Okay so let me say this there was a point where this channel helped my family after both me and my wife had just lost our jobs and our home to a fire. I was able to get a part time job to make it buy but this channel helped my family make it. Fast forward a few years to 2 amazing careers making alot more money a much bigger house, ill never forget how these recipes helped feed my family through our struggle so to Mr. And Mrs. Wolfepit I can only say thank you!
@@interwebtubes Beans, beans the musical fruit, The more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel. So, eat your beans at every meal. 🍑🌬
In where I can from, this ended up with a budget of $$$$$$$$$$$$ per tiny spoon. Economy here is that of American everyday worship plastic drug equivalent of NFT shitty existence.
I volunteer at a food pantry and often refer people to your budget meal videos to help them stretch things out. thanks for providing a good service to those struggling.
Thank you! I find the hardest part of helping those in need is an inability to cook basic foods. Some of the best stuff, the dry beans, the brown rice, are not acceptable because those in need were never taught how to cook them. I often spend time telling parents my children’s age, who are now adults, how to make a simple meal out of bread and canned soup. Or explanations of including a can of mixed veg in a can of any soup will increase volume, and will serve four or five or more if served on noodles or rice. Too often, parents just don’t have the experience of cooking, and they don’t know how to prepare real food. They have never eaten beans cooked from a bag, and their experience of onion is the dehydrated ones from a fast food restaurant.
This is hardly a poor man's meal, we ate it growing up, and as far as I am concerned it's a meal fit for a King. I can still smell moms cooking, how in the world she was able to feed 6 people on their budget amazes me to this day, we had no idea we were poor even though we lived in a tiny 2 bed apt. She was a genius in the kitchen and we never went to bed hungry. She saved every bit of bacon grease, chicken skin, and pieces of beef fat to season meals. She foraged berries from parks and asked strangers for the apples that were laying on the ground in their yards, she carried a paper grocery sack everywhere she went just in case there was an opportunity to bring something home. I am almost 60 and only now really realizing what she did for us, there was no place too far for her to walk to get something for us, I am blessed.
I made basically this on Monday, and me and my household had it for every meal through Wednesday. On Wednesday it had thickened up enough to use as bean dip next to some sour cream and salsa!
One thing poverty learns you - you can't afford to be picky or let pride get between you and a meal. When I was a child, 7 - 8 we were poor and my mom not good in the kitchen. I found out the butcher sold or gave away "dog scraps" for a penny. So I got a penny from returning a jar or bottle (as you could then) and I got those scraps and made meals. The scraps were offal lamb & beef heart, meaty bones, lamb breast, all things they sell for inflated prices now. I think the butcher knew what i was doing and gave me better "scraps". One day I saw a big lump of fat - it turned out to be beef suet. I bought that for a penny, grated it and made wonderful dumplings with just flour and salt. Another time I rendered some down and made beef dripping to spread on bread instead of butter. I was just a kid, but I worked pretty hard for my dinners.
Brother, I love you. It’s hard being poor in this country of wealth and you have helped keep my family fed and happy through these hard times. Man, I’m just too dumb to really express how much you helped us. Thank you, Sir. Thank you.
damn 24 times cheaper than eating out ONCE for something actually delicious and healthy! This is why I love eating like I'm broke even though I have decent money!
One of the first things I did when I got to college was bought a crock pot. Students in my apartment complex were always coming by to "see what I was cooking." I about lived on Pinto beans, Chili, Beef Stew, and home made corn bread. Good information, Mr. Wolfe.
Same. And I always have a pot of beans and a bowl of rice at my parties, a holdover from that time, and I have been asked for my "recipe" more than once. Dried beans made with some veggies and meat for flavor spooned over brown rice might be the most economical and healthiest way of feeding a bunch of people I've ever found!
Sometimes I never even had a half a cup of food and would have been so happy with that half a cup. Some people don't understand the reality of some in our country. One summer I ate nothing but fried onions and potatoes. Bless you for these great recipes and a reminder of how lucky I am right now in my life.
Amen to all that! 💯 I'm really sick of UA-camrs complaining about their meals not tasting right or certain foods not available or whatever, be glad you can buy food. Be thankful for what you have and maybe help your neighbors out, especially now. God bless and keep you. ❣️😊👍
The good thing about being poor nowadays is you can still get a lot of high calorie, high fat, foods. You can be poor and overweight nowadays xD But this wasn't always the case, even in the United States. Cornbread and beans, it'll keep ya alive.
ive studied nutrition for decades, this is EXTREMELY Healthy and your right , looks like it would taste amazing! Makes me wonder why the hell im going to stupid fast food places =( no more
If you know a little about gardening/have space you can use them to regrow your own veg. Garlic, celery, ginger, carrots potato are some i know and have regrown off the top off my head.
My mom used to make a variation on this. She'd soak the beans for a day or so, put it in a crock pot with huge chunks of potatoes and the ham hock and go to work. At dinner time she would give us a bowl and some cornbread to scoop it up with. Man that takes me back. I have not had it since she passed in 06.
@@Linda7647 you and I both know it won't taste the same. Mom magic is a thing. I once told my mom I missed her clam chowder from when I was a kid. I told her how when she made it on cold days it always made me happy. She was totally lost then started laughing and told me it was Progresso. IDGAF my mom opened the best dang can of soup cos I swear it don't taste right.
I used to watch this for the gross factor, or for Tina's Burritos, the nostalgia, but I'm wealthy and this is pretty much what I do quite often, although I used different vegetables and seasonings, different cook times for the vegetables (always near the end, always al dente), a lot more meat, more diverse grains (barley and lentil risotto is one of my favorites) and less water if it's a risotto. Anyway, I applaud this cooking method. The poor might use it to get rid of leftovers, but the wealthy should be using it to save time and attention. It's a very foolproof cooking method, and the ingredients tend to be complex carbs and protein and fat-heavy, which is how it's supposed to be. Simple carbs are supposed to be a treat, not a food group.
The way the powers that be who are ruining our country want it, and get it, is for them to lie to you - and you love it; but when someone tries to tell you the truth- they hate it !!!
Beans and rice, mixed with ground beef and some bell pepper, was one of my favorite dishes as a kid. It wasn’t till I grew up that I realized it was “poor people food” and I still eat it to this day, even though I can afford steak and whatever other protein I want. Cheap food doesn’t have to be without flavor or non filling. Beans are a GREAT food and calorie hack, and healthy too. But if you want some REALLY CHEAP depression era recipes, my grandmothers family survived off of dandelion soup. Ye, seriously.
I grew up below poverty in the 60s even though my dad worked three jobs a day. My mother made our clothes so we always had at least a new dress every month for church and a dollar each in the collection basket. We were blessed to live across a two lane street across from crops that yielded cabbage,and onions and in the summer we would go to the close farms where we would pick fruits and vegetables. One of my dad's job had a huge pecan trees they allowed us to harvest. My mom always made our meals from scratch and made the most amazing egg noodles with tomato soup. Looking back now I understood how difficult it must have been for her to make sure we had three meals each day at the kitchen table. My dad near worked himself to death but not one word ever came out oh his mouth how hard it was on him and when I was old enough I often worked right beside him. These nutritious meals you are teaching us we can provide for cheap are a blessing indeed to those who have very little. God bless you and your wife for the blessings you share. ❤🕎🔯🕎❤
A good way to thicken the soup without adding any other ingredients, (they cost money) is to mash up about half a cup of already cooked beans and mix it back in. The starchy mash will thicken the soup. So that way, you don't lose water, which is volume, which can make the soup go further.
Another cheap way to thicken soups is to add in instant potatoes. This also adds a bit of flavor and calories so it should make a soup more filling. 1 box of instant potatoes goes a long way if you only use it to thicken soups.
@@MyParrotIsGrassType we do this in my country but with regular potato. We boil it and throw it in the blender with a bit of the liquid of the soup and put it back to the soup
@@MyParrotIsGrassType I do this with both soup and chili. I don't know why I see so many chili recipes that call for flour to thicken it when instant potato flakes are superior. Plus if we're talking budget, instant potato flakes are very common at kitchens or churches where they're giving food away. It's unbeatable.
Your channel is a blessing. I remember 2 years ago when i found you, and your cheap eating series saved my family. About 6 months ago i got a higher paying job and can afford the luxury of not worrying about cheap dinners anymore. The people who down talk these videos dont understand struggle, so from the rest of us. THANK YOU
I was a poor kid with a big family. I'm 35 now, and my family eats fine, but theres still poor kids out there today. Some of their parents are watchin your channel, and those poor kids arent goin to bed hungry tonight. You have my most sincere thanks for what you're doing
This is really a public service you do, I was fortunate to have 2 grandmother's who taught me how to cook a meal with basically nothing on hand. But so many really don't know how to do that. During the great depression the government had community kitchens that taught women how to use things on hand. I think they still need this service, thanks for another great video 😸
If some haven't struggled to feed themselves or their family then they have no room to talk, i say don't let these people get to you and keep doing what you do. I think it's really great that you're making these videos to help struggling people eat
This is the best recipe I've seen you cook so far...no processed meat, this is just old fashioned cooking. This is a great dish...seeing you cook this has changed my eating habits for the better...best wishes from the UK..
I know, not everybody can afford it, but a pressure cooker is the thing that saved my mum so much time... She have inherited it back in the day, and making this soup would only take 40 minutes, without the need of soaking the beans.... Making meals that would take hours just in 30-40 minutes and reducing the time in thr kitchen allowed her to spend more time with us, helping out with homework etc. Btw: this is an extremely common meal in eastern europe, and you can add some fresh red onions to it when serving. (Romanians would eat sour cabbage on the side) or a small spoon of soured cream.
@@libertyordeath555 cut up an onion, garlic and on a bit of oil make it glossy. Add the beans, salt, pepper, paprika and a bay leaf. And some smoked ham ( i normally would put it in in one big piece so it doesnt overcook and fall apart) ... Put some water in it and cook it for 40 minutes. After 40 mins and some carrots, celery root and parsnips and it should be done. As soon as those veggies soften. You dont have to soak the beans at all, the pressure will take care of it...
Last year, my family and I moved back to the US from Europe after losing our visas and being kicked out of the country we were living in. We had very little and in the following weeks that very little went to basically nothing. We had to rely heavily on food banks while I searched for work... as a chef, during a pandemic. The one positive we had was a family member paid for our phones, so we'd have a way to stay in contact. This meant access to UA-cam, and this channel. Several times this channel's budget meals were the difference between me going hungry and just my wife and kids having a meal, and us having a family meal. I keep coming back to your channel to watch your recipes, because culinary school might teach you how to manage food costs and waste... but not how to survive real life on a budget. As a side note, these meals can be made using a single budget pot from a secondhand store and a one burner camp stove in a parking lot. I know from experience. Wash your plastic shopping bags well and take care of them. Doggiedoo bags are great ways to store things too and they're cheap.
Oh, how times have changed. US Americans are now the undesirable foreigners in countries with significantly higher standards of living than the US. I guess you can keep your huddled masses...
Thank you, this is a tasty traditional recipe. It's not just struggle food, it's heritage. I'm happy to see a new generation introduced to such a simple but elegant meal.
If you're in an even more dire financial situation, instant mashed potato and a packet of mug soup mix or a sprinkle of seasoning or curry powder. Combine in a container, stir in water. Saved my life when I was homeless and had to live off £2 a week sometimes. Still go back to it when I'm camping or traveling since it's quick and filling and can be made in basically anything. The ingredients are easy to find don't need heat and keep a long time, too. I should make an emergency bag with them in.
@TheWeeaboo That's why I said to add something to the mashed potato not to just have the mashed potato. I used to put cold canned or powdered soup for mugs in mine.
@TheWeeaboo That's nice, but you should research thru hiking diets. I spent half of last year hiking across the country. Instant mash and ramen noodle were a big part of my caloric intake. Instant mash has some of the best $/lb/Cal ratios you can get for off-the-shelf food. Nutrition is nothing more than getting protein, fat, and carbs in whatever amount you need, with vitamins and minerals thrown in for body function. What form those basics come in is irrelevant.
@@MurdersMachine not to intrude on your point but high $/lb/calorie is sth you definitely shouldnt look for… the units should be cal/lb/$ or for people using metric: kcal/kg/€,£,¥,$ etc cause you want as many calories per lb and as many pounds per dollar as possible c:
@@kasparpaukson3543 Well I see your pedantry and raise you: I used the word BEST, not HIGH. Therefore, it wouldn't matter which order the stats are in, because BEST means the context is set relative to the desires of the speaker. Have a nice day, now. ;)
if I could make a recommendation. -by sautéing your carrots, onions and celery separately in the second pan with your spices you can create a mirepoix soup base which will allow you to cook your beans separately. - then adding the chicken into the mirepoix gives it an extra layer of condensed chicken goodness/fats from the chicken. -Then add your broth/water to the mirepoix and then add the beans and let the beans absorb the flavor. This could A.) reduce the cooking time ,and B. ) allow for the aromatics to fully congeal while creating a good broth base for the soup without increasing price.
Sadly there are a LOT of people who just don't understand why budget meals had a need to exist. When I was a wee one my mom had to raise 3 kids solo. We got used to meals like this. There are a great deal of people now who don't understand how others can struggle to eat enough to get by. Those of us who know appreciate you spreading the word of budget meals man. Don't listen to the haters, they don't understand the blessings they take for granted.
Mom and Dad were from the Depression. Many times we had lima beans and pork for dinner. (🤢 Still hate lima beans... )but i see the need to stretch what you have, make it "stick to your ribs". Reuse, repair, make do, or do without. Lessons learned.
We often had oatmeal porridge for supper just before my dad got paid and Mom's grocery money ran out. She'd make us feel it was a special treat by letting us have brown sugar on it...we never knew this was a stop-gap meal...we loved it.
@@kath5201 Lima beans, Brussel sprouts, and beets are three vegetables I prefer not to eat, and except for lima beans, I've found ways to enjoy them nonetheless. Even the much maligned turnip is great in the proper setting. Works great in beef stew. I still cook with a tight budget in mind because even though I'm in a place where I can afford more, I enjoy the challenge of cooking healthy, tasty meals for as little as possible. It encourages me to step outside my usual go-to ingredients and get creative.
Oh me growing up my step dad was a penny pincher hell still is after 40+ years. If I didn't like what was for dinner I was told to make my own. Usually scrambled eggs at 4 years old. I knew what I liked and what I didn't. Now me and mom are the cooks. Everyone else is kicked out of the kitchen. I learned to cook at a young age cause I didn't like what was for dinner.
As a Mexican American there was ALWAYS a pot of beans on the stove and some leftover rice from dinner, throw in an egg and throw all that in a tortilla … best basically free breakfast ever
one of my former colleagues is Filipino. He said that there was always rice on the stove, rice in the firdge, and that breakfast was generally two golf ball size balls of rice, a fried egg, and a pinch of sugar. "and he didn't die"
YES. My grandma was from Appalachia (growing up as 1 of 12 kids in Kentucky before moving to Cincinnati) and she said her mother always had beans and rice or dumplings on the table so that people could eat until they were full, even at breakfast. Your idea is GREAT. I'm adding that to my list. Thanks for sharing it!
This recipe reminds me of a traditional meal we eat here in the Balkans, simply called beans. There are a few variations from the recipe in this video. We dont add celery, but do add carrots, parsnip root, potato chunks too. And to finish it off and thicken the broth we make a garlic roux with oil, flour and minced garlic, fried for a minute or two. At the end, a few teaspoons of paprika is added to the roux, roux is added to the whold soup, cooked for a minute et voila. Its usually eaten with the bread on the side. Its a cheap, long lasting and hearty meal.
"if you're thinking 'this will never fill me up' you've never really struggled" true words. I remember in college i could live off a whole chicken for like 2 weeks. Eat most of the meat the first week, boil the bones and make soup for the second week. I come from a chinese background so i spiced it up western and eastern styles of cooking. But it was pretty plain jane, tasted great, and only cost me like 75c a meal
I did this every week for a while in college. Got veggie scraps from my roommates for the stock. Boil some rice noodles + frozen wontons and it's crazy good
I don't know how many times I survived off a crushed up pack of peanuts and a can a coke mixed together and eaten/drank. Makes your stomach feel full and stops the hunger pain for a while.
I mean, you can do the math on calories. A whole chicken has about 1200 calories which is pretty good considering you can get one for about $5. But that's not even enough for a single day, certainly not .75 a meal worth. The rice is what keeps you alive, the chicken is more for keeping you sane :) Rice and beans are the play if you are actually so poor that you are worried about going hungry
"These recipes aren't meant to make you full, they're meant to help you survive for as little money as possible." Unfortunately true. A lot of people don't understand just how bad food insecurity can be, even in supposedly wealthy countries. A lot of the time, it's literally just about getting just enough calories to make it through another day while grocery stores are overflowing with food that they'd rather throw out than give away or sell at an affordable price.
