Cheap and Easy meals part two

Beans & rice

I’ve never cared for this combination. I know a lot of people who love it, though. When Taco Bell started putting rice in their taco salad I was NOT pleased, but learned to really enjoy it. Then they stopped making it altogether. Boo on them!

 

Tuna noodle casserole

Absolute basic childhood comfort food. ALWAYS at a church pot-luck. Don’t care for the croutons on top, never did that when I made it. Marv doesn’t like it, so haven’t made it in years.

 

Beans & wienies (beany-wieny)

This was a TREAT when I was little. Hot dog buns were expensive. If we had hotdogs, we used a slice of bread. But cutting up the hotdogs in little pieces and adding them to a pot of canned baked beans and you are good to go.

 

Baked potato

You can do a decent spud in the microwave, although I would usually cut it in fourths so it would cook evenly. Put enough extras on it and it’s a full meal. Open a can of chili, can of olives, add cheese. Yum! They’re also good with scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped up in a tortilla.

 

Corn on the cob

There have been many times that we’ve cooked an ear of corn in the microwave and just have several of those for a dinner. Plenty of butter and salt too, of course.

 

Shepherd’s pie/cottage pie

This is definitely the lazy person’s version of this dish. I was taught this recipe by Aunt LoLita. No crust. Just instant mashed potatoes with cooked and seasoned hamburger and a simple gravy make from a packet.

 

Grilled cheese w/tomato soup

Probably one of the easiest meals in the world, aside from the PB&J. Everyone can grill a cheese sandwich. Everyone can open a can of tomato soup. And if you’re too dang lazy to grill the sandwich, you can put the bread in the toaster, butter it and slap a slice of cheese on top and zap it in the microwave. We call that a “cheater” cheese sandwich.

 

Canned soup

And again, opening a can of soup is something that can be accomplished by all. And there are so many varieties now. Some you add water. Some you don’t. There is no excuse for going hungry if you have the basics in your pantry.

 

 

Cheap and Easy (cooking on the fly) part one

 

And no, those weren’t my middle names in High School…

 

I like to eat, but don’t really like to cook. The microwave is my best friend in the kitchen, along with the can opener, although a lot of cans now come with a pop top. There ARE times though, when I don’t mind taking things a step further. VERY small step… When the kids were still at home, I did try to make more or less sensible meals. Now that it’s just Marv and me…let’s say Little Caesar’s is on speed-dial…

 

Here are a few quickies: (again, that is NOT one of my middle names…seriously, get your mind out of the gutter!) And these are not things we have all the time. Sometimes I cook REAL stuff. This is for when you’re in a hurry, too tired to give a hoot, just need something to fill your belly and don’t want to just pop another frozen meal in the micro.

 

Buttered noodles/pasta

Cook it, put butter and Parmesan on it, and eat. Yes, it’s carb heavy, especially if you have garlic toast with it. And by garlic toast, I mean sliced sourdough from the toaster with butter and garlic powder on it.

 

Spam (cue Monty Python)

Fried or just cut up, this is SO versatile. And we LOVE Spam. (again, Monty Python). Add it to pasta or rice. If it’s fried you can even have it on the side with waffles or pancakes.

 

Ramen

The poor college student staple. Fine on its own, but you can make a real meal of it by adding a beaten egg, can of mushrooms, can of diced chicken.

 

PB&J

Absolutely nothing wrong with a good ol’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Have a glass of milk with it.

 

Oatmeal

I’ve always been a proponent of breakfast for dinner. Had it many times growing up. And oatmeal is wonderful, especially now that it comes in many flavors in nice neat packets. If you’re really hungry, use enough milk to do 2 packets.

 

Eggs  

Another versatile item. And you CAN cook eggs in the microwave. Just take them out of the shell first. One favorite of mine is a cooked egg in a small dish. Nice and round. Fits perfectly on a toasted bagel. Add cheese and/or lunchmeat and you’ve got a sandwich far better that the frozen ones you get at the store. They are also great in a tortilla with cheese melted in.

 

Mac & cheese

Packaged, of course. And while it’s good on its own, adding any leftover meat or maybe a can of diced ham and you’ve got a great meal. We ate this SO often when we were first married. And microwave some frozen veggies and your meal is now balanced.

 

They call us "The Elderly"

 

We were born in the 40-50-60’s.

We grew up in the 50-60-70's.

We studied in the 60-70-80's.

We were dating in the 70-80-90's.

We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's.

We ventured into the 80-90’s.

We stabilized in the 2000’s.

We got wiser in the 2010’s.

And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020.

 

Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades...

TWO different centuries...

TWO different millennia...

 

We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long–distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world.

We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App.

From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, color TV and then to 3D HD TV.

We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix.

We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones.

 

We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans.

 

We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19.

 

We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric.

 

Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had!

They could describe us as "exennials," people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.

We've kind of "Seen-It-All"!

 

Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.

It is our generation that has literally adapted to "CHANGE."

A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE!

 

–Author unknown