i feel really dumb, but i was never taught how to cook really. i can follow instructions and make simple things like hamburger helper but i’ve burned rice making it on the stove top before, or it comes out crunchy/not tasting right.
i’m 33 weeks pregnant and feel like i’m starving most of the time. i don’t get paid until next Friday (neither does my boyfriend) so i went to the food bank today and they gave me a 3lb bag of white rice, a 1lb bag of dried pinto beans, 4 cans of black beans, 2 cans of sweet peas, 2 cans of string beans, a package of tortillas and a loaf of white bread. They also gave me some knorr pasta side pouches and 1 pouch of instant mashed potatoes. Things i can know i can put in the pantry but i’m struggling with finding ways to make them taste good and satisfy my cravings and hunger lol.
we also live with my boyfriend’s mother and she’s the type of person to put lines on the milk jug to determine if we’ve “used too much” and even put a lock on her fridge when i was in the first trimester and could only stomach certain things. We pay her rent and a share of utilities but she’s never been okay with sharing groceries. i was thinking i could make teriyaki chicken or something with the rice, or tacos with the beans and tortillas, but those types of meals will have to wait until next week. We don’t have a lot of storage space, and i’m not sure how to cook meals in a way that will keep me and the baby healthy, while also making it affordable. My boyfriend doesn’t cook either, so i feel like i’m really stuck trying to figure it out alone. i don’t want to waste the food we’ve gotten, but I’m also scared it won’t be enough to get us through the rest of the month. i tried googling recipes but it got really overwhelming and i just started crying because i feel dumb for not knowing how to cook with these ingredients (thanks hormones)
i’ve asked my boyfriend’s mother to teach me how to cook (i really love her pot roast and would love to learn how to make it like she does) and she said it was a family recipe and since my boyfriend and I aren’t married, i’m technically “not apart of the family”. i don’t want to screw up and waste the food we’ve been given but i also feel really lost on how to cook with these ingredients when all i really want is a greasy slice of pizza and a huge block to cheese to devour lol
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Ever since i learned this recipe rice is pretty easy. 2/1 ratio of water to rice. 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, add a bit of salt and oil if you have it but this isn’t necessary. Boil the water, add the rice, once the water starts to boil again turn the stove down to the lowest setting where when you lift the lid you still see simmering (i should mention you cook the rice with a lid the entire time). Anyways once you’ve dialed it in no need to stir or anything like that, just time 20 minutes, then take the rice off the stove but leave the lid on for another 10 minutes, and its ready.
Follow the rice ratio instructions. Cook it low and slow, add water if it’s too dry. Seasoning is going to be your friend with beans and rice. The Mexican section of the supermarket usually has the same spices for cheaper.
Dried beans usually need to be soaked and then cooked.
Canned veggies kinda suck. I would incorporate those into the rice. Bullion cubes are a cheap way to make the rice more flavorful.
Rice and beans is super filling, there’s a million south/central American variations of it. Find a recipe with the things you have and give it a shot.
Also you MIL sounds like a dick
hey, first of all, you’re doing amazing, seriously. it’s a lot right now.
save this:
Sauté onion/garlic, toss in drained beans, canned veg, and cooked rice. Season with salt, pepper or whatever you have. Wrap in a tortilla or eat in a bowl.
Mix canned veggies + instant potatoes + a little butter/oil = a super filling mash bowl.
Make a quick bean chili: black beans, diced tomato (or salsa), seasoning, and serve with bread.
don’t worry about making it fancy. Just filling and warm is good enough.
If you burned the rice, that means you either had the heat too high or left it on too long. Different types of rice have different cooking times and different ratios of water, so you’ll need to double check what type of rice it is before cooking it.
Dried beans really benefit from spices and aromatic veggies like garlic and onion; if you can get those sauteing them in the pot before adding the liquid and beans is good.
Hi! If you live in the US, please look into WIC. It can get you free food now while you’re pregnant and help with food for both you and your child once the baby is born.
A rice cooker will be a good investment. They are not expensive and will enable you to do lots of easy cooking with virtually no skills involved. They can be less than $20 new for a 1 quart model, or someone might offer you a 2nd hand one through social media. You can even make easy baby food with it.
I agree with the other poster that your MIL is being an unnecessary bitch
Go to your local library or local library free e book system and download Tin Can Cook cookbook by Jack Monroe; has helpful recipes.
If you’re not a member of your local Buy Nothing group, I would consider signing up. Try to get a rice cooker and a pressure cooker or instant pot. These two appliances will allow you to cook rice and dried beans easily and are real time / money savers.
