Ten minute chili mac

Who doesn't love a little comfort food now and then?I know I do! I believe in life with moderation in all things. Eat well most of the time, be active most of the time, indulge a little some of the time! Not only is this chili mac super easy and fast, it is also ridiculously cheap. To bare-bones it, just get the store brand mac n cheese and the frugal-est can of pre-made chili and mix the two. This recipe is just one step up from there by making your own quick chilli. You can use the chili alone, or top hot dogs or baked potatoes too.

Ingredients:

1 box macaroni & cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar for extra oomph)

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 small can tomato sauce (6 oz)

1/4 cup chili powder

Step 1: Prepare the macaroni by boiling and draining pasta. You can choose to make your own pasta and cheese sauce if you don't want the preservatives or seasonings from the packaged version.

Step 2: While noodles boil, brown the ground meat and drain fat. In a sauce pot, combine the meat, diced tomatoes with juice, chili powder, drained kidney beans, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 3: If you're using this just as chili for a meal or topper, longer simmering is better. But basically as soon as flavors combine and it is heated through you can add into the macaroni. Just pour it all in there, and give it a good stir.

You can add in any spices you want too, hot sauce if you like that kinda thing, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, etc...

There you have it, a thick, hearty comfort food that is sure to please your palate and fill your tummy. Depending on if you hit sales and buy store brand or not, you can easily feed six-eight for under $3!

Enjoy!

What's your favorite comfort food?

Less than 5: Tuna Salad

I'm going to try a new thing, maybe twice a month, and call it "Less than 5". In these posts, I will feature a recipe which takes less than five ingredients to make, and/or in less than five minutes. If these turn out to be popular, there's a good chance another e-cookbook like my 7 Souper Soups will be in the making. 

For this post, I am highlighting a classic poor student lunch/dinner: tuna salad. Tuna in a can is often on sale for under $1, making it a great budget buy. There are several ways you can dress it up, depending on what you have available and how much time you have. My personal favorite is to dice up a hard boiled egg and mix in some Miracle Whip (which is FAR superior to "mayonnaise" in my opinion.) You can also go uber-easy and cheap, and just sprinkle in a tbsp or 2 of lemon juice and eat it over crackers. However, if you have relish in the house, I recommend trying this variation.

Ingredients:

1 can tuna, drained

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp sweet relish

2 pieces bread (or pita, tortilla, bun, crackers, etc)

Step 1: Drain the tuna water. Put it in a bowl with the relish and mayo and mix well.

Step 2: Spread over the bread and enjoy! One can makes about 2 decent sized sandwiches. You could add toppings like sliced cheese, lettuce, or tomato too.

I don't think I could count the times I've had tuna sandwiches throughout my childhood and school career, but this is definitely in the top three recipes for how to make it delicious!

What's you favorite tuna recipe?