You're missing part of the picture here: "that they'd rather throw out than give away or sell at an affordable price" - the practice of throwing out food by grocery stores typically stems from regulations placed upon them. You don't think they'd want to recoup whatever money they could from product by selling old product at reduced prices? But there's usually health ordinances to selling or giving away old food. The government would rather let the poor and homeless starve than deal with the risks associated with them consuming bad meat/produce from a grocery store. Now maybe you think that's a good thing or maybe you think that's unnecessary and I'll leave that up to you to decide. But either way, its not entirely fair to blame grocery stores for throwing out food.
@@moonlitegram I'm willing to admit that is a good reason to throw out food, even if I still think that grocery stores are too eager to do so, as poorer folks often have little access to medical care if they get seriously sick from eating bad food. However, the mere fact that under capitalism, food, a basic necessity, is so desperately withheld from the people who need it most even when there is enough food available most of the time to feed everyone, at least in an American context, is in my opinion a near unforgivable failing of the economic system.
@@ef.9095 Um what? "However, the mere fact that under capitalism, food, a basic necessity, is so desperately withheld from the people who need it " Yea, that's not capitalism that's withholding food from people. That's state health ordinances. The mental gymnastics people pull when it comes to attacking capitalism never cease to amaze me.
@@moonlitegram I'm really sorry I wasn't clear there. I'm not saying public health ordinances are a capitalist thing, that'd certainly be some weird mental gymnastics and i apologize for coming off that way. I was, however, saying that that it's not the only reason that some grocery stores dispose of food. Now I will note here before i continue that grocery stores are NOT the primary offenders here, fast food chains are. Businesses that sell things like, for example pizza, that is pre-prepared, will often simply dispose of such items after a certain amount of time, usually something in the realm of four or five hours, or at the end of a work day, depending on context regardless of wether it is required. They do this to maintain a consistent standard of quality, which is of course fine, however if these businesses were to offer these food items that are oftentimes only in need of reheating or at worst are slightly stale for free until public health ordinances do require them to be disposed of, this might cut into their profits, which, under capitalism are the only motivating factor a business is incentivized to follow. I'd also conclude by noting that ideally enough food for people to live on would be a guaranteed right, but this has dragged on too long already and i don't feel comfortable trying to explain a second complex idea in the same youtube comment, as I'm no expert on the matter and there are far more resources available online if you wish to look into it. finally, if you really want to fully understand these topics, there are a few places online where you can get a copy of the book Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, which is in my opinion one of the best analyses of the modern form of capitalism, and certainly the most thorough, available today.
@@ef.9095 Yea, UA-cam comments aren't great for having detailed discussion, so I completely understand. I'm actually familiar with Piketty, although not a big fan. But appreciate the recommendation either way.
I really would just like to say that I enjoy how respectful Mrs and Mr. Wolfe are of different financial situations. The fact that you highlighted that something could or couldn't be added in "If you're able to," is just great to me. It's not humiliating anyone, it's just stating that you can continue the main recipe and have it be just as delicious OR if you wanted to, and had the option, you could add something else in but you didn't say it mockingly like "Oh you COULD add this thing in which makes it taste wayyyy better" because that may make some people think that because they didn't have those one or two extra things, that it was gonna taste sub-par. Just wanted to thank you for that.
A pot of bean soup got me through some tough times in college. I would make bean soup like this and freeze portions so that I could eat it for about a month and change it up by adding different leafy greens when I heated it up. I still eat it from time to time, but it is definitely a heartier version. I found that adding rice into this to make it more of a porridge consistency helped stretch the meal and make it feel more dense. Thanks for posting this.
I just found out my rent is going to increase phenomenally across the next few years, I can't afford to move either because I care for a disabled parent. These videos are all I have to work with, so thank you from across the world for giving that support.💖 EDIT; WOW thanks for all the support🏆, it's a long way to go but things are at least under control at the moment.
Do check out Struggle Meals! Also the Epicurious set of "Four Levels of X" (e.g. four levels of lasagna) gives ideas as to why certain foods are prepared certain ways, or combined certain ways; even if you mostly stick to the easier and/or cheaper versions, you should be able to improve the dish with a few tips and tricks from the higher levels. Better combos can mean better satiation (sensation of fullness) on less food -- eating a bunch of tasteless food isn't as psychologically filling as a smaller portion of tasty food.
Thank you for what you're doing here, teaching people how to cook on a budget, or even cook, period. As you know, one reason people have a hard time when money is tight because a lot people don't know *how* to cook. So thank you for doing this public service.
@@happycook6737 I know, but at least those meal kits can teach you how to cook, as opposed to ordering in from a restaurant or buying overpriced frozen dinners. I also like how these meals are suited to the tastes of bachelor. I feel so bad for them, you can spot them at the grocery store check out line, their baskets full of canned foods and/or t.v. dinners.
@@arielklay23 my sons have taught many of their friends how to make simple, tasty, budget friendly meals. Two of my guys shared a place. They used to have "Pantry Parties" when they were at their poorest. They would tell their friends to bring what they had: ramen, beans, corn, tortillas, tuna, a carrot, potato, salsa - just whatever, big or small amounts. They usually ended up making a big pot of soup and often some sort of appetizer and dessert. During the whole process, their friends would be amazed at the outcome. Many even called them later for input how to make their food budget stretch and cooking tips. My 26 yo is my shopping partner these days and I often find him advising other shoppers on the better buy and how to utilize it. I am so thankful they absorbed the lessons and are willing to pass them along.
For parents who work and don't have time to stand over the stove or keep checking on it, this would make a great crockpot meal. Start before going to work and it will be done when you get back home. I spent a lot of time in my life eating that much or less a day, there was no 3 meals. My stomach shrank so much I never would have been able to eat a 1/2 cup in one sitting. The struggle is real, I hope people are ready for this. Thank you so much for a great video and reminder that we can all do this and still enjoy flavor.
If you add rice to it, it's a cheap way to add some calories and bulk. A pound of rice only costs about a buck and can feed roughly eleven people (but you can divvy it up to make it feed 24, if times are really hard). So for roughly 4 extra cents per stretch serving, you can add 70 extra calories and a little bit more mass to your meal.
Serving rice would be a wonderful idea or serving with a slice of buttered bread on the side. You can find sliced sandwich bread loaves for as cheap as 88 cents at Walmart or even grab a day old loaf at bargain price from bakery. Most people even in dire straights have a little margarine or butter in the fridge but you can also do plain bread
@@Mike-dt1yg I'd probably cook the rice on the side and mix it in at the end, or even just put some rice in the bowl and ladle some soup over it. To add a little crunch and flavor you could cook the rice and the press it into about a half inch thick pancake and fry it for a few moments before adding it to the rest, or dividing it up into the bowls. Most rice cooks in about 20-25 minutes, so you could cook it in the soup by adding it about a half hour before the soup was done. But I think it would be better to cook it separately. But you could mix it in, and if you have leftover soup, nothing wrong with just warming the beans and rice up together.
@@Mike-dt1yg It's best cooked on the side, unless you're confident you've got plenty of liquid, have washed your rice, and are willing to cook it on slow. If you're going to add it in, do it toward the end, when the beans are done. The dish will be done when the rice is.
This or another starch is necasary to break down the beans. The chemical reaction is neccasary for incomplete proteins. Otherwise your body can't absorb them.
Watching these videos helps me to understand what my single mom was doing to keep herself and her two kids fed. We weren't destitute, but weren't far from it at times. Sometimes we didn't have gas for the water heater and furnace, but electric was priority and kept us warm and helped to feed us. She used a roller-wringer washing machine (this was in the early/mid 80's so that tells you how desperate we were) and the clothes line to do laundry. I couldn't appreciate the meals she managed to scrape together then, but I do now. Thank you, mom. And thank you, WolfePit.
No matter a person's income, these meal ideas are a great way to feed yourself and your family... I was raised country, in the country... Learned a lot from my grandparents, parents, aunt's and uncle's over the years on how to survive on little... There were some very lean years, but good times as well. This recipe looks delicious! Thanks for sharing... ✌️
Being raised by a working mother and having two siblings, this kind of meal was a regular staple while growing up. We may not have had steak for dinner, but we never went hungry. My mom grew up during the Great Depression and taught me how to prepare all kinds of frugal meals. Thank you for this video - hopefully it will help others experiencing hard times to have one less pressing matter to worry over.
I've been very fortunate in my life where I never had to worry about affording food, and your struggle meal video series has really opened my eyes to what a lot of people go through. If you're on minimum wage even meals like this would be hard to afford 3 times a day. Keep this up, you're helping a lot of people!
There are places where minimum wage does not even pay the rent. Working 40 hours a week every week and zero chance at all of affording a place on your own. even the horrible area to live needs at least 2 of these incomes for a 1 bedroom apt in a building that maybe should be condemned. And yet.... the politicians won't talk about housing issues and a need for rent controls. Literally lived in my car for the summer just to be able to move someplace i could actually afford the bills. That was a long time ago. But these places are still out there.
@@MPlain The problem is not so much rent control it's allowing people to offset a "investment" property against a existing asset. If only single home owners where allowed to borrow it would change the game fast. By using the offset people use tenets to pay the mortgage so when mortgage payments go up rent goes up but it never comes down because if it drops people count that as extra profit. There are alot more problems to the housing market then just not enough homes to rent/buy.
@@generalharness8266 Remember old people only make so much. and there are a lot of people only making minimum wage. Do the math. Rent is in excess of an entire income for these people. Where is the food money? Given that now food is also obscenely expensive. Not helping. Then add in basic must have bills. A phone, power, heat. Rent should NEVER EVER exceed half of the income for these people. IF you make more, then you have luxury money to spend of stuff and people will do that a lot of the time so good for the economy. Not 1 person making the $$$$ and probably not putting back in but many and doing that. I remember my grampa telling me how things used to be in the 50s. When he was the only one working. Had $ for everything and some left over too.. and had a normal job. mid range pay wise. Somewhere along the line we went to needing 3 people paying the bills. It has to change... IF it does not there will be a revolt. Count on that. Then the home owners will really lose. The problem is the cost of the house in the first place. Which no one will fix. So. set the rents in stone. That will cause the house market to drop back to reality. And the situation will sort itself out. Those that went in beyond their means will get exactly what happens to people that spend more then they have. Bankruptcy. Whatever. Their mistake.
@@MPlain its really sad how everything has gotten more expensive but wages haven't raised along with it - and some rich folks are buying up all the houses and renting them out, preventing people from being able to buy houses! The landlords don't care about the people in those houses, they'll jack the prices up and up and up until people are barely scrapping by. They cant keep this up forever, not without making people hit their limit. And sometimes heads roll when that happens.
@@shrimpyalfredo3933 raising wages won't make things better. It will make things worse. BC tried this. The result was things closing and people losing hours plus costs of stuff going up. On average... the financial situation of someone, on the bubble, got worse, not better. The solution is in doing something about the bills, not throwing more money at it. Talk to old people. Some still remember the 50s when one person would go to work. Only one. All the bills were paid. They owned a house. They had money for several kids. They had money left over. And NO welfare for the stay at home mom either. One income did it all and then some. Now we need 3 incomes. Can't afford kids at all. And barely eat. some live in cars because they can't even afford a place to live, and yet they work 40 hours a week. Ya... work your ass off to be homeless. This won't last long before the people have had enough.
The coming decade is gonna be a rough one, It's good to have the knowledge and know-how to survive with very little. Your channel is doing a massive service, thanks from some Aussie bloke.
This is almost EXACTLY the same recipe that my Mother always made for us! Both her and my Dad grew up during the depression, so it "may" be where she learned the recipe. For anyone who says "I can't survive on only 1/2 a cup of beans"...........TRY IT! You will be amazed at how far a 1/2 cup of beans will carry you!
Add bread too if yiu have it. Even of its the cheapest you can get, take a slice and toast it if you can. It's great for dipping and padding out meals. Or boxes of corn bread mix. I've has to start using those as the cheapest bread loaf where I live is $4 now, but a box of Jiffy Corn Bread is $1.50. It pads the meal out more and tastes pretty good
@@fallenking578 Especially with a cup of bean soup ladled over it & Iike to dice a cheap lump of salted pork into it with onions (a known antiinflammatory source).
To thicken my bean soup, once the beans and everything has cooked, I will take a cup or two of the beans from the pot and mash them up into a paste then add that paste back to the pot of soup. Let it cook a few more minutes and you will have a great pot of thick bean soup. I love bean soup.
This guy serious! Love the no-nonsense. As a person who isn't struggling, it's very humbling and fresh to see a video not beating around the bush. I'm sure this has helped out many a people. Love it :)
If one doesn't know what ketchup soup is; if one doesn't know what cracker peanut butter sandwich is; if one has never had to steal to stay alive; if one doesn't know the sweet sweet taste of ramen soup then that person has never been hungry, my friend... But it appears you know all about it. Food is precious. You rock. Great channel. Thumb up and be safe whatever you do.
Seriously. So many of these recipes could be a cheap meal on their own or the foundation for a very hearty meal (assuming you have the ability to afford a few extras). This one in particular is actually really nice in that it doesn't have quite as much salt as some of the others.
I was raised on "peasant food" as it was commonly known. We lived below the poverty line, and meals like this among many others were mostly what we ate. I still make these foods to this day for my own family even though we're financially stable because they're just so damn good!
What is sad is the “cheap” foods we grew up on are now becoming expensive as people realize how good they are. I can actually buy a bone in ham cheaper than ham hocks. We love bean soup. So now I keep ham bouillon on hand. It’s not as good and is cheaper, when I don’t have a ham bone or hocks.
Was just gonna say, my dad grew up 1 of 9 kids in the 60's and they had no money to spare. My grandma made a LOT of macaroni and tomatoes, chili, scalloped potatoes, and bean soup. Now he has money for any food he could think of, but those are still his favorite meals!
When money was tight, I would make bean "soup" like this for my family with a big pan of cornbread and whatever vegetables we had hanging around the house. My family was well fed and well nourished.
three tips for everyone: 1st - there's a "flavor" tip that also helps on savings. NEVER throw away vegatable scraps. if you use bell peppers and you end up with the stalk with a bit of meat, the top of a Carrot (the part that has the greens) onion skins (yes, the brown layer) or even potato peels.. ANY veggie scrap will work (but keep in mid that anything such as the couliflower or brussel sprouts will add a layer of bitterness so if you don't like that just avoid that entire family of veggies) freeze them in a bag (you can mix all the veggies in there) so you can collect a bunch more, then when you have half of a pot you use the oven to roast them (it will add a heck ton of flavor because of maillard reaction, which caramelizes all the sugars on the veggies) and then you can use those roasted veggies to make a "magnifique" stock . it's basically the "homemade version" of the store bought broth but you can control the salt on it which makes it healthier. i higly suggest to look for the "roasted vegetable stock" recipe if you aren't good making stocks. if you struggle enough to be worried of the oven usage (let's be honest, electricity must be paid, we all went through it) stop worrying. there's no need for it, it just makes everything tastier. extra: and lastly you can allways blend all the ingredients so nothing at all is wasted. 2nd: if you are making omelettes you can add a bit of water and flour to get more out of less eggs (not sure if your country the eggs can end up being more expensive than flour, but just in case keep that in mind). if you can, you can allways add milk instead of water, this way is almost impossible to know it isn't pure egg omelette. 3rd : carrot leaves are edible! check out recipes using them! most people don't know about it and it breaks my heart every time i see them throwing the greens at the trash!
I've been fortunate enough to never have to resort to 'no meat, only rice and beans.' A few things I did learn when I was near that point: 1. Things like frozen white fish (swai, tilapia, etc), eggs, and canned tuna are very high in protein, cheap, and versatile. Make sure to avoid eating fish multiple times a day/every day depending on heavy metal content. 2. Just about everyone, regardless of size, can survive on 800-1200 calories a day without starving yourself. **EDIT:** since quite a few people cannot read: 8-1200 should not be your goal. If you are working out or doing manual labor, you will absolutely need more per day. 3. Just coffee and a bit of butter can supplement a breakfast/keep you full ("bulletproof coffee"). Frozen peas are also very filling for the price. 4. You can fast, without issue, for 12-36 hrs. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts do intermittent fasting. You should focus more on fats and protein if you're doing this though. It isn't some magical weight loss/health trick but many people prefer it for convenience. 5. If you need calories before a shift or something and don't have food ready, fast food is always an option. A Mcdouble and a Spicy McChicken (the fabled McGangbang) is $2-3 and 800 calories. You shouldn't do this multiple times a week. 6. Never feel ashamed to apply for EBT/Unemployment. Your tax dollars pay for those programs. Many states may make it a miserable process but do not let anyone shame you. Its embarrassing so many people have to resort to this in America despite working 40+hrs a week. Stay strong comrades. Edit: if you're fasting you should stick to it until you can actually eat a meal. If you have a little snack or a soda or something, you're breaking the fast and your body will want more.
