Making Budget Foods and Recipes User-Friendly: A Quick Egg Supper -- Utterly Simple Frittata

Back to my weekend version of this blog -- basic frugal foods made easy. 

A lot of folks weren't raised learning basic frugal cooking skills. Instead, in their family homes of origin, a lot of foods that they consumed were what we'd recognize as convenience foods, such as boxed meal helpers. There's nothing at all wrong with that scenario. However, they now find themselves (through no fault of their own) on a very limited budget, unemployed or forced into early retirement due to this pandemic, struggling financially right now and looking for help so that they can help themselves. Enter Basic Frugal Foods Made Easy, my weekend version of this blog that goes back to the basics to help others make very delicious foods while sticking to a tight budget. Remember, once you learn a piece of information or a new skill, you own that information to use over and over again. 

Eggs make a quick & easy meal for a tiny budget

When thinking about the different categories of foods, high-protein foods are generally the most expensive. Even the least expensive meats and seafoods can top several dollars per pound. If you're looking for a complete protein at a budget price, eggs are a winner. 

A large egg contains about 6.3 grams of protein. And a pound of eggs contains about 50 grams of protein, roughly the same amount contained in 12 ounces of 73% lean ground beef. 

Determining the cost per pound for eggs

The USDA sorts eggs into sizes according to weight. A dozen large eggs should weigh approximately 24 ounces, or 8 large eggs should weigh about 1 pound. When large eggs are priced between $1 and $2 per dozen, the cost per pound is 66 cents to $1.33. 

To figure the cost per pound of eggs at your store, this is the USDA's estimate of eggs per pound based on egg size. Determine the cost per egg (based on your prices), then multiply by how many are in a pound.

• Extra-large eggs -- 7 to a pound
• Large eggs -- 8 to a pound
• Medium eggs -- 9 to a pound
• Small eggs -- 10 1/2 to a pound

The Italian frittata: a simple, all-in-one-pan egg dish

Due to the high-affordability of eggs around the world, just about every culture has a signature egg dish. The French have omelets, quiches, and souffles. The Spanish have their tortilla (which is not what we know as a tortilla but actually a skillet-cooked egg dish). Huevos Rancheros is a classic Mexican egg dish. Scotch eggs are British pub-fare. And in Italy, just about every cook knows how to make a frittata. 

Frittatas have a lot in common with the Spanish tortilla and the French omelet. All are made in a skillet, and all are great vehicles for leftover cooked meats and vegetables. What sets frittatas apart from other egg dishes is their utter simplicity -- beaten eggs added to a hot and oiled skillet, topped with cheese, with or without additional vegetables or meat, then top-cooked either by flipping or by finishing in the oven.

Frittata techniques and tips that succeed:

• use a 9 or 10-inch oven-proof skillet (handle can go into an oven)
• heat the pan before adding oil. There's a saying in cooking -- "hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick"
• do not add extra liquids like milk or cream to the eggs
• cook vegetables to reduce the overall liquid content before adding the eggs
• adding the liquid egg to a hot and oiled pan quickly sets the bottom layer of the egg, creating a barrier between the still-liquid portion of the egg and the pan, preventing sticking
• do not stir the eggs once in the pan

As mentioned above, there are two basic cooking techniques for making a frittata. One, cooking the entire frittata on the stove, flipping the partially set eggs onto a plate, then sliding back into the skillet to cook the other side. And two, which I think is the least complicated, starting the frittata on the stove, then popping it, skillet and all, into the oven to set the eggs. 

The most basic frittata is nothing more than eggs, onions cooked in oil, cheese, salt and pepper. Frittata wedges served on slices of Italian bread make a delicious open-faced sandwich for busy-day suppers. With the addition of some cooked vegetables, you've hit all the major food groups on a plate. Leftover frittatas can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Simply reheat and serve.

To get started, I'll share one of my family's favorite winter frittatas -- spinach, onion, and Parmesan frittata.

