When your income drops substantially because you've been laid off, you've got to conserve your cash as much as possible. Eating out a fancy restaurants is out of the question. Even fast food has become too expensive nowadays. The solution is home-cooked meals - and if you're really tight on cash - home cooked meals based on cheap bulk ingredients.
In my long work history, I've been laid off several times. During these recessions many members of a family, or even friends, may need to reside in the same residence because of no money for rent. If a large number of people need to be fed on the cheap, you need to use on cheap bulk ingredients. Below is a list of ingrediants I've relied on in the past.
• beans
• bisquick
• pasta
• mashed potatoes
• oats
• rice
Beans bought in bulk, are not only cheap but also tasty. They can be served as a side dish with lunch or dinner. Not only are do they taste good, but beans are good for your health. Beans are high in soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol. Eating a cup of cooked beans a day for six weeks can lower your total cholesterol by 10 percent, which can lower risk of heart disease by 20 percent.
Not only can eating beans lower your risk of heart disease, they also contain many compounds - isoflavins lagnins phytic acid sapopin and protease inhibitors - that have been shown to block cancer. Beans also fill many dietary requirements, including folate and potassium. Not bad for a cheap and tasty ingredients to get you through this recession.
Bisquick can be described as the "all purpose mix". Buy it in the big box. Below is a partial list of all the things that you can make with Bisquick.
• battered onion rings
• biscuits
• breadsticks
• chicken dumplings
• crepes
• coffee cake
• cookies
• french bread
• muffins
• pancakes
• pie crust
• pizza dough
• quiche
• scones
• sweet breads
• waffles
• Plus many more.
Search the Web and you'll find thousands of more things that you can make with Bisquick. And for those who really want to stretch their money - homemade Bisquick. It's basically flour, baking soda, baking powder, and powdered milk. Again, you can find the recipe for homemade Bisquick on the Web.
Pasta can bought in bulk and can be served as lunch or dinner. Not only is cheap to buy in in bulk, but when you cook it, it doubles in size. Top it with pasta sauce or put sauce on the side. This is another thing that I like to just add lots of salt and margarine.
Pasta is easy to make. Below are step by step cooking instructions.
• 1. Fill a large pot with water, at least three times the volume as the pasta.
• 2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water.
• 3. Bring the water to a boil.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water.
• 5. Stir frequently or the pasta will stick together.
• 6. The only real way to tell when the pasta is cooked is to taste it. It should be "al dente" - firm, yet tender. Most pasta take 8-12 minutes to cook.
• 7. When cooked dump the pasta into a colander and shake off any excess water.
Mashed potatoes can bought in a big box and can be served as a side dish with lunch or dinner. You can top them with gravy or just top them with soup. Hey, it may not be healthy, but I like to just add lots of salt and margarine to mine.
Oats, also called "rolled oats" because of the method used to manufacture them, are mostly used to make oatmeal for a low cost breakfast. If you usually eat cold cereal for breakfast, you've probably noticed your blood sugar dropping out by midmorning, you're hungry again. That won't happen with oatmeal, that's why they say "it sticks to your ribs". It's also good for your health as it provides soluble fiber and lowers your cholesterol.
Oatmeal is pretty easy to make; add about equal amounts of water and oats- cook until the oats are soft. For thicker oatmeal add less water. For moister oatmeal add more water. I personally like the taste of plain oatmeal. But most people add something to make it even more tasty. Below is a list of some of the things you can add.
• brown sugar
• honey
• maple syrup
• cinnamon
• vanilla
• apple
• raisins
• strawberries
• chopped walnuts
• chocolate chips
• the possibilities are endless
Because if its low cost, rice is a global staple food. Countries like China, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and many others, depend upon rice to sustain their populations. The staple food in the United States has been meat. But in the new economy, we would be wise to join our fellow citizens of the earth in consuming more rice.
Rice is easy to cook. Fill a pot with water, at least three times the volume as the rice. when the rice comes to a boil, continue heating for about five more minutes. Take a little taste of the rice to be sure it is cooked. When rice is cooked, it should be soft and fluffy, but not mushy.
A search of the Web will reveal that there are tens of thousands, if not millions, of rice recipes. Most recipes involve adding some vegetables and maybe a small amount of fish or chicken meat. This is another thing that I like to just add lots of salt and margarine.
these ingredients provide a low cost way to feed you and your family if you get laid off, however be aware that none of these ingredients provide the complete proteins required by the human body. To insure health you'll need to include a small amount of dairy products, eggs, or meat.
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