# Cheap, Fast, and Good



## danbuter (Oct 19, 2012)

What kinds of meals do you make when in a bit of a hurry but light in the wallet? Some of the things I've done:

Cold spaghetti sauce on bread.
Canned beef stew on rice.


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## Whiskadoodle (Oct 19, 2012)

Egg salad sandwiches on toast

scrambled eggs on toast,  serve open face, it's more,  well, la-de dah style.  

Chili, while not quick,  can be made ahead and frozen.   Thin it out while thawing if it was thick,  or you want it to stretch futher.  Serve it on rice or  mash potatoes.  Potatoes are not too expensive.  Fried potatoes are good.  

I think toasted (grilled) peanut butter sandwiches are a treat, not too often, but good, cheaper than cheese. 

I always add extra water to frozen juice,  makes it go further and doesn't detract from the flavor.  Ice tea or Iced coffee rather than soda pop.


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## jabbur (Oct 19, 2012)

My boys swear by Ramen!  While I myself don't partake of that particular delicacy, some of my quick and cheap meals include spaghetti with tomato sauce (red gravy), Cream of chicken soup over rice (have been known to do broccoli cheese soup too.)  fried egg sandwich, oatmeal.


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## Whiskadoodle (Oct 19, 2012)

Pancakes.


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## bakechef (Oct 19, 2012)

Breakfast for dinner is always a good cheap meal, eggs are one of the best and cheapest forms of protein.

chili-mac, a good flavor change from regular spaghetti.

soups, can of broth, a hand full of veg, maybe some meat, season to taste.


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## chopper (Oct 19, 2012)

Sloppy Joes.


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## taxlady (Oct 19, 2012)

Sloppy Joes, pasta carbonara, BLT, dressed up grilled cheese, Indian heat and serve curries with our own brown rice, brown rice fried with sesame seeds and tamari, soup and a sandwich.


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## Snip 13 (Oct 20, 2012)

Another vote for breakfast for dinner! I do that often and Bake beans on toast (with a little mayo in the beans) the only way my kids eat them!
Toasted tuna or tomato and cheese, instant noodles with some frozen mixed veggies added, canned sardines or canned oysters on toast, fried rice made with leftover rice, egg and whatever veggies we have, veggie soups, marrow bones with toast, baked potatoes with jarred pasta sauce and cheese if we have, pancakes (crepes since we make them thin in SA) filled with minced beef, tuna mayo, swiss chard, stir fry veg or whatever else we have, pap and morogo (like swiss chard), pap and curried cabbage, sauerkraut with warm bread and butter, hotdogs or sausage rolls, gravy or relish with pap or toast etc etc. I could carry on all day lol!


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## CWS4322 (Oct 20, 2012)

Tofu is a cheap source of protein. Cube it and marinate it with a bit of oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and take whatever veggies you have and make a stir fry.

I'm big on breakfast any time of day. Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein as well.


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## Kylie1969 (Oct 20, 2012)

Curried egg sandwiches with lettuce or plain egg

Baked beans on toast

Tuna and salad


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## CraigC (Oct 21, 2012)

Grilled cheese sandwich, hotdogs with leftover chili, omelette, salad...


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## Snip 13 (Oct 21, 2012)

Made some tinned cannellini beans on toast yesterday. Fried some onion with a but of curry, salt and pepper and just added the drained beans. It was much better that canned baked beans!


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## Kathleen (Oct 21, 2012)

Grilled cheese
PB & J
Fried Egg Sandwich
Basic Bean Burrito (Refried beans in a tortilla with chopped onion and dash of bottled sauce)

Soup and Crackers
Cheese and Crackers
PB and Crackers

Fruit and Cheese

Kraft Mac N Cheese


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## PhilinYuma (Oct 21, 2012)

There are over 300 ways of combining canned tuna, bits of left over roast chicken, steamed rice, tomato sauce and eggs, though not necessarily all at once, and I have tried 287 of them. 
Cheers


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## Oldvine (Oct 21, 2012)

Baked potatoes.  Mine with butter and cheese and if I have it, broccoli.  Husband's with chili and cheese.


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## luvs (Oct 21, 2012)

burger gravy over toast, potato, bread
chili/stew w/ saltines
put slivered pork through canned cannelinis & season well
omelettes/scrambled egg w/ a few veggies & then a type of potato as a sidedish
pasta/gnocci- very economical, & meatsauce/meatballs can be, too
soups made w/ dried legumes (split pea, lentil; etc.)
tuna cakes
colcannon
polenta 
swiss steak


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## RPCookin (Oct 22, 2012)

Sloppy Joes

Poor Man's Stroganoff - Brown ground beef and onions (and celery if desired), drain, add can of mushroom soup, sour cream, season as desired (I like garlic and basil).  Serve over noodles or rice.  Works with leftover chicken too - just saute the veggies in butter or olive oil.


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## gadzooks (Oct 22, 2012)

How fast and how cheap? A fast breakfast around here means whisk an egg, toss it in a frying pan, and when I turn it, throw a flour tortilla on top. Ten seconds, flip the whole thing out of the pan, spread some salsa on the egg and roll it up, folding one end in in the process.


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## kathrynb23 (Oct 22, 2012)

My partner and I are very different, his cheap easy no fuss meal would be instant noodle especially mie goreng witha fried egg. 
I on the other hand would die or a cheese and Vegemite(A yeast base spread from Australia, that's not for everyone) toast! Night or day! Super cheap! Nice and easy spread vegemite on bread, add slice cheese put another slice of bread on top and in the cafe press it goes for about 2 mins.


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## taxlady (Oct 22, 2012)

Sautéed mushrooms on toast.

If I happen to have some pesto and already cooked pasta, then that is about as quick and easy as it comes as well as tasty and cheap.


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## Katie H (Oct 22, 2012)

Doesn't matter to either of us.  One of our favorites is just plain old popcorn.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Oct 22, 2012)

danbuter said:


> What kinds of meals do you make when in a bit of a hurry but light in the wallet? Some of the things I've done:
> 
> Cold spaghetti sauce on bread.
> Canned beef stew on rice.



I can totally identify with this topic. Back in my "salad" days I was a fresh college grad and then like now the economy was always going through gyrations, and the gyrations left me periodically unemployed. I was living in my first apartment and I didn't want to ask my parents for financial help.

Often I had to improvise, and my best improvisation was that I cooked a Swanson's chicken pie in my oven (microwave ovens had just been introduced and I didn't have one yet). One chicken pot pie wasn't enough to satisfy me but two were too expensive, so what I did was to toast a slice of bread in a toaster oven (we had them then) and put the toast in a plate then turn the chicken pot pie upside down on top of the toast. The toast stretched it out and gave me enough food to satisfy me.


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## Kylie1969 (Oct 23, 2012)

CraigC said:


> Grilled cheese sandwich, hotdogs with leftover chili, omelette, salad...



Love them all


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## Snip 13 (Oct 24, 2012)

I make a kinda quiche with leftover veg and meats chopped up. just whisk some eggs with milk. Put veg and/or meat in a baking dish. Pour over the egg, top with grated cheese if you have and bake till set.
Sometimes we by crisps and a fresh loaf of bread and make crisp sandwiches. Salt and vinegar Lay's is the best. 
Mix some tuna and mayo into leftover cooked pasta. Stirfry veggies with 2 min noodles, leftover gravy or relish served hot with bread or rolls.
Creamed corn on toast (with a bit of mayo, optional)


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## mmyap (Oct 25, 2012)

One of my favorite cheap / fast meals.  Put a little olive oil in a small fry pan, add a can of diced tomato's and chopped garlic to taste.  Once it gets bubbly add two eggs and let them cook until eggs are however you like them, hard or soft.  Dump into a bowl and top with parmesan cheese and maybe some basil.  A piece of crusty bread for dunking.  Heaven.  

I haven't tried this but I bet you can change the flavor profile by adding some tex mex seasoning and top with queso fresco.


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## Dawgluver (Oct 25, 2012)

Something I call "Slop".  Idahoan potato flakes, prepped and nuked (microwaved), any veggies, maybe some bacon and cheese (Velveeta works great), stir in, nuke again.  It's basically a microwave mashed potato casserole.


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## Carlos75 (Nov 13, 2012)

I like to have some toasted bread with some dipping oil, flavoured with chilli or garlic


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## cuppers (Nov 24, 2012)

Garlic pasta or tomato pasta


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## letscook (Nov 24, 2012)

Breakfast is good for any meal - grilled cheese and soup - spegetti and a green salad-


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 24, 2012)

These aren't in any specific order.  I'm just putting numbers in front of them as an identifier.
1. Perfectly poached egg on a toasted English Muffin with American Cheese underneath.

2. Like Snickedoodle said, grilled PBJ.

3. Chief Longwind's Blueberry pancakes, with breakfast suasage

4. french toast sandwich, with Triple slices of American Cheese

5. Scrambled eggs, corned beef hash

6. Penne pasta with tomato- meat sauce and cheese

7. Taco/Enchilada pie with 

8. Sloppy Joes, DW's recipe (1 lb. ground beef, 1 can tomato soup)

9. Sloppy Joes, Chief's recipe (from scratch recipe)

10. Omlet with sweated onion, cheese, and mushrooms

11. Left-over fried chicken, with a side of either VanCamp's pork and beans, or home made, left over baked beans.  Serve hot or cold, depending on time constraints, mood, and whether it's hot or cold outside.

12. Hot dogs, made any way you like, or even cold.

13. Any kind of sandwich.

14. Scrambled eggs with Chorizo

15. Scrambled eggs with pepperoni (yum)

16. Kielbasa with Kraut

17. Meatball sandwich 

18 Spaghetti and meat sauce, or meatballs in sauce (one of my favorite meals, right up there with the other 999 favorites)

19. A great bowl of red, and hot chili

20. a great bowl of Chief's special, White Chili

Quick and cheap, I could go on forever.  I haven't even touched soups yet, or re-purposing roasts, bones, left-over pulled pork, left-over ribs of any kind, etc.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Chef Kat (Dec 3, 2012)

Nachos are the fastest thing ever, and you can make them as elaborate or plain as you want!  Chips with peppers, cheese, refried beans, salsa, onions, etc.  We eat it a lot when we want a  quick meal.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 12, 2012)

Here is my quick, cheap and good...

Everybody wants a good, cheap and fast job. I can give you any two out of the three. If you want it good and cheap it won't be fast. If you want it good and fast it won't be cheap. If you want it cheap and fast it won't be good...

Join Costco. Get a hot broiled chicken, some tortillas, lettuce, tomato, onions and taco sauce. Drive home. Chop the lettuce, onions and tomatoes. Heat tortillas individually over an open gas burner, or just wrap the whole damned thing in aluminum foil and heat it in your oven. Rip the meat off the chicken and put in warmed tortilla, sauce it, sprinkle with lettuce/onion/tomato mixture, eat.

Option: mix 50/50 mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce to replace taco sauce

Option: add avocado slices and/or cilantro

Extra credit: google "Margarita" and make them to go with

Extra extra credit: make more Margaritas, drink them, then come post on the forum and wish you could edit your posts the next day.


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## Rob Babcock (Dec 21, 2012)

You know the old saying:  Fast, good and cheap.  Pick any two!


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