Spinach Frittata (serves 3 -4)

equipment needed:

oven-proof skillet, needs to have a handle that can go into an oven (9 or 10 inches in diameter), lid that fits the skillet
wire whisk and bowl

sieve or colander to drain spinach

ingredients:

5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/2 large onion, diced
10-oz block frozen spinach, thawed, drained, water pressed out  OR  13.5-oz can spinach, drained, water pressed out
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
nutmeg
Parmesan cheese, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup

note: if using a non-stick skillet, use the lesser of the oil amounts. If using a regular skillet, use the greater amount of oil.

Thaw, drain and press water out of the spinach. Alternatively, canned spinach can be used -- drain and press out excess liquid.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop the onion. 

Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper.

Heat the skillet over Med for a minute or two, then add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Tilt the skillet to coat the entire bottom of the pan. (I don't measure the oil, but just eyeball amounts.)

Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes, or until onions are barely golden around the edges.

Add the drained spinach to the pan, breaking it up and mixing in with the onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then sprinkle with about 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg all over. 

Spread the spinach/onion mixture evenly across the bottom of the skillet. Drizzle with remaining oil. (You want to be able to barely see a thin film of oil on the bottom of the skillet in any bare spots.) Cook for a half-minute to heat the added oil.

Quickly pour the egg/salt/pepper mixture over the spinach and onions. 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 5-9 minutes. Check to see if the eggs look barely set -- the center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan gently.

Remove from the oven and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. 

Use a table knife or off-set spatula to go around the edge of the frittata to loosen it from the skillet. Cut into wedges and serve. 

And that's how I make a budget-friendly, super-easy, supper, lunch, or brunch entree.

You can garnish servings with fresh tomato slices, herbs, more cheese, marinara sauce, grilled onions etc.

Add an additional egg for 4 larger servings.

This recipe, made as directed, contains about 40 to 44 grams of protein. When divided by 3 persons, that's 13-15 grams of protein, each. When divided by 4 persons, that's 10-11 grams per serving.

Cost for entire recipe varies, ranging from $1.45 to $2.40, depending on amounts of oil, Parmesan cheese, and use of canned (cheaper) vs frozen (more expensive) spinach. In addition, cost is obviously dependent on your local prices. 

Other possibilities: you can add 1/2 cup of diced, cooked meat and up to 1 1/2 cups of any cooked vegetable to a basic onion, egg, and cheese frittata. Suggestions -- zucchini, pepper strips, sliced mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, asparagus bites, etc. Just cook the vegetables with the onions until most of the water has evaporated. 

If you like creamy and melty cheese, cubes of Fontina, Swiss, or mozzarella can be used in place of grated cheese.

For a high-protein/low-carb pizza substitute, try a pizza frittata. Cook a basic onion, egg, and cheese frittata, then top with pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and black olives. Pop back into the oven for a couple more minutes to melt the cheese, then remove and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. 

You can also make a plain egg and cheese frittata. Skip the onion, spinach, and nutmeg. You won't need as much oil, as there will be no sugars from onions or other vegetables to create sticking issues. Go ahead and reduce the oil by 1 tablespoon. Heat the skillet, add the oil, add the whisked eggs/salt/pepper and top with cheese. Then bake.

You might have noticed that my skillet doesn't have a handle. This is a vintage Farberware skillet from my husband's parents' home, near 70 years old. When the handle split and came off, we hung onto the skillet to use as an oven-proof pan, using oven mitts to handle it when hot. One of these days, I'll come across a replacement handle at a good price. Until then, this has made a great, oven-proof skillet.

The Choice to Repair Instead of Replace

In a perfect world, appliances would last 100 years or more. I'd even settle for 50 years or more. Sadly, parts of even the best appliances give out long before the whole ceases to function. The gasket on our 12-year-old refrigerator began tearing at about year 6. The bowl on my food processor developed a crack around year 17. And due to my own clumsiness, I broke the glass jar on our 39-year-old Oster blender just the other week. In all of these appliances, it was the non-machine parts that were an issue. The good news is, I don't need to have any mechanical skill to "fix" any of these appliances. The bad news is, spare parts simply aren't available for some appliances.

just the glass replacement

In many cases, it's money-wise to replace a single or even multiple parts. With simple fixes like these non-machine parts, it's a matter of popping off the old and popping on the new. My appliances are ready to go again. 

