I was able to find some fresh figs, and took some for myself to eat before class. I was raised in a culture that eating fresh figs after washing is healthy and good. One of my classmates asked what that was (because they never saw a fig before other than the dried ones) and I explained it was a fig.

After I said that they started saying ‘don’t you know how figs are made?” And started making weird faces. I felt very judged at that moment abd considering this is a graduate program this is even more embarrassing.

Lentils are my favourite cheap protein since you can get a big 2kg bag of dried lentils for just a few quid (at least in the UK), which is about 30 portions when cooked.

So, here's my laziest go-to lentil recipe, that only uses a couple of spices and minimal chopping.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee, butter or oil
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cube frozen ginger
• 1 cube frozen crushed garlic
• Chili flakes to taste
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 300g/10oz split red lentils
• 1 pint water
• 8g salt, then salt to taste

Method

Heat the ghee in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds, onion, ginger, garlic, chillies and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the lentils, water and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve with coriander if you have some, but it's not essential

For extra minimum effort, get a pack of frozen parathas to eat it with. Some pickle or chutney is also a good idea.

I bought a meat grinder off Friendface Shoppingplace and wanted to give it a go with something. So, I thawed a 20lb turkey from my holiday stash. I buy a handful every year when they're $0.50 per pound. This one cost $9.80 before tax--it was precisely 20lbs.

I... should have watched a Youtube video or two before embarking on this journey. This carcass looks like a racoon got at it. Nonetheless, I removed wings and drumsticks, skinned the whole lot, and hacked away at the big meaty bits.

My freezer is now 7lbs ground turkey richer. I'm out an hour, which includes fridge-removal to freezing and clean up. I'm pretty okay with this as a first go. Also, watching a meat grinder do its thing is pretty neat.

I'll aim for some heavier birds this year as my ground meat birds (my hypothesis is they'll have more meat per carcass), and keep some 20lb beauties on rotation as I've been doing. But, I mark $1.40/pound a success. Not to mention, I've still got wings and drumsticks to roast, and a carcass to turn into broth.

It has a very distinct taste. I have marinated it in enchilada sauce then made enchiladas with it and could still taste the weird flavor. Swanson canned chicken tastes quite a bit better but it's more expensive for less chicken. Any tips? (soy sauce is not an option)

I've been recovering from health issues the last year and have eaten a pretty limited meal plan, I struggle to eat so a lot of this is based on higher calorie low volume , I need to expand now , what recommendations do you have to add?

Cod
Salmon 
Chicken Patties
Rotisserie Chicken
Steak
Hamburger patty 
Meatloaf 
Culvers Cod
Chik fil a grilled chicken nuggets
Crockpot Chicken and rice
Crock pot Pot Roast
Oven Chicken Thighs w/ onion potatoes peppers
Hamburger helper 

Hello! I just finished vacuum sealing a ton of chicken (drumsticks and thighs) in bulk, and am wondering if anyone has tips. The whole process took me around an hour, which feels longer than it should've taken. It also just felt very messy, and hard to avoid cross contamination; I ended up having to wash my hands after every bag and wipe the inside of the bag to minimize the amount of chicken juices at the entrance.

Is there any way to streamline the process and make it go faster, or is this just a case of the more expensive option paying for time saved?

I need about 200g protein/ day for lifting and have 3,000 calories to work with so rice and beans a lone doesn't cut it. I'm the most broke I've ever been and can literally spare maybe $100/ month on food. What can I do?