All over the world prices seem to rise constantly on food supplies. Walmart or Aldi sandwich bread, canned mixed vegetables, canned fruit cocktail, canned beans, and eggs might be what you need to buy if you only have $25. or less to purchase food to make frugal recipes. Hormel Compleats shelf-stable meals plus 4 oz. servings of mixed vegetables can make you a meal in 60 seconds in your microwave. You can make BBQ beef quickly using a package of GV thinly sliced Roast Beef and my own BBQ Sauce recipe that needs no cooking, and GV hamburger buns, plus a package of GV Tri-color coleslaw mix with classic mayonnaise mixed into it with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Add a serving of Vegetarian Baked Beans for a meal for all patriotic holidays. For other holidays,, you can heat a Hormel Compleats Turkey, Dressing and Gravy shelf-stable meal, a 4 oz. serving of diced carrots and green peas, and a Sweet Potato Mug Pie for dessert. If you don't like turkey, buy a Hormel Compleats Chicken Breast with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes, and add a 4 oz. serving of canned green beans, and make yourself a Mug Cake for dessert. Another healthy meal you can make at home is Pasta Primavera. I will put these recipes on this website for you to enjoy.
1 jar Grape or Strawberry Peanut Butter Swirl
1 loaf sandwich bread
7 cans generic beans
2 dozen eggs
4 cans generic fruit cocktail
4 cans generic mixed vegetables
1 lb. margarine sticks
5 lbs. potatoes or a large pkg. brown rice
2 cans chicken broth
1 pack sliced cheese
1 pkg. generic spaghetti noodles
2 cans tomato sauce
1 box quick oats
Always buy generic grocery store brands when you are tight in your food budget. They are usually just as good as other brands and are a lot cheaper to purchase. Look for things you know you will enjoy eating that don't cost a lot of money when your food budget is tight.
You can get more nutrients for your body using canned mixed vegetables and canned mixed fruits when money is tight.
Eggs are very versatile as they can be scrambled, fried, hard-boiled, or used in recipes, and they keep you feeling satisfied and fuller longer. Eating Oatmeal also makes you feel fuller and satisfied longer.
Aldi, Walmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and other random dollar stores sell most foods cheaper than you can buy them at regular stores. Check these stores out, if you have little money to spend on food or household supplies. They also have cheaper spices. If you can't afford many spices, try to get Lemon Pepper Seasoning Mix, Cinnamon Powder, and Italian Seasoning. When times get better for you financially, buy a few things extra each week for your food pantry, so should your budget gets tight again, you will have some shelf-stable stock to rely on to get you through difficult financial times.
No one will starve as long as they have some sandwich bread, oatmeal, canned beans, brown rice, eggs, spaghetti noodles, canned mixed vegetables, canned fruit cocktail, frozen chopped spinach, peanut butter, jelly, chicken broth or bouillon cubes, and tomato sauce. Ketchup will work as a substitute for tomato sauce if you can find a bargain on a large bottle. Mustard is another condiment to keep in stock. Jars of Wyler Chicken or Beef Cubes are what I like to keep in stock to make chicken or beef broth when needed.
If your food budget can afford more, add canned tomatoes, salmon or tuna, applesauce, broccoli, green beans, carrots, onions, green peas, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. By using canned mixed vegetables and canned fruit cocktail, you will be getting more nourishment and nutrients.
Remember when you are making side dishes to use colorful sides because we eat with our eyes first. One dish you can always make like that is to use frozen green peas and diced carrots, and small jars of diced pimentos or diced colorful bell peppers cooked with a Tablespoon of margarine added, and salt and pepper to suit your taste.
Applesauce cups and Diced Fruit Cups make excellent desserts. Just by eating a 4 oz. cup of diced tropical fruit or pineapple, you can help your digestion so much. Fruit can act as a substitute for a salad at a meal as well. You can make them fancier by adding Yoplait yogurt cups as a dressing, but they are delicious on their own.
When eating beans, if you suffer from flatulence, eat pineapple chunks with your meal, and you should not have so much gassiness.