For my blender, I was able to save the blade assembly and the lid, needing only a new glass jar. The new jar cost about $9 with an additional $9 for shipping. Sound like a lot? Internet searches indicate that the older gen Oster appliances are known to last far longer than any new blender at the low-end of the price range. In just a few years, I should get my money back by not needing to replace the blender.

After several decades of use, you would think that I'd feel my near-vintage blender had served its duty and now it's time for its retirement. On the contrary, this blender has served me well because it was so well-made. It will likely grind, crush, and puree for many more years, if not decades. 

Back in the day, Oster made a superior blender. When different elements have broken or worn out, Oster makes all the needed replacement parts. I take that as a good indication of the company's confidence in their product -- that they feel they are worth the repair. By buying a replacement part, I want to send the message to Oster that I'm a consumer who is willing to repair a high-quality appliance instead of replacing it. 

It goes without saying, but it's also a good environmental value to choose repair over replace -- less added to landfills and less emissions spewn into the atmosphere in the production of new appliances.

In some cases, making a green choice winds up costing us a little more in our wallets. But for many appliance repairs, we save some money and only sacrifice in aesthetics. My almond tone-on-tone blender may not look as fashionable as a sleek new model. But it saved me real money and it was a good choice for our planet.

Maintenance Work for My Emergency Pantry

I made a brief mention of our back-up or emergency pantry in my grocery recap for January. I thought I'd share some of the thoughts that have come to mind over the past 10 months, since beginning this major stock-up.

An emergency pantry can be a blessing, providing food during a time when you most need it, as well as a way to save money by buying in bulk when you find a deal. It can also be an enormous waste of money if you don't do the work to maintain it.

• if possible, free-standing shelves that you can walk behind as well as in front are preferable to shelves up against a wall. Being able to walk to the back would allow for easier rotation of stock -- stock from the back, take from the front. As is, my shelves are in a pocket tucked into a wall, so not only can I not get behind my shelves, but I also can't get in from either side. When I restock, I have to clear the entire shelf. There's a temptation to not bother putting new stock behind old, but expiration dates do creep up on items that you thought might keep for years. Case in point, jarred Parmesan cheese usually has a best-by date of only a few months into the future at the time of purchase. Surprise to me!

This is my emergency pantry, tucked
 into a wall behind a door -- not ideal,
but it's better than nothing.

• it's important to work in your emergency pantry about once a month, to inventory, organize, sort, check expiration dates, and to make note of what is in abundance and what is lacking. I once again sorted through our back-up pantry yesterday and found a couple of surprises. I have plenty of regular instant coffee, but no decaf. Also, I have one 10-lb bag of high protein all-purpose flour (I use for yeast bread) and not two, as I'd thought. Each bag ensures we have high quality homemade bread for 2 months. So, by only having half of what I had thought means that I will need to replenish this flour sooner than planned. I also discovered that we're not going through raisins as quickly as I had anticipated. Knowing that now, I'll step up pushing the raisins for snacking and baking.

• I grab a box from the garage every other week and fill it with items from the back-up pantry to add to the kitchen supplies. Regularly using what's in the emergency pantry will help prevent waste due to expiry.

my restocked kitchen pantry

• This is key to using what you've stored -- I actually base my meal plans on what I bring to the kitchen from the emergency pantry. 

• In tandem with resupplying the kitchen with items from the e-pantry, it's also important to have a plan to restock those back-up supplies. This is also a good time to assess the value of your emergency pantry. For our family, having all of this extra food on-hand has meant I didn't need to go out to get groceries more often than once every 3 to 4 weeks -- especially important during this period of increased virus spread. During a non-pandemic year, I can also see value in limiting grocery shopping during the cold and flu season. I will keep a back-up pantry in future years, as well, focusing my greatest stocking up in the months of August, September, and October each year. Also, I'll keep emergency supplies for the duration of this pandemic, which means I'll restock in the spring this year as well as summer/fall.
• As I restock, I will use the information about my family's preferences that gathered as I reorganized the back-up panty each month. For example, we don't need as much jarred applesauce or raisins for the future, but could use more canned vegetables. And we prefer the natural-style peanut butter. 

If you stocked up in advance of this winter, what have you learned about keeping an emergency pantry?

