
Ask HN: What do you eat? - pj
A little lighter subject for this late saturday evening.  I have considered starting a site along the lines of "startup recipes."<p>These recipes would be focused on inexpensive meals that don't take a lot of time away from coding but still provide excellent nutrition and lasting energy.<p>Of course we all know the "ramen profitable" stage, but Ramen is horrible for the body.  Restaurants in general produce not that great of food and the amount of time saved by having them cook it isn't always advantageous considering you have to drive there, stand in line and be away from the computer.  Not to mention the expense of convenience makes them not the best choice economically.<p>I went to college in New Orleans, so I became aware quickly of lots of inexpensive dishes that could be cooked without a lot of distraction: Red beans 'n' Rice, Gumbo, and Jambalaya.  I also like to make a nice Pot Roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots in there.<p>So, my question for you is, what do you eat to keep yourself going while you are coding or working on your startup or just living?
======
radu_floricica
Interesting recipes here, but I don't think they relate very well to the
question. The simplest/healthiest food I used to eat:

1\. Get a rice cooker.

2\. ???

3\. Profit.

No, really, it's that simple. On a bowl of cooked rice you can put:

\- vegetables (frozen or fresh)

\- fish (of all sorts)

\- cheese & bacon (mmmm)

And pretty much anything else. Some of these you just stick in the cooker with
the rice, but mostly I bought canned veggies and put everything in the
microwave. The best is you can play as much as you like and still keep it
simple and cheap. And don't forget the soy sauce.

~~~
rufo
Roger Ebert's article on (as he calls it) The Pot seems rather appropriate
right about now:

[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/the_pot_and_how_to_u...](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/the_pot_and_how_to_use_it.html)

------
Femur
I have a few simple and general rules that I try to follow:

1\. I try not to eat anything that does not easily rot. This generally keeps
me away from processed food.

2\. I try to eat a lot of things that are green (vegetables).

3\. I purchase organic when I can.

4\. Excellent ingredients minimally handled usually make for the best recipes.

These rules make for healthy and great tasting food. I am a single male and my
monthly food budget is around $300. I buy from a weekly farmers market, Whole
Foods, and occasionally WalMart.

~~~
gaius
_I try not to eat anything that does not easily rot._

Oatmeal and nuts are important exceptions to that rule.

 _Excellent ingredients minimally handled usually make for the best recipes._

This is the theory behind Italian cooking. The theory behind French cooking is
that anything is edible with enough garlic and butter..

~~~
silencio
Oatmeal is so delicious! I made a habit of keeping a container of oatmeal
(bought in large bags from costco - no steel cut, but good enough) soaked in
soy/cow milk in the refrigerator overnight. Serve cold the next morning with
dried or fresh fruit or whatever else you might fancy (yes, it's muesli). For
cold mornings, I'll go with hot oatmeal instead and steel cut, otherwise it's
too much work to serve steel cut oats cold. It's a really flexible food with
(what is to me) an infinite combination when it comes to toppings, and best of
all it's cheap and nutritious.

~~~
randallsquared
"soy/cow milk"

I read that as "soy sauce or cow milk" the first time. Yuck.

~~~
stcredzero
Actually, you can use soy sauce and sesame oil to flavor Oatmeal, but then you
are going for savory, not cinnamon/sweet. Most people wouldn't like that if
you told them what it was, though. Flipping to savory from sweet or vice-versa
grosses lots of people out.

------
edw519
Fresh fruit. Lots and lots and lots of it. Melon, citrus, grapes, berries in
season, and IMHO, the hacker's 2 best friends: apples and bananas. Bananas are
nature's perfect answer to your question, as long as they are ready to eat
(brown spots) and not too soft yet. Freeze them for smoothies once they reach
that point. I carry them everywhere and always have them on hand for long
coding sessions. I eat little else besides fruit before dinner unless I have a
lunch date.

Fruit is expensive, but forget about that. Pay for the best. The long term
cost of feeding your brain and body suboptimal fuel is much higher.

No one I know can keep up with me. I believe diet is a major reason.

