Author Topic: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes  (Read 19010 times)

Victorious Secret

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Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« on: September 05, 2013, 09:28:51 AM »
I'm spending about $25-30 a week on groceries for myself, which is about half what I was spending before reading MMM.  I eat oats, beans, raw veggies, fruit, pasta, and a rotisserie chicken from Costco for $5.  The problem?  It's BORING.  I was spoiled as a kid with parents who loved to cook and who were damn good at it.  Now I'm craving good meals and all I'm having is the bare basics.  The other day I got creative and made a pasta dish with chicken, jalapenos, refried beans, parmesan cheese and hot sauce.  Cheap and easy meal that was surprisingly tasty.  I know you all have similar meals you cook for yourselves and your families, let's hear them!


sassy1234

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2013, 09:42:34 AM »
I grow herbs from seed year round and that helps a ton. 

I make a big batch of homemade fried rice.  Rice, garlic, onion, frozen peas and carrot, lots of eggs, soy sauce, and salt and pepper.  If I have extra meat (chicken, pork chops) from other meals, I chop it up and add it.  The best woks are inexpensive (no more than $18). 

Justaerin

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2013, 10:20:10 AM »
I don't eat many grains or beans, so it's hard to get cheap filler for my meals.  My go-to bachelor chow though is: a couple lbs of ground turkey or beef, whatever's cheaper, four bell peppers torn to pieces, a ton of cherry tomatoes, a couple avocados, and taco seasoning.  It makes a huge filling amount and if you get everything on sale it CAN be inexpensive... Lots of protein, carbs and fat.  Easy one-pot meal, done in a huge enameled cast iron pot.  Stores well and is portable.

Victorious Secret

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2013, 11:00:18 AM »
Both of those sound great.  Will try this weekend!

etselec

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2013, 11:05:38 AM »
Experiment with other cheap meats besides the Costco chicken - I like to make burgers out of ground beef/turkey with lots of tasty "fillers" to stretch the meat. Mushrooms, spinach, beans, cheese, breadcrumbs, all can go right into the meat mixture. Meatballs are basically the same concept in a different shape - so you can make some of each & vary whether you eat it on bread/bun or with pasta and sauce. Spices are your friends: you can make the same basic ingredients taste wildly different by using a different spice palate.

These also freeze well - I typically save out enough for 2-3 meals and freeze the rest. I flash freeze on a baking tray, then transfer to Ziploc bags so I can just pull out one meal's worth (or more if I'm having company).

TreeWeezel

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2013, 11:38:58 AM »
General Purpose Asian-tic Starter:

Heat oil in a wok skillet fairly hot, saute garlic slices, ginger slices, and diced jalepeno/ect
Throw whatever veg and whatever meat (or eggs or tofu) and saute a little bit
Then finish with sauce/liquid for a braise until everything is cooked thru.  You get to choose your nationality here:

Chinese: Soy sauce based.  Maybe a little sugar, a little 5-spice.  Cut with wine/water to thin, use cornstarch to thicken
Thai:  Coconut-milk based.  Maybe a little curry powder, plenty of basil or lemongrass
Indian:  Coconut-milk and yoghurt based, plenty of curry powder.
Sichuan:  Like Chinese with some peanut butter and plenty of pepper.

Serve with rice, instant classic.  Infinite variations.

Jamesqf

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2013, 11:57:04 AM »
Quesadillas.  Take two flour tortillas (or corn, if you like, though I don't think it works as well).  Cover one with 2-3 slices of cheese, broken into chunks - the idea is to have about half the area of the tortilla covered.  Chop a couple of green onions, 1/4 bell pepper, 1/4 jalapeno pepper (or others according to taste/availability) and spread over the cheese.  Add bits of leftover meat if you like.  Heat in a large pan over medium heat (covered is best - the idea is for the cheese to melt) until the bottom tortilla starts to brown, then flip and brown the other side.

