Like the title says, I’ll be facing some financially hard times this summer, as my job situation is pretty unstable right now. I have a very well stocked kitchen, and I made a big grocery order (free delivery over a certain amount), since I got a bit of money back from my taxes last year. But there are some things that I haven’t ever been used to using in my cooking, since I grew up in a classic “meat and potatoes” household, and my ex-partner wasn’t big on lentils and beans.
But I have SO many red lentils and another kind of lentils as well, that i’s love to use more! But I’ve pretty much only used them to make a lentil and tomato soup before. What other great uses are there for red lentils?
I’ve ordered some green lentils with my delivery, as I like them in Dahl, and a vegetarian recipe for shepherds pie I’ve tried. Any other suggestions?
I have just about 1kg of risotto rice, and an “oat rice” (oats in a rice shape pretty much?) and some “raw rice”. I also have some barley/cereal grain as well, which I’ve used to make pear gruel, but idk if I can use it for other things too?
I have an entire thing of couscous, HELLA pasta in different shapes, about 3kg of rice, a few cans of black beans, kidney beans and butter beans. Some chickpeas as well.
I have canned tuna, and some frozen fish, chicken and veggies.
I am DROWNING in frozen wild blueberries, because I went absolutely overboard when picking them myself last year, and I need to use them before they spoil.
I’ll have flour, sugar, butter and eggs available for the most part I think.
What are your best tips to using your pantry and stretching your food?
And do you have any recipe recommendations for me to try, with some of the things I have on hand at the moment?
Ideally I’d like to shop as little as possible, only restocking fresh fruit/veg and protein if/when I run out of those.
I’d estimate that I’ll have something along the lines of 1200SEK//124$ a month for everything that isn’t rent or bills.
I live in Sweden, so tips for US grocery stores to shop at, wouldn’t really work for me.
But if there are any swedes with tips for stores and discounts, please share!
Thanks in advance
/The broke Swede
by TheSweDane
11 Comments
Idk what half that stuff is but looks like you could make a big ol pot of everything soup if you add most of the above to some chicken broth and slow simmer it 👍
lentils can be added to bolognaise to stretch the mince meat. it’s unnoticeable according to Jamie oliver
With what you have and some cooking oil, you could make blueberry cobbler, fried rice and vegetables in season, fried lentil patties, and good old boiled lentils and grains.
Red lentil Lebanese soup: https://bedouina.typepad.com/doves_eye/2004/03/red_lentil_soup.html
Just remember that to form a complete protein, you need to make sure you eat beans or lentils and rice together. Especially for any meals you make that are sans meat protein. Your blueberries will make for a good source of vitamin C, so your best bet to stretch and preserve those is going to be to make a jam or jelly with them. Yes it’s a higher sugar option, but it’s great for adding flavor to oatmeal, cereals, or bread, and extra sugar is good if you’re trying to stretch food. I’m not a medical professional, but I’d also recommend adding a cheap daily multivitamin as well if you don’t already. Shelf stable hot sauces, soy sauce, or chilli sauces are your friend as well, helps to add flavor to rice dishes. If you can, I’d also recommend getting some versatile frozen vegetables, things like frozen onions, carrots, maybe peppers? They can be used in many different cuisines. Also highly recommend getting canned tomatoes, they’re shelf stable and will make many different types of sauces. My go to pantry meal is an American style beef and bean chilli, but you can easily make the same dish with just beans and veg, or add shredded chicken into the dish near the end of cooking the sauce/bean portion. Here’s one of my favorite easy recipes-
https://youtu.be/YdFjuglEAds?si=6BD614XSPC3kKwPd
Red lentils are also quite versatile, you can use them in pretty much any soup or saucy type dish. Also here’s a recipe for a red lentil flatbread that you could use for wraps and things! https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2023/02/lentil-flatbread-better-red-than-bread.html?m=1
Please feel free to message me if you have any questions or need substitutions for ingredients, I cook a lot and come from a long line of poor folks, so stretching food is in my blood.
I’ve been stretching my budget recently by making multigrain rice in a rice cooker. Recently made a big batch with 1 cup white rice, 1/2 cup split peas, & 1/2 cup lentils. You can use barley, bulgur wheat, chia seeds, quinoa, or other dried goods. Mix in some butter or olive oil & broth, you’ve got a great meal base. Good way to get your protein, fiber, & vitamins in without breaking the bank.
I lived on lentils and rice for a year. It’s a very nutritious food. Just use different spices and whatever veggies you can get cheap.
Red lentil curry! Just google it and pick any recipe you like most. I make mine with coconut milk, garlic, cubed sweet potato, browned onions, fresh tomatoes, and a garam masala mix that has whatever I’ve got on hand in the kitchen (cardamom, cinnamon, heavy on the cumin, etc.). Then I serve it with fluffy basmati rice and some [flatbreads I make from scratch from three ingredients](https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/flatbread-recipe-3-ingredients-easy/).
A big pot of this with the side dishes will give you five days of leftovers easily. Cheap, delicious, filling. You can freeze portions to eat it once a week if you get bored with leftovers.
I like to add lentils to my rice when I put it in my rice cooker for extra protein.
Go to a whole/natural food store that lets you bag and weigh your own grains, rather than buying sinfully overpriced plastic wrapped “green” branded yuppie garbage.
Handla på Willys istället. Köp deras egna märken. Släpp det ekologiska. Du får torkade svarta bönor, 800g (torkade) för typ 33kr.