~~~
icey
Generally speaking you only eat fruit from the time you wake up until you eat
dinner?

Do you ever get the feeling you're getting too much sugar in your system from
it? I'm not saying it contains too much sugar, because I don't know. I'm
genuinely curious. Some days I'll brew up a smoothie for lunch which contains
a ton of fruit, some oatmeal, milk and a nut butter; I really like it, but
someone who knows way more about nutrition than me mentioned that it might
have an unhealthy amount of sugar (I'm not adding any, she was just referring
to the quantity of fruit).

~~~
edw519
"Do you ever get the feeling you're getting too much sugar in your system from
it?"

No. I guess I forgot to mention 2 pretty important things: I exercise every
day, usually before I eat anything, and I never eat anything else with fruit.
Uncombined fruit is a very clean burning fuel; its sugar only becomes a
problem when combined with other more slowly digested food.

"someone who knows way more about nutrition than me"

Sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I'm no expert on nutrition, but I know that this guy is:

[http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Revolutionary-Formula-
Sustain...](http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Revolutionary-Formula-
Sustained/dp/0316735507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242576980&sr=8-1)

so (most of the time) I do what he says.

This is also my favorite programming book. You're not going to write much good
code if you're not well.

~~~
granular
Thanks for the reference to the book (written after eating an overflowing egg-
salad sandwich). I probably need to check this out.

------
gambling8nt
There are three primary aspects of a balanced diet to consider: (1) starches:
in my experience, rice is the cheapest per calorie, when purchased in bulk.
Other good choices in this category include pasta and barley. (2) vegetables:
getting a variety of vegetables is important in one's diet; I typically get
frozen, since I can't get to a supermarket often enough to get fresh. Note
that vegetables should typically be either green or carrots to qualify; in
particular, corn is a starch. (3) protein: your body can't function without
consuming several amino acids you don't produce. My typical protein source is
cheese, as this is cheaper per serving than meat. Also in this category are
beans, soy, and tofu.

A typical meal where I live on the east coast (by which I mean, 80% of my
lunches/dinners) consists of: $0.30 to $0.40 of pasta (1/3 to 2/5 of a pound,
dry), $1.00 to $1.25 of vegetables (1/2 pound), $0.60 to $0.90 of cheese (2 to
3 servings), and occasionally seasonings.

Add in milk and cereal for breakfasts, plus costs of variations on this theme
and occasional extras, and my monthly food budget works out to around $160.

Edited to indicate amounts associated with given costs.

~~~
jpcx01
Cheese has very little protein. The primary protein source in milk is Whey,
and that's filtered out when making cheese.

~~~
hendler
Interesting, didn't know about Whey being filtered out.

But 7 grams in a 30 gram (1 oz) serving isn't too bad, right?

[http://www74.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=cheese&a=*C.chees...](http://www74.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=cheese&a=*C.cheese-_*ExpandedFood-)

21 grams of protein compared with 23 grams in chicken
<http://www74.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=cheese+chicken>

(edited to include comparison to chicken)

~~~
gambling8nt
7 grams a serving is plenty of protein, as you've suggested.

Recommended daily protein intake depends upon a person's height and gender, as
well as a few other factors that tend to have small effects. For most adults,
the theoretically ideal amount will fall somewhere around 40 to 50g of protein
per day, with less for shorter women and more for taller men. Getting less
than this can cause severe problems due to amino acid deficiencies
(particularly when you always consume the same general protein source and it
doesn't contain significant quantities of one or more of the amino acids you
don't produce on your own), as well as muscular atrophy (exacerbated rather
than improved by exercise, as an insufficient protein intake will prevent the
microtears in your muscles from healing properly). Getting significantly more
than this increases stress on your kidneys (although it has not been shown to
solely lead to kidney failure) due to the larger quantities of nitrogen
present in protein than other forms of food.

------
witten
Smoothie for breakfast (or any other meal). It's easy to digest and can be
full of good nutritious stuff, so you get a nice boost of energy. And you can
even drink it while coding.

I currently use: banana, frozen fruit, whey protein powder, greens powder,
almond milk, water, and ice. No added sweetener needed. Just requires a
blender and about two minutes to assemble ingredients.

One caveat: Depending on what you put into the smoothie, it might not be that
inexpensive. But it's a great way to get fruit if you otherwise wouldn't eat
any fruit during the day.