Google recipes for rice and beans. Things like Mexican rice or dirty rice. You will need some seasonings though. You can add a can of drained corn to rice and beans. You could make a stirfry with rice and vegetables, but you would need some kind of flavouring like soy sauce. Google is your friend. There is a website called Allrecipes where you can just input the ingredients you do have and it will spit out recipes.
This YouTuber does a really good job showing how to cook simple and cheap things like rice and beans. These are a great start.
https://youtube.com/@juliapacheco?si=MfZzIKOXj7ItmNTH
Look up vegan recipes
I used to ruin rice on the stove. Rice cooker is a worthwhile investment. It will save you time and stress. I live in Australia and got one for like $14 from Kmart, no issues.
I cook up beans / lentils and suitable vegetables (corn and onion, tomato etc) in a pan and add taco spice mix or seasoning. This can go with rice.
Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown is the cookbook you need. It is available as a free PDF on her website (https://leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap-2/) and she does a wonderful job of describing the recipes in simple, easy to follow terms.
Are you in the US? I’m an excellent home cook and would be entirely willing to sit in the phone with you while you cook to give advice and encouragement.
Even Wood, not watching her pennies, our adult daughter likes to cook rice, and then throw in assorted canned vegetables that have been drained and heated. She calls a “rice bowl”. Dry beans can be super easy to cook, but be sure to follow the directions! They have to soak first. Google “how to cook dried beans”.
So, since you’re not a real member of the family, I guess that piece of work you live with isn’t going to be the real grandmother of YOUR baby. Yes, I am a total bitch.
Chat GPT is surprisingly good at meal planning. You can literally ask it to suggest a list of meals with recipes based on the ingredients you have on hand.
I have to do food bank meals a lot! If you’re okay with a stew/soup texture then you are good to go with what you’ve got plus some water and seasonings. Make sure to rinse your canned beans, helps make them less farty.
I go for one can veg one can beans and rice. Drain the veggies and beans (and rinse the beans) and put them in a pot with seasonings and two & a half cans of water and almost one can full of uncooked rice (I rinse the rice first, you do you). I usually don’t need to add more water than that, but occasionally I do. Make sure the pot is big enough so that once everything is in it there’s still a few empty inches at the top for room to boil. Adding a couple tablespoons of butter or oil will also help both with flavor and helping you feel full from the food.
Once it’s in the pot, I put a lid on it and get it boiling and turn it down to around medium low and stir occasionally, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. When the rice is soft enough to eat (usually 15-20min after it starts boiling) then your food is ready!
Once you cook the rice, you could make some fried rice. Throw some oil into a frying pan, add some salt/pepper and if you happen to have ginger and or garlic add that in ( or any other seasoning you would like). Throw in some onion if you have it, then you add in some of the veggies you got. After about 2 mins on med heat, add some rice and beans in. Add some soy sauce if you have it, then cook on high temp for 1 min. Ready to serve. You got protein, veggies and rice everything you need.
There is a thread for beginning cooks that would be helpful too! The dollar tree sells lots of sauces and seasonings. They have a cilantro lime seasoning that would work well with these ingredients
https://www.reddit.com/r/cookingforbeginners/s/WFloili928
Also when you want pot roast, the Pioneer Woman has a great, straight forward recipe that I’ve always used
Ask the same question if your favorite AI and you’ll get a bunch of useable answers.
Rice and beans are an easy and nutritious dish. When you tire of leftovers you can make quesadillas with the leftovers.
I do not think you need any special appliances to cook these items. A pot and pan will do. The advice on how to cook rice (2:1 ratio, bring water to boil, add rinsed rice, bring to boil then turn to low and keep covered until done -no peeking or stirring) is spot on.
I use a crockpot for cooking dried beans, but you can also use a pot on the stove. Low and slow, with some onions, spices, maybe celery and carrots, is the way to go. You can easily find pinto bean recipes.
For the canned black beans, try a chili or a Cuban Black Bean recipe to serve with rice.
It’s not hard. You got this. Even if you burn the rice, it’s ok. Just next time maybe a lower temp or less cooking time.
I’ve been cooking for years and beans and rice are always a staple in my house.
I’ve also been surviving off of food bank food for a while now, and I’ve been making what I’m calling a “burrito bake”
Cook the rice and beans (I like to do this in bulk so I have some cooked stuff around all the time); then layer the rice, veggies and beans into a casserole dish. Add in any seasonings you’d like at this time, and also if you can get ahold of taco sauce or enchilada sauce (usually only about a dollar, also often at the food bank where I’m at) pour it generously over everything. Then bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. It’s really filling, even if it’s not fancy or wonderful, and it makes nice leftovers. Also it’s great to add any fresh produce you may get from the food bank to it, especially like carrots, potatoes, peppers, onions, which can be common to find at the food bank.
