A balanced(mostly) meal!

[Zero - The Nine Breaker]

Hey gang, I wanted to start a topic for those of us on a budget(like me), so that we can share meal ideas that help balance out our diets so that we don't go completely obese, and interesting enough so those with a advanced palate don't go bored with what they eat.

This morning I looked in the fridge and only found oranges, milk and Eggs. Looking into the freezer I found lots of frozen burritos and mixed veggies I also looked into the pantry and found only canned food and instant food. Wanting a balanced meal(so I don't get hungry later until my next meal) I grabbed a package of instant raman, some veggies, and three eggs. here's what I did -

I boiled some water and added the noodles and veggies, after about 4 minutes add the eggs to the water(disgusting you say? try it, it distributed the egg equally amongst the noodles),now add some soy-sauce(one shake)to the water, one dash of peppper, and whatever other spice you want(be reasonable). after another 2-3 minutes (or untill noodles and egg is done), add broth mixture(one added to package or an Mono-Sodium-Glutamate -free one you might have gotten from the store, I always have MSG free broth because MSG gives me a headache)of your desired flavour(chicken, turkey, beef, or pork, pork and egg taste the best), and serve. there you have it, eggs for protein, vegetables for nutrients, and noodles for starch. and if your a veggy-head like my sister,or generally allergic to eggs, add whatever protein supplement you like(ala-tofu for my sister, or mashed fried beans, Disgusting? try it, it tastes good actually). and don't forget to eat a fruit afterwards. I had the only fruit in my fridge, orange.

there, a balanced meal in 10 minutes(or less depending on what kind of noodles you buy).

[Promethius]

Wow. That sounds fantastically good. I love adding eggs to things like stir-fries and such. Sad to say, I can't really contribute to this topic as my diet is limited and it's pretty dang unhealthy. I do, however, take a multivitamin with my breakfast to help combat my nutrient-less diet. It's only a little over 10$ for a 6-month supply of Centrum.

[VeilSide]

okay, you know that mountain of Taco Bell sauce packets you've got laying in a drawer somewhere? well, i found a use for them - but it's going to require a bit of planning ahead.

what you'll need:

4 chicken thighs (or breasts - i'm partial to dark meat). this should be good for two people.
a mountain of taco bell sauce (mild, hot, whatever).
a ziploc freezer bag

1. if the thighs are frozen, thaw them out. if they're fresh, skip this step.
2. use a fork to puncture holes in the chicken. about a dozen stabs per piece, more or less. you can take the skin off and/or remove the bones, if you'd like.
3. using your freezer bag, marinade the chicken in taco bell sauce - make sure you have enough sauce to fully submerge the chicken. you're going to be opening A LOT of packets.
   a plastic grocery bag is good for this too, just make sure it's clean and doesn't have any holes to cause leaks.
4. get as much air out of the bag before sealing it and let it sit if the fridge for 4-5 hours. preferably overnight.
   
5. when it's time to get them out, fire up your grill. you can use an electric george foreman or gas grill, but i found that traditional charcoal is always best (and cheaper!)
6. this is probably a good time to start preparing some sort of side dish while the grill is warming up. something simple like rice, instant ramen, or mac-n-cheese should be good.
   
7. throw those bad boys on the grill and keep an eye on them turning them over every few minutes - this will help keep them moist and avoid burning on one side.
8. if you have any extra sauce packets at this point, use them to baste the cooking chicken if they start looking dry.
   DO NOT USE THE SAME SAUCE USED TO MARINADE THE CHICKEN. especially if the chicken's almost cooked. there's raw chicken juice and other nasties mixed in that stuff. throw that shit away. you don't want to catch bird flu, right?
9. you'll want the chicken moist, but fully cooked. if you think the chicken is done, don't be shy about using a knife and giving it a few cuts to look inside (especially near the bone). if there's blood, they're not done yet.
10. when they're done, serve with your side dish of choice and enjoy.

is it healthy? ehhhhhhh... not so much.
but it is delicious and cheap to make.

tl;dr
+ =

[Zero - The Nine Breaker]

Damnit veil. Now I want Taco Bell chicken, And I have no taco bell in this town to go and collect sauce packets. hell now i want taco's. Meh, for those in my situation I suggest using a mix of salsa-hotsauce-BBQ sauce. marinading chicken now.

[Torkair]

PANCAKES!!!

Ok so everyone probably knows the basics of making pancakes 1/3 mix and 2/3 water right? Well suppose you want a little differenter flavor from your pancakes... You can mix in about a table spoon (15ml) of most given extracts into the mix to add a little extra flavor to them, or bits of fruit (blueberrys, apple bits, strawberry, the list goes on).

Lasagna!!!

You can get the big sheet noodles for the lasagna in boxes at the store, you'll need to cook them a little till they're pliable. Put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, a layer of noodles, and then a layer of cheese and meat (I prefer turkey sausage as it's extremely low fat and tastes great). The key is thin layers here or it'll cook weird with hot and cold spots instead of being cooked through. There are usually final cooking instructions on the back of the noodle box. A single lasagna should be enough to feed 4-5 people depending on appetite or a single person for 3-4 days.

[VeilSide]

canned corned beef can usually be a drab. but here's a way to make it great:

just about any old canned corned beef brand will do, but if you want the best, get this:

Ox & Palm® brand Corned Beef - chunky, juicy, and full of flavor!
if you want the best canned corned beef humanity has to offer, pick one of these up if you can find them.
usually at your local asian/oriental supermarket.

what you'll need:

1... maybe 2 cans of canned corned beef. (depends on the size of the can and how hungry you are.)
1 sweet yellow onion. (a large one, if you can.)
4-5 garlic cloves. (just in case there's any confusion, these are cloves.)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil. (sesame oil can be expensive, so canola/vegetable/corn oil is fine too. i just like the way sesame oil smells when cooking)
ground black pepper
salt

what to do:

1. you can use almost anything for a side dish, but i recommend short-grained white rice. jasmine works well, but any old rice or even potatoes are fine too. you should start preparing this now so it'll be ready to serve when the corned beef is done.
2. dice the onion as finely as you can.
   once this is done, put it aside.
3. do the same with your garlic.
4. acquire a medium-sized sauce pan.
5. pour the oil into the saucepan and warm the pan to medium/high heat.
   swirl the oil around a bit to ensure uniform coverage of the bottom of pan.
6. pour your diced garlic and onions into the oiled pan and allow to sauté, stirring them occasionally until the onions turn a translucent white. they're about done by then.
7. lower the stove's heat to medium and add your canned corned beef.
8. cover the pan and allow the mixture to boil, stirring occasionally.
9. add pepper and/or salt to taste
10. serve with your side dish of choice and enjoy!

remember, be creative! i have learned that adding boiled diced potatoes to the mix makes for a great corned beef hash, as well as serving some diced and salted raw Roma tomatoes on the side.
have any leftovers? they make for a fine breakfast too. try it with a fried egg or two, sunny-side up.

is it cheap? hell yes.
is it delicious? hell yes.
is it good for you? hell no.