~~~
furyg3
My morning smoothie is similar:

1 banana, frozen fruit (some form of berry, usually raspberries), 1/2 avacado,
lots of soy milk (almond milk works too), couple spoonfuls of thick plain
yogurt. I like adding a bit of protein powder, too, because it really makes
the smoothie last until lunch.

The avocado sounds a bit weird, I know, but its what makes the smoothie, trust
me. I don't use water or ice, unless I'm out of soy milk.

------
asmdsr
This is what got me through my startup. Don't skimp on step 3.

2 Cans of Whole Tomatoes 1 Can Lentils (or 1/2 cup dry lentils) 1 Large Onion
(peeled) 5 Cloves Garlic (peeled 1 Cup Water Salt + Pepper Olive Oil Parmesan

1\. Combine in a Large Pot: Tomatoes, Lentils, Whole Onion, Whole Garlic
Cloves, Water. 2\. Let simmer for about 45 min. When the middle of the Onion
“pops” out or is very soft, the soup is ready. 3\. Serve in Bowls, then…
Drizzle Olive Oil and Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on each serving. 4\. Enjoy!

------
vaksel
Monday:

    
    
       Breakfast: 8 Egg Whites Scrambled with a breast of chicken + 3 slices of cheese + 3 glasses of Orange Juice + 5 strawberries
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 2 steaks with baby tomatoes + 3 glasses of OJ
    

Tuesday:

    
    
       Breakfast: 2 English Muffins + 2 slices of cheese + 2 Bratwurst sausages + 3 glasses of OJ + 5 strawberries
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 6 pieces of beef tenderloin + coleslaw + 3 glasses of OJ
    

Wednesday:

    
    
       Breakfast: Pita bread with chicken breast/coleslaw/cheese + 3 glasses of OJ + 5 strawberries
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 2 pieces of steak with green peppers + 3 glasses of V8 juice
    

Thursday:

    
    
       Breakfast: 8 egg whites scrambled with spam , 3 slices of cheese + 5 strawberries + 3 glasses of V8 juice
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 2 pieces of chicken breast with radishes + 3 glasses of V8 juice
    

Friday:

    
    
       Breakfast: 2 English Muffins + 2 slices of cheese + 2 Bratwurst sausages + 3 glasses of V8 juice + 5 strawberries
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 2 steaks with cucumbers + 3 glasses of V8 juice
    

Saturday:

    
    
       Breakfast: Build something out of whatever I have in the fridge(either scrambled eggs or muffins) + water
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: Mince meat snacks with water.
    

Sunday:

    
    
       Breakfast: Protein Bar
    
       Lunch/Dinner: Protein Bar/Crackers
    
       Supper: 2 pieces of chicken breast with baby tomatoes + 3  glasses of OJ.
    
    
    

And I have an extra protein bar every day after exercise.

Cooking is a breeze, I just bought one of those indoor grills, so all my meat
is grilled w/o worrying about it. The only time I use a frying a pan, is when
I'm making scrambled eggs.

~~~
xiaoma
That much protein is insane! I guess if you're young and your kidneys can take
it, more power to you. If you're worried about longevity, though, I'd swap out
about 3/4 of that meat with rice.

The longest lived people, the Japanese get over 80% of their calories from
carbohydrates, and over half from rice alone. They're also the thinnest of all
economically developed people in the world and have low rates of heart
disease.

Here in Taiwan, it's similar, but as the restaurant scene has become more
Americanized, more and more young people are having those problems. All those
steaks take a toll.

