I tend not to be eating that much lately since I’ve stopped working. I shrank once again and I think it’s time to start eating donuts to fatten up! . I blame this on what I am calling the “ghetto” meals I have been surviving on. Although I don’t claim that these meals are overly nutritious but they always hit the spot for me because I tend to have funky cravings for foods. I have probably mentioned some of these before! Certainly not culinary masterpieces! All are dirt cheap to make so if your wallet is a little bare this month,give some of these a try:

*Instant Mashed Potatoes with Corn & Nutritional Yeast

This is an easy meal though lacking in protein. Just make some instant mashed potatoes (I use earth balance margarine, salt/pepper & soymilk) and add some cream, frozen or canned corn to it. Then add some nutritional yeast to make it cheezy tasting. This takes 5 minutes to prepare and will fill you up. Just make sure to get some protein sometime in the day, perhaps by eating a banana for dessert! You could also substitute the corn for beans or peas..whatever your fancy!

Perogies & Steamed Broccoli

This has been a staple for me lately. I buy a bag of potato/onion perogies for under $2 and either frozen or fresh broccoli (whatever is cheaper). I boil the perogies and veggies in the same pot, sprinkle with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and sometimes dip it all in some vegan mayo.  Again, 5 minutes or less to make. You can substitute any vegetable too, I just find that broccoli is more nutritious than most other vegetables.

Oatmeal with fruit and maple syrup

This is so filling. If I am really hungry I will mix 1/2 cup of oats with 1/2 cup water & 1/2 cup soymilk and put in the microwave for a few minutes. I either add raisins, frozen blueberries or whatever fresh fruit is on hand.  To sweeten I use a dabble of maple syrup. If you eat all of this, likely you won’t be hungry  for a while.

Ramen Noodle with Condensed soup

This is not something I’ve been eating a lot lately but the last few weeks of work I did. Just prepare some ramen noodles then add 1/3 to 1/2 can of condensed tomato soup. (if you are not vegan you can add cream of celery, mushroom or whatever else you can think of)….but remember to use condensed, not ready-made soup. I usually add lots of pepper to this too. Works well in a pinch!

Baked Sweet Potato (ok this one can take over 10 minutes if you use traditional cooking methods)

You can buy a large sweet potato for under $1 and have yourself a fantastically nutritious meal. What I do, is peel the potato, then dice. I sprinkle a bit of olive oil and brown sugar (optional) on top and mix well. Then I bake the pieces in my toaster oven at 400F for about 15-20minutes (you could microwave this as it would not take as long). This makes a filling meal and so tasty and sweet.

HEalthy BEan Salad

Takes under 5 minutes and is packed with protein and yummy veggies. See recipe here:  http://thefrugalvegan.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/quickie-cheap-healthy-bean-salad/

Stuffed Crepes

I grew up with these (I am from Quebec) and so did my partner (he is Dutch& they call these pannekoeken). So every so often for dinner, we make some of these. Doesn’t take long! We only mix flour, water and a little vanilla extract. That’s it! The batter has to be really thin but not runny. We’ll fill it up with local fruits/veggies or some syrup or jam. In Holland, crepes are made at kids’ birthday parties as it is cheap and the kids can have fun filling them! This is a really cheap meal and OH so tasty!

Although I agree that these meals are far from being amazing they do hit the spot, are good for your wallet and some DO offer nutrition. Please share your ideas with me if you’d like! Good luck