Seasoned Rice

$0.95 recipe / $0.16 serving
by Beth Moncel
5 from 17 votes
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If there’s one thing I knew right away starting the SNAP Challenge, it was that I was going to have to bulk out my meals considerably with inexpensive beans and grains to stay under $4.50 of food per day. Instead of using plain old rice, I made a big batch of seasoned rice the first day, which I used as a base for multiple meals throughout the week (and maybe the whole month). 

For the entire month of September, I’ll be participating in the SNAP Challenge and attempting to eat on $4.50 per day. Read more here.

Overhead view of a bowl full of seasoned rice

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What Kind of Rice Can I Use?

You can use any type of rice you like, just be sure to adjust the water ratio and cooking time to match the directions on the package for the rice you’re using. I used long grain brown rice for this recipe, which adds a nice nutty flavor and is also very filling. Jasmine rice is another great option because it has even more flavor, but it does come at a higher cost. I would avoid medium or short grain rices for this recipe since those tend to be very sticky. 

Can I Make This in a Rice Maker?

Yes, just add the seasonings (garlic powder, thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt) to the rice maker along with the rice and water, then use the rice maker as you normally would.

What Do You Serve with Seasoned Rice?

You can serve seasoned rice as a side dish to something like Salisbury Steak, Turkey Taco Skillet, Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs, Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms. Or you can use the seasoned rice as a flavorful base for a bowl meal, like Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables, BBQ Beef and Beans, or Roasted Brussels Sprout Bowls.

How Long Does Seasoned Rice Stay Good?

When the cooked rice is cooled and stored properly, it will stay good in your refrigerator for about four days, or you can freeze for about three months. Because cooked rice is one of the more common sources of food poisoning, it is important to take the proper steps with your leftover rice.

How to Store Leftover Rice

Anytime you save leftovers of cooked rice, it’s really important to divide and chill the leftovers as quickly as possible. Rice can naturally contain a bacteria called Bacillus cereus, which has spores that are resistant to cooking. Bacillus cereus contamination does not produce any visible signs or smells, so it’s of utmost importance that rice be cooled properly immediately after cooking. Transfer your cooked rice to a new container (do not leave it in the hot container it was cooked in), divide the rice into smaller portions if cooked in a large batch, and then place it in the refrigerator to cool. Do not let your rice sit out at room temperature. The goal is to cool the rice to below 40ºF in under two hours, so the sooner it gets in the fridge, the better.

Seasoned rice on a plate with vegetables and chicken

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Seasoned Rice

5 from 17 votes
Seasoned rice is an all-purpose side dish infused with garlic and herbs. Serve it as a side dish or as the bed for your favorite bowl meal.
Author: Beth Moncel
Seasoned rice on a plate with vegetables and chicken
Servings 6 1 cup each
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain brown rice ($0.80)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
  • 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
  • 4 cups water ($0.00)
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Instructions 

  • Combine the rice, garlic powder, thyme, red pepper, salt, and water in a heavy bottomed pot. Give it a brief stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
  • Place a lid on the pot and bring the water up to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest with the lid in place for 5 minutes more.
  • After 5 minutes without heat, fluff the rice and serve, or refrigerate until ready to eat.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.


Nutrition

Serving: 1CupCalories: 227.75kcalCarbohydrates: 47.32gProtein: 4.72gFat: 2gSodium: 313.67mgFiber: 2.3g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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How to Make Seasoned Rice – Step by Step Photos

Rice and seasonings in a pot

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine 2 cups of rice, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and ¾ tsp salt.

Water being poured into the pot with rice and seasonings

Add four cups of water to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid, then place it over high heat. Allow the pot to come to a full boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the heat off and allow it to rest and continue to steam in the residual heat for 5 minutes.

Brown rice being fluffed in the pot with a fork

After 5 minutes, fluff the rice and serve. 

Overhead view of a bowl full of seasoned brown rice

It may not seem very revolutionary, but when working with a limited budget, it’s important to make sure every meal is as satisfying as possible. I plan to eat pretty much the same thing throughout the week, so I have to make sure it’s damn delicious so that I keep coming back! Ha!