~~~
gaius
That "protein is bad for your kidneys" meme is a myth, the "research" was all
funded by Kellogg's so people would switch from eggs for breakfast. Yes it is
true that a high protein diet will exacerbate existing kidney disease, but a
healthy adult drinking enough water per day will have no trouble at all with
1-1.5g/lb of bodyweight.

~~~
silentbicycle
Interesting. Can you cite that point about Kellogg?

~~~
gaius
His book, "The Natural Diet of Man" started it, but his corporation
perpetuated it.

------
axod
Ben+Jerrys. Easy to eat from the tub while coding. Put some fruit in the
bottom so it's "healthy".

Combine with a can of Mt.Dew and some pic'n'mix sweets to keep your sugar
levels up.

~~~
silencio
I love ben and jerry's, but I'm also a huge fan of making my own ice cream.
compared to ben and jerry's/haagen dazs/other "premium" ice cream brands, it's
not much different in price, and homemade ice cream (and quiescently frozen
confections and other such similar foods) has the fun twist of being able to
easily add/change things to the ice cream recipe itself as you want, as
opposed to waiting for that chunk of frozen solid store-bought ice cream to
melt to edible softness then adding fruit in the bottom if you can even stand
eating the ice cream in the first place. There's just something so satisfying
and delicious about making your own that I only buy from the store when I
can't make and store enough ice cream for a party.

Here's two of my favorite recipes from my favorite David Lebovitz (he has the
BEST ice cream recipes, I swear...): One for the coffee lovers: an espresso
granita affogato (!) -
[http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/espresso_grani...](http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/espresso_granit.html)

One for the chocolate lovers: no-machine-required chocolate ice cream -
[http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/the_easiest_ch...](http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/the_easiest_cho.html)

And one I discovered today that I'm sorely tempted to try: absinthe ice cream
-
[http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/05/absinthe_ice_c...](http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/05/absinthe_ice_cream.html)

~~~
axod
Definitely - good points. My wife actually bought me an ice cream maker for
the above reasons. Hoping to start using it soon and see what I can create :)

~~~
silencio
Just wait until you make ice cream for other people. I've had friends ask why
my mint, pistachio, and strawberry ice creams (among other flavors) were
nearly white except for the pistachio and strawberry bits they found, because
they were probably expecting it to be colored. It actually creeps me out to
think about all the extra ingredients that go into commercial ice cream. It
also amuses me to no end that haagen dazs is selling a new line of ice cream
promising "all natural" ice cream with "only five ingredients".

Anyway, off my soapbox. One great place to start is (in my opinion) Lebovitz's
site, since he has a few good recipes and tips for making ice cream. There's
also a ben and jerry's ice cream recipe book out there. And lastly, get ready
to waste a lot of cream and eggs and sugar (in a good way), cause
experimenting is fun and you'll want to for some exotic flavors.

Also, if you have a maker with bowls that need frozen before use, be prepared
to learn how to make ice cream without it as well - they work, but sometimes
you just don't want to wait that long :P

------
stcredzero
Everything that follows is true.

A college friend of mine had an interesting take on food.

Breakfast 1: Egg in the Blender with some OJ. It's fast. It's cheap. Plus, you
feel slightly nauseous all day and _save money and lose weight!_

Breakfast 2: Bowl of Grape Nuts. Eat quickly with lots of milk. It sticks to
your ribs, it's fast, it's cheap. Plus, the Grape Nuts swell up in your
stomach, so you feel all full and bloated so you _save money and lose weight!_

He also once went bonkers when his girlfriend broke up with him, took lots of
LSD and ended up grinding his teeth in the asphalt of the middle of the road
in the dead of winter in New England and had to be dragged back in the house
by a bunch of guys. His reason: it felt really neat on his teeth! So as far as
his advice goes, take it with caveats.

~~~
zimbabwe
Is there a downside to feeling nauseous and bloated? Like, any particular
health concerns that spring up when that's the strategy?

~~~
stcredzero
Well, a nausea-related downside to breakfast #1, is that you run a risk of
dying from Salmonella.

~~~
ars
Nah, Salmonella in eggs is actually pretty rare. Plus few people would die
from it even if they got it.