EMP

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2013, 12:24:02 PM »
General Purpose Asian-tic Starter:

Heat oil in a wok skillet fairly hot, saute garlic slices, ginger slices, and diced jalepeno/ect
Throw whatever veg and whatever meat (or eggs or tofu) and saute a little bit
Then finish with sauce/liquid for a braise until everything is cooked thru.  You get to choose your nationality here:

Chinese: Soy sauce based.  Maybe a little sugar, a little 5-spice.  Cut with wine/water to thin, use cornstarch to thicken
Thai:  Coconut-milk based.  Maybe a little curry powder, plenty of basil or lemongrass
Indian:  Coconut-milk and yoghurt based, plenty of curry powder.
Sichuan:  Like Chinese with some peanut butter and plenty of pepper.

Serve with rice, instant classic.  Infinite variations.

This is good stuff.

I like Mexican rice bowls.  Think Taco Bell, only real food.  Some protein, onions, peppers, cumin, chili powder, rice, tomatoes and water (or broth).  You can also sub corn meal for the rice for a more tamale-style taste.  Or potatoes for picadillo style. 

Frankies Girl

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2013, 12:29:55 PM »
Chicken wraps:

Cooked chicken cut into strips (we like grilled, but you can microwave chicken cutlets easily)
Tortillas
shredded cheese
ranch dressing
shredded lettuce, or fresh spinach
cucumber (cut into long strips, and I leave the skin on as long as it's not too thick)


Crockpot pork, with pulled pork sammies from the leftovers once you're bored with the regular:
Pork shoulder or loin (whatever is available and will fit in a crockpot with water)
onions, carrots, potatoes, sliced
Packet of onion soup mix
BBQ sauce

Add in the pork shoulder (or loin) DO NOT BROWN OR WASH. Just plop it in the crockpot.
Add in the packet of soup mix (I usually just do half a packet to cut down on the salt)
Add sliced onions
Add water until most of the meat is covered
Cook covered for 4-6 hours or until meat is done (on high setting, low is something like 8-10)
ADD IN THE POTATOES & CARROTS about 1 hour before you're planning on eating.
You'll have a great, tender roasted pork with veggies meal that can last you several sittings

(warning: there is fatty goo on the top if you leave the liquids in there when refrigerating and there may be some bones)

If you get sick of it, take the meat and shred with forks then add barbeque sauce (this is weirdly fun for me to mush by hand, but it's messy) to taste. We like to eat ours topped with a little coleslaw and a pickle or two. :)

You can also use the pork to make pork fajitas - just saute some onions and peppers and put all that in a tortilla, then add some cheese and avocado... mmmmmm.


« Last Edit: September 05, 2013, 12:41:30 PM by Frankies Girl »

jpo

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2013, 12:37:37 PM »
Quesadillas.
Shredded chicken + cheddar + salsa filling FTW

MustachianAccountant

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2013, 01:05:07 PM »
Refried Bean Burritos:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/
You make the "refried" beans in a slow cooker (no frying necessary). I add some cheddar to the burrito, and freeze them for quick meals on the go.
Read the comments on the recipe for more ideas to make it better, or at least to your taste.

pbkmaine

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #11 on: September 05, 2013, 02:05:02 PM »
Soups are tasty and freeze well and there are about a million recipes for the crockpot, oven and stovetop. Every fall, I make a gigantic batch of one type each weekend, then freeze in quart freezer bags. These stack well. The great thing is that is easy to take eating preferences into account. I have made bean soups for vegan friends and beef soups for paleo friends and fish chowders for pescatarians. My favorite soup starts with whatever cut of beef is on sale, cut into little cubes and browned in a bit of butter or olive oil. I then simmer the beef cubes in tomato sauce or beef broth with some crushed garlic or garlic powder until it is tender enough for me. Then I add whatever vegetables I have around the house. This weekend it will be the summer squash my neighbor gave me. But it could be carrots, celery and onions. Or a bag of frozen vegetables from the back of the freezer. Or some canned mushrooms. My husband has to have starch, so I will add potatoes, corn or barley, but the soup does not need it. I then add herbs from my garden. Thyme and oregano are really good with beef, as is summer savory. I may add a can of beans if the spirit moves me. Then some freshly ground pepper and maybe a little grated Parmesan. You can live off of it, and it is never boring, because you never make it the same way twice.

