So thus far, I have kept this blog pretty anonymous. I kind of like the mystery of not revealing too much information about myself. Besides, since this blog is mostly about food, it’s not crucial that you know a whole lot about me. So far, you might have gathered that I am a 20-something female who mainly cooks for my significant other (who is male), who is known around here as the Taste Tester.

Well here’s another factoid about me: I have a baby sister. And by baby I mean she is 20 months younger than me, which makes her on the slightly lower end of her mid-20s. Or as my mother would say, she is still closer to 20 than 30, but barely. But, she will always be my baby sister.

So anyway, my not-so-baby sister has spent the last few years (and the foreseeable future) traveling to various corners of the world. I guess she is determined that our mother will never sleep through the night, because eighteen years of midnight feedings, nightmares, slumber parties, and missed curfews wasn’t quite enough. Anyway, for whatever reason, she likes to traverse the globe and leave me at home to be responsible.

Recently, my sister asked me if I had any ideas for healthy recipes that are more budget-friendly and can be made with limited appliances and resources. Instead of just coming up with ideas for her, I decided to make it a regular column on the blog, because I think no matter where you are in life, we can all use more cheap, easy recipes.

I am not going to get too rigid with rules, but here is my vision for what makes something qualify for “cheap eats”:

• Cheap. Obviously. I don’t have a rigid number for what qualifies as “cheap,” but I am going to try to keep it under $5/serving, hopefully considerably less.
• Familiar. I won’t include anything that is difficult to find or that requires really small quantities of really expensive ingredients. I understand that even if you only use a “pinch” of something, you have to buy the whole bottle, so I will try to keep the seasonings relatively simple and stick with things that you can use over and over.
• Easy. I will try to keep it very simple, to recipes that can be made quickly and with very limited appliances.
• Vegetarian (kind-of). I personally don’t believe in limiting any major food groups from your diet unless you have a real health problem that requires doing so. However, meat is expensive. Therefore, most of the recipes in the Cheap Eats column will be vegetarian or have a vegetarian option, so if that is your jam, you can check out the “cheap eats” category on the right.
• Healthy. Cheap food is oftentimes unhealthy. While eating unhealthy food in the short-term may save your wallet, it will cost your more in the long-term as you deal with a whole host of health issues brought on by a poor diet. Therefore, the cheap eats will focus on making healthy choices that don’t break the bank.
• Quality. This is similar to “healthy.” Just like making healthy choices is better in the long-run, choosing quality ingredients will make your food taste better and be better for you. In calculating the cost of the meals, I will base the cost on what I normally buy, which is often organic/whole grain/real food and, unfortunately, more expensive. It’s not really fair to call something “cheap” if it means sourcing low-quality ingredients or buying in bulk or on-sale. Therefore, the cost breakdown will reflect what I would normally buy. I personally don’t always buy everything organic/grass-fed, but I try to do try to when it is possible and within my budget.

Cost Breakdown:

• Tortillas (I use these, which are organic and sprouted corn): $5/dozen $1.66
• Beans (organic): $1.35/can
• Cheese: $5.49/12 oz.: $0.91
• Eggs (organic, free-range): $5/dozen: $3.33
• Onion (not organic): $1.50/lb.: $0.30
• Jalapeño Pepper (not organic): $0.50
• Estimated cost of using misc. kitchen items (olive oil, spices, etc.): $2.00 (this is a high estimate)

Total Cost: $10.05

Cost per Serving: $2.51

This recipe makes four servings, but it can easily be modified to make only 1 serving at a time. When cooking cheap, it is important to use up all your leftovers, but some things (like eggs), just don’t re-heat well. In a recipe like this, I would simply save all the chopped ingredients for the next time I wanted to make a taco, then scramble the eggs as needed. The tortilla will taste much better if heated in the oven, but I promise not to tell anyone if you use the microwave instead!