And if you are really worried you can get pasteurized raw eggs.

~~~
jganetsk
Bacterial food poisoning can lead to various long-term diseases. Look up
Reactive Arthritis, and Guillian-Barre syndrome.

I speak from experience. Reactive Arthritis is not fun, and one can be
genetically predisposed to it.

But, it is true that Salmonella in eggs is pretty rare. And given the string
of recent outbreaks, you're perhaps more likely to get it from something else.

------
triplefox
Unsalted nuts. They store really well. Walnuts in particular have plenty of
calories but if you have too many in a day you'll be overloaded on omega-3,
which will make your hands and feet swell painfully as pressure is applied;
the blood vessels in them start breaking too readily.

So nuts aren't the bulk of my calories, but they help make everything else
taste better.

------
pasbesoin
"Healthy Foods for Under $1" was discussed a while back.

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=414298>

Here was my suggestion (sweet potato):

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=414398>

------
czcar
While toying with the idea of going vegetarian (to see if it would affect
energy levels), and just reducing intake of red meat as whole I have started
using lentils in a lot of meals, especially in dhal and potato curries.

Seriously easiest and nicest meal possible.
<http://www.vegsoc.org.nz/recipe_070307.html> For a quick dhal recipe. Quick
to zap reheat and easy to eat in a mug at the desk.

------
menloparkbum
During the week I mostly eat: egg whites, beans, frozen veggies, fresh
veggies, almonds and blueberries. Sometimes I make chicken stir-fry. On
Saturdays I eat whatever, usually going out, or to a BBQ, or to a friend's
house. On Sunday morning I usually go out to brunch and then the rest of the
day it's back to the basic stuff listed above. During the winter I often make
turkey or lentil Chili. Most of it is pretty cheap except for the almonds and
blueberries. However, I'm just feeding myself so it's still not that
expensive.

I used to eat anything and everything but I found that too many carbs and
cheese made me get fat, and "crash." Most meat makes me feel sluggish. I'd eat
more fish if I had more confidence in my ability to prepare it.

edit: I also have a banana for breakfast. very cheap at Trader Joe's.

~~~
sobriquet
what's your preference: borrone's or hobees?

~~~
menloparkbum
My name is deceptive, I don't actually live in Menlo Park. Brunch is usually
at Zazie in Cole Valley.

------
hwijaya
Sometimes i cooked Chilli Con Carne. It's easy and last long. Healthy too.
<http://proven-great-and-simple-recipes.blogspot.com/>

I put any "great and simple" recipes that i found in that blog. So, yes, i
like your site idea. It definitely would be helpful for someone like me.

------
patio11
My three favorite hacker dishes:

Toasted ham, cheese, and grilled veggie sandwich. Dice up an onion, pepper,
garlic, and whatever else you like. Heat a little oil in a fry pan for a few
seconds, toss in veggie mix, stir while heating until the onions change color.
Take off heat. Cut open the fresh french bread you bought earlier that day,
add ham, cheese, and veggie mix, top with a sauce if you like it, heat in
toaster oven until either the cheese melts or the bread ends up toasty (your
call). Takes less than 15 minutes to make, cheap as sin, tastes great and is
fairly healthy for you. (Alternative to sauce: splash some soy sauce on the
veggies in their last five seconds in the pan.)

Or, get the cheap cuts of beef that no one in American uses for anything,
grill them in the pan with your veggies (beef goes in last after the veggies
are done), add a bit of soy sauce and stir, then serve over rice. Goes great
with a fruit smoothie because it is VERY dry by itself. Again, 15 minutes or
less.

Then there is tofu. Buy a small brick of it, dice, heat with a veggie/beef
mixture as described above, serve over rice and garnish with salsa. (I'm told
by my family that this recipe is the only way they have ever "tricked" their
kids into eating tofu.)

------
Aron
I just bought chicken for 2$ per pound, while the bulk granola was 4.45$ per
pound. I'm thinking they don't feed the chickens bulk granola.

------
nickfox
Lean Cuisine, Oscar Meyer turkey dogs and Spicy Chile Chicken Cup of Noodles.
Every other day I go get a tuna sub from Subway to get my fresh vegetables.
For desert, Hershey Kisses with almonds or chocolate chip cookie from the
grocery deli. And to drink, I make 1/4 cup orange juice with 3/4 cup soda
water. It's a homemade Orangina but not nearly as sweet. And every other day I
allow myself one coke. Breakfast is usually Kelloggs Mueslix or oatmeal.

I'm 48 and have been blessed with having never been sick. I exercise regularly
also. This may not pass muster with a lot of you but I attribute my good
health to a positive mental attitude. Something has to make up for my diet...
:o)

I

------
davidmathers
_the amount of time saved by having them cook it isn't always advantageous
considering you have to drive there_

Depends on where you live. There are 20 restaurants within 2 blocks of my
house. Also, I don't own a car. Everyone's situation is different, but I'm
pretty certain it's both cheaper and healthier for me to eat out than cook at
home.

I use $1/minute for estimating my time value. The "cost" really comes down to
taking a walk vs doing dishes. I like walks better.

Burritos at El Castillito are a personal favorite, even though it's a 4 block
walk: <http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-castillito-san-francisco-2>