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  1. I haven’t made this….yet. However I plan to serve it in a couple weeks when family comes. I decided I’ll make it ahead of time, so I don’t spend much time in the kitchen. I’m serving it with salmon and greenbeans. What is the best way to heat up the rice?

  2. Quick an ez and really packs a punch with the crushed red pepper, awesome flavor, thanks!

  3. I love making this rice dish as a side! I’ve made it many times and it’s still tasty. I usually add 1/2 tsp onion powder to give it a little more flavor. I don’t handle spicy foods well so I leave out the chili flakes and add a pinch of cayenne powder for flavoring instead. In my latest batch, I added half a bag of frozen peas and let it cook with the rice. Super cheap, delicious, and you get some more veggies in your diet. Great recipe!

  4. When using McCormick Caribbean Jerk seasoning, how much do you use for this recipe?

    1. I’ve never used that seasoning blend for this, so unfortunately I don’t know.

  5. Can yellow rice be used? Maybe someone asked this already, but in my scanning through comments I didn’t see.

    1. You could probably do this with just about any type of rice. Just make sure to use the appropriate amount of water and cooking time suggested on your rice package.

  6. Wow, I didn’t know that rice was one of the easiest ways to get food poisoning, thank you so much for that information and tips to stay safe.

    1. You got food poisoning from rice ? That’s terrible . Didn’t know that was possible either

  7. This recipe has the best ratio of liquid to rice! My basmati rice has never come out fluffy before. I officially have no need for Rice a Roni! I’ve made rice hundreds of times but this is the best texture it’s ever had.

    1. I do’t use brown rice. Do you think white rice would taste good in this recipe? TY

  8. Can you sub in cauliflower rice? If so, how would you season it? After it is cooked?

    1. Yes you can sub cauliflower rice. And I’d season after cooking. But I’ve not tried it that way exactly so you’ll have to let us know!

  9. I wasn’t even looking for budget meals, I just wanted tasty rice to go with some other food I was making- but this really nails it either way.

    Ended up using a chicken stock cube and used 2cups water and 1 cup rice instead. Didn’t need too much. And didn’t have Thyme so used parsley and oregano- so I ended up changing a lot, but the rice is really fluffy with those instructions!

    Usually it ends up being mush for me. So, thanks for that!

  10. I love this article! However, I wanted to make any SNAP challenge participant aware that some individuals who use SNAP have to buy a limited amount of ingredients. Yea, 1/2 tsp garlic powder may cost $.05 but the whole jar of spice itself could be $3.50. I think anyone wanted to make the challenge even more “real” they could try using only what they can buy with the SNAP budget for each month. I remember a time when I relied on SNAP and it was difficult eating the same foods over and over but its all I could afford to do. Hopefully in the future there is a way we could build grocery stores accessible all around the country that let you buy stuff in small quantities. For example, if you need 1 cup of flour for a recipe but you know that is the only time you’ll need flour anytime soon you should be able to go to a store and scoop out a cup of flour into a bag , have it weighed, and boom you’re done. I believe some Whole Foods locations do this but I’ve never lived within reasonable proximity of one.

    1. Yes, I agree. I definitely talked a lot about this in my weekly reflections during the SNAP challenge. I had a LOT of benefits/advantages that many people who are not on SNAP do not have. And even with all those advantages, it was still super hard and taxing on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. :(

  11. I’d like to cook this but jasmine rice is a bit expensive, any alternatives?

      1. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I prefer brown basmati rice. Should be fine. I know how to cook it so that it comes out nice & fluffy.

  12. This recipe is great; thank you.

    However, I burnt the first batch that u made because I followed the instructions precisely and didn’t stir at any point.

    Perhaps it might be worth mentioning it somewhere in the steps to save other people suffering the same (embarrassing) fate that I did!

    1. Stirring the rice usually makes it a bit gummy. Instead I would try turning the heat down a bit or trying to use a pot with a thicker bottom that distributes the heat more evenly.

  13. Thanks to you helping me learn how to cook in college, I felt empowered to make a few changes to this recipe for my dinner tonight!
    Here are the changes I made that were pretty great!

    Halved the recipe and used regular white rice, butter, and fresh garlic.

