Cheap Eats: Three Cups of Rice = SIX Meals!

A few days ago I wrote a post on how to STRETCH your food dollars when the end of the month is looming and you are nearly out of grocery money.  Here's a link to my five step plan.  In keeping with that theme, I want to show you how to use just three cups of uncooked rice to make three main dishes!

When money is running low you need to think in terms of stretching a main dish with rice, pasta, cooked grains, or potatoes.  This week, I decided to cook three cups of brown rice with 6 cups of water in the rice cooker.  This yielded approximately 9 cups of cooked rice.  I then divided the rice into thirds. My goal was to use the rice as the base for three main dishes.

Recipe #1:  Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe is a long-time favorite in the Ware family and comes from Forks Over Knives.  Here's a link. I deliberately made it extra this this week. I knew that this would allow me use it as a baked potato topping, roll it up in tortillas, eat it plain in a bowl, or serve it over rice.  All three of these methods made it stretch one big pot of chili to four meals!   

Here it is served over the brown rice. I put small bowls of various toppings on the table for people to add as they would like.  I had chopped tomatoes, Greek non-dairy yogurt, cheese, and pico de gallo.  I got the pico de gallo marked down at Aldi a few days ago.  

Recipe #2:  Grain Loaf

 

My 14 year old sous chef and I designed this recipe one day to use up leftover steel cut oats.  The recipe combines the oats with brown rice, seasonings, and gluten free flour.  I resembles the taste and texture of meatloaf without any fat or cholesterol!  Yum!  I served it with salad and sliced apples.  Here's a link to the recipe in our special Cheap Eats section!  https://underthemedian.blogspot.com/2018/02/cheap-eats-grain-loaf.html

Recipe #3:  Stir Fry

 

Mandarin Orange Stir Fry

Sesame Chili Stir Fry

 

Admittedly, I cheated on this recipe.  I used those wonderful pre-made stir fry kits that I found on clearance last week at Krogers.  

I got mandarin orange and sesame chili flavors. Both were amazing!  

There you have it!

Three main dishes with rice as the backbone.  The approximate cost of the rice:  $.50! That's it!  Just $.50 for 9 cups of rice!  We used that rice to stretch those main dishes to last our family of five for SIX meals!!  Now that's economy!

Your turn!

What's your favorite way to stretch a dollar?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section!

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Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope