Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the best meals for breakfast when you are on a budget. It's cheap, one box will make lots of meals and it is incredible versatile. I still had a couple of apples left so I decide to make apple cinnamon oatmeal. Sure they sell that already prepacked,but this method is cheaper, tastier and still only takes less than minutes. 1) Prepare oatmeal according to package. (I am really into McCann's Irish oatmeal for its hearty flavor) 2) Core and slice half of an apple (whatever you have is fine) and finely dice. (You can do this by hand but I have a nifty chopper I use) 3) When oatmeal is finished add the finely diced apple and add anywhere from 1/8-1/4 of ground cinnamon powder. Stir well and you are finished! Easy enough and much tastier than prepackaged oatmeal. Ten minutes max. The sweetness of the apple you use will determine how sweet the oatmeal is. You could add a touch of honey or brown sugar but I am trying to stay away from sweets and the apple adds just the right amount of sweetness for me.

Budget Tip - Free Food

So again, this blog is all about how to make a weeks worth of yummy food on only a budget of 20-25$. Some weeks you can even make your budget last longer than that. Yesterday when I was getting my taxes done, I realized the tax preparer was the mother of an old acquaintance of mine. Because of this she gave me a coupon for 2 free tacos. As I drove away I immediately, by habit, put the coupon in the side pocket of my car. Then I realized -- I have a free coupon for tacos! For some reason I have a really bad habit of accepting gift cards, coupons, and food items and then NEVER using them! When I cleared out my cupboards this weekend, I found a blueberry scone mix, 2-alarm chili mix, and a pumpkin pie filling. All items I received free as gifts. Not too mention tons of chocolate and other miscellaneous food items. On Sunday, I was picking up my bedroom when I found a coupon for a free In-N-Out burger! I love In-N-Out! The only problem was... a lot of the stuff was expired. Even the In-N-Out certificate! So as I am working on this blog, I make a new vow. All gift/food items/gift certificates I receive must be used in one week. There is no reason to have to throw away what would be perfectly good food! I think I am like a lot of people though who are too lazy too to use gift certificates or, more often than not, I just forget I have them. So this year, its all about the free food! So even if it is not a perfect opportunity to use a dinner gift certificate, I will make it the perfect time! This free me up to use my food ingredients for an even longer time, which is a very budget conscious thing to do! Man, now I really want an In-N-Out burger.

Shopping Week One

All this food for only 20$!!! So one of the main reasons for this blog is to show how you eat cheaply but not sacrifice on taste and creativity. Since the beginning of this year I have been trying to live off all homemade meals for under 25$ per week for myself (with dinner including two people). So far I have found it very doable and actually I find myself eating a lot better tasting food. The catch is it can take some preparation and you have to learn to stop "shopping for meals" and start shopping for ingredients. This is a very different approach to cooking for me. Before I would make a list of things I would want to make and then shop separately for each meal. Now I go out to stores see what produce and items are on sale and get some great deals and then decide what to make out of it during the week. I usually have some general idea what to make but other times I am surprised at what can be put together with different ingredients! The key is to be open and adventurous! With that being said I also made a couple of rules for myself: #1 No sweets! This doesn't mean I cant use sugar for cooking but I am getting in better shape and see no reason to spend money on sweets I could easily use on food instead! #2 Buy as little as prepackaged products as possible! Most things can be cooked cheaper and better tasting with just a little know how and time. I have quickly come to realize that most things take about the same time to cook whether store bought or homemade but the difference in quality is definitely much higher when I make it homemade! (MOST of the time..I have my own house of horror creations that I have also made!) #3 Cross-tie food items much as possible! Who says certain ingredients go only go in certain foods? Where are the food police? Are they going to come in your house and shut down your kitchen? I usually use the same items all week in such a variety of ways! What goes in soup can also make great crab cakes! What makes a great salad can also make a fantastic pizza! Your an adult now! You can do whatever you want with your food! One fantastic reference I have used which has inspired a lot of my cooking is from a birthday gift I received from a dear friend. It is a book titled "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman. It literally is a guide to cooking nearly everything! And if falls short of some culinary knowledge you need there is always the world wide web! (The book "How to Cook..." is also available as a phone app although I find it much handier to keep a physical copy around. Plus we are trying to save money remember! Your best is to find a copy at your local used book store. The book has been around forever and your chances of finding on the cheap are pretty good!) With that being said, lets get back to cooking! For future shopping list, I will probably list what items I purchase for the week so you can get an idea of what I am actually getting and using! I am looking forward to our cooking adventures together! Joseph

