The first minute only applies... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBxQ51pL0UA"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBxQ51pL0UA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
There are still really good lunch special deals at chinese resteraunts around town. Not sure about $3.99 buffets but you can get an entree, rice, soup, and egg roll for less than $5.00 no problem.
Many, many years ago, like in the 70's, perhaps, you used to be able to get a great steak at Timmy Chan's that was pretty cheap. That was a great place. I think they moved over by the Summit. Are they still around?
You must be thinking of a different Timmy Chan's. This is a chain fast food chinese restaurant. There used to be one on South Main by the Astrodome - you had to duck or get shot during drivebys and sometimes stand behind hookers to get served (that didn't sound right). There was another one on Fondren/W. Airport I think. Another location you didn't want to be near at night. Another one was at Bellaire right by the legendary Broiler Burger. That one I know shut down a while back. The thing about Timmy Chan's was they gave an unreal amount of food for the price.
I'm hardly the guy to talk (nobody here has seen me from the waist down), but cheap starch/cheap fresh veggies/cheap fresh fish/meat can be had, guys. I lived off those frozen Tilipia things from Wal-Mart for months ...
Tilapia is interesting... go to Asian markets and the thing can be had for $1.49/lbs (whole, but they'll clean/scale it for you), but you go to grocery stores like Randall's (or Tom Thumb in Houston) and the same fish is $5/lbs. or more. Same with catfish. Asian markets - $1.49 or so a pound. Nowadays it's almost $4-$5/lbs in grocery stores.
1 pack frozen shrimp (about $4-$5), 1 pack linguini noodles ($.75-$1), 1 stick butter (about $.50), drizzle of extra virgin olive oil ($.10), 3-5 cloves garlic, minced (about $.50), few tablespoons of both dried green onion and parsley (perhaps about $.05 for them both), 1 tbsp pepper ($.01), salt to taste ($.001). Heat oil and melt butter in frying pan. In a pot, begin boiling water for noodles. Add garlic to pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add parsley, green onion, pepper. Cook for another minute or so. Add shrimp. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Set aside. Drain noodles when al dente. combine noodles, shrimp, sauce. Eat. It's called shrimp scampi, childrens, and it only costs about $6, and it will feed 3-4 people.
And I actually cook. That stuff up there was just off the top of my head. I'll put how I make fried rice up here later. It's wicked cheap, good, and you can live off it for weeks. Plus, it's a great way to use up the leftover rice you might have. By the way, peeps, DO NOT BUY INSTANT RICE. IT DOES NOT TASTE VERY GOOD, AND YOU ARE WASTING YOUR MONEY. Just memorize these easy steps: 1.) Ratios. Though most cooks will cringe at this, you CAN use this ratio to cook most rice. 1 part uncooked rice : 2 parts water. That will yield 3 cups cooked rice (addition is FUN!) 2.) You don't do anything special; you just wash the rice (optional) and put it in a pot that you have a lid to (and if you don't, use an upside-down, heatproof plate. It'll work just fine) with the cold water (using the 1:2 ratio). Turn on the heat. Stir it a couple of times. 3.) When it starts boiling, turn the heat down to LOW or MEDIUM-LOW, and stir it again (all you're doing is making sure nothing's sticking to the bottom of the pot). Put the lid on. 4.) Leave it there for 15 minutes. When you come back, you have rice that's not too sticky and not too fluffy. So to recap: 1.) 1 part rice to 2 parts cold water water. 2.) Heat in pot with cover 3.) Turn heat down to low when it boils. 4.) Wait 15 minutes. You can do this with pretty much anything but brown rice, converted rice, and wild rice (which isn't really rice). Or, you can just do what I do. I cook rice SO MUCH that I bought a rice cooker. With that, I just toss the rice and water in and leave. Better yet, I can toss some vegetables or fish in the steaming tray and have a whole meal when I get back.
yup, there's a pretty good one on wilcrest and bellaire...entree, soup, fried rice, egg roll, and an ice tea for 3.99. i can easily make 3 meals out of that, so a little more than a dollar a meal. beef and broccoli, hmmmmm.
I live right by U of H central campus, anyone here know of some cheap eats close by here that's not China Star nor micky d's and them (fastfood)?
Here is something that is cheap, and any college kid can do. Buy a big jar of spaghetti sauce (Ragu, Prego, whatever is on special.) That'll run you about $1.50-$2. Buy a pound of ground beef for about $3. Buy some spaghetti for a bout $.75. If you're really splurging, buy some parmesan for $3. It'll last you quite some time. Buy some texas garlic toast for $3. Total cost: $8.25 - $11.75. Brown the ground beef. Add the sauce and cook on med. low for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in a pot. Put the toast on a cookie sheet and bake according to the directions (as hard to do as heating up a TV dinner. That'll make 6 servings, easy. So, cost per meal is: $1.38-1.95. And here's the kicker: It'll taste 10 times better than a ramen sandwich.
When I was a dirt-poor musician living in a dingy sharecropper's apartment in Santa Monica back in the early 1990s, and I needed to feed myself on the cheap for a while, here is what I would do...... In a large saucepan, heat some oil. Brown 1lb ground beef, season with salt & pepper as it cooks. Stir in 2 diced potatoes, continue cooking on medium heat for 10 minutes so potatoes begin to get soft. Add 1 shredded onion, 1 shredded head of cabbage, and 1 cup of cooked rice. Stir frequently until well mixed and cabbage begins to wilt. For added fun, I would season it with soy sauce or worcestershire sauce if I had any. Total cost? Back in the day, might be the same nowadays....$2 for the ground beef, $1 for the potatoes, onion and cabbage, $1 for a bag of rice. I kept cooking oil, salt and pepper in the house. And I would eat that for about 4 days, farting and crapping my innards out along the way!
There's one at Fondren & West Bellfort, in the heart of gangland southwest. I went there on a lark three months ago, and got a 20 wing & fried rice combo for $4.50. I crapped liquid for three days afterwards. Never again.
Have you ever heard of a wish sandwich? A wish sandwich is the kind of a sandwich where you have twooooo slices of bread, and you......wish you had some meat! Bow bow bow...
Thanks. I actually learned of these when I finally moved out the house and started living on my own. When I had my own house note, car note, and bills I had to scrimp sometimes and this is stuff I tried out and eventually came to like. You're right about the buffets too.
Learn how to use seasonings. Buy those bags of frozen chicken breasts and various bags of frozen mixed veggies. It has all the protein and nutrients the body needs. You can change the taste by using different seasonings and cooking methods (baking, stove top frying, broiling). The veggies can be mixed with the chicken on the stove or steam on the side. I've said it before. I am the grocery shopping master when it comes to cheap healthy meals. Also look for those 4 pound boxes of tilapia. Great price, great taste. Dump all that junk. Your body don't need that crap. Soon I will get back into grilling.
I don't eat that stuff much anymore unless I get a craving for it but I am very interested in eating healthier. Give me some more tips buddy.
Watch your sodium. Use salt sparingly. Also avoid MSG, if you can. Buy a Turbo Cooker. The price of them have gone down since they first started selling. Throw a chicken breast (frozen - that's right frozen) in it with no oil pan spray on high for 6-8 minutes (depending on size of breastl). Putting setting on closed and put on lid. Turn it over and add 8-10 ounces of water (helps to steam cook it). Add veggies and seasonings and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Chicken should be juicy and water will evaporate. Enjoy Very simple 15 minute meal and when you do the math on buying chicken and veggies in bulk, you will save money and this is healthy. Change it up each time by using different seasonings. Be brave. Just make sure that you know which seasonings to use for poultry, fish, beef.
