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Mushroom and Kale Harvest Bowl

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Hey Guys! I’m back with a healthy freezer-friendly meal today! This one is actually pretty simple, just a mushroom saute with kale and pancetta over a bed of mixed wild rice! The addition of loads of fresh thyme and a serious deglazing with white wine helps pack a flavorful punch. I have to admit I took a lazy kid shortcut and used pre-cubed pancetta (from my mom’s freezer, thanks @Alberta_Allie!) and pre-washed/sliced mushrooms. Sometimes, when I’m trying really hard to stock up a bunch of meals in a short amount of time, the pre-prepped ingredients really help! Mushroom and Kale Harvest Bowl $2.30 per serving, serves 8 for $18.43 1 Red Onion, chopped- ~1.20 1 package of cremini mushrooms- $3.98 1 package of white mushrooms- $3.98 1/2 package of cubed pancetta (~75 grams)- $3 10 large stems of kale (priced for frozen)- $3 3 Sprigs of Thyme – $0.39 1…

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In cheap eats

Vegan White Bean Stew with Saffron Rice

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Hey guys! With my love of bacon, we all know I’m no vegan. With that being said, I’m a total “pantry” cook, eating a lot of canned/tinned tomato products, frozen veggies, and beans to keep costs down and food healthy. Sometimes that results in vegan meals. One day in early June, my friend Kirsten was coming over and I realized the meal I made was completely vegan, so she could eat with me! This Spanish inspired white bean stew used literally no fresh vegetables except garlic and onions- that was it! Everything else came from a tin or the freezer and it was amazing. If you wanted to add meat, I’d recommend poaching chicken thighs in the stew or slices of cured chorizo sausage. White Bean Stew with Saffron Rice Serves 6 for $10.87 or $1.81 per serving For the stew: One white onion – $1.61 2 tins cannellini bean – $1.76…

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In cheap eats

Lemon Shrimp with Risotto Milanese

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Hey Guys! This is a fun and fresh recipe for a summer gathering that is something a little different than grilling. The bright acidity of lemon and freshness of parsley make the shrimp extra delicious, and the fresh veggies in the risotto keeps it from being too rich. Even better, this recipe uses just a little butter and no cheese, so the creaminess is from the starch cooking out of the rice, not added fats. This is a meal my mum whipped up for our family, and I thought I’d share it with you! At around $3.75 per serving, it’s not a crazy affordable meal, but it was delicious and can be made more affordable if you use your veggie scraps to make your own stock in advance (brings the total cost down to $11.54 or $2.89 a serving). Lemon Shrimp with Risotto Milanese $15.48 for four, or $3.75 per serving For…

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In cheap eats

Vegetarian Tomato-Fennel Penne

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Hey Guys! I’m back with a fun and easy meal idea! This was a total salvage use-up, with wrinkly tomatoes I stole from my mum  that were headed to the garbage and some fennel she had laying around! With some other bits and bobs it became a perfect bit of sauce for penne. I love fennel, it has this flavor profile that reminds me of the spice blend in mild Italian sausage, just without the meat! The natural sweetness comes out as you cook it down. This dish is naturally vegetarian, and vegan if you omit or swap out the parmesan cheese, so this is a perfect dish for when you don’t know all of the food preferences of a guest. Tomato- Fennel Penne $5.32 for 4 or $1.33 per serving (but really… 59 cents a serving if those tomatoes were going in the trash) ~15 wrinkled tomatoes (salvaged from…

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In cheap eats

No-Buy Update

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Well, I made it around a month. Not my best but… there were 3$ pints of strawberries that I just couldn’t deny myself. I also really wanted fresh dairy. So after thirty days of not buying groceries, I bought a few things. This no-buy isn’t firmly over, I’m still trying to work out of the meals and proteins I have frozen and my shelf stable items, but I’m running out of things like eggs and in my house… that just won’t do. March was a pretty easy month to not be buying groceries. I had a hospitality suite at work for three days and lots of invites out to my family’s place. I also did a cooking class that sent me home with three+ days’ worth of food. I think as I go forward my “no buy” will just be modified- if I need eggs or a fresh item,…

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In cheap eats

Freezer Breakfast Bowls

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I hate the morning. Those that have lived with me, travelled with me, worked with me or even just tried to talk to me in the morning know this fact very well. I’m just not my most friendly in the morning, and my extreme morning productivity is really only born out of the internal rage I feel about needing to be out of bed before I feel ready to be. For this reason, I try to have my breakfasts ready before I go to bed. Sometimes that means having a guacamole pack, bread and a hard-boiled egg or two ready to throw in my bag on my way to the office, and sometimes it means pulling a pre-made meal out of the freezer like my freezer egg wraps! Nothing makes morning rage worse than hanger. These easy italiano breakfast bowls are freezer-friendly and perfect for busy mornings. Italiano Breakfast Bowls…

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In cheap eats

How to Prep for a No-Buy

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This post is probably well overdue. If you’ve been following me for a while then you probably remember that I did a 35 day no-buy stint from May-July last year and truth be told, I am on a food no-buy right now as well. Yep. It’s been seven days since I last bought food, and no signs of buying anything soon. I actually had started about five days before that, but there was a wiiiiicked sale on sirloin beef that I just couldn’t pass up. I bought them using Airmiles, but I believe in transparency. I bought the beef (and potatoes!). I’m planning on not buying any food for at least another month and here’s why: a. Life is expensive b. I owe tax money (damnit) c. It’s a great way to make sure you’re investigating what’s lurking in your freezer and cupboards and not wasting through expiration or freezer burn (food…

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No Sugar Added Crock Pot Apple Sauce

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Hey guys! This post is one of those that is inspired by something I do so cheaply and enjoy so regularly that when I realized I had never written about it on here, I was 100% facepalming myself. Crockpot apple sauce is one of those things that my mom taught me and I appreciated at a minimal level until I ate plain dry oats one day (#desperation, save me) and then promptly bought a bag of apples the next weekend at the farmer’s market with my sister because that is just too gross to repeat twice in a lifetime. Those that know me know that I have a really hard time with sugar. I love it, but it makes me terribly sick, and regularly because I have no self control. Making my own apple sauce is actually the perfect thing for me because apples are naturally sweet – especially cooked-…

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In cheap eats

French Onion Soup

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French onion soup is one of those cheesy, carb-y, savory indulgences that you dream about diving face first into a bowl of after being outside on a cool day. It’s also the kind of dish that you can whip up out of some onions from the pantry, boxed beef stock, stale bread and some cheese and herbs. Those Frenchmen… so smart and surprisingly thrifty! This is one of those dishes that could easily appear to be intimidating. But in reality, all you’re doing is carmelizing onions with thyme, then simmering with beef broth and some other savory items, and then melting cheese on top of a small bread round before serving. I have a few suggestions for how to do this, depending on if you have oven safe bowls or if you’re freezing the soup. Traditionally, you would place a round piece of old/dry baguette in an oven/heatsafe bowl, top…

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