Cheap Eats

I always buy in-season vegetables because they’re a cheap way to incorporate more vegetables into my diet.  However, it can be slim pickings for good seasonal produce during the winter.  My favorite farmers market won’t be open until the spring and all of my favorite veggies are more expensive than I’m willing to pay for at the grocery store.

Thank goodness for the sweet potato!  Sweet potatoes pretty affordable year-round, but they tend to be a little cheaper during cold months.  At less than $1 per pound, they are a great way to add nutrients like beta-carotene, fiber and Vitamins A, D and C to your diet.  These baked sweet potato fries are easy to make and have become one of my favorite side dishes.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries for One

Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato (I leave the peel on, but feel free to peel it)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt (or whatever salt you have on hand)
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Cut sweet potato into ¼ inch wide strips.
  • In a bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil.
  • Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lined with parchment.
  • Sprinkle sweet potatoes with brown sugar, salt and pepper.
  • Bake for about 15 minutes, then take out and turn the sweet potatoes over with a spatula.
  • Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until crisp.
  • Let cool for about 5 minutes before enjoying your fries.

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Last month there was a story in Business Insider about a woman who used Match.com for the sole purpose of getting free meals.  There were a lot of daytime talk shows discussing how much of a gold digger the woman was because she estimated that she got $1,200 in free dinners.  My first reaction was to scoff at the shallowness of using Match for meals but, in all honesty, I can see where she’s coming from.

After rent, my largest expense is dining out.  I developed a love of good restaurants and take out at an early age and dining out is something I could ever fully give up.  Making your own meals saves a lot of money (and that’s why I’m a huge proponent of bringing your lunch to work), but I really enjoy the experience of going out to eat.   There have definitely been times when I’ve gone out on a horrible date and have thought “at least I got a free meal out of it.”  While some may criticize this woman for deceiving men who were interested in her, there are also plenty of people out there who date because “dating is fun,” and not because they’re looking for their future spouse.  Several of my friends also have horror stories about creepy guys they met online who were far more motivated by the potential of a hookup than a potential wife.

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Cooking for One: Zucchini Onion Pizza

October 30, 2011

Sometimes it’s hard to get excited about cooking when you live alone.  It’s easy to fall back on eating a bowl of cereal for dinner instead of putting the time into cooking a meal for yourself, but I think cooking for one is worth the effort.  It’s less expensive than eating out and usually healthier [...]

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Free Tea at Chick-Fil-A

July 25, 2011

  I think I may have developed a mild addiction to Chick-Fil-A sweet tea while I was camping out for First 100.  It’s my drink of choice at Chick-Fil-A and I was really excited to hear about their Great Tea Giveaway.  From August 1 through 13, participating locations in the Greater Atlanta Area and Athens [...]

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Deals at IKEA

July 24, 2011

Many of my Saturday mornings are spent at IKEA.  The IKEA Restaurant offers two strips of bacon, scrambled eggs and hash browns for only $.99.  For just a buck more, I typically splurge and get French toast sticks or Swedish pancakes and a cup of coffee.   While IKEA breakfast is my favorite bargain, the new [...]

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Camping Out for Free Food: My Chick-fil-A First 100 Experience

May 31, 2011

A couple of years ago I heard an episode of This American Life that included a story about Chick-fil-A’s First 100 promotion.  The “First 100” refers to the first 100 people in line at the grand opening of a new Chick-fil-A location.  This lucky group gets free Chick-fil-A for a year in the form of [...]

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Five Great Uses for Jimmy John’s Day-Old Bread

April 12, 2011

One of my favorite low cost food items is Jimmy John’s day-old bread.  It’s only 53 cents and it’s great to eat alone or use in recipes.  I visit Jimmy John’s (conveniently located on my way home from work) for the cheap bread more often than I buy sandwiches.  Here are some of the things [...]

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Millionaire Mondays

March 21, 2011

There’s finally a reason to stop hating Mondays.  Every Monday night, Livingston Restaurant and Bar  in Atlanta has a Millionaire Mondays special.  You can get your choice of a soup or salad with filet mignon or a whole lobster for the low, low price of $16 per person.  My friend Lauren and I went to [...]

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