kengr

I don't know if you can adapt this recipe to your budget and diet, but it's one way to use tomatoes:

Make meatballs (~1/2 inch diameter) with 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, and 1 pound ground meat. (Usually a ground beef/bulk sausage mix, but in my experience, anything you can make into meatballs will do.)

Brown the meatballs in 3 tablespoons of oil, and set aside. (Olive oil if you have it.)

Simmer 2 pounds chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped small onion, and 1 tablespoon of seasoning (I just use Italian seasoning, but I'm experimenting with other things) for ten minutes.

Return meatballs to the pan, stir, and cook on low heat for 45-60 minutes. Serve with your preferred carbohydrate.

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And you're right; they don't know what it means to be middle class. And they probably haven't read anything that would explain it to them. I just read Nickel and Dimed, and I was reminded how lucky I am not to have fallen below the line.