Modern pressure cookers are safe, simple, require less energy, and won't dry what you're cooking.

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Treat yourself to special meals when you have spare dollars left over on a strict budget.

It prevents boredom from eating the same food and makes dinners feel extra special.

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Soak pumpkin seeds overnight, blend with spices, and bake at 350°F for ~45 minutes to make Pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu).

it is a non-soy bean alternative that is easy to make

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Add protein and fruit to meals when possible, especially if working long shifts in hot environments.

One worker in a hot environment found this helpful alongside constant drinking and salt intake.

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Roast vegetables in multiple layers on baking trays, stirring every 20 minutes, and use fresh thyme.

Vegetables shrink during cooking, allowing for deeper layers; fresh thyme makes them taste great.

• Standard advice suggests using only a single layer.

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Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water for beans to reduce gassiness and make them soft.

removes gassiness and makes them nice and soft

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Pour chicken stock into an oversized silicone tray to freeze it into 1-cup bricks.

To have convenient portions on hand at any time.

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Wash rice before cooking to remove excess starch.

To wash off extra starch.

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Add frozen corn to beans and rice.

It makes the meal less dry and boring.

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Use furikake on rice to lift your mood.

It acts as a mood lifter despite the cost.

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• Wrap plain rice in Furikake powder or cheap seaweed to add flavor and satisfy hunger.1

Check the freshness of beans before cooking; if they are old, increase the cooking time.

Older beans need more cooking time.

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Add hot sauce or crushed tortilla chips to beans and rice.

This adds flavor and texture, or allows you to eat it like a dip.

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Make Hoppin' John with black-eyed peas, smoked ham hock, and collard greens for New Year's Eve.

It is considered good luck.

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Make chickpea salads for lunch.

It helps save money.

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Use a vintage Crock-Pot for making queso to prevent it from burning.

Newer models may cause the food to burn.

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Drink water if you feel hungry shortly after eating.

Dehydration can mimic hunger, and high-fiber foods like beans can make you thirsty.

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Add spinach to rice and bean meals to boost nutrition.

It helps power pack the nutritional punch.

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Make dal by cooking lentils with chopped onion in water until nearly dry, then adding sautéed onion, garlic, and curry powder, and serving over rice or quinoa with yogurt and avocado.

It keeps nicely, is easy, cheap, and delicious.

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Fry onions until translucent, add garlic and jalapeños for one minute, then add cooked beans.

This improves flavor.

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Include sweets or soda in your meal plans if you typically consume them when eating out.

It helps you remain realistic about your eating habits.

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Rehydrate textured vegetable protein with broth and mix it into cooked beans.

It creates a high-protein, cheap meal that tastes good.

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Save cooking liquid from meats like pork shoulder or corned beef rather than throwing it away, as it can be stored for later use.

Throwing it away seems like a waste.

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Use an Instant Pot to cook rice and beans in 35 minutes.

The sealed container prevents water evaporation, removing one variable, and saves energy and time.

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Increase seasonings and jalapeños when using actual meat to prevent the dish from tasting plain.

Actual meat can wash out flavors and make the dish taste really plain.

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Add salt to beans while cooking them, as evidence suggests this does not make them tough.

America's Test Kitchen debunked the stance that salt makes beans tough.

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Brown meat in a cast iron pan and scrape the bottom residue into the rice for dirty rice.

The scraped bits contribute to the 'dirty' flavor profile.

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Add acid to dried beans only after they are cooked.

Adding it earlier prevents them from softening properly.

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Squeeze all moisture out of shredded potatoes before cooking.

Failing to remove excess water prevents a crispy crust on hash.

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Sauté zucchini with smoked paprika and add it to queso to bulk it up.

It was delicious.

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Slow cook cheap beans with smoked ham shanks.

This combination is described as beautiful and flavorful.

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Make vegetarian curries using dal and lentils in a slow cooker for inexpensive meals.

It provides a way to prepare cheap meals.

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Use homemade stock as a base for risotto.

It improves flavor and stretches meals from discarded bones.

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Strain and save fat from cooking pork to use in subsequent batches for more authentic carnitas.

It makes the dish a more true carnitas.

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Use slow cooker liners to make cleanup easier.

They improve quality of life.

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Buy cabbage instead of lettuce for tacos and use leftovers for coleslaw or cooked dishes.

It saves money.

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Mix brown rice, lentils, and barley together in a rice cooker.

They have similar cooking times.

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Add kombu seaweed to cooking beans so they soften faster and digest better.

They'll soften faster and digest better

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Serve butter beans with pesto cold as a salad.

Serving them cold avoids the chili-like flavor profile associated with hot bean dishes.

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If your rice cooker has a timer, use it to cook steel-cut oats overnight by adding oats, water, and salt before bed.

The oats soak overnight and cook slowly, resulting in perfect oatmeal for breakfast that is more satisfying than rolled oats.