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2013, 04:12:24 PM »
One of my go-to meals is beans and brown rice. I just cook up a giant batch of beans and brown rice every so often when I run low. Whenever its chow time I put the following in a bowl and microwave it:

2 cups brown rice
2 cups pinto beans
1/2 salsa
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sometimes in lieu of salsa I top it with 3 or 4 fried eggs and poke/mix the yolk all around.

Dee 72013

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #13 on: September 05, 2013, 07:35:25 PM »
I like to make baked Parmesan Tilapia, I buy the Tilapia in frozen filets at Costco.
Thaw out a couple at a time, dip in egg and roll in a mixture of bread crumbs or crackers with either fresh parmesan or Kraft grated Parmesan.
You can bake or fry this and there is so many different ways to fix this recipe and serve with a side of rice.
You can add a little pepper or garlic salt with cracker mixture.

You can substitute Chicken for Tilapia if you don't like fish.
Google either Parmesan Tilapia or Parmesan Chicken to find a recipe that will suite your taste buds since there are so many ways to make this but super easy and very few ingredients.

rocklebock

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2013, 08:01:24 PM »
This was one of my no-brainer dinners when I was a bachelorette. It also impressed any bachelors I might have had over for dinner.

Put on some pasta to boil. If you don't want to do pasta, just pick your favorite filler grain.

Now fry some sausage (slice one up, or just use the un-encased ground stuff) or a few pieces of bacon in a large pan. Let it get nice and brown. Then take it out and set is aside, but leave all the delicious rendered fat and meat bits in there.

Now saute some vegetables in the delicious fat. My go-to was spinach because I always had it around, and it cooks almost instantly. Bell pepper, mushrooms, and green beans are all nice options. If you want to get fancy you can first soften some onions and/or garlic to add to the flavor before you put in the rest of the vegetables. If you have several different vegetables and you're wondering how to stage them so that nothing is over/under cooked, a handy tip is that the harder it is to break in half, the longer it's going to need to cook.

Your pasta is probably almost done by this point. Strain it, but save a few tablespoons of the pasta-flavored water.
 
Now put the pasta, pasta water, and meat back in the pan with the vegetables. If you want to get fancy again, you splash a little cream or half-and-half on there, too. Stir everything around until almost all the liquid is gone, but evenly coats all the other stuff. Serve, optionally with grated parmesan cheese.

vern

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #15 on: September 05, 2013, 09:44:40 PM »
BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Get some of your favorite BBQ sauce and...
2 pork tenderloins, 12 to 16 ounces each
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
5 cups finely shredded green cabbage (half a 2-pound cabbage)
4 potato rolls, or other soft sandwich rolls

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Divide Quick BBQ Sauce between two bowls. Use one for basting the raw meat; reserve the other for serving with sandwiches.
2.Place pork on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Brush generously with sauce. Roast, basting occasionally with sauce, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, make slaw: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Mix in cabbage.
4.Thinly slice pork; serve on rolls, accompanied by slaw and reserved sauce.



Victorious Secret

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2013, 07:40:59 AM »
Thanks for all the great ideas.  My coworkers are going to wonder who's cooking for me when I start bringing some of these meals in!

FuckRx

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2013, 11:26:19 AM »

I noticed a trend of meat being highly recommended as a cheap source of nutrition. No doubt it's inexpensive and it's dense so it's very filling. As a physician I would have to say that just like breads/pastas it is best avoided or used on occasion. A lot of the mustachians here do such an amazing job of taking care of their financial future and same should go for your health. There are a lot of diseases that arise from too much animal product use. I'm not trying to get anyone to be a vegan here but I think the poster had it right, mostly veggies/nuts/beans and the occasional animal products maybe 1-2x/week and maybe doing a couple of weeks without any animal based products.

vern

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FuckRx

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #19 on: September 06, 2013, 10:35:46 PM »
tickets to uruguay...check!
constipation for a week...totally worth it!