    I heated the butter in the pan and sauteed the garlic for maybe 30sec-1min. Then I added the rice and other spices and stirred for another minute or two. I added the water and cooked according to the package.

    Finally, I topped it off with a little kosher salt. It was delish! Thanks so much for another winner Beth!

  14. Hi,
    have ever you tried to grow sprouts from various seeds?
    Especially in winter they are the cheapest way to get fresh greens.
    My personal favorites are Alfalfa sprouts (wonderful taste of fresh green salad) and sprouts from little red lentils – both very nice in sandwiches.
    Sprouted chickpeas are delicious if cooked in a little butter.

    And the best is how cheap it is to grow them: let them sit in water overnight, drain, and put them in a jar with a lot of holes in the lid, turn it upside down on a place where they can catch some light.
    Rinse at least 2 times a day with fresh water, and after 2-4 days you will have plenty of tasty greens.
    It is worth to get some more infos from the internet but basically it’s just seeds (organic, please) and water, and light.

    I’m from Germany, and here 100gramm of organic seeds costs around 2€ and makes about 1-2 kilogramm of the freshest greens you’ve ever tasted.
    Give it a try – it’s worth it.
    Best wishes, I love your blog!

  15. This was SO GOOD. Very excited that this works in the rice cooker as well. Thank you for posting!!!

  16. I LOVE this site so much. We don’t qualify for snap (we make $25 a month too much) but money is tight. It was extra tight this week. I only had $67 to feed my family of 4 this week. With a lot of smart shopping and the help of your site I have all our meals for the week planned out. Thank you for helping me keep my family fed. P.S. I’m making this rice to go with dinner tonight. It sounds really good. :)

  17. This looks so delicious, and my son can eat it! It’s hard to find recipes that don’t have peanuts, soy, or seafood when our family loves Asian food and such. I think this would probably go well with a main Asian dish.

  18. I’m pretty sure I pay less for brown jasmine rice at Trader Joe’s, and I’ve also gotten it for super cheap at a local Asian store. It’s worth shopping around for things like that because a big 5 pound bag might only set you back $6 or $7 at an ethnic store (that size means it wouldn’t have to be a weekly trip). I’ve gotten brown basmati at Indian stores, too. Just a thought for those without access to wholesale clubs and places like Whole Foods/Earth Fare.

    1. I buy a large 5 lb. bag of jasmine rice at my local grocery for pretty cheap, but I haven’t been able to find the brown jasmine rice in large bags :(

      1. I bought a ginormous 50 lb bag of jasmine rice from my local Asian store the other day for $37. It was at a special price. Had some trouble carrying it into my apartment while holding a packet of garam masala in my hand. Hah!

  19. Hi Beth,
    Thanks for the post! Used this to make some fried rice or dinner. I scrambled 2 eggs in leftover bacon drippings, set those aside then fried up the rice in a couple more scoops of drippings (I like bacon.) I added a carrot shredded, a green onion, some soy sauce, eggs back in, and also a can of tuna for some more filler & protein. Goes great with siracha XD Thanks again!

  20. Beth,

    This is an interesting exercise and very appropriate for you and your website.

    Something I’ve thought about from time to time are the “hidden” expenses that creep into our kitchens: Ziploc bags, storage containers, dishwashing, utilities ….

    I don’t have a microwave so I can’t compare the cost of electricity for a microwave to the cost of propane for the cooker. I certainly haven’t compared the cost of propane for my cooker with the cost of propane for my outdoor grill. Still, there must be some way to account for the cost of cooking something for a short time on high heat compared to simmering another dish for hours.

    1. Rice and pasta and certain beans just can’t be cooked over high heat for a shorter amount of time; it really *does* require that long simmering/light boil to cook (and obviously, soften) the food. I have a rice cooker that has a plastic piece that sets in the pot, and it’s for steaming foods. It also works great because you can knock out two foods at once. Rice and vegetables, obviously, but the cookbook that came with it has multiple recipes which utilize the insert. I would imagine that if you make rice or beans or even just vegetables and potatoes, a lot, that the cost of the rice cooker as well as how little electricity it uses, that it would cost much less than using a stove top for those foods that need much more time to cook.

