Monthly Food Expenses

[mdoverl]

Have you considered an electric 12v kettle? You could cook with that inside your car even while stealth camping in the city

I have access to hot water from coffee machines at work and at truck stops/gas stations.

 

[mdoverl]

scallions in noodles with an egg....whole different ball game

I don't think I have had scallions, don't even know they look like.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I have been using angel hair pasta. It's thinner and.cooks more quickly. I can also get shorty boxes of the stuff so it fits nicely in the pan.

Ramen is cooked, formed im to a brick dried and then deep fried. It's yummy but it's so bad for you. Take a look in asian markets for other pasta options like birds nests, rice noodles, selafane noodles all cook quickly.

Pasta, macaroni, bow ties, etc all cook well in those little pressure cookers. Bring to pressue and remove from heat and let sit to reduce pressure.


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[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Can't find anything listing how many watts, amps, or volts it uses, or am I stupid and not realizing it can be used on a stove?

No not stupid at all! This model is almost unknown in the US and pressure cookers here have a bad rep so most folks have never used one let alone one like these. They are ubiquitous in India and SE Asia.

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[mdoverl]

Try to do most shopping at Aldi's otherwise use a lot of promotions, coupons.

Aldi's is a great idea actually, I forgot how cheap their food is. Thanks

 

[GRACIAJ]

No not stupid at all! This model is almost unknown in the US and pressure cookers here have a bad rep so most folks have never used one let alone one like these. They are ubiquitous in India and SE Asia.

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pressure cookers require heat...from stove or whatever source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_cooking?wprov=sfla1

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

pressure cookers require heat...from stove or whatever source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_cooking?wprov=sfla1

Another bonus is that they can be used to steralize utensils if you ever need to do some home sugery ... not I would ever do such a thing ...

Prethreaded sutures, scalple, forceps, tweezers all just go in raised above the water with the included spaces or even a small steel tray. Bring to pressure and keep on high for 10 minutes then allow to cool to relieve the presaure.

But don't do that. It would be irresponsible. [emoji14]

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[bigsallysmom]

You might consider a small pressure cooker. I can cook dry beans from scratch in 10 minutes.

So far I am in love with mine. I got the 2 liter model but there is an even smaller 1.5L model.

https://www.amazon.com/HAWKIN-Class...70866&sr=1-2&keywords=hawkins+pressure+cooker

Looks like people either hate it or love it.  for the folks who hate it, I'm wondering if they overfill them.  Food can boil up into the safety valve.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Not to derail thread, but another good use for a pressure cooker is a heater. Sounds counterintuitive, but works well.

I was in Washington state a few year ago and between rain and humidity, moisture was literally dripping from the ceiling of our Aliner. So I used a pressure cooker half full of water (a large thermal mass) heated it below the level that any steam would escape. We left it running 3 days in a row (when not sleeping) and the trailer was dry as a bone.

Also nice thing about pressure cooker is that once food is cooked, as long as if it is not opened, the food doesn't need refrigeration for hours and hours, although I've never gone more than overnight. If you open the cooker up to get food out, when done, put enough water in to get a good boil, bring it up to full pressure for a few minutes and then, once again, no refrigeration is needed for many hours. What has happened is that you've effectively "canned" the food with the temperature and pressure. It's a good work-around with no refrigeration. I used that on a boat with a useless icebox way back when.
Ted

 

[mdoverl]

Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread for this, but it still seems to fit the conversation. I sat down and made of list of peoples suggestions that would fit preparing food in the city without anything other than hot water. I will be looking into getting a propane stove burner and a pressure cooker in the future and expanded upon my cooking. My goal right now is to completely eliminate fast food.

Below I have food items listed, with a side note by them, some with questions.

Food Options
·         Aldi’s
·         Walmart
o   Oatmeal\raisins\brown sugar or cinnamon (With hot water from coffee machine, this should be super easy to cook up)
o   Spaghetti with a can of spaghetti sauce (With hot water from coffee machine, this should be super easy to cook up)
o   Fruits
§  Banana (I can buy a small amount of bananas and other fruits for short term storage in Prius)
§  Oranges (Extremely healthy)
§  Strawberries (Extremely healthy)
o   Vegetables (any vegetables that don’t need cooked, is canned vegetables an OK substitute?)
o   Subway (no coupons on subway app, maybe look into other ways of quickly researching coupons without having to get local paper? Or is a local paper a must? Where to find paper if you don’t have a stick and bricks residents?)
o   Rotisserie chicken (storage issue, I would have to eat it in one sitting! Could cut and mix with simple foods such as Ramen, pre-cook a couple days meals and toss in chicken, no fridge, so would this be a health risk?)
o   Ramen (So easy, need to replace)
o   Bread with Peanut Butter and Jelly (just worried about bread getting moldy if I don’t’ eat it quick enough)
o   Cooked Rice Takeout (Two cheapest restaurants in town below)
§  Hibachi Grill Buffett ($5 large takeout box, fill with food from buffet, or rice, what is official size of box? Large Styrofoam Takeout Box Size 9x9x3 inches, Surface area 21 cubic inches equal 0.363636 quartz, doesn’t sound right? (1 cup of rice would not come close to filling up a large takeout box) 1 quart equals 57.75 cubic inches) anyone good with math or formulas? Trying to compare size of takeout box to 1 quart. (515) 267-8383 (verify price, could be higher)
§  China Jade http://get2chinajade.weebly.com/menu.html (Fried Rice Pint $2.17 or Quart $3.30) (Steamed Rice Pint $1.98 or Quart $2.97)
o   Cottage cheese (small servings)
o   Noodles from Asian market (to replace ramen, price difference?)

