u/The_Bunny_Brat

Ingredients:

• funeral leftovers: venison sausage with smoked peppers, onions, & tomato sauce (free)
• ketchup (~$1)
• salt (~$1)
• garlic powder (~$1)
• dry spaghetti (food pantry)

Instructions: My family celebrates every passing with a big party & lots of food. We believe in honoring the life foremost. I saved some of these smoked peppers, onions, & venison sausage, something the deceased used to make from his hunts. For my dinner tonight, I just had to boil some wheat pasta with salt & garlic powder. When it was done, I cut up the sausage, heated it up, & combined it with all the smoky sauce & vegetables. It wasn’t enough sauce, so I added a little ketchup, but not enough to make it sweet. It felt like having dinner with family.

Ingredients:

• 2 small eggs (~$7/32ct)
• 3 spoons of Dahi (~$6/5lb)
• 1 kale stem (food rescue)
• 1 small piece of chicken of the woods mushroom (foraged)
• ketchup (~$1)
• hot sauce (food pantry)
• seasonings: garlic powder, sazon (~$1 each)

Instructions: I chopped everything small with my kitchen scissors then whisked the eggs, kale, mushrooms, & seasonings together with about 1/3 cup of soy milk. Next, I covered the container and microwaved it for 2 minutes for a perfectly silky texture. Last, I topped it with Dahi, ketchup, & hot sauce then ate it on matzah.

Often, I’m too tired after work to cook and, right now, am limited physically due to injury. This snack is easy, customizable, & frugal based on your toppings. The yogurt is a great way to get additional protein & safe for someone like me with sensitive digestion. This snack is nice & refreshing on these hot days.

Ingredients:

• Dahi live culture yogurt ($4, lasts me about a week)
• red pepper (food pantry)
• cilantro (food pantry)
• rosemary (food pantry)
• white onion (food pantry)
• green onion (food pantry)
• vinegar-based hot sauce (food pantry)
• apple (food pantry)
• honey (gift)

Instructions: Spread the Dahi somewhat thinly to avoid making the matzah soggy but thick enough to cover the cracks. Slice the red pepper, white onion, green onion, & apple thinly so that it’s easy to take a bite of the full matzah later. (For ease, I used my kitchen scissors.) For the savory matzah, spread out the veggies evenly then splash with hot sauce. for the sweet matzah, place the apple slices & drizzle with honey.

Often, I’m too tired after work to cook or, like right now, am limited physically due to injury. This snack is easy, customizable, & frugal based on your toppings. The yogurt is a great way to get additional protein & safe for someone like me with sensitive digestion.

Ingredients:

• Dahi live culture yogurt ($4)
• red pepper (food pantry)
• cilantro (food pantry)
• rosemary (food pantry)
• white onion (food pantry)
• green onion (food pantry)
• vinegar-based hot sauce (food pantry)
• apple (food pantry)
• honey (gift)

Instructions: Spread the Dahi somewhat thinly to avoid making the matzah soggy but thick enough to cover the cracks. Slice the red pepper, white onion, green onion, & apple thinly so that it’s easy to take a bite of the full matzah later. For the savory matzah, spread out the veggies evenly then splash with hot sauce. For the sweet matzah, place the apple slices & drizzle with honey.

It’s on a paper plate, but we’re calling this a “bowl”. I typically can’t eat much meat & have been struggling to get enough protein. But, someone gave me ground beef, so let’s go! Btw, everything used except seasoning was donated.

Ingredients:

• ground beef
• cooked corn grits
• preferred seasoning (garlic powder, soy sauce, oregano, hot sauce, rosemary)
• cucumber
• kale
• green onion
• eggplant
• zucchini
• dressing of choice (poppyseed here)

Instructions: I mixed the ground beef with cooked corn grits (leftovers in the freezer that needed used up), soy sauce, onion powder, oregano, fresh rosemary (also donated), & a little hot sauce. I sprayed a cast iron baking dish with a little oil & pressed the mixture flat with a spatula then baked everything on 375 F for about 15 minutes.

While that was cooking, I used kitchen scissors to cut up a couple handfuls of kale, a chunk of cucumber, & green onion. Last, I heated up my zucchini/eggplant meal prep (frozen in individual portions after cooking for easier use later) & plated up.

By preparing small portions of different ingredients ahead of time, I’m better able to fuel myself when I just don‘t have the energy / mobility at other times. I’m physically limited due to injury so needed something easy. When cooled, the 5 other portions formed patties that I can easily assemble into sandwiches later.