3-4 dollars buys you potatoes, onion, minced beef and you can make soup for 3 days. That takes less time to cook than going to mcdonalds and back. Mcdonalds hamburger maybe staves off hunger for like few hours. When you are poor its very important to eat filling and long lasting meals. Rye bread instead of white breads etc.
@@herakles6185 on the way to work. It takes 5 minutes to go through the drive through. Cooking takes time to clean. Cut your potatoes, onions, and start cooking. Potatoes take more than 5 minutes just by themselves. So again. You're just wrong.
to increase flavour using the same ingredients, definitely suggest changing your technique slightly-I would start with the onion, celery, carrot first in a separate pot in some oil to soften and brown. the browning is a maillard reaction (the natural sugars in the vegetables caramelising), which produces fond on the bottom of the pot. once those vegetables are browned, then add your beans and water. the water will deglaze and release the fond developed on the bottom of the pan, adding lots of flavor! (this is called a sofrito)
@Al-go-rhyme of course. but some rape seed or sunflower oil, peanut oil etc. is usually inexpensive, possibly something people already may have. you also don't need very much oil. but yes, if it's not available, then this doesn't quite work
I really love these budget meal videos. Even people who have more than enough should eat like this. it's always good to humble yourself by eating modestly for a day or week. It makes you more sympathetic towards people who live that life every day.
This is an excellent video ... thank you. As a son of a miner we ate lentil soup with a ham bone every week. Knuckle heads are a good substitute and there seems to be a lot around. 😊 Something I've learned from off-gridders when cooking beans and lentils for hours ..... build a hot box ! I have a one lined with thick pieces of polystyrene. Put it in at 8am and by 4pm they're ready. I learned to fry stinging nettles too. They make a good nutritious mix along with a little wild garlic. Nasturtiums add a peppery/radish flavour too. Bon appetit !
Working class home growing up and inexpensive food was the norm. I didn’t even eat a steak until age 15 or so. Cheap cuts of meat cooked slow and low with pasta or beans were very normal. We never went hungry but some weeks the menu was a bit boring.
I’m not really struggling but these easy cheap meals do help me because I’ve been spending far less money on food and I’m able to save up for moving into a better home! So thank you sir!!
exactly my story. I used to spend waay to much on food, ordering take out every single meal. Now putting a limit on my food spendings i was really able to move to a better apartment, i feel like im a magician lmao
@@KbIPbIL0 When you don't budget your food you can really lose track of how much you're spending on it. We started tracking how much we were spending on food and it was soooooo high lol. I think it's because you spend $15 here $20 there and don't realise how much that crap adds up XD
I remember when I was younger and my Mother had no money for groceries very often, and we ate a lot of pinto beans and cornbread. Luckily we were living where some folks had released a bunch of white rabbits into the fields nearby, and with a borrowed 22 rifle I would get us a rabbit or 2 every month or so. Pinto beans and rabbit stew kept us alive and well for over a year. We were dirt poor, but we didn't starve.
I have smoked turkey legs in my freezer and dried beans in my pantry. I also have chicken broth, but I don't put it in my bean soup. I just have to get the carrots and onions, then I will make this meal. Don't let the people who never went hungry dictate what you put in your videos. You are doing great.
I love using the heirloom beans, Vermont Soldier Beans. They taste just like meat. A cup of this, a salad (greens from the yard or garden), a 3" square of cornbread and you have a very complete meal. Grew up with this.
@@laddibugg I’m glad I’m not the only one! I can’t wait to cook with them. They get great reviews. Thanks @Tina Gallagher for posting because I’ve never heard of those beans.
I'm not struggling financially or anything but I just love beans of almost any variety. I eat this kind of budget meal on a regular basis. There are few meals in the world that I love more than beans with smoked hamhocks served over a bed of rice with some hot buttered cornbread
Been looking for this channel for a couple weeks now man I remember watching these when I first got evicted and didn’t know where life was going and I’d make these recipes with my own little tweaks and you saved me from many bs fast food and hungry nights I’m glad I could find your videos again , still basically couch surfing but things will get better thanks ❤
Every food bank should hand out recipes for meals like this to help those struggling to keep the family fed get the most benefit from whatever is available. Your soups and stews, along with bread or crackers, can make a little go a long way. A bowl full of hot soup can mean the difference between you and the kids going to bed hungry or feeling satisfied and getting a good night's sleep.
I worked at Second Harvest and Santa Clara in San Mateo County California I wrote 20 meal recipes using what we offer I got so many written compliments and when I was out of work I got hired at Second Harvest I redid their product handling Logistics and started the making meal kits so that you got enough in one bag to feed your whole family
the problem is that many people who dont have money and rely on food banks also cant cook and /or are unwilling to learn (i dont know why). my mom works at a food bank and she had to boil some veggies so people would taste them and take them instead of saying no to things they dont know. those small red radishes? so many people didnt know what they where and she had to cut them up and convince them that they are tasty. she still throws so much vegetables away because people wont take them. at first she just packed bags and was like " they have to suck it up and take it , they will see that those veggies are good " but it ended with the people throwing all unwanted food on the street while they where going home. so she had to stop giving away things they didnt specifically ask for :/
@@zitronentee2302 It comes down to education, humans are very stubborn creatures, and people see food banks as a down in the dumps sort of last resort and don't want to think why they had to resort to it in the first place. For not wasting food and to get people to eat it, you want to make it smell extremely appealing, if it has a lot of spices, they will smell it and it will change their mind and appetite. People eat with their eyes before using their mouth, but their nose will lead them to the source of the food if you let the fragrance waft a distance away. Also common food banks in denser parts of the city under bigger organizations tends to have stale and very poor quality foods that has very few combinations or usage out of them (very processed, canned and processed goods and not even basic fresh ingredients to cook with). This is because such food banks are relying on donations from local grocery stores, and many of them here in Canada won't bother donation as a concept because it bleeds into the thought that people will not buy from them. There's a quote from Einstein on common sense: "Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen." This means they have assigned prejudices of what they considered to be 'food' to them, in their minds.
We always saved our bacon grease and ham scraps and bone in the freezer for flavoring beans at a later time. Growing up poor makes you learn to stretch the food you cook. As for making you full, adding a cup of elbow macaroni will always help with that problem and it's a really cheap way get that little extra starch when you are hungry.
Chefs do this too as part of their kitchen management job is to minimise waste and maximise flavour. I mean stock is made out of what most people throw out from a roast.
I have a container I use to save my bacon fat in my fridge at all times! I use it in my roux when I make mac and cheese, to fry up the eggs my chickens lay, to use for popping popcorn, it goes a long way and makes it so I don't have to buy as much oil or butter. My mom usually asks me if I want the bones whenever she makes a turkey, chicken, or ham, and I make all kinds of soups and stews with those. Using all parts of your ingredients is key when you are trying to be frugal! Even the bits I can't eat and the chickens can't eat, I compost to use in my vegetable garden. It can be a lot of work, but I know that my work is key in making sure I can afford to raise my family's quality of life higher than it would otherwise be.
We grew up with pinto beans and rice twice a week, and plenty of other meals that you could stretch. With as many people today who are struggling and maybe don't know the old standbys it brings me a lot of joy to see you share these meals. Ignore the knuckleheads some people just don't understand till it happens to them.
In Belize, it is also Rice and Red Kidney Beans everyday. Then I ask my students "what is your ultimate Christmas Dinner". They say "Rice and Beans!" Jezzz
Smoked turkey legs or wings are the best to make soup with. I couldn’t find a smoked ham hock a few months ago, so I tried the smoked turkey wings and it was delicious.
My family grew up on beans (we are mexican) but honestly, they r so good, we love to eat just boiled beans and mexican rice sometimes, with a bit of salsa on top. They are delicious! A good cook can make the cheapest meal taste like gourmet!! And there are nutrients in the bean juice! never throw it out! and yes, we add salt at the very end!
"Peasant food" made with the cheapest of ingredients is among the tastiest fare, regardless of where you are in the world. Many of the most famous dishes in the world have their origins in a poor man's kitchen.
My grandmother used to call this Navy Bean Soup as she used ham hock instead of Turkey leg. She would make this great big pot and it lasted several days. Throw some chopped onions and Apple cider vinegar in and this was always a great comfort food on a cold night. I still try and re-create my grandmothers recipes and my kids love it but it will never taste the same as my grandmothers cooking.
Well....in the last 3 yrs. , now 77 yrs. YOUNG, i grew up in 50'S and 60'S. My dad career military 25 yrs. From WWII TO 65'. WATCHING ALL PREPPING COOKING SHOWS, I REALIZED....UNBELIEVABLE, THAT I GREW UP EATING NAVY BEANS W/HAM HOCK MY MOTHER USED HUGE PRESSURE COOKER. A LIT IF CANNED VEGGIES, BUT, SHE COULD MAKE PIE DOUGH. I QUIT TRYING IN MY 30'S. NOT A SCRATCH COOK. MILITARY LIFE DIFFERENT. NOW GEANDMOTHER'S HAD FARMS AT ONE POINT. BUT, AFTER WWII, LIFE, LIVING CHGD IN AMERICA. I ACTUALLY GREW UP EATING DEPRESSION FOOD, WITH CANNED FOOD. I LAUGHED MYSELF SILLY WHEN I LEARNED SOME THINGS CALLED DEPRESSION FOOD. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO NEVER HAVE GONE HUNGRY. I HAVE STOCKED ALL CANNED GOODS. NO FREEZERS OF FOOD FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. I HAVE BAGS OF PINTO BEANS, AND WHITE RICE. BUT TONS OF BOILN. AG RICE. I HAVE 2 CHILD...48 NOW. LOL. BOTH PARENTS GREAT COOKS. BUT, NOTHING CAN BEAT COMFORT FOOD. 😊. GREAT VIDEO.....UH, I WAS TAUGHT TO SOAK BEANS OVER NIGHT, DRAIN WATER NEXT DAY AND COOK. I HAD A FATHER IN LAW WHEN HE RETIRED, KEPT A BIG POT ON STOVE AND MY MOTHER IN LAW SAID, HE WOULD JUST ADD WHATEVER FROM GARDEN IR FREEZER EVERY DAY. WELL, I NEVER ATE OUT OF THAT POT, EVER.😂.
I know the main selling point of all this is to have a hearty meal on a budget, but never have I had a more compelling selling point tossed at me than "cause farts are funny" going along with it. Subscribed.
"Beans are not only nutritious and delicious, they're also very entertaining!" 😂"You get dinner AND a concert!"😂😂 I've never had smoked turkey legs with beans but I am willing to try it! Looked so good and some cornbread would be perfect. :)
Get yourself a smoked turkey wing, or leg, add that to your bean soup (any kind of bean soup) , you will be in love! I like the mixed bean soup, but, any bean soup, once it's served up in a bowl is DEVINE! BTW, the amount of meat on a turkey wing will surprise you!
Sometimes I watch things like this and come to realize how much I appreciate my parents for teaching me this type of stuff when I was really little. As a Mexican, most of our meals are already pretty cheap to make except for the immense amounts of meat we intake. Usually though we can substitute all of it with eggs, which we do even if we have money because it's delicious. We live very humble. I can't appreciate that enough.
One of my favorite dishes to this day is quick cooking lentils, a smoked meat of any sort that’s on sale, cooked dark greens, and any other veggies that can handle some cooking, with a sprinkling of hot pepper flakes. Not bland and fills you up, sticks with you for a long time, and very nutritious. It’s not a soup or a stew, but more like a lentil bowl.
Thank you for being real. I went through a long stretch where I was covering my food for a week with a ten dollar bill, 'cause I had to. And I was grateful for the fact I could afford eggs and salt pork every so often, and pull dandelion greens and pokeweed out of the yard. Potatoes, rice, corn meal and _beans_ were what got me through. If you look down on starvation cooking, you don't know history.
Respect for making this channel. 👍 One thought with regards to cooking beans is to soak them as much as possible in order to cut down on the cooking time. This shortens the time the stove has to be powered, saving money on the electric bill or gas depending on how you power your stove. 💲
Usually my family soaks over night to cut down on cooking time. The beans can actually sit for a few days and be fine, just keep bugs out with a lid or something
this is a terrific show. My wife and I live on a food budget of about $20 a week and we have made meals like this for many years. Basically, I look at what is on sale at the supermarket and what is around a dollar a pound or less and that's what we get that week. Very healthy and bulk cooking like this works well. Everyone should eat like this even if they have more money. Just give your excess away. Pax et bonum!
One of my favorite homemade lunches at school was bean sandwiches, until I read where somebody said they were so poor they had to eat bean sandwiches. Then I was embarrassed. My schoolmates would fight over my mother's homemade bread crusts. I don't think we were that poor but my parents were young adults during the depression and were very frugal. They had a garden where they grew every fruit and vegetable that was compatible with our zone. Neither my brother nor I ever had a childhood disease even though we were exposed by our children and grandchildren, to mumps, measles chickenpox and mono.. He is 79 and I am 81.
Nice! I'm only 44, yet my Dad is about the same age as yours. We ate a lot of depression era meals even though he was a certified chef later in life. I still love a good pot of bean soup! It couldn't have been too unhealthy, because the Old Man is 102 and still has his wits about him.
@@jacobmccandles1767 I really struggle with the statement people eat this so they must be poor. Rolled oats has to be one of the cheapest meals out there yet alot of people eat porridge. Tasty meals can be found across the board and I have eaten some really bad expensive meals and really nice cheap meals. It depends on the cook and ingredients but high end does not equal good, just as much as low end does not equal bad.
Made this exactly as shown and it was delicious. Enough for two people with some for leftover snacking. Not on a budget but saving money is saving money! Thanks Mr. Wolfe!
These videos have helped me out alot sir thank you. Me and my family have had money troubles and watching these videos has helped us save money when we had little. Keep up the good work.
@@randomgayguyman its starting to my wife got a job so we are getting back to where we were. Its been a tough year but its starting to feel good again to not have to rely on family for help as much.
I love watching this for ideas on how to what to cook for cheap. My family doesn't have much money and this saved our beacon so much. Betwen medication and being out of work, it's hard to make good meals without knowing where to start. It's not glamorous food, but it keeps you alive
Thanks a ton! Here's suggestion: instead of white beans, I generally use Pinto beans (or red speckled beans, or similar), and for meat I muse beef off-cuts like shin or brisket, and always add in crispy fried bacon bits! I also tend to vary the veg content a lot - peas, corn kernels, grated potato, etc. Bean soup is really great for experimenting. I usually make 6-8 litres at a time, and freeze most of it is 500 gm butter containers! Great for a quick winter evening meal in front of the fire (or TV). Born up a tree!!
Brother I just found your channel, and not even 15 seconds through I could tell you’re a saint, I’m sure these recipes help people. I might try this recipe some time
My advice reg white beans is "instead of boiling them for hours to get soften, you could've put them in a big bowl pour boiling water over the beans then one big tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate then cover the bowl instantly, after a couple of hours the beans will be so soft and easily mashed, and this will spare you a lot of gas bill of 3 hours of turning the stove on.. This method also works with chickpeas and many other hard beans." Thanks a lot for your great videos
Or just soak them overnight, like he said. Also, an instant pot pops this out in an hour. Also, why not just say baking soda? I hate pretentious people. 😄😄
@@lucille2771 most beans are dangerous when raw, and a lot of instant pots really cannot hit the temperatures needed to make them safe to eat. Its the safer option to really boil them on a stove. Adam ragusea made a great video about this recently.
Great!! I love meat in my beans but haven’t always been able to afford it so I store liquid smoke away with my beans. It’s only a dollar a bottle, you don’t need much and it stores forever!! Got to have some flavour in my beans!! Nice job!
I love these budget meals. I'm not currently struggling but I use these to ensure we are never currently struggling. I adore simple and cheap foods that are filling and stress free. I add them regularly to our meals because the cost of groceries is out of control and I can't be sure that I can make some better looking dishes. Either way I am a good enough cook to put my spin on the dish, although I try it your way first. Thanks for giving us options.
Good down to earth food. My mother cooked like this during hard times but us kids never knew it was inexpensive food. It was just good and filling. I'm 75 so one of the first boomers whose parents lived through the great depression. There's a good reason they were called the greatest generation.
