More Savers

So because I'm a graduate student, I'm already on a tight budget. But I'm big into the idea of dressing cheap food up with fresh veggies. Today was a big example of doing that. I've always dressed up ramen (I usually buy the stuff from the asian market instead of the stuff at grocery stores) with fresh veggies, lunch meat, and sauces. I usually chop up some carrots, green onions, peppers, and broccoli and lately I've been adding in cilantro and peas afterwards. When the noodles and the veggies are cooked, I'll stir in the herbs and chopped up lunch meat (nothing sweet). I top the whole thing off with some sesame oil and chili sauce. It makes ramen so much better since you've got more veggies and I think it tastes better. A few years after being married I showed my husband how to do this and he has (thankfully!) been converted. My newest venture has been in dressing up macaroni and cheese. I usually buy one of the nicer boxes of mac n' cheese (I recommend Hodgson Mill whole wheat and white cheddar). They're a bit pricier but they're still only like $2-4. I'll heat up about a quarter pound of the seasoned meat with more chopped veggies (ex. mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, peppers, onions, parlsey . . . ) while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is done, I'll make the cheese sauce according to the package instructions and then stir in the meat and veggie mixture. The seasoning in the meat gives the cheese sauce a southwestern flavor and again veggies are always good. These are just some quick ideas on how to dress up cheap staples in ways that make them complete meals and a bit tastier.