I'm a single man, but I'm on a rather tight budget.This series has helped me out tremendously. Not only with providing ideas for good hearty meals, but also imbuing me with a good sense of accomplishment and pride knowing that I cooked something so delicious for so little money. You rule, Larry.
On behalf of a van dweller, you have helped me stretch my food budget, keep doing what you're doing. I can cut your recipe in half or just save the leftovers. A $5 meal that will last me 2 days is much better than $5 at a McDonald's.
Check out Foresty Forest, van dweller and very self sufficient dude. Uses a crockpot or now a Ninja foodie for most of his meals. He eats very well without spending a lot.
I think the younger generation could learn a lot from the Wolfe. American prices are so much cheaper than Canada, I get the exchange and now the trucker convoy. It’s at least double
It's kinda funny that most of the "struggle meals" you feature are what we ate when I was a kid, like most people in our neighborhood. I was born in 1951 (yes, I'm OLD) and, while no one was poor, most families were...thrifty. I love this series, by the way, and yes I still do Struggle Meals, albeit with some tweaks, because they are tasty and filling.
@Judith Loue I hear you! I'm 66 and like you, these were normal meals! My mum was a pro cook (she refused to be called a chef although she was) but thrift was the word of the day. WASTE NOTHING, WANT NOTHING! Nice to meet a senior like myself. Jenn 🇨🇦 in Canada 💖
Everybody was poor back then, 50s. We often had oatmeal for supper the few days before paydays...Mom made it special by putting brown sugar on it and we thought it was special!
this is actually what a King would eat long time ago, people nowadays have it backwards. They think eating out and Fast food is what people with money should eat, but its not, What the Wolf makes is a hundred times healthier than what most Americans eat thats for sure.
In these trying times, you, Wolfe, are doing a tremendous job teaching people how to cook on a budget. More than ever, such skill(s) are direly needed, and you put them out for free. Thank you very much, and Godspeed
I sold a WSM 18" based on Wolfie's rubs. Wolfie's been rubbing me for over a decade now. It's the star of the show for my bud. I'm setting his WSM up and his tools...with my goal of ribs for Christmas. He bought the recipes. I made over a gallon of the Bold.
We have 6 children and I'm a homemaker. My husband showed me your videos and I cannot express out family's gratitude. Thank you. Really. You've helped more than you could ever know.
I was part of the bilingual (Spanish) crew in a call center for the graveyard shift. We always had the best spread out of everyone because we had the day to cook our food hot and ready for the eve from DIY tacos to delicious enchiladas, sometimes menudo! Simple traditional ingredients that one can buy dirt cheap with apt cooking skills you'll eat better than in a Michelin star restaurant.
Though I'm not struggling to eat anymore, growing up poor has ingrained frugality in me and since I'm an old single guy now the simple, inexpensive dishes are still my go to eats. I refuse to toss anything out if I can still squeeze another meal out of it. Keep it up Larry!
this is straight up how nonnas back in the old country cook, on a shoe-string budget. They can make any scrap in the kitchen taste like home, that's why everybody loves eating at grandma's house
Did the pot pie recipe yesterday and it was as great as I expected. These meals aren't just for those on a budget, it's great food in general and I'd recommend these meals to everyone!
i’m going to college soon, these videos help ease the stress of realizing i won’t know when or how much i can eat, and seeing that there’s more options than just ramen is really good! i appreciate you and the videos you put out, thank you!
Cooking on your own is easy and cheap , but requires planning ahead because you want to cook 4 serving and put it in the fridge so you don't waste a lot of time cooking
Really all those ramen packets consist of are noodles and bullion packets. Anyone can do that at home. All ramen is, is a noodle with sodium carbonate in the dough to give it that distinct chewy texture. Sometimes you can cheat by boiling spaghetti or angel hair with a little pinch of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). When it is done you rinse it off really well and add it to your broth with an egg, some meat, veg if you have it. If you're near an asian market you might be able to get real good ramen dough or ramen noodles or udon.
So glad the Wolfe has returned! Even if you're not stretched for cash, just time, your recipes still help a tired guy or gal get home from work and just throw something easy, nutritious and tasty together without having to think too hard on it! Thank you my man, keep them coming!