      And, I just realized that you’re content is from five years ago; talk about a necrobump! Well, hopefully my comment will help anyone who’s come to this page since 2014!

  21. I hope this isn’t too pedantic, but I’m a little puzzled. I’m an eligibility worker in Texas for SNAP (Medicaid and TANF, too). I’m not sure where the $4.50/day number is coming from. Texas does the bare minimum what the feds demand be provided, and the max for one person is currently $189/mo (going up to $196 in October). $189/month divided by 30 days in a month is $6.30/day.

    I assume you’re not adjusting your allotment for your income? If you did that, as a single working person, you likely wouldn’t qualify, anyway. Also, as another person posted, the SNAP allotment is meant to be supplemental to any other income received as the acronym stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Most of my clients work or receive some other type of income like SSI, SSDI, or child support. The SNAP goes toward their monthly food bill, but hardly pays for all of it.

    That said, I think this is a good challenge for people to try and be a bit more empathetic. I see a lot of judgey comments on the internet about SNAP recipients and the way they eat, or the way they spend their SNAP or the fact that the obesity rate among them is high. I know that I spend a lot more than $189/mo on food for myself and if I tried to subsist on that, I would eat a lot of starch and junk food, too.

    1. Hi Amy, The $4.50 is a number that Feeding America has set as a standard for the challenge. I assume it’s some sort of national average that they’ve collected from data. I think everyone’s experience using SNAP is going to be different (what percentage of their food costs it represents), so I’m just going about the challenge in a simple, straight forward manner. Unfortunately, I’ve had several readers share that when they used SNAP, they had to rely on that for all of their food costs. :(

      1. Oh so it’s an average. Thanks for the clarification. I do know that some people do try and use SNAP for the entirety of the food bill, I was just pointing out that the program is not designed for that so yeah it’s going to be really difficult.

    2. I am 54, single, and receive disability and only get $17 a month snap. So in West Texas we don’t get no $189 a month……

      1. Like I said in my post, $189 is the maximum for one person. Usually people getting that don’t have any income at all or their income is extremely marginal. The reason yours is only $17/mo is because SNAP is an income-based program. The allotments go down the more money you make.

        That said, I have often wanted to pilot a program for seniors that would allow them to receive the maximum allotment if they qualify under the net income limits.

      2. I am one of the unfortunate few who do depend entirely on SNAP. I do receive the 189.00 monthly and have no other income at this time. I could go into further details, but I’ll just say that although it is difficult I do manage by eating meat once a week and doing just as this says- lots of fillers and careful shopping. The problems I have is when I run out of something expensive like olive oil I have to do without a basic for that month, for example, not getting the two boxes of generic grain cereal and relying on oatmeal instead.
        I’m glad I’m not feeding anyone but myself though!

      3. Have you looked into alternatives to olive oil? Coconut oil is much cheaper (especially from asian food stores) and much better for you!

      4. In reply to browser’s comment that Coconut oil is “much better for you” than olive oil, I suggest to all that you take a look at this comparison of the two performed by the Cleveland Clinic (in Cleveland, Ohio, for our non-US friends). Its an easy to read “infographic,” and pretty interesting in its conclusion.

        Other than that, keep up the GREAT work Beth.

      5. I guess I’m a bit harebrained today, as I forgot to mention, for the benefit of our non-US friends, that the Cleveland Clinic is one of THE leading heart-focused hospitals in the US, as well as having a pretty good international reputation for heart-related health issues and research. Oh, well…

  22. Healthy dinners don’t have to break the bank use budget-friendly ingredients and these recipes for low-cost, high-flavor meals! Thanks for sharing! Will definitely try this!

  23. I just tried this rice recipe with a chicken piccata that I made last night it was a great success. What a nice change from just plain rice.

  24. Speaking of bulking out meals with grains and beans…

    As previously mentioned I’m a single senior on a fixed (and somewhat limited) income. When I receive my money monthly, I stock up on non perishable foods such as rice, pasta, flour, beans and lentils. I also include longer lasting vegetables like potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and canned tomatoes as well as some frozen vegetables such as peas, chopped spinach and green beans. I usually include eggs, too.

    The first shopping trip is to restock pantry, fridge and freezer, but I do include some more perishable vegetables and fruits as well as meat for that week. On successive weeks I buy the more perishable things as money allows.