~~~
pj
I hear ya. When I was in San Francisco, my car battery died all the time
because I didn't drive enough. I loved walking.

I went in for a checkup once and my doctor asked me, "Do you exercise?" I
said, "Not really." He said, "What do you do?" I said, "I walk to and from
work everyday. It's two miles from Russian Hill to Market Street up and down a
few hills."

He said, "I think you're doing fine."

------
Zarathu
Lebanese food: <http://tasteofbeirut.com>

~~~
silentbicycle
If nothing else, it's really nice to have good olive oil and some za'atar on
hand. It's an herb/spice/sesame seed blend that goes remarkably well with most
kinds of bread, and you can usually get a big bag for a couple bucks.

------
catch23
I cook everything with fresh ingredients and I'm still able to eat decently. I
usually either cook a form of soup noodles with 1 veggie & meat for around
$2.50 or a form of spinach/fish/tomato/mushroom risotto for around $3.00 a
meal. I buy my food from local asian grocery stores that usually half the
price of similar foods bought at Safeway.

I use cheaper beef bones or chicken gizzards for broth, rice or basic noodles
for staple starch.

~~~
pj
Chinatowns are the least expensive places to find groceries anywhere I've
been. I've shopped them in Oklahoma, San Francisco, Vancouver... The west has
a lot to learn from the east...