I fully appreciate your videos, thank you! Hopefully you don’t mind a few extra tips, from a former nurse, now living on disability. So, broke? Yeah! Dollar Tree sells a box of elbow macaroni that is 1.00, but it is a bonus 20 oz box. Four extra ounces of dry pasta is a lot! Also, when you are desperately poor, you need the most nutrition possible. So, after the hour and a half, you took the pork out and took it off the bones. A) I would have saved half for another meal. And B), put the pork meat aside in the fridge, and put the bones back in the pot, and boiled for as many hours as you can, adding water as it evaporates. Their will get all the bone nutrients and collagen out. Add more water and half the 20oz box of elbows back into the pot when ready to eat. Cook till done, add the pork back, and put the lid on and wait 15-20 more minutes. The macaroni will absorb the collagen and broth, and grow in size, creating more volume in each serving. So, you will have more nutrients, and about the same servings, but saving some ingredients for another meal. ❤️
How long can you boil bones for? Do they disintegrate after a certain point? I love making budget meals as they help us out a lot, but I never thought to save the bones for making broth with (dumb, I know, but it never dawned on me - we'd just pick the bones CLEAN lol).
@@roxazaloah Ha ha, I can’t imagine how long it would take to get bones to actually disintegrate. I save every bone and every vegetable peelings or scraps, ends and bit, in a ziplock bag in my freezer, then when I have enough, I throw it in the crockpot with some water and seasonings, and let it cook all day. I strain it, and put the broth in the fridge, to use as a soup base, to cook rice, or even just to sip, if I feel icky.
@@whittkatt That sounds wonderful, to be honest. I think I'm going to start doing that with my veggie scraps too - I'm always looking for new ways to make things or ways to use up scraps that tend to go in the trash. Thank you!! :))) I have a small stockpot (maybe a gallon in size?) and I think that would work well for our scrap veggie broth!
@@whittkatt I really want to save my food scraps to do that too, but right now I live in a dorm, so I don't have the freezer space 😭 I'd feel too mean taking up room in our tiny freezer just for carrot peelings! Hoping I can start when I'm in a house..
When I cook meals like this I save the leftover bones in the freezer and when I have a full gallon sized bag or two I turn the bones into bone broth! It's a great way to not let anything go to waste and you get some delicious broth to add to meals too :)
If you have a crock pot it would be good in there with a can of broth and some potatos, carrots, and seasonings. When it's done take the meat and potatoes out and strain the liquid. You now have broth for soup with no extra work.
I usually put one in an oven bag with a bottle of liquid smoke and put it in a very low oven (200 degrees or a bit lower, oven thermometer helps) for 24 hours.
I'm really so thankful for this series, my parents are divorcing and I got threatened with getting kicked out- while I do have a job the wage for 18 year olds in the country I live in are just not livable ($5.74 an hour), I have enough money saved to make rent for a couple of months but I was really scared about affording food for a prolonged period of time but this has made planning for that seem much more realistic and has made me feel like I can probably get a meal on the table daily, being Autistic, I honestly still don't know what to do for breakfast because there's 2 specific things I can really tollerate in the morning and they're not that cheap and possibly being chronically ill I can't risk not eating breakfast so I'll see-
I was gonna say, this doesn't seem like a budget meal. Although it is. This to me just seems like some good cooking in general. Probably taste great, looked filling.
It's amazing how much you can do with so little. This world is filled with people who struggle to survive. Should it be that way? No. It is. We need more people like you Larry and Mrs. Wolfe to help those without. May God bless you and your family, and Merry Christmas. Rev. D.
There are times when we struggle, with a small business. Videos like this are immensely helpful, even though everything is more expensive in Canada, it gives me ideas.
If you can find a supermarket that sells No Name products (for me, it's the No Frills chain), they are usually good quality at a lower cost. For instance, a can of Hunt's tomato sauce costs $1.49 but the No Name sauce is one dollar. Diced tomatoes are usually cheaper than stewed ones. Meat is a problem because the cost keeps rising to the point where we may all have to turn vegetarian, like it or not.
