In search of poor people recipes

beer chicken

1 liter beer (can bee alcohol free)
1 chicken
onions
carrots
garlic
salt
pepper
parsley

the chicken washed and chopped in pieces (yes with bones and all),chopped onions,carrots,garlic a little salt and pepper all in one big pot- cover with beer and cook for 1,5-2 hours. after a while add some water as needed
decorate with parsley and serve with rice or chips.

i love this dish.

and the even quicker version is to just use one packet of instant onion soup instead of fresh veggies.

While you are checking out the dumpsters...look for newspapers with coupons. Ask any friends or neighbors to save them for you. Quite often there are coupons for peanutbutter and hamburger helper. My husband refused to use a coupon until one shopping trip when I saved over $30. (He took notice then!) Also, if you qualify, please get food stamps. Your girlfriend might have better luck at this. If you have ever held a job, you have paid into the system for this right. I've used them twice in my life and they got me over some really rough spots. My brother used to hook up with his friends that worked at fast food joints. Sometimes they bring home leftover food and he would trade a service (like work on a car or clean a house) in exchange. He ate a lot of pizza but got over the bump in the road.Also look around for dollar stores or sav-a-lots, or 99 cent stores. Often they have canned beans, tuna, canned chicken and other things. If you;re drinking soda pop, Kool aid is cheeper. The key is protein. If you can eat enough protein, you willo feel fuller, longer. Good luck.

It sucks getting old....your spelling goes to hell. Sorry for all the mistakes in the earlier post.

Also, are you using paper products like paper towels? Buy a handful of kitchen towels at the dollar store, instead.

You can wash your clothes in the bathtub or shower. You can buy a mild dish soap like Ivory to do the trick. Hang the clothes up on a makeshift clothes line in the bathroom or on hangers. That saves a lot!

If you are unemployed, see if there is a community garden nearby where you volunteer and get paid in veggies. This is a great deal if you have one.

If your really have to eat a lot of ramen, try to buy a good multivitamin. Yes, they cost but can save your immune system which will save you a bundle in doctor visits.

We also had a dish when I was younger that was fairly inexpensive.

It consisted of rice (which is cheap as hell), a package of hamburger, a diced onion, or onion salt, a can of beans and maybe some jalapeno slices for a little kick.

Cook the rice, brown the hamburger.

Drain the grease off the hamburger.

Mix the hamburger and rice back into the pot you cooked the rice in. Dump the diced onion and can of beans in (or whatever you have handy, I've used peas before and it was pretty good). Add a cup of water and let simmer for a while.

I liked to top mine with some Sriracha sauce or Tabasco and eat it with a couple slices of plain bread.

Even without the hamburger its a pretty filling meal.

My parents made Potato Soup similar to this recipe
45 Cent Potato Soup

You don't have to use the vegetables exactly as this recipe
though. My parents use green peas, corn or whatever else was
available.

Either make cornbread as a side or just use crackers.

reply to post by SinDefiant


I highly suggest seeing what kind of financial aid is available in your region. I'm not from the states, but from where I am from if you make below a certain amount you qualify for government assistance even with a job. It's not a lot of money, but it could make the difference between Raman noodles, and some meat on your table. It would also be wise to look into food stamps, food banks, or places that offer hot meals to those in need. I've had to eat in shelters before, it's not as bad as you may think. There are lots of people there for all sorts of reasons. Take any and all help, don't let your pride get in the way of some assistance. Years ago I had to get help with an issue that landed me broke, and if I didn't ask for help, or seek it out I would have never gotten it.

If you know anyone that hunts, fishes, owns a farm find out if there is work you can do for them for food stuffs. It's winter right now, so I'm not gonna suggest looking for wild fruit, or anything like that but it never hurts to go pick OOOOOOOOOOODles of black berries when they are around. They freeze good, are great eaten as is, or made into preserves, pies and other treats.

You can always buy packages of pasta for not much more than two packs of raman noodles, and if you can scrounge up the coin for some simple ingredients pasta is filling and versatile. Even with out meat, a can of tomatoe sauce and a few veggies goes a long way.

AS far as worrying about getting enough nutrients we would need to know how far you can go with your budget. I don't need dollars and cents of your life, but do you have a weekly budget we can work with? If you are eating only ramen noodles you're gonna run into some serious problems eating just them long term. It's just starch, fat, carbs and sodium. It's gonna wreck your physical and mental health just not getting the nutrients making this situation a little harder than it has to be.