Self-rising Buttermilk Cornmeal, self-rising flour, eggs, sugar, extracts, spices, salt, black pepper, butter, milk, whole grain cereals, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, lime juice, lemon juice, brown rice, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, light brown sugar, pickle relish, canned beans, canned mixed vegetables, canned fruit cocktail, chicken broth, and beef broth are staples that you always need to keep in stock in your food pantry. You can make waffles, pancakes, dumplings, pie crust, biscuits, muffins, breads, cakes, and cookies from self-rising flour. Self-rising white cornmeal makes delicious cornbread to go with your canned beans or lentils. It is great to use to batter fish, chicken, meats, and vegetables before cooking.
Here is a tip you might not know. Grandma's Molasses contains all the major electrolytes the human body needs to stay hydrated. I realized this when I read the ingredients label. By taking a Tablespoon daily we could make sure our electrolytes are up to par. Anyone who cannot eat sweets should ask their doctor about Molasses before eating it.
A quick syrup can be made by mixing 2 cups light brown sugar with 1 cup water and adding 1 Tbsp. maple extract when the sugar and water have boiled for five minutes. A simple sugar syrup can be made using white sugar in the same way. Any extract you like can be added to change the flavors. That simple sugar syrup can be used to sweeten your beverages as well, like lemonade, limeade, or iced tea. A box of generic 100 tagless teabags is good to keep in stock. You can also buy a box of instant coffee sticks for a dollar at Dollar General or Family Dollar if you need caffeine to wake up in the morning to get your day going. Both stores sell coffee creamer for a dollar a bottle as well.
Oatmeal can be served for breakfast, serve a sandwich or soup or Garlic Noodles for lunch, and beans and brown rice can be served for dinner. Even the most frugal budget should be able to afford these items.
A Wyler bouillon cube dissolved into two cups of hot water makes 2 cups of either chicken or beef broth to make a quick soup with a can of mixed vegetables. Check out generic store-brand canned soups as some are half-price over well-known brands. Always check the Best if Used By Date on everything and buy products that have the longest expiration dates. Always read ALL labels to make sure what you purchase contains nothing to which you are allergic.
Generic Tomato sauce can quickly be turned into spaghetti with marinara sauce by adding garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian Seasoning to the tomato sauce. Cook the spaghetti noodles for 11 minutes in boiling water, then serve the heated marinara sauce over the drained spaghetti. Start with 1/4 tsp. spices, then adjust to suit your tastes. You can always add more, but once you have added too much, it is headed for the garbage. Canned Generic Tomato Sauce is still a good frugal purchase at most grocery stores.
Bruschetta can be made by toasting some bread slices that are sliced in half that have been brushed with olive oil, then rubbed with a clove of garlic sliced in half, then topped with chopped tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese, and placing them under the broiler until the mozzarella has melted. It makes a wonderful quick appetizer or can be used as a whole meal when you eat several of them.
You can also use marinara sauce as a pizza sauce. Eight inches round Pizza dough can be made quickly by using a cup of self-rising flour and 3/4 cup plain yogurt mixed together to form a dough, then pressed into your pizza pan, and baked at 400 degrees until golden brown.
You can use the chopped spinach as a side dish such as Creamed Spinach, or with garlic powder or hot sauce added to it, or mix it with cooked spaghetti to make a Spaghetti Florentine meal. Spaghetti noodles can be used for pasta in making spaghetti, Garlic Noodles, Chicken Noodle Soup when spaghetti strands are broken into thirds before cooking them in chicken broth, casseroles, and skillet dishes.
Leftover cooked rice can be made into a quick rice pudding using sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and beaten eggs added to the rice and cooked in a saucepan until the eggs make it thicker. Raisins can be added if you like them.
When you have broths and mixed vegetables on hand, you can quickly make several different kinds of soups. By adding some ginger powder, sesame oil, and soy sauce, you can create different Asian soups.
By adding lime juice and ginger powder (both to suit your tastes) to heated canned chicken broth, 1 tsp. sesame oil, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and a pinch (or more) of cayenne pepper, you can create a Hot and Sour Soup.
By adding one beaten egg to the boiling chicken broth mixture you can have Eggdrop Soup.
You can make a large pot of quick Beefless Stew by using canned beef broth, a pack of beef gravy mix, a can of tomato sauce, canned diced potatoes, canned sliced carrots, canned green peas or green beans, and a jar of pearl onions or dehydrated onions.
You can use just one chicken breast poached until done, then sliced into bite-sized pieces, and use it to make an entire pot of quick chicken stew by making a roux of equal parts butter and flour, then adding canned chicken broth, canned diced potatoes, and some spaghetti strands broken into 3 pieces. Your favorite herbs and spices as well as salt and pepper can always be adjusted to any soup recipe to your own preferences. Never be afraid to experiment with recipes to custom-make them your own.
Another excellent quick vegetable soup can be made using either chicken or beef broth or bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water, canned mixed vegetables, and cooked elbow macaroni.
A chicken noodle soup can be quickly made using one poached chicken breast cut into tiny pieces, and canned chicken broth with garlic powder and onion powder. Spaghetti or Fettuccine can be broken into three equal pieces and cooked and added for the noodles.
A quick tomato soup can be made by using tomato sauce and either water or milk and any spices like basil or garlic you might want to add. The milk makes it a Cream of Tomato Soup, while water just makes it a regular tomato soup. You could also use beef or chicken broth in any soup recipe to make it richer tasting, as well as using heavy cream or Half and Half to make it thicker and richer tasting.
You can make your own frugal heavy cream with 3/4 cup whole milk, and 1/2 stick margarine. It won't work for coffee creamer though.
Do you realize that the liquid that most people pour down their drain in canned beans can be whipped with a mixer or blender into something similar to whipped cream by adding either sweet or savory spices once it is whipped?
You can peel and wash a five-pound bag of Irish potatoes. Place them cut up into small chunks into a large pot with a lid. Barely cover them with water, and cook them over medium heat until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 cups whole milk or Half and Half, 1/2 stick margarine, salt, and pepper to suit your tastes. You should have enough Magic Potatoes to last one person for a week if kept in the refrigerator after cooking. They just keep getting better when the leftovers are kept covered in the refrigerator. This is a great recipe to have when you don't feel well to get your strength back quicker.
Try to keep orange juice on hand, because we all need Vitamin C to help us stay healthier.
Garlic is known as "poor man's penicillin."
Germs cannot live in pure lemon juice.
A quick corn chowder can be made using milk, canned cream corn, and canned diced potatoes with some dried basil added to it.
Any fresh vegetables you have from a garden can be made into a quick soup in the same way by using either canned broths, bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water, water, milk, Half and Half, or heavy cream. You never want to boil milk or heavy cream, or it will curdle on you. Just heat it through at the last minute before serving. And you do not want to mix any type citrus juices with any type milk or cream, or they will curdle it.
If you want a quick Coconut Lime Soup, use coconut oil and almond milk and some True Lime powder mixed with a can of chicken broth heated together. Use round tortilla chips as crackers.
True Lemon Powder, True Lime Powder, and True Orange Powder are excellent individual packets to keep in stock to flavor your pure filtered water to use as your healthy beverages to drink daily. It is advisable to purchase a quick-to-attach-to-your-kitchen-sink-faucet Water Filter than to buy bottled water if you want to be frugal.
You can also make a salmon or tuna stew out of canned boneless skinless salmon or tuna, milk, and butter. Diced canned potatoes can be added if you want them. Season to suit your tastes. Add saltine crackers when served.
Southern Recipes has some great comforting recipes that you might want to view.
Pre-cooked meatballs are good to keep on hand for quick appetizers, sandwiches, or meals. You can melt a jar of grape, peach, or apple jelly in a small saucepan to make a fast dip to serve them with for a sweet appetizer, or use a bottled marinara sauce to make a savory appetizer dip for them. Toothpicks can be used to spear them within the center.
Quick Swedish Meatballs can be made by using a jar of brown gravy, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cardamom, and 2 Tbsp. heavy cream. Place your pre-cooked meatballs in the hot sauce and heat them through, then serve. The same could be served over any regular noodles as an entree. You also can have them on hand to add to your spaghetti sauce when you want them. They also make excellent meatball subs. Just split them in half and place them with spaghetti sauce and grated cheese in a hotdog bun or hoagie roll.
