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If you don't put cheese in your salad, you can use lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar. This is especially delicious if you add some sliced grilled chicken breast to the salad, to turn it into a meal. A single lemon would cost you around 50 cents, a lime is sometimes only 25 cents. and the juice from 1/6 wedge of either is plenty for a single-serving meal-sized salad. Add some chili pepper, a palmful of pitted black olives, some ripe red tomato, chop up a big slice of raw red onion, maybe mince up a couple slices of jalapeno pepper, a couple tablespoons of garbanzo beans, and you have one big amazing tex-mex chicken salad.
I like to make things in the crock pot and freeze some of the leftovers. Some things freeze better than others but chili and soup freeze well. Chili is sooo easy too. I use a pound of lean hamburger, 1 can of black beans, one can of pinto beans, a large can of tomatoes, regular size can of tomato sauce, and 1/4 c. of chili power. Sometimes I add in other things...I put squash or zucchini in it sometimes. Diced up jalapenos if I want it to be spicy. You could also use ground turkey. Just brown the meat first and mix everything else into the crock pot. It's pretty cheap, feeds me a few meals, and I still have some left over to freeze for later.
If you don't put cheese in your salad, you can use lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar. This is especially delicious if you add some sliced grilled chicken breast to the salad, to turn it into a meal. A single lemon would cost you around 50 cents, a lime is sometimes only 25 cents. and the juice from 1/6 wedge of either is plenty for a single-serving meal-sized salad. Add some chili pepper, a palmful of pitted black olives, some ripe red tomato, chop up a big slice of raw red onion, maybe mince up a couple slices of jalapeno pepper, a couple tablespoons of garbanzo beans, and you have one big amazing tex-mex chicken salad.
I've found myself making a ton of salads this week. I cut out the store brought dressing and started making my own using olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and some various spices. It tastes even better what I used to buy . I also didn't know red wine vinegar could be healthy for you until I was looking up recipes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strawberrykiki
I like to make things in the crock pot and freeze some of the leftovers. Some things freeze better than others but chili and soup freeze well. Chili is sooo easy too. I use a pound of lean hamburger, 1 can of black beans, one can of pinto beans, a large can of tomatoes, regular size can of tomato sauce, and 1/4 c. of chili power. Sometimes I add in other things...I put squash or zucchini in it sometimes. Diced up jalapenos if I want it to be spicy. You could also use ground turkey. Just brown the meat first and mix everything else into the crock pot. It's pretty cheap, feeds me a few meals, and I still have some left over to freeze for later.
What type of seasoners do you use and how do you thicken it? I made some the other day and used chicken breast in place of the turkey/beef and was a little disappointed. It was too runny taste like regular tomatoe sauce with an aftertaste of spices. I used chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika.
An easy salad dressing (and you can mix up a batch and keep in your frig) is equal amounts of red or balsamic vinegar, brown mustard, olive oil and a bit of honey. Sometimes I'll add in some black or white pepper and Italian dried herbs..other times, not. You can dilute with some water if it gets too thick or is too pungent for you.
Even easier is mixing a vinegar of any kind half and half with olive oil and a bit of water. Try raspberry vinegar..
Just fresh lemon or lime juice mixed with olive oil and a bit of honey is very refreshing.
As well as you can take sprouts as your breakfast and make a habit of drinking green tea after every meal as green tea will help you to increase your body metabolism and it will burn fat more than normal.
Just today there was an article in our paper about beans being a great healthy comfort food. Dried beans are very cheap and can be made into lots of dishes. Yes you need to soak them, but some can be frozen afterwards to use at a later time. Here is a link to the article:
Tin of tomatoes... a leek or spring onions chopped, stock cube and a half pint of water... boil then simmer for ten mins.. then blast with the blender... I also like a little garlic thrown in too.... cheap , warm and lovely.
I'm on a tight budget too but I'm trying to eat healthier. One thing I always do is make my own pasta sauce, I think it's better than pasta sauce out of a jar because you know what you're putting in it. I just made it this evening, it's extremely simple and cheap I always use it to make spaghetti marinara but you could also just use the sauce as a base and add your own ingredients. Here's the recipe for 2 people:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic (or 1 teaspoon of garlic paste)
- 1 onion (red or white)
- 40 ml of dry, white wine
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 ml)
- 1 small can of tomato paste (50 g)
- parsley (fresh or dried)
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan
2. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, let it cook for about a minute
3. Add the white wine and let it cook for about 2 minutes on full heat
4. Add the cans of chopped tomatoes (don't drain!) and tomato paste, stir and let it cook until it becomes a nice, thick sauce (takes about 5-10 minutes on medium heat)
5. Season it with parsley
*if you want to make pasta marinara, add about 250 grams of seafood after step 4*
*I sometimes add paprika (doesn't matter what colour) in step 2*
Since I always have onions, garlic (paste), olive oil and a jar of dried parsley at home, this recipe is extremely cheap for me to make. It only costs me about $2 to make the sauce and it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.
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. I also didn't know red wine vinegar could be healthy for you until I was looking up recipes.
I always use it to make spaghetti marinara but you could also just use the sauce as a base and add your own ingredients. Here's the recipe for 2 people:
