The Chubby Cheapskate

2011-07-07T23:18:00.002-04:00

I love to cook.
I'm fat.
I am broke as a joke ALL the time

You would think that because I am broke, I wouldn't be able to cook, and therefore I wouldn't be fat. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. History has shown that the more my grocery budget is pinched, the worse we eat. When I don't have to watch ever penny, I tend to buy fresh veggies and fruits. I don't bat an eyelash as spending $25. to make a nice salad for dinner.

Since we rent our home, and live in a fairly uppity neighborhood, farm animals are out of the question. Until recently, I had never had a garden. Mainly because we lived in a condo and most things just don't grow well in pots with no sunlight. When we did have a house, our soil was lime rock and sand. I couldn't get a daisy to grow let alone sweet juicy fruits.

I have been spending time recently trying to find some peace in my life. There are things that I can not control. I can not control our debt/income ratio. I can not control the current cost of living. I can however change my ways to read and learn and adjust my life style to better fit with all of these things.

I am fed up with astronomical grocery bills. I am tired of eating shit. I am ready to quit allowing my financial burdens to dictate what I put into my body. Goodbye macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles. I am over you!

Taco Salad-ish

2011-07-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

I am famous for buying pre-packaged seasonings. I can not make tacos without counting on Old El Paso to season the meat for me. @ $1.49/pack there has to be a better way. Here is my first attempt at reproducing that mexican flavor.

Taco Salad-ish

1 1/2 C. dry Kidney Beans *
1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef/turkey/sausage [optional]Taco Salad-ish

1/2 C. fine chopped onion

1 Tbs.onion powder

1 Tbs.chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp pepper

2 8oz can tomato sauce

3 cups tortilla chips

shredded cheese

plain yogurt or Sour Cream

* if you don't want to spend the time with dry beans, you could use a 30oz. can of kidneys.

Prepare your beans via overnight or quick soak. Cook until tender and drain off water. Beans can be cooked ahead and stored in the refrig until ready to use.

If you decide to use ground meat of some sort, brown it and break into small pieces. Drain off all excess fat/drippings.

In a deep stove top pan, mix the seasonings, tomato sauce, beans and meat together and simmer for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. The mix should be thick like chili. Spoon the mix into a 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the mix and then cover with the tortilla chips. I used the bottom crumbled mess from 2 bags the boys had demolished and left in the pantry. You could use corn chips as well which would be yummy. Poke the chips down into the mix, but don't cover them all. You don't want all the chips to get soggy, just some of them.

Bake @ 400 for about 20 minutes. Cheese should be melted and everything should be bubbly.

I lined bowls with shredded lettuce. Dropped in a helping of the casserole. Sprinkled a lil more cheese on top and topped it off with a dollop of plain yogurt.

This can be doctored up according to individual taste. jalapeño peppers, diced tomatoes. sour cream etc..

The boys loved it. I am calling this one a success. Nummy numm
This would be a great thing to do with left over chili too as a snack or a meal.

Cost:

Kidney Beans 1/2 bag @ 1.49/bag .75
Tomato Sauce 2 @ 2/.90 .90
Gr Beef 1/2 lb @ 2.99/lb 1.50
Onion 1 @ 3.99/10 .39
Spices had on hand
Tortilla Chips 1/2 @ 1.88 bag .99
Lettuce 1/2 @ 1.79 head .90

Total $ 5.43

Candy Coated Sarcasm

The Chubby Cheapskate

Taco Salad-ish