Another quick and inexpensive appetizer can be made by using a store brand Lil Beef Smokies heated in half a bottle of Kraft Hickory Honey Barbeque Sauce. Use toothpicks to spear them with to serve. You could also use a package of beef wieners and slice each cooked wiener into three equal-sized pieces. Serve with mustard.
Chopped cooked spinach (squeezed completely dry) can be mixed into a brick of softened cream cheese with half a teaspoon of garlic powder and half a teaspoon of onion powder to make a quick and easy spread for crackers.
A quick-and-easy Pimento Cheese Spread can be made using a large brick of Philadelphia Cream Cheese softened at room temperature and mixed with a fork into a 4 oz. drained jar of diced pimentos, 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Keep in a lidded container in your refrigerator to use to make sandwiches or spread onto crackers.
A jar of Apple Jelly can be quickly mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and a few red pepper flakes (optional) to make a hot pepper jelly that can be served with cream cheese and crackers for an appetizer or snack. You can adjust the heat by adding more or less cayenne.
Make quick Cinnamon Rolls using a can of Crescent Roll dough, unfolded onto parchment paper, then sprinkled with a thick layer of Cinnamon Sugar, rolled up lenghtwise, and cut into slices placed carefully onto a baking sheet, and baked to a golden brown. Remove and glaze their tops with a mixture of powdered sugar and milk.
Make a quick pie tart using a can of Crescent Roll dough spread onto a baking sheet and topped with a can of Pie Filling, then topped with another can of Crescent Roll dough, and baked until golden brown. Slice. Eat warm.
You can make your own homemade Fritos by frying strips of corn tortillas in hot vegetable oil, then draining them on paper towels. You can salt or season them while they are hot, as you want them, either sweet or savory.
Chinese Noodles can be homemade by cutting tortillas, wonton wrappers, or eggroll wrappers into strips and frying them the same way. Use a slotted spoon to move them around the skillet. They fry very fast, so watch them carefully. They store well in large zippered plastic bags. They make great snacks. You can add cinnamon sugar to them for another homemade treat.
Wonton wrappers can be used in muffin tins to create individual servings of recipes like lasagna. Use the wonton wrappers instead of lasagna noodles. Or use flour or corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles. You can become quite good at creating new recipes.
Egg Roll wrappers can be used to make individual homemade pies using pie fillings and baked in the oven.
I fry delicious homemade French Fries by slicing potatoes into long lengths and frying them in a skillet of very hot vegetable oil. I found that the hotter the oil the better they are. I turn them with a spatula as they brown so they get browned evenly all over. Then I drain them on white paper towels and salt them while hot.
You can fry washed and peeled Irish potato chunks that have been battered in white self-rising cornmeal and fried in hot vegetable oil until golden brown, then drained on paper towels. Salt them to suit your taste while they are still hot.
You can do the same thing with sweet potatoes, although you might want to season them after they are done with cinnamon sugar instead of salt. To make cinnamon sugar, mix light brown sugar and cinnamon to suit your taste, and keep it stored in a lidded bottle.
Shop at stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, any type of dollar stores, Aldi, Walmart, K-Mart, Kroger, Ingles, or BiLo to find many of the above products on sale. Make notes where you can find the best bargains so you don't have to drive a lot since gas is expensive. You might be pleasantly surprised at just how many foods are available now at dollar stores. For every dollar you save on a product, you can add something else to your frugal food budget.
If you can afford to spend more money, make bean and cheese burritos from flour tortillas and refried beans and shredded cheese with some salsa. Buy Peach or Strawberry applesauce, as well as some whole milk and whole grain boxed cereals and oatmeal for additional breakfasts or snacks. Purchase pouches of boneless, skinless salmon or canned tuna for fish three to seven times during the week for additional nutrients.
