I studied abroad my junior year in college and lived in Perugia, Italy. It’s a beautiful little mountain town filled with college students attending three different schools. It actually reminds me of Boulder in that way.

Amazing food was plentiful. My favorite class was History and Culture of Food in Italy. There were as many restaurants, pasticerrias (bakeries) and cafes as you would want in walking distance. I got to try a few amazing meals in Perugia, but the majority of my meals were cooked at home since I ran out of money in October and illegally took on a job bartending to make some extra cash.

You know what they say. More euros, more problems (not true when you don’t have any euros).

When I say that I cooked most of my meals at home, I actually mean that I cooked one meal at home a lot. It quickly became known as “Max Meal” and anybody in the apartment knew what that meant. Italian sausage, penne pasta and arrabbiata (translates to angry) sauce. The penne pasta was selected because it cooked quickly and the arrabbiata because it was spicy. When I returned to school in Boulder, CO my roommates already knew about Max Meal. They tried it a couple times and shrugged off my bachelor cooking staple.

I know what it’s like to eat on a budget. Maybe you’re cooking for yourself in college, or maybe you’re just making enough money to pay rent in your entry-level job. Whatever the situation, it’s important to learn to eat well while without spending all of your money on food, so today I have something I think you’ll enjoy…

A free ebook on cooking very healthy for yourself on a budget.

I’m not talking about “starving college student” or “I only have enough for a beet and kale salad and two moscow mules tonight.” I’m talking about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps.

As much as I’d like to take credit for this masterpiece, it was in fact beautifully crafted by Leanne Brown, a food studies master’s student at New York University.

Click to view Leanne’s site

I’ll let Leanne’s amazing ebook do the talking, but I will say that it has a huge focus on vegetarian meals since they’re 1) healthy, 2) the opposite of the fast food that is priced so cheaply and 3) really affordable. I know I could use more veggies in my diet and I’m hoping to start incorporating some of these wonderful recipes. To get you excited, check out some of these pictures:

Brussels Sprout Hash and Eggs

Banana Pancakes

Worry not carnivores, the book includes roast chicken and pulled pork

Be sure to check out Leanne’s site and download a free copy of her ebook. Thanks Leanne for the great recipes and drool-worthy photos!

In case the pictures got you hungry but you’re in the mood for something a little meatier, here’s a little recipe from me to you – Roast Beef Hash:

2 lbs roast beef, cut into cubes 1/4″ square
Peel 5 russet potatoes, and cube into 1/4″ squares. Boil in salt water, until softened just a bit. Drain.
Cut 4 stalks of celery into thin slices, and chop 1/2 small white onion.

In a large frying pan add olive oil, roast, salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 cup of water (optional half cube of beef bullion) and 1/2 cube butter. Add the vegetables and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes just start to break down.
Add 6 or 7 slightly beaten eggs and cook on medium, sparingly turning the mixture over itself as the egg cooks.

Enjoy!

You Tell Me: what’s your favorite meal to make? Are you a pro at cooking inexpensively, or is food one of those things that you go all out on? What type of meals would you like to learn to make?