January Grocery Recap

Here we are in the last handful of days of January. I thought I would get one more pickup from Walmart, but then I saw we had an abundance of milk, eggs, and produce remaining. So, I'm putting off my pickup until next week. I am finding that I often misgauge how much we will need to cover 3 weeks at a time. Sometimes we run short on items, and sometimes we have a surplus.

For January, I did one pickup order from Walmart early in the month, then had my daughter pick up 4 things for me later in the month. I spent a total of $54.07. Even in a non-pandemic year, January is a low-spend month for us. So, this amount isn't surprising.

We are still preparing meals from our back-up pantry, spare fridge, and freezers. Every other week, I bring out additional cans, boxes, and bags from the back-up pantry to add to the kitchen supplies. We're still doing well with what's on hand plus a few extras each month. I'm thinking that in March I may want to do a little restocking of our back-up pantry. In addition, I'd like to add some variety to our meat this coming month. I'm not a fan of Walmart meat, so this will require me to shop in-person in another store (Fred Meyer, most likely).

This is what we bought for January:

8 large bananas (each banana was about 2 servings), 42 cents/lb

2 heads cabbage, 40 cents/lb

3 heads lettuce, 40 cents each

green pepper, 80 cents

4 avocados, 58 cents ea

1 bundle celery, $1.28

5-lb bag oranges, $6.28

3-lb bag fuji apples, $3.23

frozen onion rings, $2.58

frozen sweet potato fries, 2 bags, $2.78 ea

frozen pepper strips, $1.92

6 gals 2% milk, 1 gal whole milk (for yogurt), $2.18

pint whipping cream, $1.98

3 dozen eggs, $2.88 total

30 oz mayo, $2.48

ketchup, 88 cents

8 oz cocoa powder, $1.98

My list for my next shop so far contains celery, bananas, apples, cabbage, avocados, dried cranberries, dried apricots, frozen mushrooms, meat, milk, eggs, cheese, and instant coffee/decaf. I'll also try to think of something special to pickup and make for Valentine's Day.

And that about wraps up January's grocery spending.

Experiment Successes and Fails

I think it's important to regularly experiment. Our experiments may fail, at times. But that's not the same as us failing. In my opinion, my own failure would come from never trying new ways to do things. Besides, success becomes sweeter after a failure or two. Here's what went right and what went wrong in the past few months.

My new hair routine

I have not used shampoo for 4 months now. 

This is what I've been substituting for shampoo, an inexpensive conditioner designed to protect color-treated hair. I continue to be pleased with the look and feel of my hair. I'd say this experiment was a success for me with my hair type (coarse, dry, curly, with a tendency toward frizz).

Some mini coffeecakes

I had a dream a week ago. I was in a bakery, and in the glass case were these coffeecake muffins. I awoke with such a hunger to replicate those pastries. I finally got around to making them yesterday and was very pleased with the result. I didn't use a recipe, but made a standard coffeecake batter, a cinnamon-brown sugar-pecan filling, and a streusel topping. I scooped a layer of batter into the bottom of the muffin liners, topped with the cinnamon-sugar, then another layer of the batter. I used a knife to swirl the cinnamon through the batter. Finally, I sprinkled the coffeecakes with streusel, then baked. 

They were everything I dreamed they would be, minus the bakery setting.

My nasturtium plant and seeds

Last fall, I brought one hanging basket with a healthy nasturtium plant indoors. I was hoping to collect a dozen or so seeds from the plant. 

The plant was setting seeds, so it looked like my hopes would come to fruition. Sadly, this is all I was able to collect from the plant -- 3 very tiny seeds. 

I don't have much confidence that they'll grow into anything. The only upside is it is now nearly February and my plant is still hanging in there, sitting in the kitchen window. 

It might survive until spring when I can set it outside again. Keeping my fingers crossed. But I think I'll need to buy nasturtium seeds to grow more plants for this upcoming summer.

So, I had two successes and one fail. I learned a lot about expectations. I also learned that I would never know the answers to my questions if I didn't at least give it a try.

What have been your best experiment successes? Any experiment failures that surprised you? 

What Crisco Has to Do with Cold & Dry Winter Air

This season of cold outdoor air and heated indoor air does a number on my skin and nails. When the cuticles on one of my fingers began to split and peel the other day, I was reminded of a very frugal and effective tip that came from my dermatologist many years ago. 

