eating cheaply: sample grocery list

I spent $19.32 at the store yesterday, and man do I feel cool. This will actually feed me for some time.

Brown rice -- This was partially to help out my waterlogged phone, but mostly because I realized I had NO rice on hand, and that just felt a little strange to me.

Powdered milk -- I mostly just use milk in cooking, rather than for drinking, so I realized it doesn't much matter how it tastes! It's cheaper than buying the real stuff.

Canned tuna -- I didn't buy chicken this week like I'd planned. I just couldn't justify spending the money on a pricey protein source when I have a whole bag of dried beans sitting in my pantry. This was my compromise. Expect forthcoming posts on how I use the beans!

Medium cheddar -- This is mostly to go along with all of the Mexican food I will be eating this week, since I've been looking up what to do with my dried black beans, not to mention the plethora of salsa I inherited. (Thank you, Sam!) EDIT: Except how I've brought cheese and crackers to work two days in a row. I think it's time to do some real cooking.

Grapes -- Last grocery trip I bought apples, bananas, and oranges. I try to have variety in my produce to maximize the range of nutrition, plus grapes just sounded good. This is my treat this week.

Grapefruit -- Again, this provides a little variety in my produce. Two interesting tidbits though...apparently when you buy citrus fruits, you want to pick the ones that feel a little heavy for their size. This usually means that they are juicier and sweeter, I think.

(Also, for a super yummy breakfast or snack, slice grapefruit into circles and sprinkle brown sugar on each one. Put them on a cookie sheet and stick them under the broiler until the peel starts to darken. Eat. Wish you could justify eating another one. Eat another one anyway, justification be darned.)

Acorn squash -- I also try to buy my produce in season. Winter obviously is a little tricky, but winter squashes (you know, with a big, thick rind) fit the bill. I've never had acorn squash before, but I like the other kinds I've tried. So I'm excited to see what kind of distinction there is, aside from the obvious difference in shape.

Cabbage -- Okay, I confess, I have never bought a cabbage before in my life. I have no idea what to do with it, but it's super cheap and it's a vegetable, so I'm excited to find out.

Eggs -- Well...anyone who has seen my Facebook already knows how I feel about these, but there it is again for good measure.

They may want to refigerate their spelling, because I figer that ain't  right.

. My snark springs eternal, apparently.

eating cheaply: tamale casserole

GUYS! GUESS WHAT! I made up a recipe, AND IT WAS SO YUMMY!!!!

Winnnnnnnnnn.

Sara's Tamale Casserole
makes 4 servings

1 T vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup masa harina
1 3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat medium-sized glass casserole dish (a 9x9 is a little big -- a pie pan or loaf pan would probably work great.)
Heat oil, then add onion, garlic, tomato, 1/2 t of salt and pepper. Saute until onions are tender, stirring frequently.
Add beans and lemon juice to onion mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix masa, water 1/2 t salt, and 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese.
Pour 1/2 of the bean mixture into the glass dish, then spread 1/2 of the masa dough over top. Repeat.
Top with the rest of the cheese and the salsa.
Bake for 45 minutes, then take it out and let it sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a pretty green salad and you've got yourself a meal! A tasty, relatively cheap one, at that.

Notes:
-You could probably substitute the masa and water for corn muffin batter, which would give this dish a sweeter flavor.
-Much of the flavor comes from the salsa you pour over top at the end, so next time I make it, I'd like to mix in some peppers and canned corn with the onion. That and I'm kind of a vegetable junkie. Also, cilantro and chili powder would have probably provided more flavor and required less salt, but alas, I did not have them.

Edit: It's just as good as leftovers. If not better. Yessssssssssssssssss....
Second edit: It also freezes well.

eating cheaply: grocery shopping

I finally (FINALLYYYY) went grocery shopping today.

$4.52 on health and beauty.

$4.74 on produce.

$4.91 on protein.

$5.26 on spices/condiments.

$10.03 on kitchen supplies. (Trash bags and a rolling pin, in this case.)

I feel really good about this. I also think it will be a little less expensive when I have a good stash of spices and condiments built up.

Two biggest things I'm excited about? Fresh produce (YAY!) and the dinners I'll be making.

• Pot pies -- homemade pie crust, canned chicken, sweet potato, cali mix vegetables.
• Lemon pasta -- homemade pasta, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, olive oil, basil, evaporated milk
• Stir fry -- raman, cali mix frozen vegetables, soy sauce, eggs.
• Tamale casserole (of sorts) -- masa, cheddar cheese, turkey stock, onion, chicken, beans, tomato, salsa

Yes, the pot pies and casserole are experimental, but they use primarily things I already have on hand. And "already on hand" means cheap! Hard to argue with that.

eating cheaply: introduction

So, I don't know if you know this, but I'm poor.

It could be worse, of course. I am not living out of a cardboard box or eating Raman three meals a day. I am, however, learning to budget very carefully and eat very cheaply.

I think a big part of eating cheaply is to make the most of what you already have in your cupboard. Here's my list, a lot of which is left over from things I bought to make Thanksgiving dinner:

1/2 pound cheddar cheese
1 cup pecans
1/2 loaf homemade wheat bread (yum)
1 yam
2/3 pound masa
2.5 sleeves saltines
2/3 bag frozen California blend vegetables
1 bag frozen brussel sprouts
honey
olive oil
garlic
2.5 cups homemade turkey stock

From this list, I will eat for 14 meals. To supplement this list (and therefore eat 3 meals a day for a week), I'm going to purchase the following:

brown rice
dried beans
eggs
tomato (probably canned, but it depends on how cheap the fresh ones are)
lime juice
chili powder

This week is going to be kind of a Mexican-themed week, what with the masa, rice, and beans. It's also going to be a "do creative things with frozen vegetables" week. The plan is to post the best stuff I come up with. This should be exciting...

mexican cooking, lesson one: tortillas

When Cindy and I finally decided that I would be staying with her for a little while, I asked her to teach me how to make Mexican food. Her dad spent two years doing service and proselyting in Mexico, and he brought back lots of new skills with him -- the least of which is not cooking fairly authentic Mexican deliciousness...

So, Cindy taught me how to make tortillas!

First, get some masa:

(What we call masa in the States is actually a certain kind of corn flour, rather than the paste called "masa" you'd buy in a Latin American country.)

Then, add some water:

(This one won't be very helpful to you, considering Cindy didn't measure and let me poke at the dough a bit to see what the consistency was like. Watch out on her blog...she'll be posting specifics there soon, I'm sure.)

We used a tortilla press (!!) and a griddle, but in the future I think I'll just be using a regular ol' rolling pin and non-stick skillet. The non-stick part is important since apparently frying them in oil would make them tostadas, not tortillas.

They don't have to be browned or anything, just warmed and flipped and warmed a little more. And by the way, they are delicious.

I may never eat store-bought tortillas ever again.