Falling Fruit
A massive, collaborative map of the urban harvest uniting the efforts of foragers, freegans, and foresters around the world. Explore and share information about the sources of free food in your neighborhood.
Simple Budget Recipes
Stretch Your Dollar by Preparing Frozen Food
Great tips and some cool illustrations on how different foods are more or less filling for the cost 馃榿
Foraging in Boston - We Want Guac
A blog on foraging, but also lots of financial advice and frugal tips. My vibe, absolutely.
Zero Waste Pesto
Use any greens or nuts you have for pesto. The nuts are for texture, the greens are flavor and health. Toss on pasta or spread onto a sandwich. You can make this with a knife by mincing, and you can salt to taste and skip the Parmesan to avoid an expensive ingredient.
Stir Fry
This is a great way to use up odds and ends in your fridge at the end of the week. You can also look for discounted produce carts in the store - usually in a corner of the grocery section. Sometimes you鈥檒l find pricey veggies like bell peppers and snow peas here at a steep discount. Just be sure to use them quickly - same night or next day is best.
How To Make Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is just sugar plus a small amount of molasses. The amount of molasses determines whether it鈥檚 light brown or dark brown.
Egg Substitutes
No need to buy a dozen eggs if all you want to do is bake.
Cashew Cream
Substitute anywhere a recipe calls for heavy cream.
Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Farro for Winter
One of my favorite recipes for when I want to feel fancy, but without a lot of effort. It does take time, but it is worth it.
Italian Sub Dressing
Use white wine vinegar instead of red to avoid getting an extra pantry item.
Corn Chowder
This is a heavily modified version of a recipe I found years ago. 1-2 large potatoes will be plenty for this soup. Don鈥檛 forget to salt to taste!
Dill, Chickpea, and Feta Pasta Salad
Omit the capers and parsley - they鈥檙e not necessary. Violife Just Like Feta works well as a feta substitute.
Homemade Gnocchi
At some point, you will have too many mashed potatoes. When that happens, make gnocchi.
20-Minute Vegetarian Chili
You can substitute both cans of fire roasted tomatoes for one can whole peeled tomatoes that you dice on your own.
Restaurant Style Salsa
Many salsa recipes call for a blender or food processor, but all you really need is a good knife and a bowl. Using canned tomatoes gives you peak ripe tomatoes all year and reduces the cost of the recipe - fresh tomatoes can be expensive (or disappointing).
Single Serving Balsamic Vinaigrette
You can substitute maple syrup or a pinch of sugar for the honey. The Dijon mustard is optional - the reason it鈥檚 here is to help emulsify the dressing, but it鈥檚 fine to skip if you don鈥檛 keep it around.
Gooey Queso or Mac n Cheese Sauce
This method uses a chemical reaction between baking soda and lemon juice to create sodium citrate, which breaks cheese protein bonds down to create Velveeta-like cheese sauce from any standard $2 block of cheese, including sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack.
4 Ingredient Fluffy Vegan Protein Pancakes
The expensive part of this is a protein powder, but if you plan on getting one anyway, this is a super easy pancake recipe that has a bit more health and heft.
Cream of Wheat Hot Cereal - Original
Cream of Wheat was a staple of my unpaid internship days. Shelf stable, great source of iron, dead easy to make on stovetop or microwave. I like it with cinnamon, which is a low cost spice, and a bit of sugar or butter. 20 cents per serving - you honestly cannot get a better deal on breakfast.
Skillet Polenta In Creamy Tomato Sauce Recipe
You can use Italian seasoning instead of oregano here, which is cheap and easy to find at Aldi or a dollar store. Don鈥檛 pay more than $2 for it and substitute it anywhere you see oregano or basil.
Vegetable Quesadillas with Fresh Salsa Recipe | Epicurious
You can skip the cumin in this - it鈥檚 not needed. The purpose of the chilis in adobo is to provide heat and smokiness, so if you鈥檙e trying to reduce costs, a Taco Bell sauce packet or two (probably Diablo and Fire) should work well.