I was in the midst of my first winter in a cold and dry climate and my lips were cracked and the cuticles around my fingernails were splitting. My dermatologist shared what she'd been using on her hands since her internship. Even before COVID, medical personnel were known for frequent hand washing. My dermatologists hands were so dry and irritated from all of the washing that one of the nurses told her about "Cream C," other wise known as Crisco shortening, to use as a barrier cream on dry skin.

This is how much shortening I use for both hands,
front and back, around fingernails, and up past my wrists

To this day, I follow that frugal advice from my dermatologist. After I wash my hands, I pat them dry, but don't dry them completely. I then put a tiny dab of store-brand vegetable shortening (and I mean tiny) on one finger and rub it all over my hands, fingers and tips, around the nails, and up my sleeve a few inches. The key is to do this right after washing/patting dry (so that there's some moisture to lock in) and use so little that your palms don't feel greasy. (If I do put too much on and find my palms have the slightest feeling of shortening, I wipe my palms on a towel.)

I also use shortening as a lip balm before bed and on cracked heels (covered with socks) a couple of times per month. Shortening has got to be the cheapest beauty product that I use. 

The other aspect of using shortening that I appreciate is that it's food-grade and fragrance-free. When I'm working in the kitchen, the last thing I want to do is handle food after using a fragranced hand cream. That just sounds like ick to me.

So, that's my frugal beauty tip for this mid-winter day -- a little Cream C for dry hands, cracked heels, and dry lips.

Making Budget Foods and Recipes User-Friendly: Quick-Cooking Lentils to Serve Warm or Chilled

 

Back to my weekend version of this blog -- basic frugal foods made easy. 

A lot of folks weren't raised learning basic frugal cooking skills. Instead, in their family homes of origin, a lot of foods that they consumed were what we'd recognize as convenience foods, such as boxed meal helpers. There's nothing at all wrong with that scenario. However, they now find themselves (through no fault of their own) on a very limited budget, unemployed or forced into early retirement due to this pandemic, struggling financially right now and looking for help so that they can help themselves. Enter Basic Frugal Foods Made Easy, my weekend version of this blog that goes back to the basics to help others make very delicious foods while sticking to a tight budget. Remember, once you learn a piece of information or a new skill, you own that information to use over and over again. 

Last weekend, we talked about cooking dried beans, that quintessential frugal food. I mentioned that there are some bean-like legumes that don't require pre-soaking before cooking -- black-eyed peas, split peas, and lentils. These legumes are the fast food of the bean world. They cook up quickly and can provide an inexpensive, hearty and protein-filled meal in an hour or less. And when they're prepared with aromatics (onions, garlic, herbs and spices), these legumes are downright delicious.

Today, I'm going to share one of my favorite ways to cook and use lentils. Lentils come in black, green, brown, red (orange), and yellow. The yellow and red/orange tend to turn mushy when cooked, which makes them suitable for curries and soups. Black lentils are hard to find locally, but are said to be the most flavorful and will do well in salads. Green and brown lentils keep their shape when cooked, with brown lentils being the most plentiful. Brown lentils are the ones that are simply labeled as "lentils" in your grocery and warehouse stores. They're also the least expensive of the lentils, which is what we're after with these budget recipes. 

As I said before, cooking lentils with aromatics adds flavor to a somewhat bland food. Whether you want to serve lentils chilled or as a warm dish, the addition of carrots, onions, garlic, herbs, and tomato paste to the cooking liquid elevates these legumes from a boring bean dish to a culinary delight. As with other dried beans, 1 cup of dried lentils will yield 4 adult servings, cooked. Also like other beans, don't add salt until the lentils are tender.

With some recipes, you can wash, chop, and measure as you go. With this recipe, everything comes together rather quickly. For best results, we'll prep the ingredients before cooking. Are we ready? Let's do this!