I love these budget meals you make. I make meals like this with my college aged kids, to show them how easy and inexpensive it can be to eat well even when you're broke. Thank you and keep it up!
I recently discovered your channel, and I am glad I did. I used pork spare ribs, kidney beans, and chili powder and made a pork chili with your recipe. Thanks so much for this series of videos, you are providing a good service to the many low income families out there.
We used to call dishes like this "Whatchagot Stew". Just dig through the fridge and start throwing things into the pot, add some water and broth and you're off to the races.
Thank you for this - we used to have this kind of dish quite often growing up, instead of pork we'd use the cheap ground beef (when it used to be more affordable, my parents would buy it in bulk and pack it up into smaller portions to go into recipes). I think they called it goulash, but it basically had the stewed tomatoes, cooked beef, macaroni, and canned mixed veggies. We even had it with a can of collards in it, and although canned collards aren't my favorite, the dish was still good with them in. I will make this once in a while now when we want something warm and filling on a cold winter day - it's especially good when the temps outside are -40 and we keep our house set at 60F inside to save on propane. Having a warm belly and a blanket around you while you eat helps stave off the chill.
Love your simple and cheap recipes. As a person living on a fixed income- and with CKD- I am always on the hunt for things I can make that fit my kidney diet that is healthy and won't break the bank. A lot of these recipes are easy to modify to make healthier. Great channel, sir!
Its amazing what you can make from just the things you find in your food cupboards, And fridge/freezer. Great channel for giving idea's about creativity. The wife and I have slowed our shopping habits considerably, and are using up tons of stuff we are finding in our cupboards and freezer, because of TheWolfePit.
Greetings from England....I'm totally bingeing on your videos...here in the UK we often hear of poor people who claim to find providing good food for their families to be financially difficult and that is why they feed their children frozen pizzas and burgers and the rest and essentially crap food and not actually that cheap! The truth is young people have forgotten or don't know how to cook nutritious and affordable meals. Your channel not only proves that eating well can be affordable, but that when you get into the right frame of mind, there is a formula that works....meat or beans for protein, cooked with cheap veg, and a source of carbohydrate like pasta or potatoes or rice....this is fundamental cooking....I salute you! And I'm changing how I cook due entirely because of your videos.
This is such a good idea for a video series. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the food channels with extravagant dishes, but this is such a useful resource to cover the other end of the spectrum.
if your meat budget isnt so great, you might try some cheap caned mushrooms ( just fry them up first before adding to the pot) and some red lentils will thicken up the dish and give you complete protein for vary little money .
@@barbarafowler6581 just use lots of well fried mushrooms ( work in batches ) and cock the red lentils till they fall apart. Also garlic oregano, black pepper and basil are your friend hear .
Thank you for this comment! I had no idea mushrooms were a source of protein. I've had it in my head that they're not ever since a survivalist told me they're more trouble than they're worth to forage... he was probably talking about the risk of picking poisonous ones 🤦
@@Moocow2003 Unless I was experienced I would not forge for them and even then they're only available at limited times of year and in limited places , also they are about 90% water ( they do give you a meaty taste and some protein but its more a for taste thing then for sustenance ) .
I've never had any luck trying to fry canned mushrooms - they burned and stuck to the pan, no matter how much oil was used. Fresh mushrooms work well. Fry them up and add to the meal. Some types are not expensive. A bit of onion diced small and cooked with the mushrooms would add another veggie as well as flavor.
I’m glad you put these type videos out. I am a cafeteria manager and elementary school. On Monday mornings and Monday lunch as you can see the kids who didn’t get food that weekend.
This looks delicious. I figured if you have only 2 cans of stewed tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce would do well as a substitute. I’m going to try your recipe to cook the pasta in the pot.
