Best Buys for a Bachelor

[holehogg]

Actually not for a bachelor but my daughter who finds herself in beautiful Boca Raton Florida. Jessica is a 5 minute walk from a Walmart store and has asked me to get some ideas from the wonderful peeps of the pit. She told me suggestions of rib eye steak and the like are a little above her pay grade but expected that from a bunch of meat loving BBQ’ers.

Any recommendations for reasonably priced quick tasty ready-made meals from Walmart, she would much appreciate it. She does have a kitchen with all the necessary appliances.
She cooked some Smithfield Bacon (not the maple, said it was $2 more) and liked it a lot (not as much as my homemade though :-) and mentioned how very different Smithfield is to our shop bought bacon.

TIA

[58limited]

Does she have very much cooking experience? If so, lots of good vids on YouTube - she can make excellent food for pennies compared to eating in restaurants. Have her check out Sam The Cooking Guy.

[holehogg]

She can cook some and sure she will make a plan with those meals. Was more about "frozen" ready made individual bargain tasty meals she asked me to find out about.

[hoovarmin]

holehogg is she a student in Boca?

[hoovarmin]

Wow holehogg she is a long way from home! Boca is quite a ways from us, but if she is ever in the NE part of the state tell her I'd love to make her a home-cooked meal.

[johnec00]

Broken Sound Resort . . . impressive place.

[holehogg]

hoovarmin Thank you.

[N227GB]

Aldi has a great selection of ready-to-heat main dishes and salad kits. Then there's the Aldi "Finds" that come and go. I stop by my local one to see whait was new before it's gone.

[holehogg]

Thanks. Is Aldi a brand name or a store? I'm assuming a brand name I'll tell her to check if they stock at Walmart.

[FireMan]

Store. There has to be one in her neighborhood.

[bmillin]

I searched for a similar solution to leave at work for lunch. Never found a premade meal that was palatable. Did not try trader joes, but have heard good things about their meals and there is one in Boca Raton.

A wok, some veggies and a protein is easy to manage for a single person - that ended up being my Go-to at home.

[holehogg]

When she has time off I'm sure she will sort something half decent but is looking to feed her face when she gets home late evenings. She does get one meal during her shift.

[JeffJ]

Wal Mart - single. Crock pot should be her friend.

[jgreen]

Possibly the corned beef if she likes that. They have a ready to cook to version that isn’t bad. No where near as good a home made, but it makes an easy dinner and use the leftovers for sandwiches.

[Huskee]

You say all the necessary appliances, does she have a crock pot, a.k.a slow cooker, or an Instant Pot? If so, chuck roasts and pork butts (often called pork shoulder or Boston butts in the US) will be her friend for making pot roast or even pulled beef or pulled pork in the absence of a grill or smoker. Hard to mess those up. Large packs of chicken breasts or thighs when on sale are great, then portion them in zip locks or vacc' seal them and they're good freezer stuffers.

[holehogg]

I did suggest making bulk when she cooks and freeze to use as needed. Wont eat any chicken that's on a bone, not even vortex wings. The slow cooker is a good call and she has experience using one.

[jfmorris]

Something that is "ready made" and pretty good that I have had from Walmart (and Sam's) in the past are these packages they have of precooked fajita meat - both chicken and beef. It makes for a quick and easy meal, and all she has to supply is some tortillas and cheese. That said, often the best purchase for a quick meal at many of the grocery stores in the US will be a rotisserie chicken, usually $5 or so for a whole chicken. Eat what she wants hot the day she gets it, and it should feed her several meals. Get some dipping sauces to eat it with, and a bagged salad or some microwavable frozen vegetables. Or bread and condiments to make a cold chicken sandwich the next day...

Those are the quick low to no cooking meals that came to mind that had not been mentioned yet.

Funny thing is, I moved away from home at age 23 - not quite as far as she has! First purchase was a crappy H burner Sunbeam propane grill for the patio of my 1 bedroom apartment. All I knew how to make on the stove top was chicken parmesan, as my sister had taught me to make it before I left home. Most of my food was grilled outside the sliding patio door. Unless it was chicken parm in the skillet! I made that 1 skillet meal for my wife when we were dating, and here we are 34 years later.... I need to resurrect that recipe, haha.

[holehogg]

She wont eat chicken on the bone and she loves chicken. Thanks, will pass on your suggestions.

[jfmorris]

holehogg well that's sad. I've got a couple of in-laws like that, who will only eat boneless-skinless chicken. Nothing with a bone in it. I used to cater to them at cookouts, but stopped doing that years ago. They eat what everyone eats, or get their husbands to take the chicken off the bone I suppose.

Another idea is frozen chicken breads or tenderloins. Those can be bought frozen, and even pre-breaded for cooking in the oven or skillet. A bag of those in the freezer is always handy.

[fzxdoc]

holehogg , Tyson makes some pretty (faux) grilled frozen chicken breast strips in the freezer aisle. Have her buy some alfredo sauce and some fettucine pasta and she can dine in style. Ditto with pesto in a jar (I like Rao's brand) from the Italian sauces aisle in the grocery store.

[Jim White]

Another quick and easy thing is the fresh pasta and sauces available at any grocery and presumably including WalMart. Just a quick boil of the pasta and microwave the sauce and there is a meal in just a few minutes. Salad from a bag or a fresh veggie on the side can make it pretty balanced, too. Common brands are Rana and Buitoni. Many stores also have an in house brand, too.

[holehogg]

Thank you Sir. I am certain if they sell 2 minute noodles those will be stocked.

[Mosca]

If she has freezer and a microwave, Jose Ole Chicken Taquitos are way better than they have any right to be.

Also, as folks have been asking about a crock pot (which would be an awesome Christmas present if she doesn’t have one), pork butts and shoulders are the best meat bargain going right now, still under $2/lb. Pork butt and a bottle of cheap sauce = meals for a week.

[holehogg]

I will be passing on the slow cooker suggestions. I honestly think it will take some convincing for her to tackle a butt, but she just might surprise after some encouragement and hunger pains :-)

[Mosca]

She got Dad to guide her through the process!

[holehogg]

Easier eating Dad"s than taking instruction.

[Donw]

What does she like to eat normally?

[holehogg]

Shes not a fussy eater at all bar chicken on the bone and not a fan of lamb or mutton.

[fzxdoc]

Sounds like my kid. Won't eat anything on the bone. And no lamb

[bbqLuv]

Meatballs and tomato soup. Works in a pinch. easy enough to put a few frozen meatballs in a pan then cover with the soup and heat.

There are unlimited cheap meals on the internet.

[CandySueQ]

Marketplace Asian salad kit (comes with crunchy things and salad dressing), buy the smallest (and cheapest) pork tenderloin 2 pack, get Head Country Habanero Apple BBQ Sauce. Pick up pork seasoning on the spice aisle. Season both pork tenderloins and cook on pan in oven until done. Add BBQ sauce and let rest. Cut each in half and freeze 2 halves. Slice pork up thinly and add to salad mix in large bowl. Add dressing and crunchy stuff and a good squirt of BBQ sauce. Invite a friend to eat.

This is my favorite salad!

[JGo37]

I make a lot of meals - thrown together - with my wok. I have a gas rangetop, and have used the center cutout of my weber kettle for the wok a lot too. Walmart carries the quality noodles such as Udon, Lo Mein, etc., in single serving packs at a good price point. With fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil any veggies and meat thrown together with your favorite mushrooms puts out a great, low cost healthy meal in minutes. And don't forget the MSG (Accent)! You'll learn good cooking skills as well.

If your daughter doesn't have a wok and associated kitchen tools, well Dad, it's almost Christmas ;o)