Name: Giu

Age: 33

Occupation: Editor

What is your favourite meal prep hack, idea, or recipe to use on a budget?

Freeze your rice already seasoned with garlic and onions but BEFORE the actual cooking part. Sautée it, salt it to taste, and while still raw, freeze it. When you want fresh delicious rice, just plop the frozen block into a pan with water and let it do its thing. That means fresh rice every day without all the trouble. My best recipe on a budget is poor man's fried rice... Whenever I have old rice that I don't want to just reheat, I throw whatever meat — bacon or sausage are classics, but in a pinch, I have used sliced turkey cut into ribbons because you gotta do what you gotta do — in a pan, scramble some eggs, add whatever vegetable is going bad in the fridge — that old sad soft carrot that's been sprouting in the vegetable drawer is always a good choice — and a splash of soy sauce on top of the rice and let it heat. It's delicious, very fast, nutritious, and endlessly adaptable!

How is it budget-friendly?

You can use the things you already prepared and were going bad in your fridge.

Where does the recipe or hack come from and how do you make it?

The frozen rice hack came from my therapist if you can imagine it!

How often do you make it?

I usually make a big batch of rice like twice a month and freeze in portions for myself and my husband. I make the fried rice whenever I miscalculated the rice portions and there are leftovers.