The total cost was $10.58 with tax for both boxes. I’m ecstatic over these meals, especially because the last two times I ordered, the boxes didn’t contain variety or meet the listed value. But, this pickup makes it all right for me again. The chicken alone is good enough to make up for that, but the brussel sprouts? 💥

To stretch these two meals further, I split the two containers into four, then bulk them up with my homecooked rice, beans, veggies, etc. My food budget is very low, but getting a box or two like this every few weeks really helps break up the monotony.

I fried the yellow curry paste in a little olive oil spray with onion powder, a little soy sauce, & green onion then added cubed eggplant, uncooked black beans & white rice. There’s also kale & avocado because I was given a salad but it tasted really bad on its own, so I repurposed it in this meal for the healthy fats. When it was almost done, I added some soy milk for additional creaminess & protein. She ain’t winning a beauty contest, but this curry is super tasty & filling.

For the salad, I chopped up the veggies most needing to be used: lettuce, green onion, sweet corn, green apple, & carrot in a dressing made from olive oil, lemon juice concentrate, oregano, & adobo seasoning.

Except for the sweet corn & seasonings, everything in this meal came from community resources / pantry.

I purchased a prepared meal of vegan bbq (textured soy protein) with a sweet, tangy sauce and sweet potatoes (total meal discounted to $6.35 with tax on TooGoodToGo) & split it into 3 portions. Each portion was buffed up with a slice of multigrain bread (food pantry) plus my homemade loaded veggie rice & kale salad, which I make in large batches then store in smaller portions for later use. Unless otherwise stated, all times were free from community resources.

Loaded Rice: I cooked brown rice with white onion, pearl lentils, kale, & butternut squash seasoned with adobo, garlic powder, & a little soy sauce ($1 each for seasonings) in my rice cooker on the “brown rice” setting.

Kale Salad: I broke the kale down with lemon juice ($1) and kosher salt, fresh sweet corn ($0.33 / cob), white onion, crushed pecans, & crumbled my last bit of stinky cheese (purchased weeks ago from TGTG for ~$2 for the block).

Ingredients: Everything except the cheese & spices came from the food pantry.

• dry spaghetti
• canned chicken
• fresh kale
• white onion
• garlic, pepper, & salt blend ($1)
• multigrain bread
• cream cheese ($1)

Instructions: I tossed half a box of spaghetti, a few handfuls of shredded kale, half a small white onion, a can of chicken, & seasoning to my pressure cooker. Everything was done in about 15 minutes including prep. I slathered a thick slice of seeded multigrain bread with cream cheese & shredded some spinach on top. This wasn’t super pretty, but definitely filling.

Ingredients:

• cooked corn grits
• mashed butternut squash
• crushed pecans
• diced apple
• dry orange sugar
• artificial lemon juice

Instructions:

This has been my favorite sweet breakfast lately. I cook the corn grits in water with a little salt. When they’re done, I mash in some steamed butternut squash with some dry orange sugar (made from white sugar & orange zest). Then, I top it off with some crushed pecans, diced apple, & a few splashes of lemon juice. It’s filling & satisfies the sweet craving. Everything except the lemon juice ($1) came from community resources.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chicken
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 egg ($3 per 18)
• small handful of pecans
• butternut squash seeds
• garlic powder, dried oregano, adobo seasoning, hot sauce ($1 each)

Everything came from community resources except the spices and egg, which I purchased over a month ago.

AI Nutritional Breakdown:

This nutrient-dense rice bowl provides approximately 750–850 calories, with a macronutrient breakdown of about 55g protein, 35g fat, and 75g carbohydrates. It is a hearty, filling meal packed with lean protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats, though exact values will vary based on your portion sizes.

Estimated Nutritional Breakdown (Per Serving)

Nutrient	Estimated Value
Calories	(750 - 850) kcal
Protein	(50 - 60) g
Fat	(30 - 40) g
Carbs	(70 - 80) g
Fiber	(7 - 10) g

Ingredient Breakdown

• Rice (1 cup, cooked): ~200 calories, 4g protein, 0g fat, 45g carbs.
• Chicken (1 can, ~5oz drained): ~230 calories, 35g protein, 5g fat, 0g carbs.
• Egg (1 large, cooked): ~80 calories, 6g protein, 5g fat, 0g carbs.
• Butternut Squash Seeds (1 oz roasted): ~150 calories, 7g protein, 11g fat, 3g carbs.
• Pecans (1 oz, or about 20 halves): ~195 calories, 2.5g protein, 20g fat, 4g carbs.
• Hot Sauce (1 tbsp): ~5 calories, 0g protein, 0g fat, 1g carbs. Note: Most hot sauces are low-calorie but can add 100-300 mg of sodium per tablespoon.