Guest Post: Cheap gourmet – Lazy last-minute meals for the frugal cook

My name is Kate and I blog over at www.kateiseating.com. I’m an Epidemiology student at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. I’m a huge(!) lover of food and I’ve been learning how to combine that with my newfound passion for fitness. Every day, I get up and think two things: should I run today? and what should I eat? Follow me on Twitter (@lecksicon) for real-time updates on my insane eating habits and my attempts at running.

Let’s face it: unless you are a full-time food blogger or food writer (or a freakin’ chef) and you have no other responsibilities going on in your daily life, it’s safe to say that it’s a little difficult to find time to make a delicious and healthy meal from start to finish at the drop of a hat. Also, if you’re no longer in college and your taste buds have evolved from Easy Mac and Ramen to better things you might also be in the mood to make yourself something with a little more flavor (and a little less of all those preservatives you can’t pronounce). Healthy eating doesn’t have to be a hassle, nor does it have to be expensive.  The Cooking Matters Survive on 35 challenge that went on earlier this year with other FitFluential bloggers proved just that. Inspired by this culinary challenge I’ve listed a day’s worth of recipes that use a lot of kitchen staples and are relatively inexpensive (and easy) to prepare. All of these are single-serving recipes and they can all be found on my blog at www.kateiseating.com.

Quick Tomato Feta Scramble

If you haven’t yet dabbled in Egg Beaters, now is a great time. They have less calories, first of all, and you get the egg texture and taste without all that cholesterol. It’s a win-win! You can also use egg whites in this recipe. It’s just ½ cup of egg beaters (or egg whites), a quarter of an onion chopped, a clove of garlic, half a tomato, about ¼ cup of feta (or more, depending on you), and some cilantro (optional—it’s just for color and extra flavor, really). Heat some oil on a hot pan, sauté the onions and garlic, and after 2 minutes, toss in the egg beaters, tomato, cilantro, and half of the feta. Let the egg mixture sit for about a minute or so before “scrambling” with a wooden spoon. Your eggs will be done in about 4-5 minutes. You can have this with a piece of toast and you’re good to go! Morning, tackled.

Chili Citrus Tuna Salad with Orange Soy Dressing

It sounds fancy but it’s really not. In fact, you probably have everything in your pantry already. You need a can or packet of tuna in water, some salad greens of your choice, sweet chili sauce, and soy sauce. Combine a tablespoon each of soy sauce and sweet chili sauce, a dash of salt and pepper, and the tuna. Combine well and set aside. To make your dressing, you need an orange, 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce, lime juice (fresh or from a bottle—I don’t judge!), 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce and an oil of your choice. You can go with EVOO but sesame or peanut might taste better. I definitely used EVOO. Who cares? Squeeze about 2 tablespoons of orange juice into a small bowl and add the soy sauce, lime juice, sweet chili sauce, and oil. Mix well. Serve your tuna on a bed of salad greens, drizzle over your dressing and serve with some orange slices if you like. Lunch is served, my friends.

Spiced Granola

I’ve never really used chia seeds before and if you don’t have any on hand, the world will still keep turning and your granola will still be delicious. They’re a little pricy so don’t worry if you can’t find them or can’t buy them. You need 1 cup of old-fashioned oats, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Again, these spices are optional. You can add in other spices you like or have, or omit these spices completely. If you choose to eliminate the spices, I suggest a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter just for some flavor. You can really get creative with this. Preheat your oven to 350 and combine all of these ingredients in a bowl. Spread ‘em out on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes and then stir, then bake for another 6-7 minutes. Let these cool and you have yourself a pretty great snack to carry around with you…or munch at home if you don’t want to leave the house.

Spicy Peanut Noodles in a Hurry

This recipe uses bean thread noodles, also called cellophane noodles. They are very low in calories and take about 3 minutes to cook in boiling water. They come in varying packaging (usually in bundles). It’s best to soften the bundle of noodles in a bowl of warm water for about 30 seconds, cut it in half, then cook them in boiling water and see how much you get and go from there. You can honestly use whatever noodles you have at home: egg, rice, etc. Bean threads just have less calories. All you need is half a cup of bean thread noodles, cooked, a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce. In a saucepan, heat the PB, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce until it forms a paste. Add some water to get the desired “sauce” consistency you prefer. You can splash a little lime juice or Sriracha but it’s not necessary. Once your sauce is done, just toss the noodles in the pan and sauté for a minute. Add some crushed peanuts if you want a dressed-up effect. This is great as it is but you can also add some sautéed tofu or other protein of choice. And this would be your third square meal of the day.

Easy Eton Mess