A reminder for those of us in the snow belt at this time of year - The weather does not care about your wealth or lack of cooking ability. If you don't have a plan for how to eat in the evnt of a blizzard, you only have yourself to blame. I was taught early on that we always had two "off limits" areas in the pantry - the emergency peanut butter and jelly, and the emergency stew shelf. We had loaves of bread in the freezer in the event we had to go a few days before getting to a store, and we always had a few boxes of elbow noodles, diced tomatoes, canned corn and green beans, and usually 2-3 pounds of ground beef in the fridge. We only had it once or twice that I can recall, but my family's emergency stew reminds me so much of this dish because that's what it was - in the event you're in an emergency and need to feed yourself, or some family and friends, you can easily whip up a large amount of food for just a few bucks!
I make this dish now and again and I love it also. Once in awhile my local wally world has pork neck bones reduced to less then $1.25. Once cooked the meat just falls off the bone and can be added. Keep the great videos coming!
Man yeah, occasionally, on Saturday morning, my dad would do a garbage breakfast. Miss those good ole days. It was delicious and the whole family would enjoy. My dad is disabled now, my mother is passed on, but my sister and I still talk about those Saturday mornings, when my dad would do that. Thanks for mentioning that and thanks for the recipes.
Just made this recipe about 3 days ago and it was delicious! The only difference was that I used egg noodles because I didn't have elbow mac on hand. My husband enjoyed too.
I actually cook a version of this with chop meat instead of the ribs and it's something my grandma made like all the time she said she grew up eating it and she grew up in the Great depression and it it was awesome because she shared a lot of recipes with us and now that she's gone I'm glad that I'm able to make it for my children or at least some of the things that I remember her making it's really cool that you made something like this I used taught me before I haven't used ribs so I think I'll try that when I get a chance when they're on sale it does look very yummy and tasty as a mom of two teenage children you know that if you have children and they're at that teen stage they go through a lot of food they're constantly having growth spurts and being on a budget I have to be super creative and I come up with these awesome recipes for them you know you got to do stuff with leftovers and you got to make it fun and interesting because you're on a budget so I do appreciate the videos you do
Your meals are wonderful and you get my mind working. What can I put together that's from my pantry and refrigerator I can throw together. I'm sure lots of parents are grateful for your ideas. Keep making your videos. You no doubt are helping a lot of families.
Some people will never get this channel because They have never had to struggle my husband passed away and I raised five children by myself and I would go to the store like you said early in the morning and the meats that that they had to sell by that date they would freeze and that’s where I always went and got all my meat it was as good as any of the rest but I always had food for at least two great meals a day and you’re right always use what you got and never be afraid to try a new way I love your show don’t ever get to feeling like people don’t understand because some Just like to get on and put people down and you can’t change them where I look at it they just gave you a bonus like or dislike it’s counted keep up the great job you’re helping a lot of people
As someone who grew up extremely poor and in a situation where you didn't know when your next meal would come I very much appreciate these videos and the time and effort you put into these videos I don't pay any attention to what some of these dumbasses that have never been in these situations say
My mom would make something similar to that when I was a kid. Instead, she used smoked sausage cut up and added to the mix. She would also use Mexi-corn and jalapenos for a little kick.
My grandmother made something very similar to this all the time when I was a kid living with my grandparents. I'm pretty sure it came from the depression era. She almost always used ground meat, beef, pork, deer or moose. Hers was very plain with very few spices, and it was delicious. As a single adult, I've made this many times. Thanks for all these recipes. I now live on a fixed income and they are all greatly appreciated.
I love your humble attitude and this looks so good! It's how I grew up. We are in the north and my father was a carpenter and there was always some days in the winter where he couldn't work. I never thought that we were pinching pennies because it's all I knew. We didn't go hungry and we were happy
You are fabulous. You give ideas for meals for months with every video. I love your videos and wish the best for you and everyone you love. Thank you so much!
My aunt used to make a similar dish when I was growing up. She called it hamburger casserole. It was elbow macaroni, Campbell tomato soup, canned tomatoes, onions and hamburger. It was delicious. I make it from time time when feeling nostalgic about the 1960’s. She would serve it with a slice of bread with peanut butter. Yummy and economical.
That why I like to buy the garden variety spaghetti sauce on sale and they even have a generic one that contains several different vegetables. I feel you can do without any added vegetables if you do this and need to cut corners or do not have any around.
