Favorite Cheap/Quick Recipes

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a pretty picky person.  There's a firm belief in my mind that if something is normally sweet, it shouldn't be savory, and vice versa.  Of course, what I believe should be one way is probably because I first tried it that way and became addicted to it.  Like Rice Cakes.  Love Ranch flavored ones, while most people find that odd and say they should be sweet, which seems odd to me.

None the less, I figured I'd just throw out a few cheap food ideas I like to pull out when my boyfriend and I are feeling lazy or really tight on money.

Beans & Hamburger

It's exactly what it sounds like.  You'll need:

1 lb of Hamburger

28 oz can of Baked Beans

1. Heat up a frying pan with a teaspoon of water in it.

2. Fry the hamburger until it is all browned.

3. Drain the hamburger grease into a grease container (I generally save pickle jars for this).

4. Place the pan with the hamburger back on the stove and add the beans.

5. Mix, heat, and serve!

My boyfriend likes to add likely unhealthy amounts of pepper to his, but I enjoy it plain myself.  Super awesome if your lacking protein, my boyfriend's favorite meal as he was growing up.

Fried Eggs & Rice

Again, exactly what it sounds like.  You'll need:

1 bag of flavored rice, meat and veggie flavors are best

4-6 large eggs

1. Pull out 1 frying pan with a tablespoon of butter, melt it and scramble the eggs.

2. Pull out a medium sauce pan, and per the instructions on the rice packet, prepare it.

3. Once both are complete, add the rice to the scrambled eggs, mix, and serve!

Just discovered this the other day when I was super hungry and was literally scraping at nothing much in our cupboards.  Super easy, super cheap, and super tasty, depending on your favorite rice packet flavor.  I like the subtle flavors of rice like chicken and mushroom, but then again, I was aiming for a breakfast meal.

Garlic Teriyaki Stir-fry

While a bit more spendy than the last two, and needing more prep, it's completely worth it. You'll need:

1 bottle Kikkoman Roasted Garlic Teriyaki Sauce

1 lb+ of your favorite meat (Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, etc.)

Soy sauce to flavor further as desired

Tons of Vegetables! Read below for suggestions.

White Rice if desired.

1. Prepare your meat of choice, mine usually being chicken, browning it in peanut or vegetable oil in a large wok.

2. Chop up, clean, prepare whichever vegetables you bought for the stir-fry.  My favorites are bean sprouts, onions, bean pods, and water chestnuts, but I've heard of things like mushrooms, leeks, bell peppers and broccoli making it in to others stir-frys.

3. Once the meat is ready, add in the veggies to the wok, and thoroughly coat with the teriyaki sauce, mixing it well once the bottle is fully added.  If desired, add the soy sauce until a desired flavor is reached.

4. Depending on the vegetables you got, you may want to space out the time in between adding them, generally adding stiffer veggies like bean pods or broccoli in first, then softer ones like mushrooms or bean sprouts in last.

5. It's truly optional to make the rice, considering the stir-fry tastes plenty amazing without it, especially for us lazy folk.  Still, a few cups of 5 minute white rice is always a good addition to the meal.

Over-all, takes a bit more preparation to make, especially depending on how many vegetables you bought, but it's so tasty, particularly so for the Garlic lovers I know are out there.

As someone who has been unemployed for a year and is barely scraping by on my boyfriend's ability to maintain a good job, finding tasty, cheap food is always welcomed and loved, and I hope these recipes can be put to use by others.