For breakfast on this food budget for one, make two scrambled eggs with cheese and two slices of wheat toast. If you can afford it, add peach or strawberry applesauce to go on the toast. Alternate cereals and milk the next morning. Oatmeal is another inexpensive breakfast food to keep on hand for variety or frugality, and it's also great to use in ground meat to stretch a meatloaf recipe or use in an oatmeal cookie recipe. Dollar General has a box of Clover Valley Fruit 'n' Cream Instant Oatmeal that contains 6 individual packets that are very delicious and inexpensive, and only need hot water to prepare a packet for breakfast or a snack.
For lunch, eat a Grape or Strawberry Peanut Butter Swirl sandwich with a glass of cold milk. For a toasted cheese sandwich, just toast two slices of sandwich bread and while hot, add a slice of cheese and press the two slices together. In a frugal pinch, you can add ketchup or tomato sauce to a cup of hot water to make tomato soup. Or drink a can of chilled V-8 Vegetable Juice with your toasted cheese sandwich.
If you can afford some apples and bananas you could use a diced apple, chopped boiled eggs, and a pouch of salmon or tuna with pickle relish, mustard, and mayonnaise for a delicious seafood salad for lunch or use as a filling for a sandwich on toasted bread or with saltine crackers. The diced apple will give it a whole new flavor. Have a banana for dessert or sliced on a sandwich with either mayonnaise or peanut butter for another sandwich variety. Freshly sliced tomatoes make a wonderful sandwich on whole wheat bread spread with mayonnaise, and salt and pepper the slices of tomatoes.
Individual diced fruit cups such as peaches, pineapple, pears, mandarin oranges, or tropical fruit actually taste better than some fresh fruits.
If your food budget will allow this, popcorn makes a great snack while watching tv or a movie at home. Popcorn is better as a snack because it is a whole grain. Dollar General sells a large bag of pretzels for 3 dollars. A large bag of round Tostitos and a big jar of Salsa make a very satisfying snack for those times when you crave something but don't know what it is you are craving.
If your personal budget doesn't allow for cable tv, use your free WIFI internet service to access individual tv channels' websites online and search for tv episodes or movies that are shown online for free. Join Amazon Prime to download so many free apps that allow people to watch a lot of free tv and movies. EBT cardholders get Amazon Prime for half price. Amazon.com can find what you search for because they are customer-concentric and want to please their customers.
For dinner, cook a pot of beans or lentils or open a can of fat-free Luck's beans (the only canned brand with the closest taste to home-cooked delicious beans I have ever found,) a skillet of cornbread, and some type of potatoes or brown rice every two days. Keep the leftovers refrigerated to reheat for the following day's dinner.
Walmart sells cooked chicken breast chunks that come in pouches that are excellent to use to make Chicken Salad or Chicken Stir-Fry Vegetables.
If you can afford it, you can also fry some salmon patties by mixing in some self-rising white cornmeal, lemon juice, Old Bay Seasoning, and one egg, then forming into patties and frying them on both sides in some vegetable oil. Drain patties on paper towels when golden brown on both sides then serve with ketchup.
Bean patties can be made in the same way. Just mash them, and add some self-rising flour and one egg to bind them together, then form patties, and fry them in hot oil on both sides until brown. Beans are an excellent fiber and protein food.
Any nuts can be pulverized in a food processor to make nut patties in the same way. Bind them together with a beaten egg white and some cornstarch, with any seasonings you want in them, then form patties, and fry them in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.
Potatoes can be baked, fried, mashed, stewed, or boiled for variety. Don't forget about sweet potatoes. They are very healthy to eat.
Spinach is good for the nervous system, as is brown rice, and both are loaded with B Vitamins. Frozen chopped spinach is a very frugal product to use. Just squeeze out the water once you microwave it for five minutes in the package it comes in, then add some butter and a bit of garlic powder and onion powder, and mix into it. Cooked Sweet Potatoes can be found in the frozen foods section or canned section of stores and usually are very inexpensive. Try mashing a can of carrots with some minced ginger for a delicious and different side dish. White rice has had all the nutrients stripped from it, so use brown rice instead which has B Vitamins in it. B-Complex Vitamins can help anyone who has nerve problems to calm down when overstressed or overwhelmed. B12 sublingual supplements might give you more energy when needed. What your body doesn't need will be excreted during urination.