Y'all should try split pea soup. It's prepared just like this, except the split peas dissolve into a very thick liquid. It's incredibly satisfying to eat, especially in the winter
When I was a kid, I became an emancipated teen. So, for my last two years of high school, I had to go to school and work to feed myself in my own tiny efficiency apartment. This was in the early 90's and I was limited to about $25-30/week for food. It was making creative meals just like this that I lived on. Strangely enough, even now with a big food budget, I still make these types of meals out of nostalgia. Simple. Easy. Affordable for everyone. If we see bad times again, or an unplanned financial hardship, this is exactly the way to maintain yourself with simple food. P.S. Kids today need to learn how to cooks even the basics. I've encountered a scary number that think a microwave heating a premade meal is "cooking" lol.
Too right. I'm a student now and thankfully not on hard times, but me and my girlfriend try to cook everything fresh- it's cheaper, healthier and far more nutritionally wholesome than buying premade food.
I apologize if my question bring back unpleasant memories of your past. But what does an emancipated teen mean? Internet explanations didn't really make sense to me. I was wondering if you would be very kind to explain it for me?
Actually as a full born and raised Mexican beans are part of our diet. To remove the gas from them you need to soak them in water for 24 hours after that you can cook them and they will have no gas. But as you said if you dont wanna remove the fun ignore this XD
We can make this even cheaper (and it is hearty and delicious)…we just use Navy or Great Northern beans and ham. I try to get as much actual chunks of meat as possible but it depends how much money we have available. Oh, and we just add salt and pepper to the taste. I grew up really poor but my mom and grandma did a wonderful job scraping together ingredients to make tasty, filling meals. One of the tricks we learned was to make dishes in large quantities. Also, they would mix some good quality items with cheaper, not-so-good-of-quality items. By doing so, they could mask the taste of the not-so-good items. A great example of this was spaghetti sauce. My mom and grandma would take cheap, not-so-good spaghetti sauce and they would add a better quality sauce, and then they would “doctor it up” (as my grandma always said) with spices and/or other ingredients. Also, they would get a bunch of noodles and mix the sauce into the noodles which made everything stretch further. I am the baby of the family so I wasn’t aware of how dire our circumstances were because we always had full bellies (unless by our own doings we didn’t…and sometimes our stubbornness created such a situation). In fact, I was an adult and had children of my own before I realized the full extent of our predicament. My mother and grandmother never let on about our situation and they taught us to always be grateful for what we had rather than focus on those things we had to go without. I am so thankful they taught us to have a heart of gratitude and to be as self-sufficient. There were times we received help from our church (and we were thankful for that help we received) but we were raised to do what we could for ourselves. I remember one Christmas that if it weren’t for the kindness of our church, we would not have gotten anything from our church. Bright and early Christmas morning we received a knock at our door. I remember they brought 3 or 4 boxes of food into our house, a present for each of us kids, and bags of fresh produce. I don’t remember what presents we received but I can still smell the citrus from the bags of fresh oranges and grapefruit (and other items) when I think back to that day. Gratitude is the greatest ingredient we can add to any recipe when times are tough. Our attitude and outlook make all the difference in any circumstances but they can completely change a tough situation that otherwise may seem abysmal to one that you look back at with great fondness. The Christmas I described is truly the Christmas I look back on as one of the best, sweetest Christmas’ I ever had.
I loved reading your story❣️ You are right about having a heart of gratitude, as it is so important. It's just me at home now, as my husband passed away 2 years ago. I spend so little on food, but am always happy with my frugal little meals. I am blessed. God bless you!
@@kathyh7215 I am so sorry to hear about your husband. Losing a loved one is so hard. I am glad that I could bless you by sharing a bit of my testimony. Blessings to you!
I found that the best spaggetti sauce starts with the big cans of crushed or diced tomatoes with some fresh garlic and basil.Its so much better than the stuff in the jars
Looks like we may all be experiencing another depression soon and channels like this are a Godsend for people even if they don't "need it" . Thanks for the advice and recipes as always in a very entertaining format. Some of the best advice for helping reduce your overall costs if/when you can afford it is: 1) Get a toaster oven for most baking needs, smaller size and uses less electricity (like most of these) and it is quicker. 2) Get an electric pressure cooker you can find them relatively cheap and they can be an invaluable tool and are very versatile. 3) Invest in/obtain a good knife/set of knives/cleaver, you never realize how important it is until you have to start using them to break down meat/vegetables/etc... and they can last a lifetime (I'm still using some that my grandmother and grandfather left me.) You might be able to find some at yard sales or estate auctions.
I feel for those families that can't feed their loved ones like they want to be fed. I make a pot full of pinto beans every Sunday just like Grandma did, and enjoy them all week long.
@@MrZappaman420 It’s usually 2 1/2 to 3 hours for soaked beans. You can bring that down to about 30 to 40 minutes if you have an instant pot or pressure cooker. I like to throw them in the slow cooker and let them cook all day.
Oh my god, this takes me back. Thank you for sharing how to make sure a family can survive on very little money. When I was a kid my mom was on SSI, getting $224 a month, as a disabled vet, and we lived in a car for a while before we got into the projects where the monthly rent was $130/month which included heat, hot water and electricity/gas utilities. That left us with about $105 a month. But we had to get a monthly train ticket, to get her to the doctor's appts in the city (we definitely did not have enough money for gas for the car) and her meds. So, we made due and lived on about $50/month for food for both of us, no food stamps. Her one indulgence was a can of chock full o nuts coffee and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk for the entire month. At the beginning of the month, when we had money, she'd make a big pot of a 1lb bag of baby lima beans & 2 yellow onions and smoked hamhock or smoked neck bones. It took hours to slowly cook it down but it would feed us dinner for almost 2 weeks with 2 bags of rice. I got lunch free at my elementary school, M-F. Sometimes they'd send me home with 1 extra box of milk and a sandwich on Fridays because they were too "old" to keep over the weekend. That was my favorite lunch lady. She never made me feel bad that I didn't have money and also tried to make sure I at least got lunch on Saturday. My mom also had another pot she would add a big bag of raw oats and cook it with water, then after it was mostly cooked, she'd add 1 can of carnation milk and 6 eggs that she would mix into it, to make it creamy and sometimes we even had enough money to get some raisins (when the boxes were accidentally cut by the shelf stocking clerk and therefore discounted), to make it sweet. That was breakfast for the entire month except on Sundays. It only lasted that long because she skipped eating breakfast with me before school, and always said she'd eat later after she had her morning cup of coffee, after I went to school. Which as an adult, I now know she simply went without. After we finished that pot of lima beans, she would have me walk across town to the spanish store that was next to a church that sacrified chickens during their Sunday worship and I'd pick up a bag of chopped up chicken pieces for $5 a 2 lb bag and we'd cook our final 1lb bag of rice and 1lb bag of beans (usually a red kidney or navy bean) and that would be dinner for the rest of the month. Also, a local bakery sold 3 day old bread, 2 or 3 loaves of italian bread, in a bundle for a $1, so we always got 2 of those and had something in the freezer to cut and warm up to eat on the side of these hearty bean and meat stews. Plus on Sundays she would make me fried eggy bread for Brunch. We rarely had extra money for carrots or celery or potatoes but salt, pepper and garlic did the trick to make almost everything taste good. I am so lucky! As I remember these times, all I can think is how blessed I was to have someone taking care of making sure I ate at least 2-3 meals every single day. These struggle meals are an important lesson and any haters that have literally never gone to sleep at night hungry or too tired to even cry, or so scared out of their minds that their children may starve don't deserve your time, attention or validation. Keep on the good work! 💖
God bless the lunch ladies! I have, as a teacher, seen them look the other way so we could take free breakfasts classmates were "too full to finish" and load those dry boxes of cereal into the hungry kids' backpacks for the weekend. Coincidence they served cereal on Fridays? Nope. Coincidence that the same "randomly" selected names to be super recyclers won every week? Nope. A terrible violation of federal free food laws but we did it. In this pandemic ALL students qualify for free breakfast and lunch in my district but so many already ate at home. You can tell the ones that can't. A beautiful gesture from their classmates made possible because we eat breakfast in the classroom. I also keep a "store" where students earn good behavior "dollars". My top moving item-- t-shirts and canned food with pull top kids like spaghettios, corn, beans and franks, chili, etc. I run "sales" right before school holiday closures Buy One, get 4 free 😂. Or on "expired" goods as in "It's not a fast seller and might expire in a year so just take them all home with you." One mom told me her son (2nd grader) is so proud he can "buy" things for the family. Breaks my heart. Some who struggle are working hard and love their kids. But I also see the hideous lazy, alcohol/drug, emotionally abusive parents that we report constantly to CPS with no success.
@@lins918 Thank you. My purpose is also to teach them how to "manage" money. I also cook with them once a month to teach them a cheap recipe. If people know how to cook they are less likely to buy already made expensive food. Our first lesson was iced sweet tea with a financial lesson looking at the cost of 1 soda a day for 80 years. So many parents today have no common sense or money skills. One mom called me up to say they now drink sweet tea because it is easy to make, better that the gallons of readymade tea and cheaper. 😔 How did these people grow to adults without basic skills?
The new logo/intro screen looks great! Also, this dish looks so good! I'm not much of a cook, and so many channels seem to start with the assumption that we'll have dozens of ingredients on hand (or can get them easily) that it's discouraging to even watch. Your approach, however is completely the opposite, assuming nothing, and working forward from that to include only what is necessary to create a feasible meal. What you are doing is truly a service and not only from a practical standpoint, your videos contribute to maintaining a life of dignity for many people I'm sure. I hope you know how much that is appreciated.
My mom use to make this EXACT soup every winter! Had nothing to do with struggle meals, (Although this meal DID pay for some Christmases when the chips were down!) it's just as he put towards the end of the video. A 'Hearty stick to your ribs, Nutritious, and delicious' meal. This has been a comfort food in my household. It's really tasty and in the cold months warms you from the inside out and give you the energy to trek through the snow if need be! Rich, poor, or somewhere in between. This soup is a 10/10. Make it in the colder months or in the fall and you won't be disappointed! It might even become a seasonal favorite in your household!
This is a great subject and I'm glad you're focused on it. Thanks! This vid brings up a bunch of thoughts: 1. America does an incredibly crappy job of managing food waste. Supermarkets throw away tons of food that could be used to fill bellies. 2. You could add some rice. Yeah, it increases the cost but also the volume. Maybe it turns this into just another beans and rice recipe? 3. You could add all sorts of other veggies. Whatever you have on hand. 4. You could toss in a bouillon cube or two. Probably less than 50 cents? Sure, it does jack up the cost just a bit, but ... 5. If you like it thicker and more stew-y you could take out some of the beans, crush them and return them to the pot, or add a couple of tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. If you go with the cornstarch, fill a small container with cold water. Add the cornstarch and stir to combine. If you go with the flour, use a small cap-able container. Fill it halfway with cold water. Add the flour, cap it immediately and shake the hell out of it to avoid lumps. Add the cornstarch or flour water to your soup, heat and stir until it becomes stew. 6. As to seasoning salts, consider using Adobo, which is mostly made of garlic, oregano, black pepper, and turmeric. It is the mainstay of a bunch of the meals I had in Puerto Rico. Thanks and best wishes.
Okay so let me say this there was a point where this channel helped my family after both me and my wife had just lost our jobs and our home to a fire. I was able to get a part time job to make it buy but this channel helped my family make it. Fast forward a few years to 2 amazing careers making alot more money a much bigger house, ill never forget how these recipes helped feed my family through our struggle so to Mr. And Mrs. Wolfepit I can only say thank you!
Glad things turned around for you and your wife!
Beans. beans the wonderful fruit,
The more you eat, the more you toot !,
It’s just the song that I learned as a little kid
@@interwebtubes
Beans, beans the musical fruit,
The more you eat, the more you toot.
The more you toot, the better you feel.
So, eat your beans at every meal.
🍑🌬
In where I can from, this ended up with a budget of $$$$$$$$$$$$ per tiny spoon. Economy here is that of American everyday worship plastic drug equivalent of NFT shitty existence.
Amen. Love this family!
I volunteer at a food pantry and often refer people to your budget meal videos to help them stretch things out. thanks for providing a good service to those struggling.
👍
Give a man a fish and feed him then, teach him how to fish and feed him again and again. Teach then how to shop for food as well as giving them food.
you're awesome 🙏
👍👍
Thank you! I find the hardest part of helping those in need is an inability to cook basic foods. Some of the best stuff, the dry beans, the brown rice, are not acceptable because those in need were never taught how to cook them. I often spend time telling parents my children’s age, who are now adults, how to make a simple meal out of bread and canned soup. Or explanations of including a can of mixed veg in a can of any soup will increase volume, and will serve four or five or more if served on noodles or rice. Too often, parents just don’t have the experience of cooking, and they don’t know how to prepare real food. They have never eaten beans cooked from a bag, and their experience of onion is the dehydrated ones from a fast food restaurant.
This is hardly a poor man's meal, we ate it growing up, and as far as I am concerned it's a meal fit for a King. I can still smell moms cooking, how in the world she was able to feed 6 people on their budget amazes me to this day, we had no idea we were poor even though we lived in a tiny 2 bed apt. She was a genius in the kitchen and we never went to bed hungry. She saved every bit of bacon grease, chicken skin, and pieces of beef fat to season meals. She foraged berries from parks and asked strangers for the apples that were laying on the ground in their yards, she carried a paper grocery sack everywhere she went just in case there was an opportunity to bring something home. I am almost 60 and only now really realizing what she did for us, there was no place too far for her to walk to get something for us, I am blessed.
I made basically this on Monday, and me and my household had it for every meal through Wednesday. On Wednesday it had thickened up enough to use as bean dip next to some sour cream and salsa!
One thing poverty learns you - you can't afford to be picky or let pride get between you and a meal.
When I was a child, 7 - 8 we were poor and my mom not good in the kitchen. I found out the butcher sold or gave away "dog scraps" for a penny. So I got a penny from returning a jar or bottle (as you could then) and I got those scraps and made meals. The scraps were offal lamb & beef heart, meaty bones, lamb breast, all things they sell for inflated prices now. I think the butcher knew what i was doing and gave me better "scraps". One day I saw a big lump of fat - it turned out to be beef suet. I bought that for a penny, grated it and made wonderful dumplings with just flour and salt. Another time I rendered some down and made beef dripping to spread on bread instead of butter. I was just a kid, but I worked pretty hard for my dinners.
@@lat1419 What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. Much admiration and respect to industrious and frugal folk such as yourself!
thank you for sharing that true -sweet story.
May God hold you close today.
@@lat1419 you are blessed.
Brother, I love you. It’s hard being poor in this country of wealth and you have helped keep my family fed and happy through these hard times. Man, I’m just too dumb to really express how much you helped us. Thank you, Sir. Thank you.
Hope ur family is doing well
I didn't see anything dumb about this statement. Glad his videos are helping you, Charlie! Peace!
Get a job, and you can buy proper food for your family.
@@samuraidoggy facts
damn 24 times cheaper than eating out ONCE for something actually delicious and healthy! This is why I love eating like I'm broke even though I have decent money!
Taking out some of the boiled beans to mash or blend, and stirring them back in, is a great way to additionally thicken a bean-based soup or stew.
Sounds tasty.
Yum
Had to screenshot that real quick. Bout to make some black bean soup
Very good tip
Sounds great
One of the first things I did when I got to college was bought a crock pot. Students in my apartment complex were always coming by to "see what I was cooking." I about lived on Pinto beans, Chili, Beef Stew, and home made corn bread. Good information, Mr. Wolfe.
I love my crockpot!!!
I believe the inventor of the crock pot had beans in mind when designing it.
I bought my niece a crockpot to bring to college. She's had a lot of fun becoming a better cook and having friends over for dinner, lol!
@@16voyeur What a thoughtful gift! Fun and will save her so much cash.
Same. And I always have a pot of beans and a bowl of rice at my parties, a holdover from that time, and I have been asked for my "recipe" more than once. Dried beans made with some veggies and meat for flavor spooned over brown rice might be the most economical and healthiest way of feeding a bunch of people I've ever found!
Sometimes I never even had a half a cup of food and would have been so happy with that half a cup. Some people don't understand the reality of some in our country. One summer I ate nothing but fried onions and potatoes. Bless you for these great recipes and a reminder of how lucky I am right now in my life.
Amen to all that! 💯 I'm really sick of UA-camrs complaining about their meals not tasting right or certain foods not available or whatever, be glad you can buy food. Be thankful for what you have and maybe help your neighbors out, especially now. God bless and keep you. ❣️😊👍
@@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783 I can live on plain bread, plain pasta and plain white rice. I love the stuff.
@@tomc8157 do you use butter?
Potato is nature's vitamin pill, and onions go together very nice, some butter or margarine, salt and pepper, nothing wrong with that!
The good thing about being poor nowadays is you can still get a lot of high calorie, high fat, foods. You can be poor and overweight nowadays xD
But this wasn't always the case, even in the United States. Cornbread and beans, it'll keep ya alive.
I don't care how much this recipe costs, I want to eat it. It just looks like good food to me.
ive studied nutrition for decades, this is EXTREMELY Healthy and your right , looks like it would taste amazing! Makes me wonder why the hell im going to stupid fast food places =( no more
oh and wasting 14+ bucks everytime i go to one, i feel like an idiot lol
@@Trendle222 From what I've researched, beans are pretty much the healthiest food there is, and the biggest bang-for-your-buck in terms of nutrition.
Tip: You can save your vegetable scraps (onion peels, carrot ends, celery roots, etc.) and make stock with them 👍🏼
Just like in the Professional Kitchens
If you know a little about gardening/have space you can use them to regrow your own veg. Garlic, celery, ginger, carrots potato are some i know and have regrown off the top off my head.
Smart healthy eating yummy for your tummy. Thank you.
Nice tip. Better than compost, although you compost the remains too.
That goes for bones too. Like meat or fish bones.
My mom used to make a variation on this. She'd soak the beans for a day or so, put it in a crock pot with huge chunks of potatoes and the ham hock and go to work. At dinner time she would give us a bowl and some cornbread to scoop it up with. Man that takes me back. I have not had it since she passed in 06.
Make some then, in honor of your mom ;)
@@Linda7647 Amen sister. God bless all. Rev. D.
@@Linda7647 you and I both know it won't taste the same. Mom magic is a thing. I once told my mom I missed her clam chowder from when I was a kid. I told her how when she made it on cold days it always made me happy. She was totally lost then started laughing and told me it was Progresso. IDGAF my mom opened the best dang can of soup cos I swear it don't taste right.
Im gonna make some just in honor of your mom!!
@@JohnGalt916 I can attest to that! Food doesn’t taste the same unless mom serves it 🤣
Pay the knuckleheads no mind. They're just trolls, trying to get a rise out of you. The vast majority of us love and appreciate you and your videos.
😳The knockheads don't know math😒😔😞...
I used to watch this for the gross factor, or for Tina's Burritos, the nostalgia, but I'm wealthy and this is pretty much what I do quite often, although I used different vegetables and seasonings, different cook times for the vegetables (always near the end, always al dente), a lot more meat, more diverse grains (barley and lentil risotto is one of my favorites) and less water if it's a risotto.
Anyway, I applaud this cooking method. The poor might use it to get rid of leftovers, but the wealthy should be using it to save time and attention. It's a very foolproof cooking method, and the ingredients tend to be complex carbs and protein and fat-heavy, which is how it's supposed to be. Simple carbs are supposed to be a treat, not a food group.
The way the powers that be who are ruining our country want it, and get it, is for them to lie to you - and you love it; but when someone tries to tell you the truth- they hate it !!!
Beans and rice, mixed with ground beef and some bell pepper, was one of my favorite dishes as a kid. It wasn’t till I grew up that I realized it was “poor people food” and I still eat it to this day, even though I can afford steak and whatever other protein I want. Cheap food doesn’t have to be without flavor or non filling. Beans are a GREAT food and calorie hack, and healthy too.
But if you want some REALLY CHEAP depression era recipes, my grandmothers family survived off of dandelion soup. Ye, seriously.
Chickpeas are a very good protein as well. You xan get a bag of them dried pretty cheap in some places
In Finland during WW2 they made ”substitute coffee” of dried and roasted dandelion roots.
@@River_X2_ that sounds good, I'll have to try it
@@fallenking578 it is, its got a super nice roasted nutty flavor to it and it smells like mushrooms lol
@@fallenking578 dried chickpeas need to be cooked for up to 2-10 hours, how's that cheap?
I grew up below poverty in the 60s even though my dad worked three jobs a day. My mother made our clothes so we always had at least a new dress every month for church and a dollar each in the collection basket. We were blessed to live across a two lane street across from crops that yielded cabbage,and onions and in the summer we would go to the close farms where we would pick fruits and vegetables. One of my dad's job had a huge pecan trees they allowed us to harvest. My mom always made our meals from scratch and made the most amazing egg noodles with tomato soup. Looking back now I understood how difficult it must have been for her to make sure we had three meals each day at the kitchen table. My dad near worked himself to death but not one word ever came out oh his mouth how hard it was on him and when I was old enough I often worked right beside him. These nutritious meals you are teaching us we can provide for cheap are a blessing indeed to those who have very little. God bless you and your wife for the blessings you share. ❤🕎🔯🕎❤
God bless you
I hope you are doing well now
you guys must've saved up a fair amount?
Your father is a good man. God bless him, and you too!
A good way to thicken the soup without adding any other ingredients, (they cost money) is to mash up about half a cup of already cooked beans and mix it back in. The starchy mash will thicken the soup. So that way, you don't lose water, which is volume, which can make the soup go further.
Another cheap way to thicken soups is to add in instant potatoes. This also adds a bit of flavor and calories so it should make a soup more filling. 1 box of instant potatoes goes a long way if you only use it to thicken soups.
@@MyParrotIsGrassType we do this in my country but with regular potato. We boil it and throw it in the blender with a bit of the liquid of the soup and put it back to the soup
Great point.
or mix a tablespoon of corn floor with water and pour it in..
@@MyParrotIsGrassType I do this with both soup and chili. I don't know why I see so many chili recipes that call for flour to thicken it when instant potato flakes are superior. Plus if we're talking budget, instant potato flakes are very common at kitchens or churches where they're giving food away. It's unbeatable.
Your channel is a blessing. I remember 2 years ago when i found you, and your cheap eating series saved my family. About 6 months ago i got a higher paying job and can afford the luxury of not worrying about cheap dinners anymore. The people who down talk these videos dont understand struggle, so from the rest of us. THANK YOU
I was a poor kid with a big family. I'm 35 now, and my family eats fine, but theres still poor kids out there today. Some of their parents are watchin your channel, and those poor kids arent goin to bed hungry tonight. You have my most sincere thanks for what you're doing
I really appreciate you making recipes for people who are genuinely poor. Really refreshing. ❤
This is really a public service you do, I was fortunate to have 2 grandmother's who taught me how to cook a meal with basically nothing on hand. But so many really don't know how to do that. During the great depression the government had community kitchens that taught women how to use things on hand. I think they still need this service, thanks for another great video 😸
I call that "making a meal with love and air. "
If some haven't struggled to feed themselves or their family then they have no room to talk, i say don't let these people get to you and keep doing what you do. I think it's really great that you're making these videos to help struggling people eat
This is the best recipe I've seen you cook so far...no processed meat, this is just old fashioned cooking. This is a great dish...seeing you cook this has changed my eating habits for the better...best wishes from the UK..
These meals become more and more relevant every day
This^
I wonder what changed..
Your bean and turkey soup is 3 cents cheaper than last year. FJB
@@brikkijim biden's communist policies
@@jcrowley1985 You have no idea what you're talking about. Stop regurgitating republican buzzwords
I know, not everybody can afford it, but a pressure cooker is the thing that saved my mum so much time... She have inherited it back in the day, and making this soup would only take 40 minutes, without the need of soaking the beans.... Making meals that would take hours just in 30-40 minutes and reducing the time in thr kitchen allowed her to spend more time with us, helping out with homework etc.
Btw: this is an extremely common meal in eastern europe, and you can add some fresh red onions to it when serving. (Romanians would eat sour cabbage on the side) or a small spoon of soured cream.
A pressure cooker pays for itself in reduced energy use very quickly,and time.
I was just wondering how to do this in my Instapot.
@@libertyordeath555 cut up an onion, garlic and on a bit of oil make it glossy. Add the beans, salt, pepper, paprika and a bay leaf. And some smoked ham ( i normally would put it in in one big piece so it doesnt overcook and fall apart) ... Put some water in it and cook it for 40 minutes.
After 40 mins and some carrots, celery root and parsnips and it should be done. As soon as those veggies soften.
You dont have to soak the beans at all, the pressure will take care of it...
@@gazerockerzavii Thank you. My Instapot should cut that cooking time in half.
Yes I can make a divine pot of pinto beans in my instant pot in a couple hours. Bacon grease has been a game changer with those too. 😱😋
Last year, my family and I moved back to the US from Europe after losing our visas and being kicked out of the country we were living in. We had very little and in the following weeks that very little went to basically nothing. We had to rely heavily on food banks while I searched for work... as a chef, during a pandemic. The one positive we had was a family member paid for our phones, so we'd have a way to stay in contact. This meant access to UA-cam, and this channel.
Several times this channel's budget meals were the difference between me going hungry and just my wife and kids having a meal, and us having a family meal. I keep coming back to your channel to watch your recipes, because culinary school might teach you how to manage food costs and waste... but not how to survive real life on a budget.
As a side note, these meals can be made using a single budget pot from a secondhand store and a one burner camp stove in a parking lot. I know from experience. Wash your plastic shopping bags well and take care of them. Doggiedoo bags are great ways to store things too and they're cheap.
how the hell did u.s citizens get deported from Europe I thought we were Allies
What Europe country may I ask?
Oh, how times have changed. US Americans are now the undesirable foreigners in countries with significantly higher standards of living than the US. I guess you can keep your huddled masses...
Thank you, this is a tasty traditional recipe. It's not just struggle food, it's heritage. I'm happy to see a new generation introduced to such a simple but elegant meal.
If you're in an even more dire financial situation, instant mashed potato and a packet of mug soup mix or a sprinkle of seasoning or curry powder.
Combine in a container, stir in water. Saved my life when I was homeless and had to live off £2 a week sometimes.
Still go back to it when I'm camping or traveling since it's quick and filling and can be made in basically anything.
The ingredients are easy to find don't need heat and keep a long time, too. I should make an emergency bag with them in.
@TheWeeaboo That's why I said to add something to the mashed potato not to just have the mashed potato. I used to put cold canned or powdered soup for mugs in mine.
@TheWeeaboo never eat just flour and water. As long as you cook it flour is safe, but raw flour is the reason not to eat cookie dough not the eggs.
@TheWeeaboo That's nice, but you should research thru hiking diets. I spent half of last year hiking across the country. Instant mash and ramen noodle were a big part of my caloric intake. Instant mash has some of the best $/lb/Cal ratios you can get for off-the-shelf food. Nutrition is nothing more than getting protein, fat, and carbs in whatever amount you need, with vitamins and minerals thrown in for body function. What form those basics come in is irrelevant.
@@MurdersMachine not to intrude on your point but high $/lb/calorie is sth you definitely shouldnt look for… the units should be cal/lb/$ or for people using metric: kcal/kg/€,£,¥,$ etc cause you want as many calories per lb and as many pounds per dollar as possible c:
@@kasparpaukson3543 Well I see your pedantry and raise you: I used the word BEST, not HIGH. Therefore, it wouldn't matter which order the stats are in, because BEST means the context is set relative to the desires of the speaker.
Have a nice day, now. ;)
if I could make a recommendation.
-by sautéing your carrots, onions and celery separately in the second pan with your spices you can create a mirepoix soup base which will allow you to cook your beans separately.
- then adding the chicken into the mirepoix gives it an extra layer of condensed chicken goodness/fats from the chicken.
-Then add your broth/water to the mirepoix and then add the beans and let the beans absorb the flavor.
This could A.) reduce the cooking time ,and B. ) allow for the aromatics to fully congeal while creating a good broth base for the soup without increasing price.
This is how I cook this meal too! The chicken fat and drippings are good eats!
Plus it really brings out the flavor, makes it pop.
Thanx! I'll try that!
@@donnaleveron6511 👨🍳
you know what you're doin , that little bit of finesse adds a LOT of flavour , this guy is just a simple barebones chef
Sadly there are a LOT of people who just don't understand why budget meals had a need to exist. When I was a wee one my mom had to raise 3 kids solo. We got used to meals like this. There are a great deal of people now who don't understand how others can struggle to eat enough to get by. Those of us who know appreciate you spreading the word of budget meals man. Don't listen to the haters, they don't understand the blessings they take for granted.
Mom and Dad were from the Depression. Many times we had lima beans and pork for dinner. (🤢 Still hate lima beans... )but i see the need to stretch what you have, make it "stick to your ribs". Reuse, repair, make do, or do without. Lessons learned.
We often had oatmeal porridge for supper just before my dad got paid and Mom's grocery money ran out. She'd make us feel it was a special treat by letting us have brown sugar on it...we never knew this was a stop-gap meal...we loved it.
@@kath5201 Lima beans, Brussel sprouts, and beets are three vegetables I prefer not to eat, and except for lima beans, I've found ways to enjoy them nonetheless. Even the much maligned turnip is great in the proper setting. Works great in beef stew. I still cook with a tight budget in mind because even though I'm in a place where I can afford more, I enjoy the challenge of cooking healthy, tasty meals for as little as possible. It encourages me to step outside my usual go-to ingredients and get creative.
With "The Big Guy" at the helm, they will realize what true budget meals are soon enough. It's sad.
Oh me growing up my step dad was a penny pincher hell still is after 40+ years. If I didn't like what was for dinner I was told to make my own. Usually scrambled eggs at 4 years old. I knew what I liked and what I didn't. Now me and mom are the cooks. Everyone else is kicked out of the kitchen. I learned to cook at a young age cause I didn't like what was for dinner.
As a Mexican American there was ALWAYS a pot of beans on the stove and some leftover rice from dinner, throw in an egg and throw all that in a tortilla … best basically free breakfast ever
one of my former colleagues is Filipino. He said that there was always rice on the stove, rice in the firdge, and that breakfast was generally two golf ball size balls of rice, a fried egg, and a pinch of sugar.
"and he didn't die"
YES. My grandma was from Appalachia (growing up as 1 of 12 kids in Kentucky before moving to Cincinnati) and she said her mother always had beans and rice or dumplings on the table so that people could eat until they were full, even at breakfast. Your idea is GREAT. I'm adding that to my list. Thanks for sharing it!
This recipe reminds me of a traditional meal we eat here in the Balkans, simply called beans. There are a few variations from the recipe in this video. We dont add celery, but do add carrots, parsnip root, potato chunks too. And to finish it off and thicken the broth we make a garlic roux with oil, flour and minced garlic, fried for a minute or two. At the end, a few teaspoons of paprika is added to the roux, roux is added to the whold soup, cooked for a minute et voila. Its usually eaten with the bread on the side. Its a cheap, long lasting and hearty meal.
This sounds delicious and one I'll try. Thanks for the tip!
What is that Balkans meal called? I want to look for an online recipe. Sounds yummy!
@@ThomasDaley100 Thanks!
Nit to mention delicious. Is take that over expensive fast food every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.
That sounds amazing. Noted. I generally really like Balkan food.
"if you're thinking 'this will never fill me up' you've never really struggled" true words. I remember in college i could live off a whole chicken for like 2 weeks. Eat most of the meat the first week, boil the bones and make soup for the second week. I come from a chinese background so i spiced it up western and eastern styles of cooking. But it was pretty plain jane, tasted great, and only cost me like 75c a meal
That’s crazy I eat a whole rotisserie to myself
yea there was definitley a point where I was having a slice or two of bread for dinner, wish I'd known of this channel when I was struggling.
I did this every week for a while in college. Got veggie scraps from my roommates for the stock. Boil some rice noodles + frozen wontons and it's crazy good
I don't know how many times I survived off a crushed up pack of peanuts and a can a coke mixed together and eaten/drank. Makes your stomach feel full and stops the hunger pain for a while.
I mean, you can do the math on calories. A whole chicken has about 1200 calories which is pretty good considering you can get one for about $5. But that's not even enough for a single day, certainly not .75 a meal worth. The rice is what keeps you alive, the chicken is more for keeping you sane :)
Rice and beans are the play if you are actually so poor that you are worried about going hungry
"These recipes aren't meant to make you full, they're meant to help you survive for as little money as possible."
Unfortunately true. A lot of people don't understand just how bad food insecurity can be, even in supposedly wealthy countries. A lot of the time, it's literally just about getting just enough calories to make it through another day while grocery stores are overflowing with food that they'd rather throw out than give away or sell at an affordable price.
You're missing part of the picture here: "that they'd rather throw out than give away or sell at an affordable price" - the practice of throwing out food by grocery stores typically stems from regulations placed upon them. You don't think they'd want to recoup whatever money they could from product by selling old product at reduced prices? But there's usually health ordinances to selling or giving away old food. The government would rather let the poor and homeless starve than deal with the risks associated with them consuming bad meat/produce from a grocery store.
Now maybe you think that's a good thing or maybe you think that's unnecessary and I'll leave that up to you to decide. But either way, its not entirely fair to blame grocery stores for throwing out food.
@@moonlitegram I'm willing to admit that is a good reason to throw out food, even if I still think that grocery stores are too eager to do so, as poorer folks often have little access to medical care if they get seriously sick from eating bad food. However, the mere fact that under capitalism, food, a basic necessity, is so desperately withheld from the people who need it most even when there is enough food available most of the time to feed everyone, at least in an American context, is in my opinion a near unforgivable failing of the economic system.
@@ef.9095 Um what? "However, the mere fact that under capitalism, food, a basic necessity, is so desperately withheld from the people who need it "
Yea, that's not capitalism that's withholding food from people. That's state health ordinances. The mental gymnastics people pull when it comes to attacking capitalism never cease to amaze me.
@@moonlitegram I'm really sorry I wasn't clear there. I'm not saying public health ordinances are a capitalist thing, that'd certainly be some weird mental gymnastics and i apologize for coming off that way. I was, however, saying that that it's not the only reason that some grocery stores dispose of food. Now I will note here before i continue that grocery stores are NOT the primary offenders here, fast food chains are. Businesses that sell things like, for example pizza, that is pre-prepared, will often simply dispose of such items after a certain amount of time, usually something in the realm of four or five hours, or at the end of a work day, depending on context regardless of wether it is required. They do this to maintain a consistent standard of quality, which is of course fine, however if these businesses were to offer these food items that are oftentimes only in need of reheating or at worst are slightly stale for free until public health ordinances do require them to be disposed of, this might cut into their profits, which, under capitalism are the only motivating factor a business is incentivized to follow.
I'd also conclude by noting that ideally enough food for people to live on would be a guaranteed right, but this has dragged on too long already and i don't feel comfortable trying to explain a second complex idea in the same youtube comment, as I'm no expert on the matter and there are far more resources available online if you wish to look into it.
finally, if you really want to fully understand these topics, there are a few places online where you can get a copy of the book Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, which is in my opinion one of the best analyses of the modern form of capitalism, and certainly the most thorough, available today.
@@ef.9095 Yea, UA-cam comments aren't great for having detailed discussion, so I completely understand. I'm actually familiar with Piketty, although not a big fan. But appreciate the recommendation either way.
I really would just like to say that I enjoy how respectful Mrs and Mr. Wolfe are of different financial situations. The fact that you highlighted that something could or couldn't be added in "If you're able to," is just great to me. It's not humiliating anyone, it's just stating that you can continue the main recipe and have it be just as delicious OR if you wanted to, and had the option, you could add something else in but you didn't say it mockingly like "Oh you COULD add this thing in which makes it taste wayyyy better" because that may make some people think that because they didn't have those one or two extra things, that it was gonna taste sub-par.
Just wanted to thank you for that.
A pot of bean soup got me through some tough times in college. I would make bean soup like this and freeze portions so that I could eat it for about a month and change it up by adding different leafy greens when I heated it up. I still eat it from time to time, but it is definitely a heartier version. I found that adding rice into this to make it more of a porridge consistency helped stretch the meal and make it feel more dense. Thanks for posting this.
I just found out my rent is going to increase phenomenally across the next few years, I can't afford to move either because I care for a disabled parent.
These videos are all I have to work with, so thank you from across the world for giving that support.💖
EDIT; WOW thanks for all the support🏆, it's a long way to go but things are at least under control at the moment.
Same bro I'm taking care of my sick mum she can barely walk, also were lucky council covers our rent, although it's a shot hole!
@@Gringo.the.Bratan Good luck to you out there, I'm not living in a palace either yet my rent rate sure seems like it is.
I feel your pain. I am living your pain!
Great creator for sure, also check out the hillbilly kitchen with Becky. Very helpful ❤️
Do check out Struggle Meals! Also the Epicurious set of "Four Levels of X" (e.g. four levels of lasagna) gives ideas as to why certain foods are prepared certain ways, or combined certain ways; even if you mostly stick to the easier and/or cheaper versions, you should be able to improve the dish with a few tips and tricks from the higher levels. Better combos can mean better satiation (sensation of fullness) on less food -- eating a bunch of tasteless food isn't as psychologically filling as a smaller portion of tasty food.
Thank you for what you're doing here, teaching people how to cook on a budget, or even cook, period. As you know, one reason people have a hard time when money is tight because a lot people don't know *how* to cook. So thank you for doing this public service.
Yes-- I am shocked by my younger colleagues thinking cooking is buying an expensive meal kit!!!! 🤦
@@happycook6737 I know, but at least those meal kits can teach you how to cook, as opposed to ordering in from a restaurant or buying overpriced frozen dinners. I also like how these meals are suited to the tastes of bachelor. I feel so bad for them, you can spot them at the grocery store check out line, their baskets full of canned foods and/or t.v. dinners.
@@arielklay23 True!
@@arielklay23 my sons have taught many of their friends how to make simple, tasty, budget friendly meals. Two of my guys shared a place. They used to have "Pantry Parties" when they were at their poorest. They would tell their friends to bring what they had: ramen, beans, corn, tortillas, tuna, a carrot, potato, salsa - just whatever, big or small amounts. They usually ended up making a big pot of soup and often some sort of appetizer and dessert. During the whole process, their friends would be amazed at the outcome. Many even called them later for input how to make their food budget stretch and cooking tips.
My 26 yo is my shopping partner these days and I often find him advising other shoppers on the better buy and how to utilize it. I am so thankful they absorbed the lessons and are willing to pass them along.
For parents who work and don't have time to stand over the stove or keep checking on it, this would make a great crockpot meal. Start before going to work and it will be done when you get back home. I spent a lot of time in my life eating that much or less a day, there was no 3 meals. My stomach shrank so much I never would have been able to eat a 1/2 cup in one sitting. The struggle is real, I hope people are ready for this. Thank you so much for a great video and reminder that we can all do this and still enjoy flavor.
If you add rice to it, it's a cheap way to add some calories and bulk. A pound of rice only costs about a buck and can feed roughly eleven people (but you can divvy it up to make it feed 24, if times are really hard). So for roughly 4 extra cents per stretch serving, you can add 70 extra calories and a little bit more mass to your meal.
Serving rice would be a wonderful idea or serving with a slice of buttered bread on the side. You can find sliced sandwich bread loaves for as cheap as 88 cents at Walmart or even grab a day old loaf at bargain price from bakery. Most people even in dire straights have a little margarine or butter in the fridge but you can also do plain bread
@@Mike-dt1yg I'd probably cook the rice on the side and mix it in at the end, or even just put some rice in the bowl and ladle some soup over it. To add a little crunch and flavor you could cook the rice and the press it into about a half inch thick pancake and fry it for a few moments before adding it to the rest, or dividing it up into the bowls.
Most rice cooks in about 20-25 minutes, so you could cook it in the soup by adding it about a half hour before the soup was done. But I think it would be better to cook it separately. But you could mix it in, and if you have leftover soup, nothing wrong with just warming the beans and rice up together.
@@Mike-dt1yg It's best cooked on the side, unless you're confident you've got plenty of liquid, have washed your rice, and are willing to cook it on slow. If you're going to add it in, do it toward the end, when the beans are done. The dish will be done when the rice is.
This or another starch is necasary to break down the beans. The chemical reaction is neccasary for incomplete proteins. Otherwise your body can't absorb them.
@@Mike-dt1yg i would personally cook rice separate and serve the beans on top that way you have rice for multiple meals
Watching these videos helps me to understand what my single mom was doing to keep herself and her two kids fed. We weren't destitute, but weren't far from it at times. Sometimes we didn't have gas for the water heater and furnace, but electric was priority and kept us warm and helped to feed us. She used a roller-wringer washing machine (this was in the early/mid 80's so that tells you how desperate we were) and the clothes line to do laundry. I couldn't appreciate the meals she managed to scrape together then, but I do now. Thank you, mom.
And thank you, WolfePit.
No matter a person's income, these meal ideas are a great way to feed yourself and your family...
I was raised country, in the country...
Learned a lot from my grandparents, parents, aunt's and uncle's over the years on how to survive on little...
There were some very lean years, but good times as well.
This recipe looks delicious!
Thanks for sharing... ✌️
Being raised by a working mother and having two siblings, this kind of meal was a regular staple while growing up. We may not have had steak for dinner, but we never went hungry. My mom grew up during the Great Depression and taught me how to prepare all kinds of frugal meals. Thank you for this video - hopefully it will help others experiencing hard times to have one less pressing matter to worry over.
When I first started watching these, things weren't too bad and food was pretty cheap. Now, we need this more than we've needed them for a long time
I've been very fortunate in my life where I never had to worry about affording food, and your struggle meal video series has really opened my eyes to what a lot of people go through. If you're on minimum wage even meals like this would be hard to afford 3 times a day. Keep this up, you're helping a lot of people!
There are places where minimum wage does not even pay the rent. Working 40 hours a week every week and zero chance at all of affording a place on your own. even the horrible area to live needs at least 2 of these incomes for a 1 bedroom apt in a building that maybe should be condemned. And yet.... the politicians won't talk about housing issues and a need for rent controls. Literally lived in my car for the summer just to be able to move someplace i could actually afford the bills. That was a long time ago. But these places are still out there.
@@MPlain The problem is not so much rent control it's allowing people to offset a "investment" property against a existing asset. If only single home owners where allowed to borrow it would change the game fast.
By using the offset people use tenets to pay the mortgage so when mortgage payments go up rent goes up but it never comes down because if it drops people count that as extra profit.
There are alot more problems to the housing market then just not enough homes to rent/buy.
@@generalharness8266 Remember old people only make so much. and there are a lot of people only making minimum wage. Do the math. Rent is in excess of an entire income for these people. Where is the food money? Given that now food is also obscenely expensive. Not helping. Then add in basic must have bills. A phone, power, heat. Rent should NEVER EVER exceed half of the income for these people. IF you make more, then you have luxury money to spend of stuff and people will do that a lot of the time so good for the economy. Not 1 person making the $$$$ and probably not putting back in but many and doing that. I remember my grampa telling me how things used to be in the 50s. When he was the only one working. Had $ for everything and some left over too.. and had a normal job. mid range pay wise. Somewhere along the line we went to needing 3 people paying the bills. It has to change... IF it does not there will be a revolt. Count on that. Then the home owners will really lose. The problem is the cost of the house in the first place. Which no one will fix. So. set the rents in stone. That will cause the house market to drop back to reality. And the situation will sort itself out. Those that went in beyond their means will get exactly what happens to people that spend more then they have. Bankruptcy. Whatever. Their mistake.
@@MPlain its really sad how everything has gotten more expensive but wages haven't raised along with it - and some rich folks are buying up all the houses and renting them out, preventing people from being able to buy houses! The landlords don't care about the people in those houses, they'll jack the prices up and up and up until people are barely scrapping by. They cant keep this up forever, not without making people hit their limit. And sometimes heads roll when that happens.
@@shrimpyalfredo3933 raising wages won't make things better. It will make things worse. BC tried this. The result was things closing and people losing hours plus costs of stuff going up. On average... the financial situation of someone, on the bubble, got worse, not better. The solution is in doing something about the bills, not throwing more money at it. Talk to old people. Some still remember the 50s when one person would go to work. Only one. All the bills were paid. They owned a house. They had money for several kids. They had money left over. And NO welfare for the stay at home mom either. One income did it all and then some.
Now we need 3 incomes. Can't afford kids at all. And barely eat. some live in cars because they can't even afford a place to live, and yet they work 40 hours a week. Ya... work your ass off to be homeless. This won't last long before the people have had enough.
The coming decade is gonna be a rough one, It's good to have the knowledge and know-how to survive with very little. Your channel is doing a massive service, thanks from some Aussie bloke.
Make that 2 aussie blokes
@@shodefektiv make it 3. Hope you blokes are safe and healthy
I'm an American bloke, but I agree wholeheartedly.
And you get a like, from another Aussie bloke.
Australian survivalism channel on yt has some useful wild foraging videos too.
This is almost EXACTLY the same recipe that my Mother always made for us! Both her and my Dad grew up during the depression, so it "may" be where she learned the recipe. For anyone who says "I can't survive on only 1/2 a cup of beans"...........TRY IT! You will be amazed at how far a 1/2 cup of beans will carry you!
Beans are so filling. I get a normal bowl and can’t finish it
Add bread too if yiu have it. Even of its the cheapest you can get, take a slice and toast it if you can. It's great for dipping and padding out meals. Or boxes of corn bread mix. I've has to start using those as the cheapest bread loaf where I live is $4 now, but a box of Jiffy Corn Bread is $1.50. It pads the meal out more and tastes pretty good
@@fallenking578 Especially with a cup of bean soup ladled over it & Iike to dice a cheap lump of salted pork into it with onions (a known antiinflammatory source).
I have decent money and I would LOVE to try this dish!!! 😋
To thicken my bean soup, once the beans and everything has cooked, I will take a cup or two of the beans from the pot and mash them up into a paste then add that paste back to the pot of soup. Let it cook a few more minutes and you will have a great pot of thick bean soup. I love bean soup.
What the heck, great idea
@@meganreed8619 what's yo ig
good tip
I hope yu like the copious amounts of farts as well!
Red lentils are fully cooked in 20-25 minutes and dissolve into slurry to thicken any soup in 35-40. I use them often.
This guy serious! Love the no-nonsense. As a person who isn't struggling, it's very humbling and fresh to see a video not beating around the bush. I'm sure this has helped out many a people. Love it :)
If one doesn't know what ketchup soup is; if one doesn't know what cracker peanut butter sandwich is; if one has never had to steal to stay alive; if one doesn't know the sweet sweet taste of ramen soup then that person has never been hungry, my friend... But it appears you know all about it. Food is precious. You rock. Great channel. Thumb up and be safe whatever you do.
I don't see this as a struggle meal, it looks too good! I would eat this even if I was rich. This is good food here.
Seriously.
So many of these recipes could be a cheap meal on their own or the foundation for a very hearty meal (assuming you have the ability to afford a few extras). This one in particular is actually really nice in that it doesn't have quite as much salt as some of the others.
I am well off and I would be happy as a kitten to have this as a meal around the table! It looked very tasty.
Yeah, definitely. Most good food (nutritious AND tasty) is actually pretty cheap.
i think why its struggle food is because of the quantity
In Serbia we make something similar to this (called pasulj or grah)on regular basis. It is very good and one of my favorite foods altogether;
I was raised on "peasant food" as it was commonly known. We lived below the poverty line, and meals like this among many others were mostly what we ate. I still make these foods to this day for my own family even though we're financially stable because they're just so damn good!
What is sad is the “cheap” foods we grew up on are now becoming expensive as people realize how good they are. I can actually buy a bone in ham cheaper than ham hocks. We love bean soup. So now I keep ham bouillon on hand. It’s not as good and is cheaper, when I don’t have a ham bone or hocks.
Was just gonna say, my dad grew up 1 of 9 kids in the 60's and they had no money to spare. My grandma made a LOT of macaroni and tomatoes, chili, scalloped potatoes, and bean soup. Now he has money for any food he could think of, but those are still his favorite meals!
I'm with @brent williams; the simple foods are the best :-)
Right? My husband makes good money so we could have red meat every day but the truth is I prefer chicken and rice type stuff. It's yummy!
caviar was once considered "peasant food"
When money was tight, I would make bean "soup" like this for my family with a big pan of cornbread and whatever vegetables we had hanging around the house. My family was well fed and well nourished.
Biden an his homie Con'bread used to have it rough too
@@JK-br1mu lmao wut?
@@MKG176 Joe was tight with the homies in northern Delaware, circa '64. Ya feel me?
@@JK-br1mu what does Joe's homies have to do with Mr. Mcdonald's tale of familial provision?🤣
@@MKG176 Some people just love bringing politics into anything, even in food recipes
three tips for everyone:
1st - there's a "flavor" tip that also helps on savings. NEVER throw away vegatable scraps. if you use bell peppers and you end up with the stalk with a bit of meat, the top of a Carrot (the part that has the greens) onion skins (yes, the brown layer) or even potato peels.. ANY veggie scrap will work (but keep in mid that anything such as the couliflower or brussel sprouts will add a layer of bitterness so if you don't like that just avoid that entire family of veggies)
freeze them in a bag (you can mix all the veggies in there) so you can collect a bunch more, then when you have half of a pot you use the oven to roast them (it will add a heck ton of flavor because of maillard reaction, which caramelizes all the sugars on the veggies) and then you can use those roasted veggies to make a "magnifique" stock . it's basically the "homemade version" of the store bought broth but you can control the salt on it which makes it healthier. i higly suggest to look for the "roasted vegetable stock" recipe if you aren't good making stocks.
if you struggle enough to be worried of the oven usage (let's be honest, electricity must be paid, we all went through it) stop worrying. there's no need for it, it just makes everything tastier.
extra: and lastly you can allways blend all the ingredients so nothing at all is wasted.
2nd: if you are making omelettes you can add a bit of water and flour to get more out of less eggs (not sure if your country the eggs can end up being more expensive than flour, but just in case keep that in mind). if you can, you can allways add milk instead of water, this way is almost impossible to know it isn't pure egg omelette.