I used to make what you call "garbage" for breakfast back in the day. We had 7 mouths to feed.... it was usually delicious. I called it "dogs breakfast" and the kids were always excited when I told them I was making "dogs breakfast". Good times!
@@barbarafowler6581 I'm now very much looking forward to introducing my grandchildren to my famous - or perhaps infamous - "Dogs Breakfast". I'm sure it will be a hit! The first ingredient - no matter what else goes in it - is love ❤.
My kids loved our dog food dinner. A box of Mac and cheese, hamburger, canned tomatoes, and corn. My niece took it up a notch with spices and now has to bring it to every potluck.
Love your recipes! So many remind me of what we ate growing up. I've been able to adapt them to my current circumstances. It's a great skill to have when financial times are uncertain.
I cooked like this when I was living below the poverty line for many years. A quick and cheap meal is to crush up a package of ramen noodles, add a can of mixed vegetables and a half can of chili. A handful os saltines or a slice or two of bread on the side and you have a very nice soup or stew for dinner.
I contribute through my parish to St. Vincent dePaul, the only food charity in my city. Sadly, so much of the time I see people going hungry out of ignorance, usually an addition to processed foods. I got through college a few decades ago on beans and rice with occasional hamburger. Thank you guys for SHOWING how little one really needs to spend.
It's interesting that some people really do need this kind of instruction. I guess growing up in a family that stretched its food budget, I just know this instinctively, and things like this have become comfort food. I'm single, I cook from scratch every night, and some of my meals are more in the $10-12 single serving range (seafood being wickedly expensive IMOP), but I love being able to come back to these simple dishes. One thing I've found helpful - I cook big: casserole leftovers are fine - 4 pounds of chicken thighs turned into something makes several budget dinners.
For years I thought budget friendly meals were things like mac & cheese, Ramen & hot dogs,. I never knew you could have real food that was affordable & delicious! Thank you so much!
You are awesome when my wife and I bought our house we had two young kids my wife only worked part time we were on a very tight budget luckily we had relatives who got gov surplus food even powdered eggs can be made edible with the addition of a few items keep up the great videos you help a lot of people
what a great meal!! If you can't find low cost meat and have a pressure cooker, soak some beans overnight and then cook the beans in spices for 20 minutes and they are done and then add the tomatoes and macaroni I LOVE beans and macaroni with a little shredded cheese and Italian seasoning. A little homemade crusty bread or corn bread and there ya go! You can also get a 40 pound bag of sunflower bird seeds at Walmart and grow them as microgreens to have cheap greens with your meal, they can be grown on the balcony if you do not have a yard. Also mung bean sprouts under the sink.
This kinda reminds me of the goolash my mom used to make when we struggled in the late 90s, it was usually macaroni noodles, tomato paste and ground hamburger meat. wasn't my favorite but was certainly better than nothing and it got the job done.
I love your recipe's, they really go to show how you can eat nutritious meals without breaking the bank. So many complain that food is too expensive whilst wasting their money on processed garbage microwave meals when all it takes is getting a little creative and taking the time to cook. I genuinely believe that in the west, most people are poor due to bad finance management.
We do stuff like that with leftovers all the time! I just stuff a chicken carcass and any leftover meat in the freezer for soup day. Also, buying the big frozen "brick" of chicken leg quarters (not individually frozen) you get 10 lbs of chicken for $6.90. I can make 3-5 meals off of it by poaching the whole block overnight (oven at 190 or so) with salt, then picking the meat after it cools. Then I get the bones out and boil them down with the scraps. That part takes about 10 minutes. Then you have a lot of cooked chicken for soups, tacos, salads.... It's a really good way turn $7 into about $25 worth of meat.
i make my "leftover chicken kitchen sink stew" with just about the same ingredients. A chicken carcass from a roast (or store bought) bird, whatever veggies are in the frig, potatoes, onion, canned tomatoes, whatever pasta is handy and seasonings as needed. A little flour or cornstarch to thicken and there's dinner.
Larry, very nice recipe pal, you really are doing a real service for folks with these budget meals, especially with these trying times & inflation, nice for folks to have meals other than ramen noodles, a .75 cents loaf of store brand bread for sopping will fill 4 folks