Take a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement daily if you can afford it to make sure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs.
You can use Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups mixed with half a pound of cooked ground meat, a poached chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces, or any cooked seafood and 1/2 cup mixed vegetables to make pot pies or frugal casseroles. Cooked canned or frozen biscuits can be used for the top crust. This makes excellent individual servings when placed in 10-ounce ramekins.
Buy the cheapest refrigerated canned biscuits dough and pinch them off in pieces to use to make dumplings in a can of heated Cream of Chicken Soup with one can milk or water, and a Tablespoon of Butter, and let them simmer covered for 10 minutes until the dumplings are done. Add some green Peas and diced Carrots and you have another delicious frugal meal.
You can cook a frugal Tuna Casserole with cooked wide egg noodles, a pouch or can of tuna, some frozen green peas, and a can of Cream of Mushroom soup all heated together. Or mix together one box of cooked macaroni and cheese with a can of tuna, and frozen green peas heated through.
Drink at least 8 glasses water a day to keep yourself hydrated. If you need to lose weight, it is very important to drink adequate amounts of water to flush out fat cells and toxins. A good rule is to divide your body weight by 2 and the answer is how many ounces of pure filtered water you should drink every day.
Eating a MUFA after every meal can help you lose belly fat. A MUFA is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid such as almonds or other nuts or seeds, avocadoes, dark chocolate, black or green olives, or using oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, or extra virgin coconut oil. Try eating drained canned jumbo olives (black or green, pitted) with some lemon juice marinated over them. They are delicious!
A tea expert told me that tea is tea, and there is no special tea available that will make a person lose weight any more than just drinking regular tea would. If you buy into that weight loss advertisement, you are just wasting your money. You can buy Oolong (pronounced Wu-Long) Tea Bags at grocery stores or health food stores if that is the kind of tea you want to drink. I have tried it, and it didn't make me lose any weight. Green teas drank each day do give your body EGCG and antioxidants needed to fight free radicals that cause diseases. Four cups or two mugsful per day seem to work well.
If you need buttermilk, you can make it by stirring 1 Tbsp. lemon juice into one cup of cold milk. Within 5 minutes, it will become buttermilk.
Eating yogurt with live probiotic cultures daily is reported to promote longevity and help your digestive system function better. Drinking a glass of water in which 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda is mixed, with your meals is reported to keep a person looking younger and keep the body healthier.
White chia seeds can be purchased at www.swansonvitamins.com or www.nuts.com and are very healthy to eat. You need to soak them in advance of eating them or else they will take the moisture out of your body. They need 15 minutes to soak in any liquid, and will take on that flavor. They have no flavor of their own. Be sure to drink plenty of water, as they absorb 12 times their weight and size in moisture. That means a one-pound jar will make twelve pounds of chia gel. They will stop diarrhea or constipation if you eat them daily. If you mix them with fruit juice, they are called chia fresca.
If you live in a noisy environment, try using Mack's or Quiet Flents 33-decibel earplugs you can buy at www.Amazon.com to keep out the noises so you can sleep or study. Or run a fan or air purifier to make enough white noise so you can sleep.
If you live in an apartment complex where pests are frequent, buy some 100% Pure Peppermint Oil, and mix a little of it in a sprayer bottle full of water, and use it all over your apartment or home to repel pests. If you have problems with lizards, snakes, or rats, use pure clove oil sprinkled all around your doors' thresholds. It will repel them. Both can be purchased at www.amazon.com, www.vitacost.com, and www.swansonvitamins.com, and both can be used to make your own homemade mouthwashes with water.
Clove Oil can be used, placing a drop or two over an aching tooth, for relief of pain until you can go to a dentist.
You can make your own homemade toothpaste out of baking soda and sea salt, using equal parts of each. You can also use Bentonite Clay powder or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to brush your teeth. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil can be used as a whole-body moisturizer when you first get out of the shower or bath.