3rd : carrot leaves are edible! check out recipes using them! most people don't know about it and it breaks my heart every time i see them throwing the greens at the trash!
I've been fortunate enough to never have to resort to 'no meat, only rice and beans.' A few things I did learn when I was near that point:
1. Things like frozen white fish (swai, tilapia, etc), eggs, and canned tuna are very high in protein, cheap, and versatile. Make sure to avoid eating fish multiple times a day/every day depending on heavy metal content.
2. Just about everyone, regardless of size, can survive on 800-1200 calories a day without starving yourself. **EDIT:** since quite a few people cannot read: 8-1200 should not be your goal. If you are working out or doing manual labor, you will absolutely need more per day.
3. Just coffee and a bit of butter can supplement a breakfast/keep you full ("bulletproof coffee"). Frozen peas are also very filling for the price.
4. You can fast, without issue, for 12-36 hrs. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts do intermittent fasting. You should focus more on fats and protein if you're doing this though. It isn't some magical weight loss/health trick but many people prefer it for convenience.
5. If you need calories before a shift or something and don't have food ready, fast food is always an option. A Mcdouble and a Spicy McChicken (the fabled McGangbang) is $2-3 and 800 calories. You shouldn't do this multiple times a week.
6. Never feel ashamed to apply for EBT/Unemployment. Your tax dollars pay for those programs. Many states may make it a miserable process but do not let anyone shame you.
Its embarrassing so many people have to resort to this in America despite working 40+hrs a week. Stay strong comrades.
Edit: if you're fasting you should stick to it until you can actually eat a meal. If you have a little snack or a soda or something, you're breaking the fast and your body will want more.
3-4 dollars buys you potatoes, onion, minced beef and you can make soup for 3 days. That takes less time to cook than going to mcdonalds and back.
Mcdonalds hamburger maybe staves off hunger for like few hours. When you are poor its very important to eat filling and long lasting meals. Rye bread instead of white breads etc.
@@herakles6185 Before a shift means work. Not everyone can wake up early and cook before they go to work.
@@TrueMiz they have time enough to get mcdonalds 🤷♀️
@@herakles6185 on the way to work. It takes 5 minutes to go through the drive through.
Cooking takes time to clean. Cut your potatoes, onions, and start cooking. Potatoes take more than 5 minutes just by themselves. So again. You're just wrong.
@@TrueMiz meatstew takes like 2 hours to cook and you just reheat it. A lot of dishes normal people cook take less thab 10 min
to increase flavour using the same ingredients, definitely suggest changing your technique slightly-I would start with the onion, celery, carrot first in a separate pot in some oil to soften and brown. the browning is a maillard reaction (the natural sugars in the vegetables caramelising), which produces fond on the bottom of the pot. once those vegetables are browned, then add your beans and water. the water will deglaze and release the fond developed on the bottom of the pan, adding lots of flavor! (this is called a sofrito)
If u use an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, the mallaird reaction happens automatically, w/o browning 1st!
Great tip, I just remembered my mother use to do this
Agreed. Also worth it to add chosen seasoning to your vegetables when browning them for an extra boost in flavor.
@Al-go-rhyme of course. but some rape seed or sunflower oil, peanut oil etc. is usually inexpensive, possibly something people already may have. you also don't need very much oil. but yes, if it's not available, then this doesn't quite work
Yeah, because if you're out of money you got cash to spare for barely useful vegetables... WTF is this?
I really love these budget meal videos. Even people who have more than enough should eat like this. it's always good to humble yourself by eating modestly for a day or week. It makes you more sympathetic towards people who live that life every day.
This is an excellent video ... thank you. As a son of a miner we ate lentil soup with a ham bone every week.
Knuckle heads are a good substitute and there seems to be a lot around. 😊
Something I've learned from off-gridders when cooking beans and lentils for hours ..... build a hot box !
I have a one lined with thick pieces of polystyrene. Put it in at 8am and by 4pm they're ready.
I learned to fry stinging nettles too. They make a good nutritious mix along with a little wild garlic.
Nasturtiums add a peppery/radish flavour too.
Bon appetit !
Working class home growing up and inexpensive food was the norm. I didn’t even eat a steak until age 15 or so. Cheap cuts of meat cooked slow and low with pasta or beans were very normal. We never went hungry but some weeks the menu was a bit boring.
I’m not really struggling but these easy cheap meals do help me because I’ve been spending far less money on food and I’m able to save up for moving into a better home! So thank you sir!!
exactly my story. I used to spend waay to much on food, ordering take out every single meal. Now putting a limit on my food spendings i was really able to move to a better apartment, i feel like im a magician lmao
@@KbIPbIL0 When you don't budget your food you can really lose track of how much you're spending on it. We started tracking how much we were spending on food and it was soooooo high lol. I think it's because you spend $15 here $20 there and don't realise how much that crap adds up XD
I remember when I was younger and my Mother had no money for groceries very often, and we ate a lot of pinto beans and cornbread.
Luckily we were living where some folks had released a bunch of white rabbits into the fields nearby, and with a borrowed 22 rifle I would get us a rabbit or 2 every month or so. Pinto beans and rabbit stew kept us alive and well for over a year. We were dirt poor, but we didn't starve.
Can we all just give a thank you to the kindness of Mrs Wolfepit 🙏❤️🙏
I have smoked turkey legs in my freezer and dried beans in my pantry. I also have chicken broth, but I don't put it in my bean soup. I just have to get the carrots and onions, then I will make this meal. Don't let the people who never went hungry dictate what you put in your videos. You are doing great.
I love using the heirloom beans, Vermont Soldier Beans. They taste just like meat. A cup of this, a salad (greens from the yard or garden), a 3" square of cornbread and you have a very complete meal. Grew up with this.
I never heard of Vermont Soldier beans I'll have to look into that
I just looked those beans up and this will sound silly, but they sure are pretty beans. I’m going to order some.
I haven't heard of these beans before, thanks for sharing.
@@trishayamada807 lol they do look pretty!
@@laddibugg I’m glad I’m not the only one! I can’t wait to cook with them. They get great reviews. Thanks @Tina Gallagher for posting because I’ve never heard of those beans.
I'm not struggling financially or anything but I just love beans of almost any variety. I eat this kind of budget meal on a regular basis. There are few meals in the world that I love more than beans with smoked hamhocks served over a bed of rice with some hot buttered cornbread
Been looking for this channel for a couple weeks now man I remember watching these when I first got evicted and didn’t know where life was going and I’d make these recipes with my own little tweaks and you saved me from many bs fast food and hungry nights I’m glad I could find your videos again , still basically couch surfing but things will get better thanks ❤
Every food bank should hand out recipes for meals like this to help those struggling to keep the family fed get the most benefit from whatever is available. Your soups and stews, along with bread or crackers, can make a little go a long way. A bowl full of hot soup can mean the difference between you and the kids going to bed hungry or feeling satisfied and getting a good night's sleep.
I worked at Second Harvest and Santa Clara in San Mateo County California I wrote 20 meal recipes using what we offer I got so many written compliments and when I was out of work I got hired at Second Harvest I redid their product handling Logistics and started the making meal kits so that you got enough in one bag to feed your whole family
The food bank here has recipe flyers occasionally.
Yes, nutrition information...and how to get nutrition on a budget should be a high priority for food banks to distribute also.
the problem is that many people who dont have money and rely on food banks also cant cook and /or are unwilling to learn (i dont know why).
my mom works at a food bank and she had to boil some veggies so people would taste them and take them instead of saying no to things they dont know. those small red radishes? so many people didnt know what they where and she had to cut them up and convince them that they are tasty.
she still throws so much vegetables away because people wont take them. at first she just packed bags and was like " they have to suck it up and take it , they will see that those veggies are good " but it ended with the people throwing all unwanted food on the street while they where going home. so she had to stop giving away things they didnt specifically ask for :/
@@zitronentee2302 It comes down to education, humans are very stubborn creatures, and people see food banks as a down in the dumps sort of last resort and don't want to think why they had to resort to it in the first place.
For not wasting food and to get people to eat it, you want to make it smell extremely appealing, if it has a lot of spices, they will smell it and it will change their mind and appetite. People eat with their eyes before using their mouth, but their nose will lead them to the source of the food if you let the fragrance waft a distance away.
Also common food banks in denser parts of the city under bigger organizations tends to have stale and very poor quality foods that has very few combinations or usage out of them (very processed, canned and processed goods and not even basic fresh ingredients to cook with). This is because such food banks are relying on donations from local grocery stores, and many of them here in Canada won't bother donation as a concept because it bleeds into the thought that people will not buy from them.
There's a quote from Einstein on common sense:
"Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen."
This means they have assigned prejudices of what they considered to be 'food' to them, in their minds.
We always saved our bacon grease and ham scraps and bone in the freezer for flavoring beans at a later time. Growing up poor makes you learn to stretch the food you cook. As for making you full, adding a cup of elbow macaroni will always help with that problem and it's a really cheap way get that little extra starch when you are hungry.
Bacon grease is great for seasoning cast iron too.
Chefs do this too as part of their kitchen management job is to minimise waste and maximise flavour. I mean stock is made out of what most people throw out from a roast.
I have a container I use to save my bacon fat in my fridge at all times! I use it in my roux when I make mac and cheese, to fry up the eggs my chickens lay, to use for popping popcorn, it goes a long way and makes it so I don't have to buy as much oil or butter. My mom usually asks me if I want the bones whenever she makes a turkey, chicken, or ham, and I make all kinds of soups and stews with those. Using all parts of your ingredients is key when you are trying to be frugal! Even the bits I can't eat and the chickens can't eat, I compost to use in my vegetable garden. It can be a lot of work, but I know that my work is key in making sure I can afford to raise my family's quality of life higher than it would otherwise be.
Great idea, I've done the same
I didn’t “grow up poor” but I certainly know how to stretch a buck; I’m sorry to be the one to burst your bubble on that.
split peas and lentils are also inexpensive, delicious, and unbelievably healthy
I love the way he says "Beans!". I dont normally eat soup but this looks sooo delicious 😋
We grew up with pinto beans and rice twice a week, and plenty of other meals that you could stretch. With as many people today who are struggling and maybe don't know the old standbys it brings me a lot of joy to see you share these meals. Ignore the knuckleheads some people just don't understand till it happens to them.
In Belize, it is also Rice and Red Kidney Beans everyday. Then I ask my students "what is your ultimate Christmas Dinner". They say "Rice and Beans!" Jezzz
I loved pinto beans with rice and cornbread
Smoked turkey legs or wings are the best to make soup with. I couldn’t find a smoked ham hock a few months ago, so I tried the smoked turkey wings and it was delicious.
My family grew up on beans (we are mexican) but honestly, they r so good, we love to eat just boiled beans and mexican rice sometimes, with a bit of salsa on top. They are delicious! A good cook can make the cheapest meal taste like gourmet!!
And there are nutrients in the bean juice! never throw it out!
and yes, we add salt at the very end!
My son in law still has beans and tortillas at every meal. It’s a staple like bread ad butter.
Mexican style beans are outstanding. I can eat beans every day. Bean soup beans, with rice I'm for beans anyway. I love Mexican food.
"Peasant food" made with the cheapest of ingredients is among the tastiest fare, regardless of where you are in the world.
Many of the most famous dishes in the world have their origins in a poor man's kitchen.
@@baldieman64 agree 100%. Usually a handful of basic ingredients done very well. No fancy prep or ingredients to hide behind.
@@baldieman64 yeah pretty much all mexican "special occasion" recipies are from leftovers from an animal n whatnot
Straight fire
My grandmother used to call this Navy Bean Soup as she used ham hock instead of Turkey leg. She would make this great big pot and it lasted several days. Throw some chopped onions and Apple cider vinegar in and this was always a great comfort food on a cold night. I still try and re-create my grandmothers recipes and my kids love it but it will never taste the same as my grandmothers cooking.
My mom made our bread. On days she made bread, she made navy bean soup for dinner. 70 years later, it's still one of my favorite memories and meals!
Well....in the last 3 yrs. , now 77 yrs. YOUNG, i grew up in 50'S and 60'S. My dad career military 25 yrs. From WWII TO 65'. WATCHING ALL PREPPING COOKING SHOWS, I REALIZED....UNBELIEVABLE, THAT I GREW UP EATING NAVY BEANS W/HAM HOCK MY MOTHER USED HUGE PRESSURE COOKER. A LIT IF CANNED VEGGIES, BUT, SHE COULD MAKE PIE DOUGH. I QUIT TRYING IN MY 30'S. NOT A SCRATCH COOK. MILITARY LIFE DIFFERENT. NOW GEANDMOTHER'S HAD FARMS AT ONE POINT. BUT, AFTER WWII, LIFE, LIVING CHGD IN AMERICA. I ACTUALLY GREW UP EATING DEPRESSION FOOD, WITH CANNED FOOD. I LAUGHED MYSELF SILLY WHEN I LEARNED SOME THINGS CALLED DEPRESSION FOOD. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO NEVER HAVE GONE HUNGRY. I HAVE STOCKED ALL CANNED GOODS. NO FREEZERS OF FOOD FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. I HAVE BAGS OF PINTO BEANS, AND WHITE RICE. BUT TONS OF BOILN. AG RICE. I HAVE 2 CHILD...48 NOW. LOL. BOTH PARENTS GREAT COOKS. BUT, NOTHING CAN BEAT COMFORT FOOD. 😊. GREAT VIDEO.....UH, I WAS TAUGHT TO SOAK BEANS OVER NIGHT, DRAIN WATER NEXT DAY AND COOK. I HAD A FATHER IN LAW WHEN HE RETIRED, KEPT A BIG POT ON STOVE AND MY MOTHER IN LAW SAID, HE WOULD JUST ADD WHATEVER FROM GARDEN IR FREEZER EVERY DAY. WELL, I NEVER ATE OUT OF THAT POT, EVER.😂.
I know the main selling point of all this is to have a hearty meal on a budget, but never have I had a more compelling selling point tossed at me than "cause farts are funny" going along with it. Subscribed.
Hey Red Mage!
@@kentknightofcaelin4537 Hey, the exception to hotblooded red Fire Emblem cavaliers! Good day to you. :V
Oh yes, the truly secret ingredient to the perfect comment section is some RPG characters
You and I could be great friends. These were my exact thoughts as I watched this!
Farts are indeed funny
"Beans are not only nutritious and delicious, they're also very entertaining!" 😂"You get dinner AND a concert!"😂😂 I've never had smoked turkey legs with beans but I am willing to try it! Looked so good and some cornbread would be perfect. :)
Beans, beans! The musical fruit! The more you eat, the more you toot! The more you toot, the better you feel, so eat your beans for every meal!
@@co20ca05 LOL!
You know..farting is fun!
@@sg2823 lol!
Get yourself a smoked turkey wing, or leg, add that to your bean soup (any kind of bean soup) , you will be in love!
I like the mixed bean soup, but, any bean soup, once it's served up in a bowl is DEVINE!
BTW, the amount of meat on a turkey wing will surprise you!
Sometimes I watch things like this and come to realize how much I appreciate my parents for teaching me this type of stuff when I was really little. As a Mexican, most of our meals are already pretty cheap to make except for the immense amounts of meat we intake. Usually though we can substitute all of it with eggs, which we do even if we have money because it's delicious. We live very humble. I can't appreciate that enough.
One of my favorite dishes to this day is quick cooking lentils, a smoked meat of any sort that’s on sale, cooked dark greens, and any other veggies that can handle some cooking, with a sprinkling of hot pepper flakes. Not bland and fills you up, sticks with you for a long time, and very nutritious. It’s not a soup or a stew, but more like a lentil bowl.
Lentils for the win!
Highly versatile protein. Mash and treat them like ground beef and you can go far.
I'm going to try this!!
Thank you for being real. I went through a long stretch where I was covering my food for a week with a ten dollar bill, 'cause I had to. And I was grateful for the fact I could afford eggs and salt pork every so often, and pull dandelion greens and pokeweed out of the yard. Potatoes, rice, corn meal and _beans_ were what got me through. If you look down on starvation cooking, you don't know history.
Respect for making this channel. 👍 One thought with regards to cooking beans is to soak them as much as possible in order to cut down on the cooking time. This shortens the time the stove has to be powered, saving money on the electric bill or gas depending on how you power your stove. 💲
Usually my family soaks over night to cut down on cooking time. The beans can actually sit for a few days and be fine, just keep bugs out with a lid or something
Same with rice and potatoes.
this is a terrific show. My wife and I live on a food budget of about $20 a week and we have made meals like this for many years. Basically, I look at what is on sale at the supermarket and what is around a dollar a pound or less and that's what we get that week. Very healthy and bulk cooking like this works well. Everyone should eat like this even if they have more money. Just give your excess away. Pax et bonum!