 

[John61CT]

deleted

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Ramen is one of my go to back packing meals. I'll throw some dried fruit/veggies in with it and it makes a great meal. Instant oatmeal and dried blueberries for the mornings.

 

[highdesertranger]

my 2 cents,
I don't know what part of the country you are in but where I am at out west it's very common for people to cook outside. 95% of all parks have BBQ's and allow outside cooking. not only that but at almost any construction site you will find workers cooking outside with a stove. same for agriculture workers. at sporting events from High School to the Pro's people cook outside in the parking lots. what I am getting at that it is not uncommon for people to cook outside even in the cities. if I was you I would loose my fear about cooking outside. highdesertranger

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Get a wide mouth thermas put in 2-3 raw eggs and cover with hot water. Does not need to be boiling just hot enough to transfer heat to the eggs to get tjem to 150 degrees. Hard boiled eggs should never actually be allowed to boil.

Eggs, even grocery store eggs do not NEED refridgeration. Buy the freshest eggs you can find (ckeck the experi dates) and keep them out of direct sun. Should last 1-2 weeks. You will KNOW when they are bad. If all concerned cook them hard with no runny yoke left at all.

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[abnorm]

I want to thank Ya'll for this thread and the various suggestions.........I knew I was spending too much....Just LAZY going to the closest grocery store and back home........Altho I still can't imagine eating as lean as some of you do...but you inspired me

I checked some online ads for discount stores I seldom visit.........and pulled the newspaper ad from the trash bin.........and looked hard at how I operate

I started at the cable tv outlet this morning............I Returned the cable tv box and just kept my cable internet............That's a $100 a month back in my pocket.....I've had an over-the-air antenna sitting here for emergencies...........I guess I'll just watch some old cowboy movies and such.......I also put an old radio next to my chair

I hit the good ole produce market..........got a couple bargains and some good food..........but the apples were still the same grocery price and I eat a couple a day.........

I rolled over to a Gordon's Food Service............most of their stuff is too big for a "single" diner.........but I noticed online their bagged apples were a couple bucs cheaper........and purty too

I stopped at a Lil Ceasar and got a good and greasy pizza for supper............

I also clipped Three different newspaper "2 fer 1" sandwich deals from my 3 favorite fast-food joints so next time......... I've got a deal sittin' there in my wallet

I'm reminded of the classic country song.........""I got too much Month at the end of my Money"".................sincerely THANKS..........doug

 

[lenny flank]

Ramen with 1 or 2 eggs added towards end of cook.

I like to add a can of mixed veggies and/or spam cubes to my ramen.

 

[lenny flank]

o   Bread with Peanut Butter and Jelly (just worried about bread getting moldy if I don’t’ eat it quick enough)

I use bagels for all types of sandwich, rather than bread. It lasts longer without getting stale or moldy, and it is also good for carrying around in a daypack for lunch without getting squished.

Two bagel sandwiches for lunch, made with a quarter pound of lunch meat/cheese from a supermarket deli, is just a few bucks.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I'm gonna pat myself on the back here for a minute so bare with me.

6 months ago I ate about 80%-100% of my meals at resteraunts/fast food. I decided I wanted remain living and made huge changes in my eating habits.

As of today I have lost 72 pounds. Math isn't my strong point but that's like 20% of my body mass.

I have gone fromspending hundreds of dollars a week on food to ... whatever I spend now.

I eat food. Just food. I buy whole ingredients and make 90% ofwhat I eat from scratch. The other 10% is convenience food and resteraunts.

I keep some candy around for treats. When I buy treats for myself I go all out. If buying steak I get dry aged. To contrast that I eat rice and beans several times a week.

When you take a good hard look at what you need and what you REALLY want as opposed to simply acting on impulse and picking whatever looks good you can start eating anything you want.

Redefine what you want. If I want a cookie I bake cookies. Want pie, eat pie. What I really want is to be alive and healthy so I what I REALLY want to eat is good healthfull food.

Good luck with frugal, it can be done in a healthy way. Please keep posting recipe and food suggestions threads.

One last thought ... buy spices and learn to use them. All but zerp calories but packed with trace minerals and good compounds.

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[purplepeopleeater]

Subway is great, I'll have to start checking for coupons for them

If you can get text msgs &internet on your phone they have a weekly deal they text you (an online coupon you have to open when going to pay). Info on their website.

 

[purplepeopleeater]

Someone mentioned bagels for sandwiches. I have found torillas seem to last a l-o-n-g time,even in the deep south in summer heat. I have packed them for day trips with grandkids with pb/dribble of syrup,leftover baked potatoes smashed up with shredded cheese (melts in heat),mashed canned beans with a sprinkle of cheese.They stay sturdy enough to eat. I have also taken and cooked hotdogs then placed them in hot water in a thermos and kept them for later to eat on a picnic. Someone mentioned eggs. If you put hot water in a thermos,a little lemon juice and mix in some scrambled egg,shake & let sit for a bit you would have like an egg drop soup.

For anyone who has access to just a coffee maker after work hours or a long lunch here's a link to some recipes for cooking a chicken breast, fish,eggs,veggies & more with the coffee maker.