If you find you cannot sleep, try eating a turkey breast sandwich with lettuce leaves on whole wheat bread and drinking a glass of warmed milk. The tryptophan in it should put you right to sleep. Or try dissolving two aspirin with a small glass of warmed milk about an hour before bedtime to help you sleep like a baby without a drugged hangover when you awaken. Eating twenty dried tart cherries a day reportedly cures insomnia and gout. SwansonVitamins.com sells Hi-Actives Tart Cherries Capsules that stop gout flare-ups or swollen big toes when taken daily and help you sleep sounder. Theanine and Tryptophan are amino acid supplements that will help relax you for a sounder sleep. SwansonVitamins.com sells a product called Sleep Essentials which contains ingredients that help you sleep better.
Watch out for caffeine in beverages in the pm hours as they can keep you awake at night.
Bragg's Amino Acids will supply all the amino acids in just 1/2 teaspoonful per day. It is an excellent substitute for soy sauce. You can use it to spray on a lot of foods to make them have more flavor. Buy Bragg's 24 Seasonings powder in a shaker bottle that you can use as an all-purpose seasoning instead of salt and pepper.
In a pinch for money, you could exist on cooked brown rice and mixed vegetables for a meal. For anyone who does not want to have to cook their brown rice, purchase Minute 60 Seconds Instant Brown Rice 8 oz. cups that can be microwaved in 60 seconds and come two per pack in grocery stores and online.
Be sure to check out my Faux Meat Recipes.
Almost anyone could afford instant oatmeal and toast, cooked brown rice and a can of mixed vegetables, and Hormel Compleat shelf-stable entrees to have two or three meals a day.
Always keep your hands clean to enjoy better health. Another frugal health tip that really works is to use Q-tips dipped in 3% hydrogen peroxide and swab out your nostrils and ear canals every day to keep colds and flu away. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide costs around a dollar a bottle at Walmart or Dollar General. Or you can use pure cold-pressed sesame oil to do the same. A little goes a long way. You can cook with it as well. Sesame Oil is the secret ingredient the Chinese use in their recipes that gives it that special delicious flavor. Only a teaspoonful is needed in most recipes. Pure Sesame oil can be used both internally and externally for good health. It makes an excellent lubricant for the skin. You can gargle with it if you have a sore throat to help heal it. It will help heal sores and skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Sesame oil will go rancid pretty quickly, so keep it in your refrigerator after opening it to make it last longer.
At the first sign of a cold or flu, begin taking a teaspoonful of honey mixed with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon a couple times each day to get rid of the virus.
If you get a cold sore on your lip, take 2000 mg. Lysine and 2000 mg. of Vitamin C, and 2000 mg. of Garlic daily until it is gone. Use Carmex Lip Balm to prevent canker sores from occurring. Lysine, Vitamin C, and Garlic, 2000 mg. of each are needed to fight viruses. If you get a virus, take the same every six hours with water daily until the virus is completely gone.
Another secret health defense is to use Grapefruit Seed Extract pills or liquid to make your own cleaning recipes and take to get rid of pathogens inside you.
Many people in college have existed on whole grain cereals and whole milk as well. Just be sure to buy a cereal like Total which has a lot of vitamins in it, and use whole milk if that is all you are going to eat. Parmalat UHT whole milk in tetra quarts is carried the cheapest by Walmart and is shelf-stable. It doesn't need to be refrigerated until it is opened and then will last for a week or so.
Eating a good breakfast every day is one of the basics everyone should make a habit of doing. A healthy breakfast will fuel your body's energy needs for that day, and you will find your day goes better when it gets the nutrients it needs.
Eggs can be used scrambled with cooked brown rice and mixed vegetables to make a quick Fried Rice. You can add any chopped leftover cooked meats as well. You can use eggs fried, scrambled, poached, shirred, boiled, or baked in recipes. Eggs contain choline which is needed for proper brain function. Eggs can be used to bind ingredients together in recipes, and they can help to stretch other ingredients. Egg salad makes a good sandwich spread. Stuffed hard-boiled eggs make a good side dish.