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Steam cook frozen or canned vegetables with rice in a rice cooker by adding a tiny bit more water.

It is a quick and easy way to include vegetables with no extra effort.

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Use sugar-free Jello pudding packets as a dessert option.

They are a cheap option available in various flavors.

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Add protein sources like fried eggs, bacon, cheese, cubed ham, chorizo, or other spiced meats to beans and rice.

It upgrades the experience while remaining cheap.

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Wash out the plastic container from a rotisserie chicken thoroughly to use it for starting seedlings.

The domed lids already have holes in them.

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Freeze vegetable scraps and chicken bones separately until you have enough to make a batch of stock.

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• Save vegetable scraps like carrot peels, onion skins, garlic, and celery ends in a freezer bag to add flavor to stock made from rotisserie chicken bones.2

Use a rice cooker to ensure consistent results when making rice.

The user reports getting perfect rice every time.

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Simmer a chicken carcass to make broth, freeze it in 2-cup portions, and use it as cooking liquid for rice, gravy, or soup.

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• Save the chicken fat that collects on top of cooled broth for use in cooking dishes like matzoh balls, dumplings, or roux.1

Use Greek yogurt or protein isolate to boost protein intake.

These are recommended sources of protein.

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Brown onions until caramelized and add them to rice and bean meals for inexpensive flavor.

They provide significant flavor at a low cost.

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Cook pinto beans in a crockpot using only chicken stock instead of water, ensuring they remain covered.

This method produces the best flavor for pinto beans.

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Portion out lunches into containers on Sunday to combat feeling rushed during the week.

Helps combat feeling rushed.

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Serve rotisserie chicken with stovetop side dishes to avoid turning on the oven.

It saves energy.

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Use pineapple bits instead of chunks in slow cooker meals for better homogenization of flavor.

Chunks were not as homogenized as desired.

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Try Indian recipes for economical bean dishes.

Indian cuisine is noted for creating tasty food despite poverty constraints.

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Prepare Mujadara using rice, lentils, and caramelized onions.

it is delicious

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Try making curried lentil burgers using an online recipe.

They were surprisingly delicious.

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Debone and freeze leftover rotisserie chicken meat to use later for taqitos.

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Buy frozen dark meat chicken instead of breasts for cheaper, tastier results due to higher fat content.

It is cheaper and probably tastes better as it is less lean.

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Stop buying frozen pizza; make your own dough and use fresh vegetable toppings instead.

Frozen pizza is pricey compared to making it yourself, which is simple and cheap.

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Buy rotisserie chickens to take advantage of their low price as a loss leader.

Stores sell them cheaply to encourage customers to buy other items in-store.

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• Exercise strict discipline when buying a rotisserie chicken at Costco to avoid purchasing high-markup impulse items.1
• Be mindful of impulse buying other items when visiting stores specifically to purchase discounted rotisserie chickens, which are used as loss leaders.1

Add vegetables to meat-and-rice meals to obtain needed nutrients at a lower cost than meat.

Vegetables are cheaper than meats and provide necessary nutrients.

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Avoid refrigerated rotisserie chickens from Walmart if they feel mushy.

One person reported theirs was mushy, suggesting it had been overcooked by sitting too long under heated lamps.

• Based on one personal experience with a specific store's product.

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Buy Kraft Singles in bulk when on special to save money, especially if they are a limited food option for a picky eater.

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Buy seasoning from Dollar Tree.

The larger containers offer decent quality at low cost.

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Shop at local Hispanic markets instead of large chains like Target or Walmart for groceries.

Local Hispanic markets typically offer more food variety and lower prices.

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Shop at Sam's Club after 5 PM to increase chances of finding a rotisserie chicken, as there are fewer shoppers despite lines forming for fresh batches.

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Buy regular carrots in bulk instead of baby carrots, and consider large bags of frozen vegetables.

Regular carrots are cheaper than baby carrots (which are just whittled down regular ones), and frozen vegetables can be very inexpensive.

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Use the regular program on your bread machine for consistent baking results.

The regular program bakes the bread perfectly fine.

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Store avocados in the fridge; ignore if they feel mushy on the outside as they will likely be fine inside.

They keep practically forever this way.

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Wrap egg burritos in parchment paper before wrapping them in foil to prevent sticking and allow microwaving directly in the paper.

The parchment prevents sticking to the foil, allows microwaving in the paper, and keeps the bread soft.

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Lower the oven temperature below package instructions when cooking frozen food.

Standard instructions often overcook food to get an 'extra crispy' texture; lowering the heat keeps it soft enough to cut with a fork.

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Toss rotini pasta in olive oil and sautéed garlic, then mix in arugula, feta, and lemon zest.

It's delish.

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Add lemon juice and black pepper to beans and rice.

It elevates the flavor.

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Add cumin powder and acid (lemon juice, lime, or vinegar) to hummus for better flavor.

Cumin powder and acid go really well together in hummus.

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