I Made Dirt-Cheap Meals For a Week, and Here's How I Survived

Pro tip: When in doubt, blend up your random, leftover ingredients into smoothies.

Admittedly, as a Costco shopper for one, I'm guilty of purchasing king-size bags of frozen fruit and never finishing them. I also have a bunch of half-eaten jars of random nut butters and honey that always seemed like a good idea at Trader Joe's. The best way to use up all these rando goods? Smoothies. My recommendation is to blend up frozen fruit, some type of liquid (Greek yogurt, nondairy milk, or even canned coconut milk), nut butter, and honey (or agave) to taste.

Put the tip to use: basic smoothie recipe

Pro tip: Try savory oatmeal.

My pantry is stocked with hot breakfast cereals of every variety: oatmeal, cream of wheat, and steel-cut oats. Despite all the ways you can make oatmeal, I still go through bouts where I'm just really not into the idea of it for breakfast. Then I had a realization, thanks to Giada De Laurentiis: make the cereals savory by drizzling with olive oil and sea salt. Genius! I also started folding in nuts, shaved parmesan, and a few cracks of black pepper. To amp up the savoriness, I've even stirred in miso paste or Better Than Bouillon. Top it with a fried egg if you have some.

Put the tip to use: Giada's savory oatmeal recipe

Pro tip: Create a simple, signature salad that doesn't suck.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I also raided my parents fridge when they were headed out of town. My mom buys romaine lettuce and oranges in bulk. Overwhelmed by the inordinate amount of both yet determined, I devised a salad that I actually love and make pretty regularly now. First, zest an orange over chopped romaine. Slice the skin off of the orange and squeeze any juice from the peels onto the greens. Chop up the orange into bite-size pieces. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I'll add canned tuna, leftover chicken, or smoked salmon if I have it. Fresh or dried fruit and nuts also fare well here, too.

Put the tip to use: fast and easy salad recipes

Pro tip: Don't forget to use up fridge accoutrements.

Capers, olives, roasted red peppers, pickles, and sauerkraut, in other words all the salty accoutrements in your fridge make salads taste better too. In addition, I went through all of my canned seafood reserves: sardines, anchovies, tuna, and salmon. These protein-rich salad toppers required little effort to prepare and kept me fuller for longer.

Put the tip to use: Cheap and easy Gwyneth Paltrow salad hack

Pro tip: Pressure-cook your grains, so they aren't a pain to cook.

Over the years, I've stocked up on some unusual grains and pseudograins like farro, millet, and quinoa in every color. "What a pain to cook!" I'd argue. "No time for that on a busy weeknight." But as part of the challenge, I had to go through the reserves gallantly. So I did what any sane person would do: I pressure-cooked each grain, one by one, in an Instant Pot. This cut the cooking times for each way, way down, and I found my fridge stocked with tons of different grain options. I predominately used them as the base for easy-to-pack grain salads, tossed with dried fruit, some herbs, a little lemon zest, olive oil, and vinegar.

Put the tip to use: whole-grain salad recipes

Pro tip: Turn beans and lentils into soup.

One simple bean/lentil stew I crave regularly hardly requires much. Boil the beans/lentils in water, adding in some Better Than Bouillon, salting and peppering liberally, and finishing with a pat or two of butter. A small splash of vinegar also makes them taste strikingly good (a trick I learned from the famous Italian cook Marcella Hazan. If you have it available, fresh parsley is my favorite thing to wilt into a bowl of soupy beans upon serving.

Put the tip to use: bean soup recipes

Pro tip: Eat pasta like an Italian, dressing it simply.

Pasta does not need to be drenched in a sauce. Coated in olive oil (and/or some butter) with freshly grated parmesan is a legitimate dinner. You can fancify it with minced garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, and white wine, like this garlicky pasta, but that's entirely optional!

Put the tip to use: easy pasta recipes