r/povertykitchen

I've been trying to use cabbage more and enjoy stir frying it with bacon, onion, garlic, and butter with some paprika and salt. I don't know what to do with the core, though. Aside from vegetable stock, what are some ways to use it? Stir frying it doesn't make it really soft or tasty enough.

I do not want to cook.

Or clean the pots and pans.

So I order food and now there are pizza boxes or food boxes to take to the dumpster.

Yay I didn't cook but now I have a crapton of garbage.

All I have for solutions is peanut butter on a cracker.

Microwave popcorn.

hello I’m trying to build a near starvation level low cost diet because im bored, and need a challenge and I want to keep it around 50$ a month I’m wondering if there’s any way to optimize it further or cut costs even more without completely starving, or do i actually need other foods to survive?

right now my setup looks like this:

base foods:

potatoes, rice, pasta, groats (buckwheat or barley)

eggs (\~60 per month)

chicken (mainly discounted thighs or whole chicken)

chicken liver (gotta get dat protein)

lentils + split peas (I make thick pea soup / lentil stew in bulk)

cottage cheese

flour (for simple flatbread / pan bread / basic “crackers”)

vegetables: cabbage, carrots, onions

oil (depending on seasons may change like carrots in winter)

Diet structure:

breakfast: always bread with cottage cheese

3 day rotating cycle:

chicken potatoes + vegetables

leftovers or soup (bone broth from chicken)

liver and groats or pea soup

I cook pea soup in large batches (2–3 days worth)

I try not to waste anything (bones for broth, leftovers reused in soups)

supper: any leftovers or just pea soup

I also make simple flour-based flatbreads as a bread replacement/snack

Extra habits:

I buy only discounted food close to expiry

sometimes I get bones/scraps from butchers for broth or just to eat

food rescue/ surplus awareness

go to bakeries and ask if they have any leftover bread. (same for greengrocers)

i try to take advantage of any legal/free food sources when available

So do i have everything i need, do i need like other foods for nutrition like fruits or not really? Do i have everything I need to survive? Any tips are highly appreciated!

Thanks!

(please no comments about my wellbeing, im totally sane, this is in the name of science)

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All of the prices added, when shopping at Walmart.

This soup is very filling and flavorful!

[B] TACO SOUP

In large stockpot:

Cook and drain fat from 1lb of ground beef.

[Marketside Grass Fed Ground Beef 85/15, cooked, fat drained $7.47]

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Add the following to the stockpot and cook over medium heat until hot.

Great Value Chicken Broth 32oz carton $1.27

Del Monte Stewed Tomatos Mexican style with Jalepenos and Cumin 14.5oz $1.27

Great Value Ready to Eat Jasmine Rice 8.8oz $1.32

Libbys Corn (liquid drained) 15.25oz $1.17

Bushs Taco Fiesta Black Beans (pour entire can, plus liquid) 15.1oz $1.26

Bushs Canned Chili Beans Red Beans (pour entire can, plus liquid) 16oz$1.82

1 packet of Taco seasoning $.97

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Toast 1 taco shell for each serving, crush and crumble on top, just before serving.

Great Value Hard shell tacos $1.50

$16.78 total = 10 servings

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The soup is delicious as is, but some possible additions:

Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Diced Avocado or Guacamole, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Jalepenos, Fresh Tomatoes, chopped Green Onion

Can anyone suggest a non-soup vegetarian lentil recipe for someone who says they don’t like lentils? I’m trying to work more cheap protein into our family meals.

A sizeable box of free food is available at Kroger located at 9610 North Kings Highway Myrtle Beach, SC 29572. Anyone interested in more information can send me a DM.

There’s a place to donate at my local library for people in need, but I’ve noticed it’s often stocked with stuff like cheap ramen.

I want to know what people are actually in need of, something nutritious maybe that you never find in donation centers.

I don’t make much money, but I do make enough to help stock up at least some and I’d like to do so regularly.

They look think they were maybe intended to become “baby carrots” they are about that size. Any ideas for using a WHOLE LOT of carrots? I’d like to use them up as soon as possible, they seem kinda on the older side

Hi all!

I was gifted a bunch of farm fresh meats and while I know what to do with the ‘normal‘ meats (pork/chicken/beef)… I have no idea what to do with the goat, duck, or rabbit. most of the goat meat is ground and the duck an rabbit are whole pieces. any ideas?

