Ask HN: got any food hacks? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#11

Post by anateus » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 1:53 AM UTC

anateus wrote: post #8

I've found fish tacos to be a fantastic food, I try to eat them for breakfast as often as I can. -------------- Ingredients: * Frozen tilapia fillets (probably the healthiest fish you can buy, not as high in Omega-3 as larger ocean fish, but it's super low in mercury). * Yellow corn tortillas (much lower in fat and sodium than the wheat or white corn ones). * Salsa (I buy Herdez brand, it's basically Pico De Gallo wi…

I should mention that I'm plagued for a huuuuge amount of taste aversions. I disliked most cooked fish as well as tomatoes. But in this quick and easy combination, it becomes a delicious meal that's quick to make, and quick to eat :)

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#12

Post by punkrockgeekboy » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:01 AM UTC

My favorite vegetarian food hacks are Quinoa and Peanut Butter Oatmeal. Both are great sources of protein.

When I want to spend a weekend hacking, and don't want to be bothered, I'll cook a big batch of steel cut oats in the slow cooker, starting it on a Friday night. Then I know I can just mix in a few table spoon of the good "grind it yourself" peanut butter with a cup or two of oatmeal. It leaves me feeling satiated, and is rather healthy with lots of fiber and protein without much fat, and without sugar.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#13

Post by Raphael » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:03 AM UTC

Hard-boiled eggs.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#14

Post by byrneseyeview » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:11 AM UTC

I've recently switched to a fairly paleo diet; I enjoy it. My first step was to start every day with scrambled eggs. There are infinite variations (you can mix in about a quarter of a pound of arugula or spinach, or a couple sliced mushrooms--or you can pour some salsa on it when you're done). Takes about fifteen minutes to cook, consume, and clean, and you'll simply have a better day once you do it. I've found that a protein-and-fat breakfast at seven means I can decide whether I want to eat again at noon or at three, which is nice.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#15

Post by samdk » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:14 AM UTC

Couscous. It's cheap, cooks really quickly (about 6-7 minutes), makes no mess, and requires no dishes other than the pot it's cooked in.

It's also really versatile. I often use it instead of rice in simple rice dishes (rice and beans, etc.), and it can substitute for pasta too.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#16

Post by PostOnce » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:14 AM UTC

Spend money to save time, or spend time to save money. There aren't a whole lot of ways around it.

There are some tricks, but it boils down to either you spend the time or the money, or you're going to end up with unhealthy/bland/repetitive food. If it's fast, cheap, and healthy, then it's one of the few meals in that category and will therefore become repetitive. You see where I'm going.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#17

Post by ramidarigaz » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:16 AM UTC

punkrockgeekboy wrote: post #12

My favorite vegetarian food hacks are Quinoa and Peanut Butter Oatmeal. Both are great sources of protein. When I want to spend a weekend hacking, and don't want to be bothered, I'll cook a big batch of steel cut oats in the slow cooker, starting it on a Friday night. Then I know I can just mix in a few table spoon of the good "grind it yourself" peanut butter with a cup or two of oatmeal. It leaves me feeling satiat…

Quinoa is great. I have two primary recipes:

Breakfast: cook with cinnamon, apples, raisins and honey (and any other dried fruit you care to add). Serve with pecans/walnuts/your favorite nut to add an extra protein boost.

Lunch/dinner: cook and cool, add onions, cilantro, black beans, a little tomato, a bit of crushed garlic. Basically a fresh salsa that is mostly quinoa.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#18

Post by thomasthornton » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:16 AM UTC

At least once a week I microwave a sweet potato (10 minutes or so). Then microwave black beans and mix in a little salsa. Serve the potato with the bean mixture as a topping. The result is a healthy dinner in about 15 minutes with almost no work. You can also add cumin and ground corriander to give it more flavor.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#19

Post by gcv » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:16 AM UTC

x2Opteron wrote: post #5

Oatmeal is healthy, cheap, quick, and add a bit of honey or brown sugar makes it super tasty. Steel cut oats take longer to cook than quick oats, but they're more satisfying IMO.

Hack for making steel-cut oats quicker: soak the portion you plan to cook overnight. Cuts cooking time down to about 15 minutes. Tastes exactly the same (IMO). If you like to add cinnamon, or dried apricots, raisins, or dates or whatever, do that before actually cooking.

Re: Ask HN: got any food hacks?

#20

Post by bmj » Sat, Apr 03, 2010, 2:24 AM UTC

A quick favorite in my house is lentil-rice casserole. Basic recipe is here:

http://www.gettingfreedom.net/2009/02/lentil-brown-rice-cass...

Very easy, and can produce several days of leftovers.

Another variation on the easy burritos is simply taking a can or two of beans, mashing them with a jar salsa, and adding some rice.

Quinoa is another option for cheap, healthy food. It cooks relatively quickly and is purported to have one of the most complete types of protein.

Also, to spice up rice, couscous, or quinoa, cook it with vegetable broth instead of plain water.