------
bazbarfoo
I eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

~~~
jganetsk
The source of this slogan:

<http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php>

Great book. Really informative read, and very convincing.

------
likpok
Bean stew (I use black):

Two cans beans one can diced tomatoes one onion other veggies? (bell peppers,
etc)

bay leaf, spices, hot salsa (to taste).

Sautee onions/veggies Stew everything until it's the consistency you want (put
it all in a pot).

For about $5-7 /pot which feeds about 4, it's pretty cheap.

Also, you can prep it and start everything stewing, and then just let it boil.
Furthermore, it keeps really well, so you can just make a large batch and
reheat it.

------
covercash
This one is my childhood favorite.

Tuna Casserole: 1 box elbow macaroni 1 can Bumble Bee solid white albacore
tuna fish (5oz) 1 can DelMonte sweet peas (15oz) 1 can Nestle Carnation
evaporated milk (12oz) 1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (10.75oz) 1
heaping tablespoon Helman's mayonnaise

Boil and strain pasta, drain excess juices from pea and tuna cans, mix in all
of the ingredients, dump into oven safe casserole dish, bake for ~45min @350
or until the top starts to get golden.

I listed specific brands since I've found that when using alternate brands the
end result doesn't taste quite as good...

Also, you can put breadcrumbs or smashed up potato chips on the top of the
casserole before baking to give it a bit of crunch if you want.

My cousin came up with a pretty good take on tuna casserole that substitutes
corn and chopped red peppers in place of the peas. It's more of a Southwest
Tuna Casserole.

------
saikat
A related thread from a while back -
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57538> . I've actually been doing PG's
rice and beans recipe (with some changes and some other variation), and it's
not so bad.

------
Tichy
I think you might be right about the restaurants. While some of them serve
food that tastes well, I doubt that many of them use the best ingredients.
These days it is hard to tell, for example I think most take away restaurants
serve microwaved food that was prepared in some factory.

Maybe we could set up some cooking circles for hackers, that is, take turns to
cook. Everybody would be responsible for one day in the week. Might work in
the bigger cities? I am in Berlin, if anybody is interested.

------
sketerpot
Cook some vegetables, including potatoes, in a pan with a bit of oil. Add
miscellaneous spices. Add two beaten eggs as a binding agent. Stir for a
little while to prevent scorching, then let the egg congeal. Sprinkle some
cheese on top and fold the thing over, and let it sit for a minute or so. Then
put it on a plate and eat it.

This combines cheap vegetables with some protein from the eggs, and is
delicious and easy to make. Stick some on toast if you want to add grain to
the meal.

------
matth2
One i recently discovered: cook some shell style pasta then add a small can of
(possibly flavored) tuna. the heat of the pasta heats up the tuna. easy,
cheap, good for you.

------
jonknee
It depends on the day/week/season for me. For produce I try to buy what's
fresh and in season that day at the market. Protein wise I usually go for
what's on sale as that's a good way to stay out of a rut.

I haven't bought bread this year, if I want bread I make it. Much better
tasting and really cheap.

For lunch today I'm making chicken tacos. Chicken breast was on sale and I
have diced red onion, limes and queso fresco in the fridge so it was screaming
tacos to me.

------
phugoid
I love food, probably too much. My favorite things to prepare are:

\- shrimp and asparagus gnocchi with basil

\- pancetta-covered roasted beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms

\- seafood and chicken paella

\- mushroom, garlic and parmesan home-made pasta

\- onion and porcini soup with gruyere-topped toast

\- pizza with pesto, marinated artichokes and aged cheddar

\- a garden fresh tomato sandwich with _really_ good bread

Life is too short to cut down on butter and garlic. And no, I'm not involved
with a start-up right now :)

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apsurd
This is what is stocked at my office fridge:

\- 20 cups of yogurt for $10 dollars at Ralphs.

\- Nutrigrain bars

\- delimeat (for lack of anything better, since i know i probably won't
precook meat and bring it)

\- precooked pasta

\- shredded cheese and pasta sauce (for pasta)

\- assorted nuts

\- provalone cheese

\- soy chocolate milk

\- peanut butter / jelly

\- bread

So basically i just eat meat/cheese/bread sandwiches or pb/j all day, and
supplement that with yogurt snacks to curbe my hunger. Not the best, but it
gets the job done.

Home cooked meals are for when i get home, and weekends.

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zacharypinter
For a quick snack or breakfast, I like having Applesauce (or apple slices)
with fat-free cottage cheese. It's filling and easy to make.

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bravura
I am interested in the bulk cooking phenomenon.

I have only recently started, so I cannot really comment on what recipes are
best.

~~~
quellhorst
I found cooking in bulk leading to eating in bulk.

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vorador
Actually, I think that spending some time cooking is a good distraction, and
breaks are good for productivity.

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ertug
As a rule of thumb, I always try to eat fruits in their season.

There must be a reason they appear in that specific period of the year, like a
natural diet plan ;)

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ojbyrne
I love my wok.

~~~
megaduck
Woks are fantastic! It's amazing the variety of tasty food that can be cooked
with just a wok and a long-handled ladle. Stir-fry, braise, boil, whatever you
like. Fast and easy.

A few words of warning, though: First, proper stir-fry technique requires a
pretty intense heat source (think smelting furnace and you're not far off).
Most American stoves won't do it unless you use a wok ring. Even then, it's
hard. If you're using an electric range, um... good luck. I've heard that
people have good luck with the self-contained electric wok kits, but YMMV.

Oh, and DO NOT BUY NONSTICK. Teflon starts to break down at the temperatures
produced in wok cooking. Highly carcinogenic. :(

Other than that, enjoy! A good stir-fried meal only takes minutes to prepare
and can be amazingly delicious. Cleanup is easy too, since you've only got one
pot to deal with.

