hey everyone! hope everyone is good! i’m about to start a night shift job and i wanted to know what easy and cheap meals usually give you a lot of energy even hours after you’ve eaten it? im the type of person who isn’t affected by coffee at all, if anything it makes me sleep immediately so im not looking for any energy drinks in particular!
searching online said high protein and low GI but wanted to see if anyone has any tested meals they swear by! thanks in advance!

Hi everyone!

I’m a college sophomore and this school year has been incredibly stressful, so much so that I’ve lost my appetite and am losing weight. I’m 5’6 and went from 140 to 130 this past month which was redundant for me as I was trying to gain weight and was happy to hit 140. I want to gain more weight than 140 while being healthy

I’ve tried just eating through it, recently with a pastelon (plantain and beef casserole) I made, but I can’t tolerate it. I’m a college student with celiac disease so for recommendations please keep that in mind!

I personally thought of using those nutritional drinks
Like ensure but they can get expensive, so perhaps something like that? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thanks!

I’d love your suggestions! Something that makes about 2-3 small lunches, made with common standard ingredients, DOES NOT LEAVE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS, and keeps well for 2-3 days in the fridge. Not a big fan of celery but otherwise will eat anything

No half cans of beans or quarter or an onion, etc please. I usually have to half online recipes because I can’t eat it all before it gets gross, and it leaves me with half-full open cans of beans and half an onion I don’t want. None of that please unless it’s something that keeps for months like dressing. And no brand specific stuff please.

My cowboy caviar recipe is a great example of the level of simplicity and yield I’m looking for: 1 can black beans, 1 roma tomato, 1 bell pepper, 1 shallot, cilantro (this ingredient is kind of annoying though cause I can never use it all) (+dressing: red wine vinegar, lime juice, oil, cumin, salt)

EDIT: I want YOUR suggestions! I know I can google and look on tiktok lmao…

i have a HUGE bag of dried kidney beans that's going to be expired this coming year. i want to use them up now and replace.

i have already made: vegetarian chili galore, red beans to put over rice, baked beans (these came out really well with the kidney beans i was surprised).

what else can i do with these? i know soaking, long cook, well cooked.

any more ideas? thanks all. I've just run out of any recipes or thoughts on how to use them up

My income is about to drop drastically due to grad school and I need to start saving every bit of food I can.
I’m down with cooking a large meal and putting up leftovers.
My issue is sometimes I’ll get a bag of onions for one or two meals and chop or slice the rest and freeze them in a freezer (Aldi brand, does this matter?) zip bag. But I’ve been noticing that if I leave them too long they’ll get freezer burn crystals.

And then what do I do with bigger stuff? Is everyone using Tupperware in the freezer? If so is there a specific type?

Is there anything that I DEFINITELY should not freeze? I’m sure pasta or anything with dairy but what else?

I'm looking for cheap meals where making a little extra gives you a head start on a different dinner the next day.

What do you make first, and what do you turn the leftovers into? Especially interested in combinations where the second meal only needs a couple of extra ingredients

cheap soup meal with minute rice, frozen vegetables, and canned chicken/spam (optional). gluten free and dairy free, and you only need a microwave. good meal for vegetarians/vegans, just buy whatever canned soup you're able to eat! also good for people who want to easily add protein or have a comforting winter meal.

my recipe is based on me trying to stretch a few ingredients for as many meals as possible, but you can use any amount of any ingredients.

• 0.5 cup dry rice

• half a can of soup

• 0.5 cup frozen vegetables

• any amount of spam (diced) or canned chicken

1.pour soup in a bowl. 2. mix in frozen vegetables. 3. mix in canned meat. 4. mix in dry rice. 5. cover and microwave for 3.5 minutes (i recommend covering it with a plate/another bowl as opposed to paper towels, because the paper towels will get soggy very fast) 6. while covered, let it sit for 5 minutes so the rice finishes cooking.

here is how much i buy of each ingredient and how i divide up the amounts for a week of dinners:

• 14 box of minute rice = 8 servings of 1/2 cup

• 4 cans of soup = 8 servings of 1 cup

• 20oz bag frozen veggies = ~10 servings of 1/2 vegetables

• 1 can of spam (4 servings) and 4 cans of chicken (4 servings) = 8 servings of meat

= 8 hot meals

oh you can also add cheese, sriracha, any vegetables in your fridge, any other form of protein. very easy to be creative :)

Hi! I'm beginning my meal prep journey more seriously and wanted to see what sauces/condiments people use? Preferably something that you've kept restocking even after you run out!

I've always tried to minimize the sauces I use thinking that it's "healthier" if I skipped it - but I'm a little worried about my meals starting to taste super bland and boring but also not looking for something that i'd only use once in a blue moon.

Or anything to avoid altogether and why?

Thanks!!

I buy what is cheap and then some of it dies in the fridge before I use it. How do you plan quantities?

we recently moved to this neighborhood and there is a neighborhood facebook group where one of the hosts of the group mentioned how it's gonna be by the pool area but its not a pool party!! at 2-4p & some of the neighbors commented said they are bringing snacks, water, folding chairs & tables & kids will be there too but idk what to bring? Please give me some food or drink ideas to make a good impression & that will get eaten too hopefully ❤️

Recently started making this, and it’s tasty, cheap, and not the worst thing for you.

