I’m broke AF, and I’m good at making bread, which is cheap,
any recommendations about what to put in them that’s also cheap AF, I mean a tier lower than cold cuts/cheese slices? that won’t give me scurvy.
ideally something appetizing and not depression fuel. I’m open to vegan friendly options too.
Idk if you go to Costco but I get a $5 rotisserie chicken.
assuming a costco is near where op lives. most are not inside cities. im in a city where there is a costco inside of one they are quite a drive out with a car.
If you have access to a hot pot or oven, braising your own meat will be cheaper than cold cuts. Pork, whole chickens, and parts of turkey will be cheaper by the pound than their equivalent meat as a cold cut.
Egg mayo/salad cream?
Mashed chickpeas with vegan mayo is a good approximation of a tunafish sandwich.
This will sound insane, but it’s amazing. It’s a niche fast food in West Africa that I make myself a few times a year.
First, get some bean flour. Any kind will do. Black eyed pea flour is best, but it’s usually only something you find in an African food shop. Chic pea flour just as good, so is black bean flour.
Mix with salt, herbs, chicken bullion, and water into a dough and deep fry spoonfuls in a skillet into fritters.
Make up a batch of spicy tomato sauce. Lots of onions and oil and pepper.
Put those fritters in 6-10 inches (have someone else measure, guys) of the cheapest, thin baguette money can buy. Slather in sauce. Enjoy.
Entirely vegan if you want. Complete protein. Zesty, spicy deliciousness.
Online, look for kosai or chichena recipes for the fritters.
Bizarro falafel. I might try this.
Basically, yeah. Except the black eyed pea flour gives it a very light and airy texture, as compared to falafel, almost cakey. It feels like eating a savory doughnut hole sandwich. It feels wrong, and tastes like heaven.
they look delicious,thanks
Peanut butter is one of the cheapest shelf stable foods, either per calorie or per gram of protein. It’s obviously delicious with some sort of fruit jelly/jam. And the protein in peanuts complements the protein in bread, covers all the essential amino acids.
Spreadable or meltable cheeses are pretty delicious on toast, and can be supplemented with seasonings. I put cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning on my sourdough slices most mornings.
There are also a ton of delicious toppings for open face “sandwiches” or toast:
- Avocado is a classic for a reason. If avocados are cheap near you, that can be an option.
- Fresh tomatoes on toast are a classic in Spain for a reason, too.
- Sardines or other canned fish/seafood, if you like that.
- Mediterranean spreads like hummus, baba ganoush, muhammara, harissa, etc.
- Shrimp, like gambas al ajillo or something similar, go really well on toast.
- Roasted mushrooms
If you’re baking your own bread, you can also try to shape some little bread bowls and fill them with soup. French onion soup takes some time but the ingredients are pretty cheap.
Not all of these options are ultra cheap, but many are flavorful enough that even small portions can work out to be really affordable on a per calorie basis, for stretching that budget with bread.
I’m Catalan, live in the US, I’d kill for tomatoes good enough for Pa amb tomaquet,
Op post a budget and how many days you need it to last. That’s far more helpful.
Also what do you have to cook in? Stovetop? Oven? Microwave? Air fryer? Crockpot?
We can be far more helpful if we know some details
Canned tuna is good and cheap.
Sweet pickles or barbecue sauce on the meat between two pieces of bread, idk it isn’t bad. Definitely poverty food though.
1 little can will get you 2 or 3 sandwiches, and a big can will get you like 7 or 8.
You can also fake canned tuna with mashing up canned chickpeas, adding mayo, salt and seaweed. A 14 oz can of chickpeas is about a can of tuna.
The seaweed is probably a; bit expensive here, but you could probably omit it, just season to taste.
Zero carb tortillas / pizza sauce / cheese/pepperoni is super cheep pizza.
Cast iron pan / fresh green beans / butter / garlic
Chicken / rice/broth soup
Rice is super cheap and can be used with a combination of ingredients. And makes quite a few meals. I miss being able to eat rice.
Zucchini sliced, green pepper, red pepper, onion, andoulie sausage if you can afford it. Coat in Italian seasoning or slap ya momma.
Air fry for 15 minutes. You can easily get two meals out of that
Tomato. PB. Egg.
Peanut Butter. As a diabetic it’s my go to when I want something sweet. As long as it’s natural.
Also I don’t know your kitchen situation but you can live off just Potatoes and they’re filling. Microwave, bake, or air fryer. They are awesome in air fryer.
But how bad off are you if you can’t even get cheese slices?
Like what’s your budget? How many days before you get paid and how long do you need a extremely tight budget for?
Peanut butter
Sardines are great in a sandwich and are healthy. I love sardines and thin sliced onions with some mayo as a sandwich, yum. Homemade hummus also cheap and healthy, and if you bought mayonnaise make a little slaw for that too.
Lentils on toast are good & healthy, not a sandwich but would leverage your bread.
Just gonna say, get multivitamins.
