Eating Cheap-I mean CHEAP!!

I thought you were just being stubborn. So you have food allergies to wheat, flour and dairy. Ouch.

The safeway near me sells large cans of Safeway beans for 1.39 a can. Those are good for a meal.

Well, fats offer the most calories per gram and the most energy density. Carbs, most fruits and veggies are out. You need calories first. Rice? Tuna is cheap at 70 cents per can.

Well, that's my suggestion. If I had to live on 5 bucks/day, it would be rice, tuna, and beans. Hummis is soy and its an inferior food.

It's hard. Be careful; you may lose weight initially but your metabolism will slow may down as things go on. Your hair and nails may change. It is dangerous to do over long periods of time.

Health comes first. Without it, there is no work, no church, not even the internetz matters.

Sprouting things like lentils, green peas, fenugreek, etc, is cheap and can add much-needed nutrients to the mix. Doesn't take much room but will require a bit of fresh water to rinse them a couple of times a day.

Other benefits: the ingredients are cheap and shelf-stable.

Could you get a crock pot or solar cooker from goodwill? Use that to cook the rice and beans? I know really cheap cookers can be made.

There is no standing water except during the first soak (which can happen in a sealed jar).

Various sprouts taste different. I put some on salads, blanche some, etc, and frequently eat them with soy and/or a dab of sriracha. About the only ones I don't like are wheat; they are a little too sweet for me. Some (beans, IIRC) really should be heated through in some way to denature some components. Soy sprouts are famous for this, but I understand the forum is not pro-soy anyhow.

On nutrition, I don't know. The enzymatic action of the sprouting tends to free up nutrients that are otherwise unusable to us when cooked normally. I would probably supplement with a dose of sprouts a day (1/3cup raw, maybe a cup or so sprouted). Since they take about 3 days in my environment from start to harvest, it'd take three containers going at once to stay supplied. I use pint mason jars.

Sprouts are generally done in dark or semi-dark. Some folks get them a little sun in the last few hours to develop a bit of green color but I usually don't.

The easiest for most folks to try would probably be whole (not split) lentils. About $1/pound dry, available at the supermarket, and stores easily. Here is a 1/3rd cup ready to use:


I cut some screen to use with the screw on lid:

Are sprouts really veggies?

Ok this is about coffee. I have doing this for a while. Making coffee drip style for one. I hate instant coffee because its bitter and really have not found a good one that is smooth like drip. Not my idea but its a good one. Know what size cup you use all the time. Everybody has a fav coffee cup...well I do. Mine is small because I can't seem to finish a larger cup. I bought a coffee strainer and a box of cheap paper filters. Dollar store rings into mind here. Coffee strainer fits perfectly on my coffee cup. Simple. Just place strainer on top of coffee cup that matches each other in size. put 2 tablespoons of fav coffee in filter. Pour hot water to top and let it drip. Large cup? Just pour more hot water in. Done. Whats good about this is that I use a water cup heater and plug it into the ciggy lighter. No stove needed.

Good idea. There are also readymade tools for such an application:

1. vietnamese coffee thingies
www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&q=vietnamese+coffee+maker

2. melitta single cup filter holder
c1.soap.com/images/products/p/zpv/zpv-11935b_1z.jpg
I got one of these on clearance for 50c the other day; got one for me and one for the mother in law.

3. french press, or press in a mug!
www.planetarydesign.us/categories.html?cataction=mugs
I'd probably use the $2 press I got at a garage sale. Presses make the Best. Coffee. Ever.

Regarding cooking, I am a stove fiend and can't imagine life without one. Many are small and easily deployed at a park or in a corner of a lot with the tailgate down. I cook lunch on the tailgate of my truck in my parking lot at work fairly frequently.
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I am partial to dualfuel stoves but look at this lovely one from the 1960s:



I use it at home, mostly, as it is a bit bigger.

If I were living in a van I would consider a burner that runs off 1lb propane, since propane (or profane as liquid-fuelers call it!) does have the advantage of being easier to use in short/frequent bursts.

The silver 533 and a larger "suitcase" stove live under the cargo deck in the back of my pickup.