    Stocking up on the basics insures that I will have something to eat throughout the month. It may not be what I want and it may be kind of boring, but I will have food.

    I keep.things simple and limit variety. I’ve done a lot of reading about traditional cuisines throughout the world and we’re one of the few who cook at home from a variety of cuisines. It’s not unusual for us to have Mexican for breakfast, Italian for lunch and Japanese for dinner and three more cuisines the next day. I stick to the Midwestern basics I grew up with and Mediterranean, especially Italian, dishes. I do keep some basic ingredients for Asian and Tex-Mex on hand, but usually avoid buying specialty ingredients I won’t use frequently, unless I can purchase them in small amounts.

    It was kind of a shock to realize that I had plenty of choices within those limitations. Limiting choice was (and is) liberating. I don’t need to make everything that sounds good nor do I need to follow food trends.

    1. Sally,

      Wow – I had not considered the savings that might happen sticking primarily to one cuisine. I hope to retire in 3 years (I’m 59) – and this is such good info for me.

  25. Beth, I really appreciate you. Thanks for adding the comment that folks who may be receiving this supplement to their food dollars probably do not belong to a warehouse club for best prices on bulk items such as rice. Are you going to try to make meals per day based ONLY on the SNAP ($4.50) or the assistance plus the 30% government expects people who qualify for the program to be able to afford themselves? (I think that total is around $10.70 per person, per day.)

  26. Oh, and in response to a comment below – Whole Foods indeed does accept SNAP/WIC, as does Target, 7-11 and many other chains.

  27. It means so, so, so much to me that you’re taking this challenge. I’ve been living on SNAP ever since I finished grad school. I’ll be paying attention for sure!

    Ironically enough, I’ve found that spices at whole foods on a whole are far, far cheaper than what one would find in a regular grocery store. However, I live in Chicago, which is a city that is cursed with grocery stores with shitty-high prices. The fancier supermarkets actually have meat products and spices/bulk for far, far, far cheaper than the “regular” chains.

    Can’t wait to see what you have in store!

    1. Jonathan, I also live in Chicago and cringe at the grocery chain prices. Have you tried checking out the local produce and “ethnic” markets? Their prices, especially on things like spices, are often 2 or 3 times less than at the grocery stores. I won’t shop at Jewel unless they are absolutely the only place that has what I need or if they have a sale so good I can’t pass it up. When I started shopping at produce markets, etc., I actually got MAD at how much I had been spending at Jewel. Also chains like Aldi are wonderful (and they own Trader Joe’s now, which is also great for some things).

  28. You had me convinced you were serious about the challenge right up to the I paid $2.61 per pound for rice at a store that, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t accept SNAP. If following the challenge surely you should have to face all the challenges that involves not just the cost.

  29. Would like top find some penny pinching recipes for toaster oven, microwave, & crock pot as u can c I dont have a stove/oven so u got any? I live on $150 a month for food

  30. I use regular brown rice for most things. It’s less than $1 a lb at Walmart/Kroger/Meijer. Spices can be inexpensive. Aldi and Walmart and Dollar Stores have basic spices are around $1 each. For example I would not use thyme for this recipe since that isn’t a cheaper spice, maybe Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano. I make a seasoned rice fairly often that uses chicken bouillon butter onion powder garlic powder and parsley. It’s similar to rice a roni. I find that if I start the rice cooking at the beginning of meal prep that it’s pretty much done by the time the rest of the meal is prepped and cooked.

  31. Maybe you’ve addressed this somewhere…but had a thought on spices – not necessarily for this challenge but … within the last year, I started buying spices from the bulk bins. These are typically in the natural food section of a regular grocery and all natural food stores have bulk spices and herbs. You pay by the ounce so you can buy very small quantities, more often and have fresh spices and/or try a new spice and/or just add to your pantry – for not much $$.

    I’m reusing spice jars and half pint mason jars for some things. Starting from scratch and on a tight budget, you could use the little bags that are free when you buy spices, or maybe there are mason jars or inexpensive salt and pepper shakers in a thrift.

