We have all been there. Your stomach is growling but the clock is ticking and you have better things to do than cook. Your homework is piling up but your fridge is emptying out. Not in the mood to trudge through snow with heavy grocery bags? School books got your budget running low?
Here are some quick and cheap meals you can make from practically anything in your fridge as long as it is not furry yet.
Condiment sandwich: Toast two pieces of bread. If you don’t own a toaster, DIY it by pushing the bread onto a low-heat stove burner with a pot on top of it. Once toasted, spread on some cream cheese and add olives, pickles or relish and salsa or mushy tomatoes. Push the bread down so it mixes everything up, and cut the sandwich into an X (it makes it taste better.)
10 minute stir-fry: With any flavour Ramen noodles, add some frozen veggies or fresh vegetables that are about to expire and chop up any leftover protein. This can be breaded chicken nuggets, a hot dog, tofu, etc. Add soya sauce to the mix and cook in a pan for 7 minutes or until meat is heated through.
Poor kid pizza: Cover half a bagel or any other bread that is not yet green with tomato pasta sauce. Add some oregano, garlic powder and cheese. Microwave until the cheese gets gooey and the smell has you salivating.
Frugal fried spaghetti: No sauce needed. Toss some plain pasta (it can be left over from the day before) in a frying pan with basil, oregano and olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly crispy. Enjoy and wonder why you never tried frying spaghetti before.
Pita crisps: Revive some hardened pita bread in the back of your pantry by brushing on some olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic powder or paprika and tear the pita into pieces. Bake in a heated oven at 400 F for 7 to 10 minutes. They are a great study snack and are delicious on their own, but are even better when paired with hummus or baba ghanoush.
