fried rice: 79¢

while this may not be as flavorful as what you buy for $2 a box at Chinese restaurants, it's a hell of a lot cheaper and probably a lot better for you, too. my mom always made this with whatever leftover meat she had in the fridge, and I've taken to doing that too. make larger batches to share with friends!

ingredients I'm charging you for:
1 egg (16.6¢)
1 carrot (14.1¢)
1 stalk of celery (12.3¢)
1 cup white rice, uncooked (15.7¢)
1/4 green bell pepper (19.7¢)

incidental ingredients (you should have these lying around):
soy sauce
olive oil
dash of peanut oil
leftover cooked meat, such as pork roast, beef roast, chicken, or turkey (note: you've essentially already accounted for this price in some other recipe, so it doesn't count against you)

- chop up the carrot, celery, and green pepper into little pieces. (trick: cut the celery in half short-wise, then cut the thicker end long-wise and chop.)
- heat up olive oil, peanut oil, and soy sauce in a frying pan. when oil is hot, add vegetables. saute until slightly soft while still retaining their crunch.
- in the meantime, slice up the leftover meat. when the vegetables hit the appropriate texture, toss in the meat and add a little more soy sauce. saute for about two minutes or until meat has soaked up flavor.
- remove from heat and place in bowl. put the frying pan back on the heat and add a scoop of the rice. beat the egg in a bowl and pour over the rice.
- stir until egg is cooked, then add egg rice and the rest of the rice to the bowl with the meat and vegetables. mix and serve with more soy sauce.

this is one of my favorites to serve in "bulk," because it's filling and very inexpensive. all things considered, it's pretty easy too.