Elaine

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #20 on: September 08, 2013, 10:04:29 PM »
Hey! You should check out http://www.budgetbytes.com/, all of the recipes she posts are inexpensive. Another thing I like is that she writes in a way that is not intimidating to a novice cook, there are plenty of photo instructions. Generally each recipe has easy to find and few ingredients yet turns out savory good meals (that aren't designed for huge families). Her taco bowls, peanut chicken, freezer breakfast burritos, etc. would be great recipes to begin with. Happy Cooking!

dweebyhawkeyes

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #21 on: September 08, 2013, 10:49:32 PM »
One of my go-to meals is beans and brown rice.

Yes, yes, yes! My very favorite meal is throwing brown rice, vegetable broth, black beans, a can of Ro-tel, soy sauce, and smoked paprika into the rice cooker. Once done, I douse the mess in Valentina hot sauce and pack it away for lunch. I don't know why, but it's literally my favorite food and I feel so fortunate it's easy to make. Sometimes I get fancy with the spices and add lots of nutritional yeast but the concept is fool-proof.

frugaldrummer

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #22 on: September 09, 2013, 09:00:13 AM »
My favorite cheap-and-easy soup from my student days:

Potato soup
Boil Idaho potatoes cut into chunks or quarters (peeled or unpeeled, depending on your taste) with some diced onion and a bay leaf.  Drain but KEEP the water, you'll be adding it back.

Mash or puree in blender 1/2 of the potatoes with some of the cooking water; add back to pan with the remaining (unmashed) potatoes and enough of the cooking water to make the desired consistency.

Add powdered milk (slowly - stir with a whisk so you don't get lumps) to make it more creamy (very flexible on amounts here - again, to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste (can add a little cayenne too if you like a kick)

Put some chunks of sharp cheddar cheese in a bowl and pour the soup on top.  Serve with some good bread for dunking.

Excellent on a cold winter day, very cheap and filling


Peanut Butter

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #23 on: September 09, 2013, 11:04:36 AM »
Refried Bean Burritos:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/
You make the "refried" beans in a slow cooker (no frying necessary). I add some cheddar to the burrito, and freeze them for quick meals on the go.
Read the comments on the recipe for more ideas to make it better, or at least to your taste.

I've just discovered making my own frozen burritos. They're so handy! I made this first batch with quinoa (made with beef stock and taco seasoning), cheddar, spinach, and pico de gallo. I'm going to experiment with other burrito ingredients - having a big stash of them this week meant I was NEVER tempted to save the 5 minutes it would take to make a sandwich and buy lunch at the 7-11.

Zaga

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #24 on: September 09, 2013, 12:50:24 PM »
Refried Bean Burritos:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/
You make the "refried" beans in a slow cooker (no frying necessary). I add some cheddar to the burrito, and freeze them for quick meals on the go.
Read the comments on the recipe for more ideas to make it better, or at least to your taste.

I've just discovered making my own frozen burritos. They're so handy! I made this first batch with quinoa (made with beef stock and taco seasoning), cheddar, spinach, and pico de gallo. I'm going to experiment with other burrito ingredients - having a big stash of them this week meant I was NEVER tempted to save the 5 minutes it would take to make a sandwich and buy lunch at the 7-11.
I don't do this nearly often enough, but homemade frozen burritoes are way awesome!  I love to include sauteed zucchini and peppers, chicken, refried beans, and my own Mexican spice blend (I found it on the internet somewhere, it's my go-to spice blend).

FlyingTaco

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #25 on: September 09, 2013, 01:09:46 PM »
Here is a very easy pretty damn tasty recipe for a chicken stock and chicken salad sandwich.