    In my area, most jarred spices are $3.50-7.00 per jar! I can buy 2 ounces of most things for 1/4 to 1/3 of that.

    1. After all the comments on this, I think I’m going to start buying my spices in bulk! :) I just need to find some cool containers, or I suppose I could just save my old McCormmick containers and refill them. :)

      1. I’ve reused ALL my old spice jars from McCormack, schilling, etc. they aren’t pretty to look at but having them fresher, in bulk or fresh from the planter is perfect. This summer I’m growing lemongrass for the first time. My herb plants at $15 for 8 varieties was the summer bargain.

  32. This is a great idea, thanks! Just one shopping tip for city-folk. If you’re willing to find and go to an Asian or International market, you can purchase any kind of rice your heart desires in small or large quantities. I’m fairly sure that if they take credit cards, they’ll take food stamps – but I’m definitely going to check the next time I go.

  33. The seasoned rice looks tasty.

    I often make a pot of rice and add a clove of garlic, and half cup each of diced onion, carrots, and red bell pepper. At the end of the cooking time I add a half cup of frozen peas and let the rice and vegetables sit for about five minutes. It can be seasoned any way you like.

    The first night it’s usually a side dish, but after that it becomes the basis for some main dishes: fried rice, rice with a poached or fried egg on top. I’ve even added broth to make soup.

  34. I live this challenge every day right now. We receive $288 a month in SNAP benefits for a household of 3. Seriously, the way to make it work is cooking knowledge, sales, and a cabinet full of spices. And lots of chicken.

  35. I made this tonight as a side for the chicken and kale salad. I didn’t put the chicken in the salad and let everyone have a choice of whether to put it with the salad or rice. It was pretty good. :) Thanks.

  36. I am so looking forward to reading your posts on the challenge! This seasoning sounds just perfect on this. I can’t wait to see how you use rice in your meals.

  37. I’ve been meaning to try this challenge as well, and look forward to what recipes you come up with. In addition to rice and pasta, which I lean on when trying to eat on the cheap, I’ve been thinking crepes may be a nice change of pace too. Eggs are cheap, and sometimes you need to use them up before they go bad.

  38. I am looking forward to seeing how you do this for the next week. Because then I will try and copy you.

  39. I have so much admiration for you for attempting this challenge, well done!
    When my budget is low I usually turn to rice too – I tend to make egg-fried rice with chopped tomatoes for a filling and cheap (and relatively healthy) dinner staple!

  40. Beth, I noticed that you said you pretty much will be eating the same thing during the week. If not too nosy, I have a question for you. Do you cook a full recipe for a couple of dishes and then switch off between them the full week?

    What I usually do is cook about four full recipes each week. I freeze half of the recipes in ziploc bags. I add them to my “freezer food library”. This allows me some slack in weekly cooking, and a variety of foods.

    I usually work 6 night shifts (12.5 hour) back to back. I have no time to cook then. I just eat off of what I have made.

    1. That’s what I usually do, cook one meal and alternate between what I have stocked in my freezer. For this, I’m not going to use the meals I have stocked in my fridge, so I cooked one meal and will be alternating it with simple things like an egg quesadilla or something like that.

    1. Whole foods accepts Foodstamps/SNAP…..sounds like WIC maybe not.

      They are two entirely different programs.

    2. They do accept SNAP. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t accept WIC because WIC is a much stricter program – only certain types of milk and vegetables and certain brands, etc. This is so the program can be run cost-effectively, and Whole Foods tends to run outside the realm of cost-effective. Also, SNAP isn’t focused on the nutritional value of food. WIC is concerned with the nutritional benefit since it is run only for mothers with children of a certain age (and some pregnant women). WIC would probably argue that you can get the same nutritional benefits by shopping off their list of acceptable items that you could get from items at Whole Foods, which for the most part is probably true.

    3. Whole Foods does accept SNAP, just not WIC, and you can’t use SNAP in the prepared food section. I think that is where a lot of confusion comes in, people try to use SNAP on the salad bar or the prepared food case at Whole Foods and get denied then think they can’t use SNAP at WF at all.

      1. You can use SNAP on prepared foods as long as they are not hot. It works on the salad bar and everything else that is not preheated. I work in a grocery store as a cashier and people get confused by this all the time.