Seasoned Lentils

equipment needed:

capacity info on bottom of your saucepan

• medium saucepan (a medium saucepan is also known as a 2-qt. saucepan. The bottom of a saucepan is often stamped with the capacity. This pan can hold 2 quarts of liquid/ingredients, but that doesn't mean you should cook 2 full quarts in this size pot, as you need some residual space for stirring and the possibility of boiling over.)
• mesh sieve for rinsing/draining uncooked lentils
• large knife and cutting board
• spoon for stirring

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste, unsalted

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 bay leaf, whole piece

1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

optional if serving as warm side dish -- 1/2 tablespoon mustard (Dijon, spicy, or yellow)

Rinse lentils. I pour the measured lentils into the medium saucepan and cover with a couple of inches of water, agitating for 2 minutes.

Drain the lentils in a sieve and set aside. Rinse the pot and dry the inside.

1/4 cup of finely diced onions
is about 3 half-slices  (thin)
of a medium onion, then diced

1/4 cup of finely diced carrot is about
 1/2 of a medium carrot, cut into
 long thin carrot sticks, then chopped

Chop onions and carrots, and mince garlic, set aside. Measure tomato paste, dried herbs and water.

Heat the saucepan over MED. Add olive oil and swirl around to coat the bottom of the heated pot. 

I add the onion, carrots, and garlic,
spread across the bottom of the pan
 before adding the tomato paste

Add onion, carrot, garlic, and tomato paste, stirring to combine. 

onion, carrot, garlic and tomato paste
mixture after cooking 3 minutes

Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add water, lentils, and dried herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 38 minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, for 10 additional minutes.

lentils after cooking and resting 10 minutes

Remove the bay leaf. Gently stir in salt and pepper.

The lentils can be served right away, warm alongside a grain dish like rice or bread, plus some roasted root veggies, or as filling for tacos, or with pita wedges, tzatziki, and tomato wedges. If serving warm, you can stir in the optional 1/2 tablespoon of mustard for additional flavoring. Taste for seasoning then add additional salt or pepper as desired.

French Marinated Lentil Salad

Or, the lentils can be served in a chilled salad, such as the following French Marinated Lentils.

French Marinated Lentils

1 batch of above cooked  and seasoned lentils

2 to 3 sticks of celery, leaves and all, diced (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)

Mustard Dressing (below)

lettuce cups

optional -- chives or minced shallots for garnish

Mustard Dressing (combine the following ingredients in a small dish)

2 teaspoons mustard (I use whatever mustard I have, sometimes Dijon, sometimes just yellow mustard, sometimes spicy mustard)

2 tablespoons vinegar (wine vinegar is nice, but I also use homemade herb vinegar)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Toss the cooked and seasoned lentils with the dressing and all but 1/4 cup of the celery dices. Garnish with the remaining celery plus chives or minced shallots, if available. Chill for 30 minutes or longer.

Serve on lettuce cups.

Wasn't this easy? I enjoyed a plate of lentil salad along with toast as a mini-lunch today -- mmmm, yummy!

According to Lentils.com, cooked lentils, either for serving as a warm dish or in this salad, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, making them an ideal food to cook on the weekend for easy lunches or a dinner during the week.

You can find brown lentils for under $1 a pound, sold in 1-lb bags, at stores like Target and Walmart. I buy large bags of dried lentils at our restaurant supply store for between 65 cents and 85 cents per pound. (Our restaurant supply is similar to warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's in what they carry, just no membership fee.) Each pound of dry lentils contains about 2.33 cups dry and will cook up to about 9 or 10 servings, for roughly 6 to 10 cents per serving.

The whole batch of seasoned lentils cost me just under 50 cents in ingredients, and the lentil salad cost me about 90 cents, total, for 4 large or 6 small servings. For protein content, there are about 47 grams of protein in a batch of these lentils. That's the amount of protein in over 7 ounces of cheddar cheese, or 7  1/2 large eggs, or almost 6 cups of milk, or about 11 ounces of uncooked 73% lean ground beef.

Budget-friendly lentils are simple and straightforward to cook, versatile in how they can be used, and made flavorful with the addition of aromatics in the cooking liquid. They really are a boon to a frugal meal plan.

Do you cook with lentils? Leave a comment below. I'd love to know what you think about this weekend series.

related posts:

Making Budget Foods and Recipes More User-Friendly: No-Knead, 2-Hour Bread

Making Budget Foods and Recipes More User-Friendly: Cooking Dried Beans and Making Hummus