crunchy food on a low spending friend

[Zoe Girl]

I have been pushing a little harder at trying for the low cost eating plans, and I found that I struggled with a few things. One was that I ran out of things, you run out of ingredients when you cook more. So I ran out of veggie oil, butter, onions, etc. That was okay, I could have run to the store and got these things. But what I missed was crunchy food. It seemed like everything was mushy, oatmeal, soup, baked potatoes, pasta, etc. Even if I was getting sweets I was still craving crunchy foods. Crackers, corn chips, potato chips, cookies,

Sod does anyone else have that issue with eating super frugal?

[SteveinMN]

I don't. But we don't eat super frugal.

However, there are plenty of raw vegetables that are crunchy. Some that aren't (like kale) can be made so with a little time in the oven (kale chips). Making your own crackers isn't really that hard (says the guy who has seen plenty of recipes but hasn't made his own crackers because he doesn't like crackers that much). Then there are the things you can make almost-crunchy, like baking chicken pieces coated with bread crumbs made from heels or stale pieces of bread.

[Tradd]

Popcorn popped in a pan on the stove is very cheap.

[JaneV2.0]

Popcorn popped in a pan on the stove is very cheap.

Or in an air popper. I like it drenched in a butter/truffle oil mix. It's a rare treat because I generally avoid grains. I also like sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the shell.

ETA: Though I like organic Orville Redenbacher popping corn--not particularly cheap--I did save money on truffle oil, which I found for $3.99 at Grocery Outlet. Love that store.

[lessisbest]

In my vast experience (living it and teaching it), the key to cheap eats is to have a food storage plan to begin with, growing at least some of the food you eat, and it is important to have a meal plan. Another key is to eat whole foods, and eat some raw foods - they are the best source for nutrition and the all-important enzymes. If all your food is cooked, you will automatically lack enzymes. Often cravings are due to lack of nutrition or dehydration, not actual hunger.

Raw potatoes are less expensive than potato chips, so I make potato chips from whole potato slices in the microwave. I also make all our baked goods - including breads, cookies, crackers..... We have French fries occasionally, but I make them from raw potatoes cooked in an Airfryer (using only a quick spray of coconut oil). Break a slice of cheese into 16 cubes. Place on the outside edge of a microwavable plate and nuke until the cheese bubbles and browns. Almost INSTANT cheese crackers. I sprout lentils, sprinkle them with a Mrs. Dash Salt-free Seasoning Mix - then dehydrate them and eat them as a snack food. Roasted garbanzo beans make good snacks. And while the kale was in full swing, we ate PLENTY of homemade kale chips. Our #1 snack food are dehydrated apple slices. I also make all kinds of things from dehydrated apple slices - applesauce, pie filling, even apple butter.

I have a "ton" of ideas on this subject. If my food budget won't accommodate something, I try to figure out a good, inexpensive, substitute. This has been especially true since going gluten-free.

[pinkytoe]

I like crunchy too. What about hot air popcorn? I keep a big jar of popcorn in my pantry and when I get the urge, it's easy enough to pop up a bowl and toss with butter and salt.

[razz]

I have the crunchy craving and like the others use popcorn. I had some potato chips left over from Halloween but stopped when I realized that act little bag had 90 calories.

[leslieann]

Quarter cup of popcorn grains in a brown paper lunch bag for two minutes on high in the microwave...almost perfect every time and you can top with what you will (I use melted butter and salt....cheap but not exactly high quality nutrition). But good....

[Mary B.]

I like popcorn too. We bought a stovetop popcorn maker -- the kind with the crank handle -- at a yard sale for $2-3 and it has served us well. We don't add oil. We just keep cranking on a pretty high heat and it takes maybe 2.5 minutes to make popcorn.

I sometimes put butter on it, but only sometimes. It's also good sprinkled with dried garlic or brewer's yeast. (Yes, this is a really old hippie thing to put on popcorn. Hush. It's my popcorn.)

We also really like dried apples.

Dried onions are not exactly crunchy, but they are also a really good snack. I prefer sweet onions. Haven't tried this but I can really easily imagine them mixed with popcorn.

I find I crave commercial crunchy snacks less when I use less salt in cooking. Commercial potato chips are really salty and I now find a lot of the flavours a lot stronger than I enjoy.

[lessisbest]

I made these frugal cookies this morning. In fact, I make these cookies 2-3 times a month.

SUPER-SIMPLE BANANA COOKIES
1 ripe banana (I only use small bananas.)
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. dried fruit (any kind will work - dried apricots - snipped into 1/4-inch cubes using kitchen scissors, cranberries, cherries - I snip them into several pieces first, raisins/currents, dried blueberries are a favorite. If you like, skip the dried fruit. I also add cacao nibs, mini chocolate chips, finely chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds instead of dried fruit. If I use mini chocolate chips, I'll only add 1-2 T. and will usually add some cacao nibs. If I have some of the larger chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, I'll press ONE in the middle of the cookie.) Just keep the add-ins to no more than 1/2 c. total, and for some things, you can use 1/4 c. total.)
2 T. coconut oil (if you don't have coconut oil, use any kind of fat you have on hand)
1/2 t. vanilla (I use almond extract, instead of vanilla, if using almonds)
pinch of salt (can omit)

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork (I beat mine with a rotary hand mixer or an electric hand-held mixer). Add coconut oil and salt and beat again. Add the oats and mix well. Blend in any of the add-ins you have chosen to use. Using a #50 portion scoop (or about 1 tablespoon of dough) make 12-13 dollops of the cookie dough onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press the dollops with a fork (or cover your hand with a plastic sandwich bag, or piece of plastic wrap, and press them into flat rounds). Form the cookies about 2-inches across and about 1/2-inch (or less) thick.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25-minutes. (I bake mine on a pizza pan in my Convection/Microwave Oven. A toaster oven would also be a good choice for these small cookies.) If you want soft cookies, bake them for a minute or two less, and if you want crispy cookies, bake them a minute or two longer.
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-When we had cucumbers from the garden out the wazoo this summer, I sliced them on my cutting mandolin and dehydrated them. You can season them, if you like. Mrs. Dash has a lot of mixtures that work well. They make a nice substitute for potato chips.

-If you have fresh corn or flour tortillas on hand, you can bake them into tortilla chips. Top flour tortillas with cinnamon/sugar. I always keep a stack of corn tortillas in the freezer because they mean a meal is only minutes away..... If you don't already know how to make tortillas, I'd suggest adding that to your list of things to do. They are the quintessential EMERGENCY bread. Takes only a few pantry ingredients and you can make them on almost any kind of heat source.

WARNING: Do not use a brown paper bag in the microwave for popping corn. The bags are made from recycled paper and can contain all kinds of "unwanted" stuff including: ink, metallic paper, chemicals from processing or sprays for insects where they were warehoused. Rodents may have been in contact with the paper between recycling and processing. The metallic paper can cause the microwave to arch and start a fire.