Unfortunately, the beau and I have three eating modes. Freezer Foods -- foods I buy all at once that require only a few ingredients, then pre-prep, pre-season/marinate, separate into servings, and freeze (meatballs, pre-seasoned, pre-cut chicken, stews etc) to simply be thawed and cooked without any work put into it -- Going Out (we're lazy and this is the biggest way we WASTE money, by saying "but i don't waaanna eat ramen...") or Cheap Foodie Eats.
So that's what this post is about. It's just a grocery list, really -- and i'm not going to post the recipe steps unless anyone asks (they're pretty simple foods)-- but I wanted to show you how I do simple but delicious (and kinda healthy) things that don't cost much but often fill you up and handle some kind of craving. And I'll include approximate costs for things from my international store, to give you an idea of pricing.
Not my photos today, unfortunately...
So here's this week's three primary meal plans:
Quinoa Bowls
this is inspired by a HelloFresh recipe for next week, and though i'm not getting it from them, i knew i could make it
myself and it's so damn easy i can't wait to try it.
--Quinoa (2.99/lb)
--Avocado (1.99)
--Sweet Potato (1)
Chimichurri sauce: -- Parsley/Cilantro (1) --Vinegar (1), garlic, chili flakes, lemon
salt
Approximate Cost: $8 -- 2 servings
Spicy Krab Hand Rolls
I am always sad by how little I get to have sushi. It's really my favorite food, and not being able to eat it often because we don't have any places that are both good and affordable here is really depressing. I can make sushi-- its pretty straightforward-- but all the ingredients together tend to add up to big costs, even if it does last you much more than the same amount of money at a restaurant-- it's still an investment. So this is my makeshift recipe list to satisfy my desperate craving for a spicy, nori-packed, crispy spicy tuna roll, since raw tuna is expensive, but imitation crab isn't.
--Nori (1.49)
--Rice (1.99)
--Krab (1.99)
--Cucumber (.5)
mayo
shiracha
sesame oil
(optionals- avocado, lettuce, sprouts, tobiko, panko crumbs, etc)
Approximate Cost: $6 - 2-3 servings
Super Simple Thai Chicken Bowl
I've worked with a lot of asian people of all different types, and so far I've never been let down by their food (except maybe that fertilized duck egg... thing...i don't really want to try that again...). But since my go-to, super cheap, super easy, super lazy meal of choice is just chicken and rice (with optional additions like black beans, avocado, tomatoes, or quick-pickles) I have a lot of ways to do that now that incorporates things I've had or loved, and started to mock-up at home.
This is one example.
--Rice (1.99) [cook it in broth for extra flavor, or, if you have some from before, use quinoa for a super health punch]
Ingredients for following asian additions;
*Quick pickles -- cucumbers/onions/zucchini (1), vinegar/lime (1), salt
*Thai dipping sauce [I call it moomoo sauce, because the guy who showed me how to make it was called Moo Moo (however, he was not Thai)] -- lemon/lime juice (1), fish sauce, garlic, chili sauce, sugar
Approximate Cost: $10-$12 -- 3-5 servings/
A fun alternative to this is an altered version of "Larb"-- which is essentially similar, but with ground chicken instead, with shredded veggies like lettuce or cabbage, and serving it on rice noodles smothered in the sauce would be a fun change.
See how simple and awesome these all seem? And the cooking part is just cut everything, make the starchy bit, and put it all together, either in a roll or a bowl!
And I think it's all very Weetzie. Healthy, quick, a tiny bit exotic, and less than $30 in total, for a giant chunk of the week's food, when you think about how many servings/meals each can make as far as using leftovers.
**items without a dash are things i always have at home anyway.
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