CHEAP FOOD pt 2
I guess I’m a very simple person. I want my food to be food, and I don’t need a lot of the extras that some people want. Like, eating shaved gold just seems like a ludicrous waste of money and gold to me.
Instant Oatmeal
I buy the packets of instant oatmeal, though I really only eat the apple cinnamon flavor. I leave the other flavors for other people because I’m nice like that 😛 (Seriously: You don’t want everyone in your family to like the same things, because that way leads to all your favorite cookies and snacks being eaten before you can get to them. If each person has their own tastes, there’s no fighting over the ice cream or the lunch meat or the chips, and nobody has to hide their food to keep others from getting to it first.)
Anyways, I like the instant oatmeal packets because 1) they’re convenient, 2) once you pour the oatmeal in a bowl the paper packet can be used as a measuring cup for the water, and 3) you don’t have to worry about someone accidently dumping the whole canister or using it all without saying anything so there’s only powder left in the bottom.
My favorite flavor is the apple cinnamon, and my least favorite flavor is the maple and brown sugar. And of course, EVERY box of mixed flavors includes the maple and brown sugar because of course.
I’ve found though, that buying a bag of frozen blueberries is very convenient. They’re tasty, you can use them in all kinds of recipes, and they’re pretty cheap.
So, if I have to eat the maple and brown sugar flavored instant oatmeal, I can doctor it up by adding a handful of frozen blueberries before putting the bowl in the microwave and it actually becomes pretty tasty. And on special occasions, when I take the oatmeal out of the microwave, I can top it with a small scatter of chocolate chips and they’ll be a little added treat.
The apple cinnamon oatmeal is always good as-is. But all instant oatmeal makes a tasty and filling meal, whether it comes from a packet or a canister you have to doctor yourself.
ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
I shop at Safeway and I have a For U account, which means I get rewards points for buying groceries. $1 = 1 point, and 100 points = 1 reward point, and there’s usually offers to earn 2x or 4x points.
Anyways, you can redeem the rewards points for various things (the offers change so you have to keep an eye out). Like, 1 reward point can get you 2 cans of vegetables or a container of sour cream, 3 rewards can get you a box of ice cream sandwiches or a package of ground turkey, and 4 rewards can be redeemed for a whole rotisserie chicken.
I usually go for the chicken, especially now that the price is so high, and if I do things right I can get at least 2 family meals out of one chicken.
Spicy chicken and rice–Take about half the chicken breast meat and shred it. Sprinkle with a little salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. If you’ve got some diced green onion that will add some nice flavor. Add a few drops of sesame oil, and mix the chicken until every bit is coated with flavor. Eat with rice.
Chicken noodle soup–Strip off all the meat and set aside. Simmer the bones and skin with or without vegetable scraps to make a broth. Remove the bones and discard. Strain the broth and set aside. Sauté chopped onion and celery, maybe some crushed garlic and chopped peppers, then add the broth to the pan and raise to a simmer with some chopped carrots and other vegetables (bok choy, peas, potatoes, spinach, kale, cabbage, etc.) and egg noodles if you want noodles. Chop up some chicken and add to the soup. Season to taste. Can be eaten with noodles or served over rice.
Chicken salad–Chop up some chicken, celery, and onions and mix with mayonnaise for chicken salad sandwiches. Some people like to add diced apple, grapes, shredded carrot, shredded cheese, chopped broccoli, etc. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate at least 20 minutes to let the flavors develop. You can serve on bread, wrapped in a tortilla, stuffed in a pita, with lettuce and tomato and a slice of cheese, or even mixed together with like a rotini or a shell pasta as a pasta salad.
Chicken and kimchi–Add kimchi and some kimchi juice to a pan and cook about 2 minutes, then add chopped or shredded chicken and mix together. Cook until the kimchi is tender and the chicken is hot. Serve with rice.
Seriously: Cooked kimchi is a different experience from uncooked kimchi. It’s good uncooked, it’s good fried, it’s good in soups, and every way is a different taste experience.
Other things to use a rotisserie chicken for:
- chicken fried rice (use yesterday’s rice)
- make some chicken gravy and add chopped chicken to serve over mashed potatoes
- sauté onions and peppers to serve in a wrap with shredded chicken
- chop up chicken to use in a Caesar salad
- mac and cheese with chunks of chicken
There’s lots of things to be done with a rotisserie chicken. Especially if it’s a “free” chicken.
~Harper Kingsley
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