~~~
pj
Years ago, my grandmother got one of those original hand hammered woks from
china off an infomercial. It was shiny as a new nickel when she got it, but
she never used it so she gave it to me.

Now it's black as night. I love it.

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nazgulnarsil
the number one thing most people could benefit from: reduce sugar intake,
increase fruit intake.

eat fruit with every meal, the chimpanzee diet is 50%+ fruit and our digestive
tracts are identical. Every time you crave sweet drinks, fruit flavored
treats...your body is asking for fruit.

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c00p3r
Fresh. Organic. Veg. Seasonal. Less.

1\. Everything must be fresh, especially fish, vegetables and fruits. Don't
buy many, buy enough for one meal. Each time. Tomorrow it will be fresh
delivery on market.

2\. Do not overboil. There are two main rules in cooking - 'less heat' (less
flame under your bowl and inside your head =) and 'just enough' (long boiling
spoils everything - taste and goodness)

3\. DRY - Do not repeat yourself. Do not try to eat the same dishes day after
day. You will spoil all your effort. Even a pure caviar diet will finish you
in no time.

4\. Eat local and seasonal fish and vegetables.

5\. Learn from the poor. I learned from Nepali and Tibetan people in
Hymalayas. They have very smart aproach to cooking.

~~~
hs
what approach?

don't you get lower pressure at high altitude, thus cooking takes longer ...
or do i get it backward?

~~~
c00p3r
It is about pragmatic choices - what to cook and how to cook. The main idea -
you can easily spoil usefulness of your dishes (in terms of gains to your
health). Freshness is the key because of vitamins. Less boiling means keeping
them and other useful ingredients from destruction. Combination of fresh, raw
and cooked organic foods keeps them healthy in very hard nature conditions.
Seasonal food means to eat what grows on the next hill instead of buying
something from distant lands. And the last part is about keeping nothing for
tomorrow - why to eat old and non fresh when you can make it from new fresh
goods again.

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TriinT
If you live by the coast, you can try spear-fishing and you kill two birds
with one stone: you exercise and you eat healthy food ;-)

~~~
quellhorst
I live by the coast and right now I can't even catch bait in a cast net. If I
had to live off what I caught I would be starving.

~~~
TriinT
My comment was tongue-in-cheek. Though spear-fishing is doubtlessly a great
way of impressing the ladies, it requires a lot of technique and it can be
lethal. If you live by the coast and the waves aren't too mean, something cool
is kayak-fishing. I have tried and it's lots of fun. You paddle 500 meters
offshore and lie there sunbathing on the kayak until some fish is dumb enough
to bite the bait. Quite relaxing.

~~~
quellhorst
Interesting, our waves offshore are typically 3-4 feet. Is that doable? I
could find some near shore/inshore areas with no waves but then the bugs will
bite :)

~~~
TriinT
Depends on what kind of kayak you have. My kayak would easily capsize so I
would only take it to the ocean when it was flat. On non-flat days, it was
also fun as one could try some harmless kayak-surfing and get wiped out
countless times. Fun stuff.

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kingkongrevenge
It's pretty easy to eat healthily and fairly cheaply at a lot of by the pound
supermarket buffets. It's faster than cooking, but not cheaper, though not so
expensive.

Eating healthily is very simple: every meal should be a piece of
meat/fish/egg, with varied vegetables and some whole fruit. Add nuts and
cheese to taste. The most important aspect to eating well is simply to avoid
starch and sugar: no potatoes, corn, baked goods, cereal, rice, or beans.
Avoid soybean oil and other synthetic "vegetable" oils. You too can be ripped
like me by following these simple rules. It's easy.

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ajkirwin
I make chili, curries, soups, stews..