One of my favorite homemade lunches at school was bean sandwiches, until I read where somebody said they were so poor they had to eat bean sandwiches. Then I was embarrassed. My schoolmates would fight over my mother's homemade bread crusts. I don't think we were that poor but my parents were young adults during the depression and were very frugal. They had a garden where they grew every fruit and vegetable that was compatible with our zone. Neither my brother nor I ever had a childhood disease even though we were exposed by our children and grandchildren, to mumps, measles chickenpox and mono.. He is 79 and I am 81.
Sounds like your parents survived and thrived. Lucky they had that skill.
I'm curious as to what else was on the sandwiches.
Nice! I'm only 44, yet my Dad is about the same age as yours. We ate a lot of depression era meals even though he was a certified chef later in life. I still love a good pot of bean soup!
It couldn't have been too unhealthy, because the Old Man is 102 and still has his wits about him.
@@jacobmccandles1767 I really struggle with the statement people eat this so they must be poor. Rolled oats has to be one of the cheapest meals out there yet alot of people eat porridge. Tasty meals can be found across the board and I have eaten some really bad expensive meals and really nice cheap meals. It depends on the cook and ingredients but high end does not equal good, just as much as low end does not equal bad.
@@generalharness8266 I fully agree. The quality of the cook is crucial.
Made this exactly as shown and it was delicious. Enough for two people with some for leftover snacking. Not on a budget but saving money is saving money! Thanks Mr. Wolfe!
These videos have helped me out alot sir thank you. Me and my family have had money troubles and watching these videos has helped us save money when we had little. Keep up the good work.
hope your financial problems get easier to handle, take care man
@@randomgayguyman its starting to my wife got a job so we are getting back to where we were. Its been a tough year but its starting to feel good again to not have to rely on family for help as much.
I love watching this for ideas on how to what to cook for cheap. My family doesn't have much money and this saved our beacon so much. Betwen medication and being out of work, it's hard to make good meals without knowing where to start. It's not glamorous food, but it keeps you alive
Thanks a ton! Here's suggestion: instead of white beans, I generally use Pinto beans (or red speckled beans, or similar), and for meat I muse beef off-cuts like shin or brisket, and always add in crispy fried bacon bits! I also tend to vary the veg content a lot - peas, corn kernels, grated potato, etc. Bean soup is really great for experimenting. I usually make 6-8 litres at a time, and freeze most of it is 500 gm butter containers! Great for a quick winter evening meal in front of the fire (or TV). Born up a tree!!
Brother I just found your channel, and not even 15 seconds through I could tell you’re a saint, I’m sure these recipes help people. I might try this recipe some time
I appreciate that!
My advice reg white beans is "instead of boiling them for hours to get soften, you could've put them in a big bowl pour boiling water over the beans then one big tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate then cover the bowl instantly, after a couple of hours the beans will be so soft and easily mashed, and this will spare you a lot of gas bill of 3 hours of turning the stove on.. This method also works with chickpeas and many other hard beans."
Thanks a lot for your great videos
I usually just soak them in water overnight and it reduces cook time
Sounds very disgusting, your mouth must not like you or something if that tastes nice.
Or just soak them overnight, like he said. Also, an instant pot pops this out in an hour. Also, why not just say baking soda? I hate pretentious people. 😄😄
@@lucille2771 most beans are dangerous when raw, and a lot of instant pots really cannot hit the temperatures needed to make them safe to eat. Its the safer option to really boil them on a stove. Adam ragusea made a great video about this recently.
@@joghn6974 I think slow cookers were what Adam was referring to. I’m not sure if instant pots would run into the same issue.
Man this channel is a gold mine! It feels like a cooking show straight outta of a character from the Addam's Family!
He doesn't just speaks! He sings!
Great!! I love meat in my beans but haven’t always been able to afford it so I store liquid smoke away with my beans. It’s only a dollar a bottle, you don’t need much and it stores forever!! Got to have some flavour in my beans!! Nice job!
I love these budget meals. I'm not currently struggling but I use these to ensure we are never currently struggling. I adore simple and cheap foods that are filling and stress free. I add them regularly to our meals because the cost of groceries is out of control and I can't be sure that I can make some better looking dishes. Either way I am a good enough cook to put my spin on the dish, although I try it your way first. Thanks for giving us options.
Good down to earth food. My mother cooked like this during hard times but us kids never knew it was inexpensive food. It was just good and filling. I'm 75 so one of the first boomers whose parents lived through the great depression. There's a good reason they were called the greatest generation.
Y'all should try split pea soup. It's prepared just like this, except the split peas dissolve into a very thick liquid. It's incredibly satisfying to eat, especially in the winter
When I was a kid, I became an emancipated teen. So, for my last two years of high school, I had to go to school and work to feed myself in my own tiny efficiency apartment. This was in the early 90's and I was limited to about $25-30/week for food. It was making creative meals just like this that I lived on. Strangely enough, even now with a big food budget, I still make these types of meals out of nostalgia. Simple. Easy. Affordable for everyone. If we see bad times again, or an unplanned financial hardship, this is exactly the way to maintain yourself with simple food. P.S. Kids today need to learn how to cooks even the basics. I've encountered a scary number that think a microwave heating a premade meal is "cooking" lol.
Too right. I'm a student now and thankfully not on hard times, but me and my girlfriend try to cook everything fresh- it's cheaper, healthier and far more nutritionally wholesome than buying premade food.
Same here. I save so much in food costs using beans, rice, eggs and frozen veggies
I eat a lot of stuff like this to this day...I put better stuff in it now, like more greens, better chicken, etc. but it's the same base
You were struggling on $48-$58 dollars a week for food in today's economy? What?
I apologize if my question bring back unpleasant memories of your past. But what does an emancipated teen mean? Internet explanations didn't really make sense to me. I was wondering if you would be very kind to explain it for me?
Actually as a full born and raised Mexican beans are part of our diet. To remove the gas from them you need to soak them in water for 24 hours after that you can cook them and they will have no gas. But as you said if you dont wanna remove the fun ignore this XD
Haha I was just about to ask why on earth you would do this XD
What is this gas in the beans?
@@gtamonkey3061 when you cook beens without washing them they might make you fart a lot. that kinda gas
Thanks for the tip. I don't mind musical fruit, but women do.
True about the long soak helping a lot with gas!!!!
We can make this even cheaper (and it is hearty and delicious)…we just use Navy or Great Northern beans and ham. I try to get as much actual chunks of meat as possible but it depends how much money we have available. Oh, and we just add salt and pepper to the taste. I grew up really poor but my mom and grandma did a wonderful job scraping together ingredients to make tasty, filling meals.
One of the tricks we learned was to make dishes in large quantities. Also, they would mix some good quality items with cheaper, not-so-good-of-quality items. By doing so, they could mask the taste of the not-so-good items. A great example of this was spaghetti sauce. My mom and grandma would take cheap, not-so-good spaghetti sauce and they would add a better quality sauce, and then they would “doctor it up” (as my grandma always said) with spices and/or other ingredients. Also, they would get a bunch of noodles and mix the sauce into the noodles which made everything stretch further.
I am the baby of the family so I wasn’t aware of how dire our circumstances were because we always had full bellies (unless by our own doings we didn’t…and sometimes our stubbornness created such a situation). In fact, I was an adult and had children of my own before I realized the full extent of our predicament. My mother and grandmother never let on about our situation and they taught us to always be grateful for what we had rather than focus on those things we had to go without. I am so thankful they taught us to have a heart of gratitude and to be as self-sufficient.
There were times we received help from our church (and we were thankful for that help we received) but we were raised to do what we could for ourselves. I remember one Christmas that if it weren’t for the kindness of our church, we would not have gotten anything from our church. Bright and early Christmas morning we received a knock at our door. I remember they brought 3 or 4 boxes of food into our house, a present for each of us kids, and bags of fresh produce. I don’t remember what presents we received but I can still smell the citrus from the bags of fresh oranges and grapefruit (and other items) when I think back to that day.
Gratitude is the greatest ingredient we can add to any recipe when times are tough. Our attitude and outlook make all the difference in any circumstances but they can completely change a tough situation that otherwise may seem abysmal to one that you look back at with great fondness. The Christmas I described is truly the Christmas I look back on as one of the best, sweetest Christmas’ I ever had.
I loved reading your story❣️ You are right about having a heart of gratitude, as it is so important. It's just me at home now, as my husband passed away 2 years ago. I spend so little on food, but am always happy with my frugal little meals. I am blessed. God bless you!
@@kathyh7215 I am so sorry to hear about your husband. Losing a loved one is so hard. I am glad that I could bless you by sharing a bit of my testimony. Blessings to you!
@@natashamiller4860 Thank you, to you too on this Easter weekend!
@@kathyh7215 thank you! You as well! A little early (at least for Holy Week) but He is risen!
I found that the best spaggetti sauce starts with the big cans of crushed or diced tomatoes with some fresh garlic and basil.Its so much better than the stuff in the jars
Looks like we may all be experiencing another depression soon and channels like this are a Godsend for people even if they don't "need it" . Thanks for the advice and recipes as always in a very entertaining format.
Some of the best advice for helping reduce your overall costs if/when you can afford it is:
1) Get a toaster oven for most baking needs, smaller size and uses less electricity (like most of these) and it is quicker.
2) Get an electric pressure cooker you can find them relatively cheap and they can be an invaluable tool and are very versatile.
3) Invest in/obtain a good knife/set of knives/cleaver, you never realize how important it is until you have to start using them to break down meat/vegetables/etc... and they can last a lifetime (I'm still using some that my grandmother and grandfather left me.) You might be able to find some at yard sales or estate auctions.
I feel for those families that can't feed their loved ones like they want to be fed. I make a pot full of pinto beans every Sunday just like Grandma did, and enjoy them all week long.
Nothing wrong with a good pot of beans (and corn bread). I never knew my grandmothers, count your blessings.
boil em for 30 mins or what?
@@MrZappaman420 depends on the beans. There's many recipes out there. I like mine cooked all day to make soup beans. Good luck.
@@MrZappaman420 It’s usually 2 1/2 to 3 hours for soaked beans. You can bring that down to about 30 to 40 minutes if you have an instant pot or pressure cooker. I like to throw them in the slow cooker and let them cook all day.
My son asked me to make some Great Northern beans last week. I only made 1/4 of the bag. Made some cornbread to go with it.
Oh my god, this takes me back. Thank you for sharing how to make sure a family can survive on very little money. When I was a kid my mom was on SSI, getting $224 a month, as a disabled vet, and we lived in a car for a while before we got into the projects where the monthly rent was $130/month which included heat, hot water and electricity/gas utilities. That left us with about $105 a month. But we had to get a monthly train ticket, to get her to the doctor's appts in the city (we definitely did not have enough money for gas for the car) and her meds. So, we made due and lived on about $50/month for food for both of us, no food stamps. Her one indulgence was a can of chock full o nuts coffee and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk for the entire month. At the beginning of the month, when we had money, she'd make a big pot of a 1lb bag of baby lima beans & 2 yellow onions and smoked hamhock or smoked neck bones. It took hours to slowly cook it down but it would feed us dinner for almost 2 weeks with 2 bags of rice. I got lunch free at my elementary school, M-F. Sometimes they'd send me home with 1 extra box of milk and a sandwich on Fridays because they were too "old" to keep over the weekend. That was my favorite lunch lady. She never made me feel bad that I didn't have money and also tried to make sure I at least got lunch on Saturday.
My mom also had another pot she would add a big bag of raw oats and cook it with water, then after it was mostly cooked, she'd add 1 can of carnation milk and 6 eggs that she would mix into it, to make it creamy and sometimes we even had enough money to get some raisins (when the boxes were accidentally cut by the shelf stocking clerk and therefore discounted), to make it sweet. That was breakfast for the entire month except on Sundays. It only lasted that long because she skipped eating breakfast with me before school, and always said she'd eat later after she had her morning cup of coffee, after I went to school. Which as an adult, I now know she simply went without. After we finished that pot of lima beans, she would have me walk across town to the spanish store that was next to a church that sacrified chickens during their Sunday worship and I'd pick up a bag of chopped up chicken pieces for $5 a 2 lb bag and we'd cook our final 1lb bag of rice and 1lb bag of beans (usually a red kidney or navy bean) and that would be dinner for the rest of the month. Also, a local bakery sold 3 day old bread, 2 or 3 loaves of italian bread, in a bundle for a $1, so we always got 2 of those and had something in the freezer to cut and warm up to eat on the side of these hearty bean and meat stews. Plus on Sundays she would make me fried eggy bread for Brunch. We rarely had extra money for carrots or celery or potatoes but salt, pepper and garlic did the trick to make almost everything taste good. I am so lucky! As I remember these times, all I can think is how blessed I was to have someone taking care of making sure I ate at least 2-3 meals every single day. These struggle meals are an important lesson and any haters that have literally never gone to sleep at night hungry or too tired to even cry, or so scared out of their minds that their children may starve don't deserve your time, attention or validation. Keep on the good work! 💖
God bless the lunch ladies! I have, as a teacher, seen them look the other way so we could take free breakfasts classmates were "too full to finish" and load those dry boxes of cereal into the hungry kids' backpacks for the weekend. Coincidence they served cereal on Fridays? Nope. Coincidence that the same "randomly" selected names to be super recyclers won every week? Nope. A terrible violation of federal free food laws but we did it. In this pandemic ALL students qualify for free breakfast and lunch in my district but so many already ate at home. You can tell the ones that can't. A beautiful gesture from their classmates made possible because we eat breakfast in the classroom. I also keep a "store" where students earn good behavior "dollars". My top moving item-- t-shirts and canned food with pull top kids like spaghettios, corn, beans and franks, chili, etc. I run "sales" right before school holiday closures Buy One, get 4 free 😂. Or on "expired" goods as in "It's not a fast seller and might expire in a year so just take them all home with you." One mom told me her son (2nd grader) is so proud he can "buy" things for the family. Breaks my heart. Some who struggle are working hard and love their kids. But I also see the hideous lazy, alcohol/drug, emotionally abusive parents that we report constantly to CPS with no success.
@@happycook6737 What a wonderful idea. You supply the kids without embarrassing them or putting them down. Bless you.
@@lins918 Thank you. My purpose is also to teach them how to "manage" money. I also cook with them once a month to teach them a cheap recipe. If people know how to cook they are less likely to buy already made expensive food. Our first lesson was iced sweet tea with a financial lesson looking at the cost of 1 soda a day for 80 years. So many parents today have no common sense or money skills. One mom called me up to say they now drink sweet tea because it is easy to make, better that the gallons of readymade tea and cheaper. 😔 How did these people grow to adults without basic skills?
The new logo/intro screen looks great! Also, this dish looks so good! I'm not much of a cook, and so many channels seem to start with the assumption that we'll have dozens of ingredients on hand (or can get them easily) that it's discouraging to even watch. Your approach, however is completely the opposite, assuming nothing, and working forward from that to include only what is necessary to create a feasible meal. What you are doing is truly a service and not only from a practical standpoint, your videos contribute to maintaining a life of dignity for many people I'm sure. I hope you know how much that is appreciated.
My mom use to make this EXACT soup every winter! Had nothing to do with struggle meals, (Although this meal DID pay for some Christmases when the chips were down!) it's just as he put towards the end of the video. A 'Hearty stick to your ribs, Nutritious, and delicious' meal. This has been a comfort food in my household. It's really tasty and in the cold months warms you from the inside out and give you the energy to trek through the snow if need be!
Rich, poor, or somewhere in between. This soup is a 10/10. Make it in the colder months or in the fall and you won't be disappointed! It might even become a seasonal favorite in your household!
This is a great subject and I'm glad you're focused on it. Thanks! This vid brings up a bunch of thoughts:
1. America does an incredibly crappy job of managing food waste. Supermarkets throw away tons of food that could be used to fill bellies.
2. You could add some rice. Yeah, it increases the cost but also the volume. Maybe it turns this into just another beans and rice recipe?
3. You could add all sorts of other veggies. Whatever you have on hand.
4. You could toss in a bouillon cube or two. Probably less than 50 cents? Sure, it does jack up the cost just a bit, but ...
5. If you like it thicker and more stew-y you could take out some of the beans, crush them and return them to the pot, or add a couple of tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. If you go with the cornstarch, fill a small container with cold water. Add the cornstarch and stir to combine. If you go with the flour, use a small cap-able container. Fill it halfway with cold water. Add the flour, cap it immediately and shake the hell out of it to avoid lumps. Add the cornstarch or flour water to your soup, heat and stir until it becomes stew.
6. As to seasoning salts, consider using Adobo, which is mostly made of garlic, oregano, black pepper, and turmeric. It is the mainstay of a bunch of the meals I had in Puerto Rico.
Thanks and best wishes.