Step 1. Chicken Stock - You will need a big ass pot. Start heating 2 gallons of water. Roughly chop a few onions, I added a bundle of carrots and celery (rinsed first), a couple of table spoons of minced garlic, and of course a whole chicken. Season the stock with whatever you like. I used a little salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and sage. Cook that down for about two hours.

I remove the chicken and place in a different bowl to cool. I strained the stock while moving to different dishes to cool. Once it has cooled down a reasonable amount put the stock in the refrigerator to cool overnight. A layer of fat should solidify on the top after a while, scoop out the fat and now you have a great stock. Then I put the stock in quart size bags and free them for what ever I'm cooking next.

The remaining chicken can be de-boned and chopped up. Finely cop a green bell pepper, how ever much celery you like, some relish/pickles, add some mayo and mustard. I boiled 4 eggs and chopped them up to add too. Then season with whatever you prefer again.

Pretty inexpensively you will have two gallons of chicken stock and enough chicken salad to eat at work all week :)
« Last Edit: September 09, 2013, 01:13:37 PM by FlyingTaco »

mpbaker22

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #26 on: September 11, 2013, 08:02:07 PM »
mmmm, just made this.

Using cast iron pan (or any sauce pan) add enough olive oil for minimal coating of pan.  Add sliced chicken breast and cook till slightly pink (or cooked through works as well but it will be dryer at the end).  Add about half a stick of butter and a similar amount of sour cream and milk.  Add a few handfuls of cheese (i used parmesan and mozzarela).  This is similar to an alfredo sauce, but alfredo usually uses cream cheese (I only had sour cream in the fridge).  Either the oil or the sour cream causes it to clump a little bit, but it's still quite good.  Unfortunately, it's probably not the healthiest recipe.  If you can't tell by the way I described it, I didn't use any actual recipe, but just added things I thought looked good.

Oh, I made a pot of pasta and covered it in the sauce.  Also added onions and garlic to the sauce.  I normally add peppers and tomatoes to everything I make, just cause I can, but I didn't have any on hand.

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #27 on: September 11, 2013, 08:41:34 PM »
Yes, yes, yes! My very favorite meal is throwing brown rice, vegetable broth, black beans, a can of Ro-tel, soy sauce, and smoked paprika into the rice cooker. Once done, I douse the mess in Valentina hot sauce and pack it away for lunch. I don't know why, but it's literally my favorite food and I feel so fortunate it's easy to make. Sometimes I get fancy with the spices and add lots of nutritional yeast but the concept is fool-proof.
This is almost exactly what I eat for days at a time, though the rotel isn't something I normally use. Sauteed spinach (or whatever other green you have available) goes in it well. A tiny bit of chorizo is good, too - it adds a ridiculous amount of flavor even if you only use two ounces or so.

Megatron

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #28 on: September 12, 2013, 09:21:11 AM »
thug kitchen
http://thugkitchen.com/

When I first started reading it. I thought it was too much work but a lot of the recipes are quite easy.

Or high quality peanut butter with crisp apple slices are always the goto snack for me.

Happyback

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Re: Share your bachelor level Mustachian recipes
« Reply #29 on: September 14, 2013, 04:36:41 PM »
GREAT soup for a cool day...

Crock pot a med yellow onion ($0.15), 6-7 potatoes ($.75), and 5-6 carrots ($0.50).  Just chunk them up in a few pieces...don't waste time here, but cut them up so they cook.  I wash them, but don't peel them.
Add 2 cups of veggie broth (I use the cubes here, with 2 cups water, so $0.25).  No spices needed.

Cook on low all day, or high for 1/2 day.
Come home at end of day, toss into the blender.  Eat. If you want it thinner, add more water or broth. I like it thick.

Any extra can be used for lunches, frozen, or just reheated the next dinner. 
Total servings 4 (big ones), 6 medium
Total cost $1.65