What is your favorite non expensive dish?

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Never. Not even once.
I think it's because the sodium content frightens me. My mouth can't take more than the amount of salt that's on 1 or 2 french fries before it starts hurting.
 
ah then don't get them... very salty. but man are they good. unless you just used the seasoning packet to flavor the noodles then discard the broth.
 
I've also wished I could eat potato chips more! I do enjoy them, but the salt *ouch*! is too much. I'm waiting for the next fad to be the "regular food-but-now-salt-free" diet - I'd be in heaven!
 
jkath i'm looking around to see if i can find the ingredients to the seasoning packet so you can make your own with way less sodium. no luck yet. i'll keep searching
 
We can buy the noodles plain here, without seasoning mix. I use them for stir fries now and then. In fact they are called Wok Noodles.


Pam
 
jkath said:
I've also wished I could eat potato chips more! I do enjoy them, but the salt *ouch*! is too much. I'm waiting for the next fad to be the "regular food-but-now-salt-free" diet - I'd be in heaven!

i watch my sodium like crazy. if i eat something salty then i drink like 62 oz. of juice to dilute it! my dietician tried to convince me that sodium is okay, but i flipped her the proverbial bird. i hate how puffy salt makes me; skinny as i am, i still worry about stuff like that.
 
Sodium is more than "okay" it is something your body requires! It gets a bad rap but it is honestly very important. It helps regulate fluids in your body and is also critical for nerve and muscle function. Sodium is only bad when it is overdone; too little sodium is just as bad as going overboard with it.

Having a bag of ramen noodles for supper won't make you explode with sodium unless that's the kind of stuff you eat day in and day out. I like the old 80-20 rule ~ if 80% of what you eat is good for you, that 20% you splurge on isn't going to kill ya.

:heart:
Z
 
lol, zerah, i'm on more supplements than you could imagine, and that keeps my sodium/potassium/etc. levels at bay nomatter what. i need not worry about mineral depletion, lol!:LOL:
 
Zereh said:
Sodium is more than "okay" it is something your body requires! It gets a bad rap but it is honestly very important. It helps regulate fluids in your body and is also critical for nerve and muscle function. Sodium is only bad when it is overdone; too little sodium is just as bad as going overboard with it.

sodium is found in so many foods, especially in packaged or processed foods, that most people don't have to worry about getting enough in their diet. in fact, i'd bet they get way too much.
the bad rap comes from it's affects on the heart and blood vessels for people with hypertension, of which many if not most people have some degree as they age.
 
Thanks anyway, Middie -
all that talk about sodium makes me crave salt!
(I never had a problem with most foods till I got a Vitamin C deficiency when I was around 20..from then on it's been all kinds of weird stuff....
ahhhh! Youth is wasted on the young!)
 
I actually tend to have low sodium, because if I consume enough to cause water retention, it applies pressure to my arthritic joints and causes increased discomort. My doctor says to "use a reasonable amount".
Restaurant food can be a real problem...swells me up like a big fat toad. LOL!
 
I have so many dishes these are my favorite that are under $10:

Mom's spicy vegetable and beef soup
chicken and rice casserole
chineese noodle chicken
cornbread/hamburger casserole
spaghetti beef wrap-ups
sloppy joe squares
pasta with tuna cilantro cream
french onion soup
 
I make up this really simple and inexpensive dish that my husband just loves. In a large pot, cook fanfalle pasta as directed and drain. Meanwhile, in large skillet or wok, saute slices of kielbasa, when slightly browned and fat cooked out, add to pan rough chopped onion, fresh carrots sliced how you like, but not big chunks, and, after about 10 min., add a head of cabbage sliced up, as well as a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. Toss all this around every few minutes or so. S&P to taste. When cooked through, add drained pasta to kielbasa mixture, toss, and serve. I'm sorry I can't give you specific measurements of the ingredients, but for the two of us, and just for one meal, I would use about one-half lb. of the kielbasa, 2 med. carrots, 1 lg. onion, and small head cabbage. It's really pretty tasty and I serve it with horseradish and bread. Very inexpensive!
 
Hi! I agree with the chicken and roast potatoes recipe. Here's what got me through college, when I was very poor...but I still make it, and it's delicious. In college I found I could make a delicious meal with potatoes, eggs, oil, and ketchup. Perfect hashbrowns with fried eggs...

Use one large, or two medium potatoes per person, and one or two eggs:

Ingredients for 4:
4 large baking potatoes
vegetable oil of choice
1 medium onion
4-8 eggs
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Day 1: bake potatoes...scrub potatoes, and poke several times with a knife. bake at 350 degrees until they are fork tender. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Day 2: Heat cast iron pan to medium. Grate cold baked potatoes with a medium or large grater. Coursely chop onion and add the onion to the potatoes. Put a thin layer of oil, or oil mixed with butter in the hot pan, and then add the grated potatoe and onion mixture. Smash down with a spatula, and then drizzle with a little more oil. Allow to cook until potato onion mixture is brown on one side. Turn mixture, trying to keep the browned part together as much as possible. When the second side is brown ed, remove from pan with a large spatula, and place on plates, divided into 4 servings. Fry eggs in butter in pan, and then serve with hash browns. I like ketchup on the mix.
 
My favorite is Ochazuke (which is basically tea over rice).

Here is a basic recipe for Salmon Ochazuke:

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
2 cup of rice. Cold rice or leftover rice is perfectly is fine.
Freshly brewed green tea loose leaves (genmaicha is my favorite because its toasted brown rice content will enhance the flavor)
A pinch of sesame seeds
1/2 sheet of nori (dried seaweed paper)
1 salmon filet (approximately 1/4 lbs each)
wasabi (Japanese horseradish)* optional
2 umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums)* optional

Directions
Grill or bake some salmon (or if you like, you may use bits of leftover cooked salmon).

Prepare and brew green tea.

Place cooked rice into individual rice bowls. Shred the salmon over the rice.

Pour hot green tea over the rice and salmon. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, crumbled nori, and a small dab of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) or umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum).

Serve immediately; mix together and enjoy. You can also substitute tsukemono (pickled vegetables), other grilled or raw fish, or salmon roe for the salmon.
 
Oven Baked Chicken

1. I split a whole chicken, wash it & put it on a foil lined pan. Then sprinkle it with seasoned salt & bake until its cooked & golden brown. Serve it with micro waved or oven baked potatoes & vegetable or salad. A nice cheap meal! Low in fat too. I get the chickens when on sale & freeze them.
2. Also I make tacos with ground beef ( ground turkey or chicken too). Serve with a salad , refried beans & fruit.
3. Spaghetti with homemade sauce made of canned tomatoe, tomato sauce,oregano, italian seasoning, basil , garlic powder. My family perfers this recipe over bottled sauce.
 
Great ideas, torreon, and welcome to the site!

When you can get a good roast on sale, beef stroganoff is a nice cheap meal,
or...
with that same roast, you can slow roast the meat, fork shred it, add diced sauteed onions,garlic and chiles and make a ton of beef flautas (just barely fry the flour tortillas, fill with the filling, roll 'em up, close with a toothpick and bake till golden)
 

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