Learn the simple basics of cooking, and you can improvise to create and cook many frugal recipes. I have some good basic recipes on my Miscellaneous Recipes website for making your own products a lot cheaper than you can buy them. I also have some websites with recipes to make your own cleaning supplies and beauty supplies. All of them are free and can be found on my main recipes index.
I have many free frugal recipes on my recipes links index that you can use to keep your frugal meals from getting boring. When you can afford them, buy dried spices in bottles or jars and keep in your food pantry to perk up your recipes. Some spices that are great to use are garlic, onions, ginger, cinnamon, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, barbeque, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, celery seeds, dillweed, cumin, cilantro, turmeric, paprika, and chives.
Remember also that you can still eat food that is freezer burned (it's just ice crystals that have formed on the food,) but you will have to add flavors to it, or it might taste off balance. Add chicken broth for chicken, or beef broth for meats.
Quick recipes thrive when you add more flavor to them. Always keep plenty of herbs, spices, and broths in your food pantry to add flavor to your recipes.
Adding 1 teaspoonful lemon juice to canned foods will make them taste fresher.
Fish sticks are a frugal meal entree. Add macaroni and cheese, and green peas with diced carrots.
GATORADE
GARLIC NOODLES
VEGETABLE SOUP
TATER TOTS CASSEROLE
PASTA PRIMAVERA
To make some of the best BBQ SAUCE you will ever eat with no cooking needed, mix in a lidded bowl, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp. hickory smoke liquid seasoning (more or less to suit your taste.) Keep in your refrigerator to use over thinly sliced roast beef on hamburger buns.
To make quick COLESLAW, buy a package of tri-color coleslaw mix. Place in a lidded bowl. Add 1/2 cup classic mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to suit your taste. Mix to combine. Keep it in your refrigerator to use as needed.
To make a quick SWEET POTATO MUG PIE, open a 14 oz. can Kroger Sweet Potatoes With Spices into a bowl. Use a fork to mash them. Add 1 beaten egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix to combine. Use cinnamon sugar or use Splenda and cinnamon mixed together to sweeten to suit your taste. Put the bowl in your microwave and cook for 2 minutes on high. Remove. Let cool. Top with canned whipped cream. Enjoy!
My Free Angelfood Mug Cake Recipes
1 pkg. lemon-lime Kool-Aid
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup orange juice
1 gallon cold water
Mix all ingredients in a gallon pitcher and drink as desired. Keep chilled in your refrigerator. This drink can be made for pennies and replaces the electrolytes needed in your body when you get dehydrated or overheated. Drink two glasses to get rid of a headache.
2 cups cooked noodles per person
1 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
Cook the noodles for nine to eleven minutes in boiling water in a saucepan. Drain off the water. Add the butter, onion powder, and garlic powder and stir well. Serve.
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 can Mixed Vegetables
1 tsp. each garlic powder and onion powder
1-1/2 cups chicken or beef broth or water
salt and pepper to suit tastes
In a saucepan place the water, mixed vegetables, macaroni, and seasonings. Let it cook for eleven minutes, and serve in bowls.
Cook one pound of any ground-up meat and one diced sweet onion, in a skillet until done, then drain off the excess fat. Place the cooked mixture in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour one large bag of Tater Tots over the meat/onions. Mix one can Cream of Chicken Soup with 1 can milk and pour over that. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and serve. You can add shredded cheese to the top, if desired, during the last five minutes of baking time.
In a large skillet, place 1 pkg. frozen Pictsweet Onions and 3-Color Bell Peppers, one large jar of drained Sliced Mushrooms, and 1 can Rotel drained diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, with 1 Tbsp. butter. Cook until as tender as you want them to be. In a saucepan, put 1 cup Heavy Cream and 1 package of shredded Gouda Cheese (from Aldi.) Add 1 teaspoon True Lemon Pepper Seasoning, and cook while stirring contantly until cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. In a large bowl, mix everything together with 2 cups cooked and drained Penne. Serve. Keep leftovers in a lidded dish in your refrigerator to reheat in your microwave for more meals. You will need to add more heavy cream each time you reheat it. This is a recipe God gave to me that is so delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much and as often as I do.