Things I actually made and ate #1 - Italian scrambled eggs

Yes. I know that is the same bowl type I used on my last post. I'm on a budget! What can I say? And being on a budget means you have to be creative sometimes and step outside the box. I currently need to go food shopping but I need to eat lunch. So what does a budget conscious person do? Check the fridge and see what you can make with what you have! As luck would have it, I have some eggs and some heavy cream in my fridge that is expiring today. It's fortunate that I have the cream since I am all out of milk, I can use a dash of the cream instead of milk and make some creamy delicious eggs. Of course since I never like to eat anything boring I need to figure out how I am going to make this meal a little bit more interesting. I check the cupboard and I find a shaker of Italian herbs that I bought at the store for only 50 cents! What a great deal and you can find more of these kind of deals at dollars stores around you. Anything from garlic salt to paprika to celery salt! Which is important for the budget minded. Get all the flavor on the cheap. I decide to use some of the Italian herbs in scrambled eggs which is a first flavor combination wise for me. I also find some chili garlic oil that I made (see recipe) which will add a nice flavor combination if I cook the eggs with it. I also have a touch of homemade salsa I made last week and I find a small amount of Muenster cheese that I can shred on top. So in a pinch I have some sort of Italian style Frankenstein scrambled eggs! Recap: Scrambled two eggs with salt, pepper, dash of heavy cream, good amount of Italian herbs. Heat chili garlic oil in pan. Cook scrambled eggs until done. Topped with muenster cheese with a dash of salsa on top. Verdict? Not Bad! I actually like this combination and I think since the muenster cheese has a nice mild flavor it actually blends well with the rest of the ingredients. I actually would like to try this recipe again, only next time with a full Italian style theme Like say perhaps scrambled eggs topped off with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce! I could definitely see it more as a Sunday brunch type of meal though instead of a weekday staple. One to show off your friends about how daring you can really be!

Savory Oatmeal -- Spicy Southwest Pizza Oatmeal

Savory oatmeal -- still something that has not quite caught on for the majority of the country yet. You take the traditional breakfast staple of oatmeal and you add a savory twist. For most people the idea seems quite foreign, but for those avoiding sugar (like myself under the doctor's order) or for those on a limited budget, Savory Oatmeal can be just what you need to brighten an old classic and also a way to stretch the budget dollars. The key is to use ingredients you already have on hand or that you plan to use later in the week. Take for example, I was making a Spicy Southwest pizza this morning (for later that evening) and decided to set aside small amounts of the pizza ingredients to make savory oatmeal for breakfast. Two birds, one stone and money saved. The ingredients I used were as follows: Chili/garlic oil, Roasted Green Chilies, Spicy Garlic Marinara, Pepper Jack Cheese, and finely diced Garlic. And Oatmeal of course! Savory oatmeal doesn't work for everyone, but I think one of the keys is selecting the right type of oatmeal. I find the traditional well sold brand of oatmeal (which I am not naming) confuses my taste buds and doesn't quite stand up to hearty ingredients. In my opinion, I prefer to use Irish Oatmeal. Some people compare it the thickness of grits and it seems to pair well with most savory ingredients. If I didn't know it was oatmeal upfront, I could see myself not even thinking twice about chowing down on savory oatmeal at dinner time. At the store, I found two types of of the Irish Oatmeal. The canister on the left takes the traditional long suffering approach to Irish Oatmeal. You prepare it for 30 minutes the night before and then finish it off with cooking it another 10 minutes in the morning. Ain't nobody got time for that! The box on the right only takes about 10 minutes total to prepare and that's about the right time frame I want to spend on making breakfast in the morning. To be honest, I bought the canister four months ago and still have yet to open it! Every time I read the instructions on the back of the canister I quickly shove it back in the pantry saving it for another day! So here is a quick rundown on how I made Spicy Southwest Oatmeal: 1) Prepare oatmeal to according to package instructions 2) When finished, drizzle a tablespoon of Chili/Garlic oil (See later post) 3) Add as much or little as you like of roasted green chilis, spicy garlic marinara sauce, pepper jack cheese, finely diced garlic (optional) And there you have it! Something you probably haven't had before and something pretty tasty. Keep an open mind! I know it's not the oatmeal you grew up, but it's time to treat your taste buds right. It was the perfect start for a late Sunday brunch for me and I think you will be presently surprised also!