  41. Thanks for the reminder (and awareness) about the SNAP challenge! We will be doing this alongside you.

  42. I have been making and freezing baked brown rice for awhile now and it’s been wonderful. Reheats beautifully and is perfectly seasoned for whatever type of dish you need it for. I quadruple the recipe into two 9×13 casseroles and freeze it in two cup portions.

    1. I’ve changed to baking brown rice also – have some in the oven right now. And I also freeze it, although I’m doing smaller quantities.

      I usually make a pot of beans at the same time and freeze those in small packets as well.

      I love a quick saute of rice, beans and whatever green I have (tend to buy cabbage, kale or chard as they keep well). If I have a bit of leftover chicken or sausage I might throw that in. Etc. Quick, easy and not spendy. Plus, I happen to really like rice and beans!

  43. What would the ratio be if I’m using white rice and want to serve 6 servings (1 cup each) and I’m using a rice cooker. Thank you for your help. Looking forward to duplicating your challenge.

    1. Usually white rice needs 1.5 cups water to every cup of rice, so to get six cups cooked (after fluffing), you’ll need about 2.5 cups of rice and 3.75 cups of water… but I’d just make it easy and do 3 cups rice, 4.5 cups of water and freeze the extra. :P

      1. Thank you Beth. My family has not acquired a taste for brown rice. Any suggestions on how to ease them into it? Thanks for taking the time to answer my silly questions.

      2. Cindy – I had trouble getting my family switched over to brown rice, too. The chewy texture just wasn’t for them. I read once – and have done so ever since – to soak the brown rice before cooking, similar to the way you soak dried beans. It allows the husk to soften up without cooking the inside and turning the grain to mush. I usually do the “quick soak” of hot water for 30-60 minutes before cooking, and I just measure rice and hot water out in the pot according to the cooking ratios and let it sit until I’m ready to turn it on.
        My other suggestion is use brown rice in things that have a sauce or other flavor component until they are acclimated. Fried rice, casseroles, soups, etc. :)

      3. I’ve never acquired a taste for brown rice (or other whole grains) and I don’t worry about it. In addition to not liking whole grains, they do nasty things to my digestive system.

        While I’m certainly not on a low carb diet, I don’t eat a lot of grains, but I eat plenty of beans, vegetables of all kinds and fruit. I don’t worry about.not eating the grains.

      4. When I was growing up, my mom would cook a mixture of half brown and half white rice. That’s how I got started with it. :) The cooking times and water needs are different, so she just kind of averaged them. It wasn’t a super light, fluffy rice mixture, but I still enjoyed it.

    1. Yep! Not a menu, per se, but a log of what I ate. It’s not going to be perfect meals, just what I eat throughout the day.

  44. Hi Beth, this seems like a great idea. I live in a lower income part of Boston, this type of challenge might help me relate to what some of my neighbors are going through.

    I was wondering how you’re accounting for the spices in this recipe, did you purchase them on the SNAP budget? I know per recipe spices are cheap, but the initial cost of spices is usually kind of high.

    Thanks!

    1. Well, I dealt with that when I first started cooking. What I did was just buy one spice bottle per week or so until I had a well stocked kitchen. I can’t really replicate that here, so I’m just going to account for the amount that I use. In reality, it would just mean that I’d be more choosy about what recipes I made until I had spices to widen my options.

  45. i am so looking forward to these posts. seasoned rice sounds really good!

  46. I love that you’re doing this challenge! I would have never guessed that buying something at Whole Foods would actually be cheaper than at the regular grocery store…I’ll have to take advantage of those bulk bins next time I’m shopping!

    1. If you have a Winco nearby (IE, if you’re on the west coast/southwest area), that’s also an excellent place to get stuff in bulk.

      1. I love winco’s bulk bins, I can get a pound of whole wheat pasta for about a dollar

  47. Rice is a great way to fill you up on a budget! This is a really nice idea for seasoning. Sometimes I add a pat of butter in my rice cooker to make it a little bit more rich. I also like to mix it up now and then and add premixed Jamaican curry powder or garam masala to get some beautiful, fragrant rice. Plus, it’s easy to get both cheap online or in the grocery store.