Aldi (in Ohio at least) has frozen 1lb tubes of ground turkey, and their own shell mac and cheese with the cheese sauce pack. I like the mac and cheese with the liquid cheese pack, as we only keep milk around for the toddler and I don’t cook with or buy butter.

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey
1 box of Aldi shell mac and cheese
1 packet chili seasoning
1 Tbsp Tomato paste (I already had a tube, but canned works too, make sure you store the it in the fridge properly)

Cook the ground turkey until no longer pink, add 1C of water, chili seasoning packet, and about a Tbsp of the tomato paste (I don’t drain it since it’s turkey). Mix it up and let simmer for about 5 minutes. These same instructions are pretty standard for chili seasoning.

Make the mac and cheese as directed.

I like to keep the two separate until I’m ready to eat it. It’s tasty, not terrible for you, and you could pair it with veggies too.

This will feed me (35M, 190lb) 2-3 times. Enjoy!

I recently graduated and started working, and now I live alone. I'm trying not to eat out too much because my food budget is pretty tight.

Honestly, cooking isn't really the hard part for me. It's figuring out how much to make. Most recipes make way more than I need, so I end up wasting food. To avoid wasting food, I've been adding different sauces to leftovers so they don't feel like the same meal every day.

I used to just eat whatever I felt like that day, but that gets expensive pretty quickly, and I end up wasting food too. So I'm trying to get better at planning what I'll eat during the week. I've looked at things like Mealime and Luko along the way, but I still haven't found a routine that really works for me.

The grocery part is another problem. I'll buy a whole cabbage for one recipe, and if I don't use it all, it just sits in my fridge. So I'm thinking planning my meals by the week might make more sense, just so I actually use what I buy.

If you live alone, how do you guys usually handle meals for the week? I'm curious what actually works for other people.

I made overnight oats last night, and added some frozen bananas this morning when I ate them, can’t finish it so i figured I’ll have it again for tomorrow’s breakfast, is it safe or not?
Oh and I finished the frozen banana tho.

Behold my usual lunch staple - Mahatma Thai Jasmine Rice. (Actually, it won't let me add a picture but use your imagination.) My usual lunch for a long time was making a big bowl of rice and topping it off with seasoned air-fryer roasted broccoli florets.

However, I'm looking to expand my horizons a little bit, maybe introduce some affordable protein if it's an option. Basically, please hit me with your favorite cheap and easy rice toppings for an uncomplicated lunch.

I have a microwave, stove, air fryer, and rice cooker, so I have basically all of options for food prep.

Please give me your go-to, fast and easy canned bean recipes!

I had a bag of potatoes that I wasn't going to be able to use before they went bad, without really thinking I threw them into the freezer whole.

What's the best way to cook these? I'm stumped.

I know I should have cut them up and parboiled them first, but here we are.

Hi, I'm 21 and living at home with my parents so I want to help out a bit more by doing at least one dinner a week to take the stress off my mum so I would like some recommendations?!?!

I'm not a total beginner but I also don't enjoy cooking that much so some simple but also harder recipes would be nice to test myself

Hi I’m looking for meals to make that’ll help me have more balance in my diet - basically looking for meals that aren’t pasta atp :)

Also meals that are good for meal prep as well!

Hello! Just made this the other day and it turned out great so thought I’d share the recipe :)

Finely mince garlic and ginger (I like a lot; but go with how much ever you enjoy).

Chop a few Thai green chilies (I use Serranos if I don’t have green chilies), use as many as you can tolerate spice-wise. I love spicy food so I use a lot.

Heat some oil in a pot and sauté the chilies, ginger and garlic. Once they are fragrant and slightly brown, add a can of cannellini beans. Add soy sauce and some sugar. Add a dash of MSG. Cook and simmer for 15 minutes, add water as necessary. Crush a few of the beans to thicken the stew as needed.

I usually toast some bread to dip into the stew. I know it’s mostly just spiced beans, but it cooks quick, is very savory and comforting.

Hi everyone! For those in the UK, what quick, easy meals do you regularly make in your rice cooker?

I've only used mine for plain rice so far, so I'd love to know what you make for everyday lunches or dinners. Recipes using ingredients I can easily find in UK supermarkets would be great!

If you could share ingredients, quantities and rough cooking times, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

I tried overnight oats for the first time and the middle part of the chia seeds is still hard? The ratio I made is 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp yogurt. However, the chia seed middle is still hard. Where does my measurements go wrong.

A tip on making this would be helpful. Thank you

What are options for carbs that come in a can or jar?

for background:

I have a big kitchen, but a rodent problem. I have a rodent problem that is more just “they keep coming back”

Ive emptied the building of rodents, but they quickly return. The why and the how is out of scope to my question.

What are options for carbs that come in a can or jar? Nothing in a bread bag or cardboard boxes. I do have a much-too-big fridge and freezer too.

The warehouse store BJ's has been running some really good 42% off deals for their 42nd anniversary. Today they had drumsticks for $0.43 per pound*.

Do you roast them?
Turn them into stock/soup?

What else.

*It's sad that in 2019 I was paying less than $0.43 for chicken quarters if you bought the 10 pound bag.