Cheap Easy and Tasty

This pandemic is causing people to lose jobs and giving financial stress to many. The thing we extroverted hugger/helper people do is try to bring food or give a hug or buy groceries for someone. Problem is, if they arent working there is no health care, and they cant take the chance on seeing you in person. It sucks. 

But what I can do is a little research and give you the fruits of that labor. So here you go, try these on for your budget, my friends. 

Recipe 1: Sticky Veggie Rice
2 cups rice
Can or bag of vegetables
Soy sauce

Put in 2 cups of uncooked rice with 4 cups of water. Bring to a slow boil. Cook 10 mins with a lid on. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 10.
Mix in a can or a bag of frozen vegetables. Add soy sauce to taste. Enjoy!

Recipe 2: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Loaf of bread
Sliced cheese
Box of creamy tomato soup
Butter

Butter four slices of bread. Lay two in the pan, butter down. Add cheese, top with last two pieces of bread butter up. Grill until the edges start turning brown, carefully flip. I press down here because it makes the cheese stick. Watch it, the sandwich cooks faster on the 2nd side. Heat up the soup and serve!

Recipe 3: Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara
1 large can of tomatoes - san marzano is best
1/2 medium onion, chopped
pinch of garlic
Package of spaghetti noodles

Cook the tomatoes, onion, garlic in a saucepan until the tomatoes soften into a sauce. Go for San Marzano to get the best sauciness. If you have a garden, go grab the basil or oregano or even parsley for flavor. 
Cook and serve the spaghetti with the marinara sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe 4: Ham, Beans, and cornbread
(time consuming!)

1 lb dry great northern beans
1/2lb cooked ham, diced
1/2 c brown sugar
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tbsp dried parsley

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 c milk or water

The day before: Soak the beans. Rinse the dried beans in water and put them in a large bowl. Cover with at least 4 times their volume of water and leave to soak overnight. 

Drain and rinse the beans and put them into a pot with a heavy lid. Add just enough cold water to cover them. 

Add the add ham, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley and water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking time. 

Make cornbread with the mix directions. 

Recipe 5: Chili

1 lb ground beef
2 cans beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
pasta or rice, cooked (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)
tomato sauce
garlic, chopped
Chili powder
Paprika
salt and pepper

Fixins/garnish: cheddar cheese shreds, cream cheese, crackers, green chilies

Brown ground beef in a pot. Drain the fat. Add beans, tomatoes, onion , bell pepper, garlic, and tomato sauce and spices. simmer 1-3 hours. Optionally, serve over  rice or pasta or tortilla chips. Add garnishes.Enjoy!

Recipe 6: Pot roast with Vegetables

1 rump roast or chuck roast
6 potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
small bag carrots, peeled, chopped into 2 inch pieces
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Add water up to the top. Set for low for 8 hours. or high for 3 to 4 hours. 

Recipe 7: Grilled Chicken and sweet potato fries

6 chicken breasts
4 sweet potatoes
olive oil
BBQ sauce 

Cut sweet potatoes in 1/2 inch thick circles. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Lay them on a baking sheet and bake 400F oven for 35 mins. 
Coat chicken with olive oil and salt. Cook chicken breasts on the grill and serve with barbecue sauce. 

Recipe 8: Mediterranean pasta salad

1 box farfalle, penne, or other pasta, cooked
Can of diced tomatoes
Can of chickpeas
Sliced olives
1/4 cup Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate

Recipe 9: Fried Rice

2 cups or more of leftover cooked rice
1/4 cup of soy sauce
Minced garlic, sugar, and 2T olive oil
1 onion
2 eggs
Frozen peas or other veggies
ginger

In a large frying pan or wok, brown a bit of garlic in a tablespoon or two of oil, then add one sliced onion. When the onion is softened, drop in two eggs and scramble them up on one side of the pan.

Now crank up the heat and toss in whatever other ingredients you want or have on hand — peas, corn, mushrooms, broccoli, diced carrots, pineapple, or chunks of ham all work well — along with your leftover rice, a spoonful of sugar or honey, and up to a 1/4 cup of light soy sauce. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, and serve right away.

Recipe 10: ‘Pizza’ on bagels, thick toast, or English muffins
6 bagels
Jar of pasta sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Other toppings

Take a bagel, English muffin, or piece of bread, load it with all the toppings you’d use on a pizza, and bake it in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Delicious and easy (even easier if you have a toaster oven.)

Recipe 11:  Sausage, peppers, and onions

Sweet Italian sausage links
Large sweet onion
2 bell peppers
Garlic, olive oil, coarse salt, and pepper
12-oz. box of pasta

 Just slice up some sweet Italian pork sausage (or chicken sausage), a sweet onion, some colorful bell peppers, and a couple cloves of garlic, and saute them all in a large pot with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Prepare a box of pasta on the side and toss them together to serve

Recipe 12: BLTs

1 lb. bacon
Loaf of bread
2 medium tomatoes
1 heart of romaine lettuce:
Mayo

Even with the high price of bacon, homemade BLTs can still be part of a cheap and easy meal. Start with a pound of bacon and heat it in a skillet until it’s crispy but not overdone. Set the bacon on a paper towel to absorb most of the grease, then turn your attention to the other ingredients that make up this classic.

Slice a tomato in several thin slices and carefully take apart a head of iceberg or romaine lettuce. Spread mayonnaise on the bread and start building your BLTs — or TBLs, or however you want to assemble them!

I hope this helped give you some ideas. Share your own ideas in the comments below!

Vicky