Good luck! 🙂
I have in my experience also added beef or chicken stock or bullion to the rice. Bullion you mix with water, stock you use instead of water. It adds alot of flavor even if you don’t have an actual protein. I do the same when I boil potatoes. Mmm
My advice is to look up cooking tips on YouTube. Don’t worry- you are on your way to the perfect rice but need to practice. Generally speaking, a cheap way to add a ton of flavor is using parsley, cilantro, dill or other cheap herbs. Also, sautéed garlic and onions are a huge flavor enhancer.
Also, your MIL is quite the piece of work. But your bf needs to be involved in the cooking. If you do not put your foot down and insist that cooking is a partnership, you will be stuck doing all the work. Establish boundaries now.
If you are at all stressed about cooking the rice, try the microwave. Honestly, I do it all the time and it turns out fine and is 0 stress. I start with a large bowl and do a 2:1 ratio of rice to water. If I’m making 2 cups of rice I will start with 10 min in the microwave then check it and add a bit more water if it’s looking dry. Give it a stir or two before returning to the microwave. Then microwave for another 7-10 minutes until it reaches the right level of “doneness” for you. Total cook time of about 20 minutes. The biggest issue I have is putting too much water in at the start and the water boiling in the microwave and overflowing. When it’s done, I take it out and give it a couple good stirs to release extra moisture. Why I like this method: minimal clean up. Throw the bowl in the dish washer or sink. No chance of burning to the bottom of a pot on the stove and making a mess. No need to buy a rice cooker if money is tight. Is it the “traditional” way to make rice? No. But hey. It cooks the rice and is easy. You’re doing great. You don’t need more stress. I wish you the absolute best.
Since we can’t determine IF she is in the US or nkt and we can’t seem to get a response I am just going to put this link to the article about WIC and what it is. She should have been on it all along if she is here. https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic
Recipes from SNAP-Ed Partners | SNAP-Ed
Here are recipes from various states Snap Ed Programs that should be able to help you on what you can make and how to make them. a lot of them are very simple.
Invest in a rice cooker, they are absolutely worth it to cook the rice perfectly every time and minimize waste. You can get a good, new one for $29. But this sounds like the least of some heavy problems. Your boyfriend is not standing up for you both with his mother. Are you getting pre-natal care? There will be resources available from your care provider. Are you in the US? Please enroll in every program offered to you at your OB/GYN office.
You could take a look at this website –> https://www.escoffieronline.com/top-apps-for-finding-recipes-for-ingredients-you-already-have/ It has a list of apps where you can put the ingredients in that you have and it will generate a recipe with the stuff you have! That might help you with figuring out new recipes and you won’t have to worry about wasting the food that you’ve received.
Your MIL sucks.
If you can get your hands on some condensed soup with meat, like beef vegetable or beef barley, mix the soup – do not add water – with your canned veg and serve it over rice.
Have you applied to the WIC program? (Women, infants, children). It is a state by state nutrition program that provides vouchers to use at the store for things like milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, peanut butter, bread.
Hey PleasantMango777, here is what I do with a pot roast: I turn the oven on to about 275-300. Put your pot roast in a roasting pan – I suck at spices, so I always use McCormick’s pot roast seasoning. With that packet, you mix the spices with a bit of water and pour it over the roast. Now you can either use a roasting bag (some roast seasonings come with a roasting bag-just slap that roast inside and pour your water/seasoning mix on top and then seal with the tie they provide) or cover your roast up with foil. Then I just leave it for around 3 hours. You will get the most tender roast!!! Also, fuck your MIL.
I watched some lady make chicken and dumplings using stuff from a food bank. Canned chicken, canned mixed veggies, canned cubed potatoes, cream of chicken soup, large can of evaporated milk, and a box of biscuit mix with a seasoning packet. She mixed everything in a pot except for the biscuit mix and enough of the canned milk to mix the biscuits. When everything in the pot was bubbling, she dropped biscuit dough into the boiling soup.
There are lots of easy recipes for baked rice casseroles, makes it easier not to burn the rice, and it’s low-effort. You can dump some uncooked rice, plus fresh, frozen, or drained canned veggies or beans, plus whatever amount of water or stock you’d need for the rice (2:1 ratio), then just bake until the rice cooks! My friend used to do one with a jar of salsa, a jar of water, a cup of dry rice, plus boneless chicken breasts or sausages (can be cold from the fridge but not frozen). Dried beans are best when you soak them in cold water overnight then drain them before cooking 🙂