My girlfriend used to make pasta(macaroni noodles), Canned tomatoes and butter, with salt and pepper when we were broke. Not bad either, and at least gets some vitamins in with the mix. You could spice this up further if you can afford to buy throwing in some peppers, a clove of garlic, a half an onion and anything else you like really.

Boil your pasta in water with a pinch of salt.

Take a skillet, use some oil, margarine, what ever you have on hand. With enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add your onions, peppers,and other veggies, and a clove or two of crushed or minced garlic. If you've never done this yourself it isn't hard, garlic is cheap, adds nice flavor. If you don't like garlic you can leave it out. Add your diced tomatoes(canned or fresh, canned are precooked to a degree so they seem to work better for this.) Cook until the veggies are at texture you like, I add my tomatoes after my veggies are done, but everyone likes their meals a little different, you can play with it a bit.

When your pasta is ready strain and return to the pot, add a little butter(margarine) and empty the contents of the pan into the pot. Stir until all your noodles and veggies are well mixed Serve, add salt and pepper to taste. This is a very basic pasta recipe, there is no meat, but you can play with that as well if funds serve you. Believe it or not you don't HAVE to have a serving of meat every day, but you should try to incorporate it in your diet where you can, or at least another source of protein(beans, peas, soy, nuts, dairy, what ever you like.)

I sometimes forget what it's like to be in this situation, but I can try to think of simple easy, home made recipes for you and come back to update. Look for large packages of meat. Ground beef, chicken, pork when they come with in a few days of the best before stores will mark them down. They're totally fine to go straight in the freezer. You can get a few lbs of ground beef for great deals here and there, and if you're gonna cook it up for pasta it's probably just fine to eat. I know around here stores have to toss anything 1 day from BB or after, just because it's 2 days from Best before doesn't mean it's gone bad.

Be careful with meat, it's hard to throw some things away when we are on hard times, but getting sick/diarrhea, isn't worth keeping left overs that are no good, raw or cooked. If meat doesn't look right, smells off don't use/eat it.

Bulk pancake mix is a nice change from ramen too. You can get the kind that only needs water to make, and some supermarkets have great bulk departments that could give you an alternative to ramen, that's a little better for you.

My brain is off at the moment, I cant think of much else to say.

Alright, I just made an account to respond to this thread as I see it this information needs to be passed on because it saves me much money and I feel I should start contributing posts to ats as I've lurked here for longer than I probably should I have without contribution.

Buy as much rice as you can and as many cans of tuna you can, cook a cup or two of rice, place in a bowl, drain can of tuna (not in rice) and place tuna onto rice, mix as desired and enjoy. You can add veggies or even fruit(don't judge my tuna, rice, fruit and I !) I eat this thrice a day, and its by far the best nutrition per cent over taste I've found. I also eat a raw egg in the morning and wash everything down with organic milk or 100% fruit juice, distilled water (i don't trust the tap as no matter what we have cloudy water and its not just our pipes as our entire city has cloudy water...another story for another time..) or good ole coffee. Hope this helps !

One of the ways that I save money is to watch for stores that have mark down days, usually after the weekends. If you have Kroger, they mark produce, bakery, and even meat down to half price or even less, usually tues,thurs, Sunday. I get all I can, then freeze or dehydrate extras. Kroger also gives you the product free if they overcharge you for it, so I always look at my grocery bill, and often get free food. Even if they don't do this, stores often make mistakes in pricing, so check the bill for mistakes. Look for stores that mark down, and except for sales, you will save by shopping during the week when there are mgr specials.
Buy in bulk, and put into containers, so you have a stockpile at home. I always look for clearance items, and dollar stores often have good sales on food items in cans. I get family size meats, etc, and then put them in small freezer bags to use later.
I am also making a garden to grow veggies so that I can eat as healthy as possible, and am learning about foraging for food. Adding clover, or dandelion greens to your ramen will enhance the flavor,and also add a lot of nourishment, and they are free for the finding. Check out green dean if you are interested in foraging. Greens are one of the healthiest foods we can eat, and a lot of them can be free, just be sure to wash well if you forage near a road, and the back yard is much better.

reply to post by SinDefiant

You asked for cheap - here's cheap the ChuckNasty way:

Regular spaghetti noodles with the 99cent can of sauce. Top with some cheap grated parm. Should produce 4 meals for around 2 bucks total.