I made this (with heads from fish I bought) and it was super delicious I thought some might get some use out of it.

for your information the fishmonger throws them away you can ask they will give them to you for free. I used to get them for my cats for my cats in the supermarket (and yes without buying fish).

boil your fish heads with whatever veggie scrap you have very little (I just put like half an onion) but you can use a bit of carrot or whatever (even peels). a clove of garlic or some garlic powder , a bay leaf (if you have it) and some pepper or chili, thyme (if you have it)

simmer for quite a long time (like 1 hour). the heads will totally disintegrate .

then strain the preparation. you can keep it for later if you want (use for sauce base, risotto or ti flavour anything)

otherwise add some tomato puree , and you can thicken with flour or cornstarch (I didn't)

you can serve as is or with some lemon .

I ate it as is.

it was really delicious 3 small fish heads made 3 medium bowls of soup! all this from fish waste , 1/2 an onion and maybe 1/4 of a cup of tomato puree. (tbh I think one can even do without the tomato puree)

one can add potatoes instead of thickening with the flour that's an option too.

I didn't think of taking a picture!

Don't think I've ever eaten parsnips but I saw this history of cooking video on youtube that gave a British wartime mock banana recipe that's supposed to go with the national loaf. I tried it and it's good, even with that swerve sweetener. I figure folks get parsnips at the food pantry, so here's the recipe.

Mock Banana Cream

1 lb (450 g) parsnips

4 tablespoons (60 g) margarine

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons banana flavoring, or more to taste

For the mock banana cream: Peel the parsnips and chop them. The size isn’t really important here, it’s just to help them cook faster.

Put the parsnips in a pot, cover them with water, and boil them for about 10 minutes, or until they’re quite soft. You may need more or less time depending on the size of your parsnip pieces.

Drain the parsnips, put them in a large bowl, and mash them well. They don’t need to be completely smooth because we're going to mash them some more in the next step.

Add the margarine, sugar, and banana flavoring and mash again until combined. You can also use electric beaters to get the banana cream as smooth as possible.

This is a new recipe I've invented using things I can often get from my local food bank. It's easy, filling, and pretty nutritious.

To a pot, add:
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cans water
1 cup mashed winter squash

Stir until smooth. (You may want to use a whisk.)

Heat until simmering, then drizzle in:
2 eggs

(You can add them straight from the shell, but cracking them into a bowl first and breaking up the yolks will yield slightly better results.)

Stir a bit more while the eggs solidify.

Sprinkle pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

You could also try this with other cream soups, though I have not done that.

(The squash is something I often have on hand. I bake a squash, scrape out the flesh, and freeze it in small containers. I've always used delicata squash for this soup because that's what my fooba has had this year.)

So last Tuesday I was standing in front of my fridge at around 6pm feeling utterly defeated. I had a half of a head of cabbage that was really wilting around the edges, 2 slightly soft carrots, 1/2 of an onion from a dish I made 4 days ago, and 1 can of white beans that I’d had sitting in my cupboard for three weeks. That's it for ingredients in my fridge. My pantry had garlic, olive oil, a can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and some Italian seasoning from dollar store purchase a decade ago. That's all.

I had pretty much decided that I'd eat rice and go to bed, but something in my brain said just throw everything in one pot.

I chopped the onion and sautéed it for a few minutes in olive oil in the biggest pot I own on medium heat. I peeled and chopped two carrots and minced three cloves of garlic while it softened. When the onions turned translucent I added the garlic and the smell alone almost made me feel better about the world. Added carrots, roughly chopped cabbage, can of diced tomatoes and all their juices, can of white beans, drained and rinsed, and then filled the pot about 3/4 full with water – maybe 5-6 cups? I added the dried Italian seasoning, plenty of salt, a lot of pepper, and just a tiny bit of dried red pepper flakes from the far depths of my spice rack.

I let the soup simmer with the lid cracked open for about 35-40 minutes, and I’m not lying when I say my entire apartment smelled heavenly. The cabbage softens completely to a silkiness, the beans thicken the broth in the best creamy way possible, and the tomatoes add a richness I was completely unprepared for.

I ate two massive bowls that night and had enough leftover for lunch for the next two days. I probably spent under two dollars on the ingredients for this soup (since some of the vegetables were already paid for by my previous meal).

What really got me though, is that I almost threw away the carrots and cabbage. I thought they were so past their prime. But, once again, heat is magic. It transforms things that you think have no possible use into something incredibly warm and comforting. I sat with that bowl of soup and I felt taken care of, a feeling I don't get enough of at the moment.

If you have cabbage, any type of bean, tomatoes, and some aromatics you've got yourself a full meal. Cabbage is probably one of the greatest vegetables in terms of poverty cooking because it's so cheap, has such a long shelf-life, and only gets better with time. Beans are a similar story – they are satiating without leaving you feeling empty and bloated.

I’m not even a cook, really. I never went to culinary school, and I have a teeny tiny kitchen with a single burner on my stove that always acts up a bit. But with that pot of soup, for an hour at least, I felt like I knew exactly what I was doing, and there’s so much value in that.