Get some powdered chicken broth (I spend 5 bucks on a huge arse container of it - it should last you 2 months easy),
One big potato or 2 medium (skin on),
3 eggs,
1 medium onion,
A few cloves of garlic (or use the powdered stuff),
tablespoon or so of cheap parm,
some oil,
Put 5-6 cups of water in a pot with the chicken broth powder (using the directions on the container), add 2 tablespoons of oil, dice the potato and toss into pot, do the same with the onion and garlic - bring to a boil and then simmer until the onion is done - beat one egg and slowly pour into pot - add the other 2 eggs without beating - turn off heat after you add the eggs - let the eggs set. Divide the soup into 2 bowls - allowing one egg per bowl. Top with a dash of parm. If you do the freeganism thing, add whatever veggies you want to the soup. Think the cost for this is about 2 bucks total.

Gravy - gravy goes good on anything. Toss a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet set on medium heat. Once oil is hot - add 2-3 heaping spoonfulls of flour. Mix the flour into the oil and keep the bubbly stuff moving until it turns a golden brown. Slowly add some water while you continue to stir - only pausing the water flow to allow the chunks to smooth out a bit - add more water - smooth out the chunks - do this until a few cups of water (or broth) has been added - continue to stir until it thickens a bit. Turn off heat.

Chicken and gravy - brown a cheap piece of chicken that has been deboned in a heavy skillet - cook until done. Remove the chicken but leave any bits in the skillet - add some more oil if needed and make the gravy as above, but use chicken broth (the powder and water, don't buy the liquid stuff it is way too expensive imo). While you are making the gravy (or before) - nuke some frozen veggies until done - dice up a potato (skin on) and nuke until done. Add to the gravy mixture once the gravy is done. Dice up the chicken and add it to the gravy. Heat it up for a bit and serve. Should serve 2 easy. Total cost under 3 bucks depending on the chicken.

The gravy goes good with sammiches too. Pan toast the sammich and use the gravy as a dip.

Stirfry - slice a couple of cheap hotdogs, add some nuked veggies, pan fry it. Toss in some spices (you can use the powdered chicken broth). Place over rice. Fry 2 eggs over easy and place the egg on top of the stirfry. Should make enough for 2 all for under 2 bucks total.

Hamburger Helper, but with no hamburger. Use ground turkey instead. Only use half a pound of turkey with some bread crumbs and an egg - mixed together for the meat. Costs a bit over 3 bucks for 2 servings. If I do make hamburger helper I usually serve it with rice - can make 3-4 servings with one package of hamburger helper.

I'm not much of a recipe person, but I would suggest buying lentils. They are cheap, easy to cook, go with just about anything, and most importantly, they are second only to soy beans as far as having all the necessary amino acids (complete protein).

Making a big pot of lentils and adding some other cheap vegetables like onions, carrots, even potatoes, and other things, will last a couple of days.

And if you have any yard space, I highly recommend planting some sort of vegetables. Two early prolific straightneck squash plants will provide you both with more than enough squash. About 10 feet of row of Swiss Chard will provide you with all the greens you can eat. Swissh Chard is a vegetable that you can cut and come again; as in, you cut a plant down to about 4 inches or so above the ground, and it will come back all through the season.

If you do have the space but are unable to buy seeds, send me a private message. I will gladly mail you some at my expense. And honestly, if you do want to try it, but just plain don't feel like going and searching for the seeds, let me know anyway and I will still gladly send some to you.

ETA: I've never tried couponing, but I've seen and heard that it is well-worth the effort. Here's a video showing how a lady feeds her family of 6 for just $4 per week:

www.youtube.com...

Rice, mushroom soup and chicken mixed all together. You can also add sour cream and bacon. YUM!

Originally posted by Night Star
Rice, mushroom soup and chicken mixed all together. You can also add sour cream and bacon. YUM!

This one is amazing even with out meat. I've done this one a few times

The OP hasn't been back and replied to any of you guys, you think his too embarrassed or something? or think he was winding us up?

anyways some of these poor dished sound good and I can afford to eat good foods! might try a poor persons diet . the sausage gravy and flower on biscuite sounds nice..

I don't know why the OP would be embarrassed. Obviously this is a topic where everybody can relate.
And kudos to everyone that responded! I think this is the first thread I've read on ATS where all the posts have been sincere! All good, helpful responses!,

(I've actually been on ATS for a few years now as Mistress of Spices, but had a major computer crash in January and lost everything including my passwords, etc, so I had to re-register.)

I had another thought on cheap / free eats. I live in the NE US. It'll be spring soon which means things will be in bloom. You can go foraging in you have woods or fields near you. There are all sorts of edible weeds: dandelion greens, sorrel, ramps, fiddleheads, purslane to name a few in our area. You can do a search online to find out what edibles you can forage for in your area.

Originally posted by mistressofspice
I don't know why the OP would be embarrassed. Obviously this is a topic where everybody can relate.
And kudos to everyone that responded! I think this is the first thread I've read on ATS where all the posts have been sincere! All good, helpful responses!,

I have no memories of being poor, but my parents came from very humble beginnings. They married right out of high school and had me a year later. My dad went to college on a full football scholarship, and my mom worked at a bank as a teller. Not much money coming in, and they were too proud to ask for any help. My mom has told me stories of how hard they had it at the beginning of their life together. She talks about how they took her week's paycheck and made sure I had what I needed, and then put money aside for rent - whatever was left was what they used to feed themselves. Many times that meant buying a bag of rice, a bag of beans, maybe a bag of potatoes and/or carrots, and eating off that for a week. She talks of going to the dumpster and finding an old beat up couch, which she reupholstered with some cheap fabric. They were thrilled with that couch, and proud to have it.

She actually speaks of those times with fondness. It was tough, but they made it work and really, truly appreciated what little goodies they got - when they got them. No shame there.

Originally posted by ototheb85
The OP hasn't been back and replied to any of you guys, you think his too embarrassed or something? or think he was winding us up?

anyways some of these poor dished sound good and I can afford to eat good foods! might try a poor persons diet . the sausage gravy and flower on biscuite sounds nice..

Matters not to me.
I am happy for all the new cheapo food ideas and links that I picked up!

Originally posted by kaylaluv

Originally posted by mistressofspice
I don't know why the OP would be embarrassed. Obviously this is a topic where everybody can relate.
And kudos to everyone that responded! I think this is the first thread I've read on ATS where all the posts have been sincere! All good, helpful responses!,

I have no memories of being poor, but my parents came from very humble beginnings. They married right out of high school and had me a year later. My dad went to college on a full football scholarship, and my mom worked at a bank as a teller. Not much money coming in, and they were too proud to ask for any help. My mom has told me stories of how hard they had it at the beginning of their life together. She talks about how they took her week's paycheck and made sure I had what I needed, and then put money aside for rent - whatever was left was what they used to feed themselves. Many times that meant buying a bag of rice, a bag of beans, maybe a bag of potatoes and/or carrots, and eating off that for a week. She talks of going to the dumpster and finding an old beat up couch, which she reupholstered with some cheap fabric. They were thrilled with that couch, and proud to have it.

She actually speaks of those times with fondness. It was tough, but they made it work and really, truly appreciated what little goodies they got - when they got them. No shame there.

Funny My parents met in highschool. Father was on the football team, they got married right out of highschool. had me the year after. I never had it bad either growing up that I can remember. Dad worked at a grocery store, mom worked at a restaurant. They have stories of those first few years same as yours. They scrounged every penny. They have stories of their nights "out" being a 99 rental movie at home on a couch, because everything went towards taking care of me. By the time my brother came along my mom was working for a woman she knew in a daycare, where me and my brother spent our time while not in school. When I think about it now, I don't know how they did it, but brother and I turned out fine, mom managed to put herself through school for social work. Dad moved up in the grocery store he worked for, also went through school and now works for the same company in their head office in sales and marketing. Mom teaches nights at a college, works as a community social worker at a support center for people just like my parents were when they were 19-20.

Not all rough starts are bad, you just have to keep on plugging through.

Always keep tortillas on hand. You can put just about anything in them and they have a decent shelf life. Left over chicken, peppers, onions, rice, hot sauce, and cheese? Yummy, and better than ramen for your health. You can do all sorts of things with them.

Eggs are versatile, cheap, and provide good protein.

We use this as a base and a side dish around here:

Favorite pasta cooked to package directions
1 clove of garlic
A few tablespoons of butter or margarine
Salt, pepper, parsley (or whatever you like)
Parmesan (store brand is fine)

Start your pasta

Crush, mince or grate garlic with a fine grater (I grate with a fine grater, add salt, and pulverize it into a paste with the back of a spoon so there are no chunks, but, that's just me)

Melt butter in pan, add garlic until fragrant (don't burn it!), turn off the heat and add pasta, salt and pepper, parsley (or whatever you like) and Parm to taste, and toss.

You could also add veggies and left over chicken.

Another tip:

Buy whole chickens, they are cheaper that way. Roast it for dinner one night, and then pick the carcass clean afterwards and save for another dish or two. You could follow the chicken dinner with chicken noodles, chicken quesadillas, chicken pot pie, a stir fry, etc. Be creative.

Another tip:

If you have a save a lot (or other off brand store), check the frozen section for bread dough.

3 loaves for a little over 2 bucks.

What smells better than fresh bread baking?