Hi, I’m Molly Parr.
I grew up in Western Massachusettts, then spent 20 years living in New York City and Boston. I moved back home in the summer of 2016 with my husband Rich, our cat Rooster and our daughters Lilli Virginia, who was born at the end of January 2013, and Beatrix Louise, who was born at the beginning of June 2015. We bought an old farmhouse in the Village of Florence, which is part of Northampton, Massachusetts.
I started Cheap Beets because Rich had been unexpectedly laid off, and I wanted to assure people that it’s possible to eat well for not a lot of money. My biggest tip is not eating meat. I try very hard to not include expensive ingredients in my recipes, like certain nuts, fancy cheeses or fresh vanilla beans. If I do, I’ll explain where I’ve found them at a low cost. Now that I’m living in an area studded with farms and sugar shacks, I’m looking forward to exploring and sharing even more recipes and stories about the foods I find and bring back to my kitchen.
I call Cheap Beets “mostly vegetarian” because it is just that: mostly vegetarian, with an anchovy melted into a dish every now and then, and a splash of fish sauce here and there. There’s also a salmon cake recipe on here that people seem to really enjoy.
I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave comments or drop me a line at Cheapbeets at Gmail dot com. You can become a fan on Facebook or follow me @CheapBeets on Twitter where I try to highlight interesting food news and special food-related deals I hear about.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Cheap Beets 
Just found your blog via Boston food bloggers facebook page. I love finding fellow Boston food bloggers! I’m Brighton based but I love Allston. The Super 88 is my second home.
Thank you so much for reading! I work at BU, so sometimes I take the 57 from my office for a quick banh mi for lunch. I am so spoiled to live in such a great location for amazing food. One of my all-time favorite restaurants is in Brighton: Esperia Grill. If you like Greek food, you will not be disappointed.
Food loves make the best friends 😉 It’s amazing how creative we can become at using ordinary food in interesting ways when economic restraints force us to be inventive. Bravo.
Thanks for visiting my blog Molly! Nice to “meet” you. Your food musings are right up my alley as well! I know exactly what you mean about meeting cookbook authors, I went to Molly Wizenberg’s book reading at the Booksmith last spring and was fairly tongue-tied.
Oh I was at that book reading, too! Another disaster. I told her I loved revisiting the post about her wedding reception food. She looked at me as if I was some weird stalker. But I had gotten married just a few months earlier and thought about those things constantly. Anyways, another awkward interaction with a cookbook writer. Ah well.
Enjoy those whole grain pancakes- good and good for you! I’m a pseudo-veg myself and I’m always looking for new recipes. Glad to know there are other Brussels Sprouts evangelists out there!
molly! we met last night at deep ellum! i love your blog and will definitely be making your salmon cakes!
Hi! Just found your blog and wanted to say hello!
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m a fellow kale lover and am envious of your cheese certification. I went to BU for part of my undergrad and loved it. Looking forward to making your recipes! Great blog title, too. 🙂
Hey – Arjun is a mutual friend of ours (I think he is friend’s with your husband?) and he knows I love food and have a new food blog so he suggested yours – looks great! I’m in my 2nd year at Sargent College for MS in Nutrition 🙂 and I actually know someone who is about to start the MS in Gastronomy this fall!
NIce blog. I love the premise!
Hi, there – I just found your blog through a comment you left on Smitten Kitchen (crackly banana bread). I’m excited to dig through your site – it looks great and right up my alley!
Also, the reason I wrote you is to ask if you’d share more of the freezer-friendly recipes you mentioned in your comment on SK. I have a toddler and am expecting another baby and definitely need to stock the freezer with good, wholesome meals and we seem to share similar tastebuds! 🙂 Thanks so much in advance.
jackie
Hi Jackie,
Thank you so much for stopping by! For starters, this chana masala https://cheapbeets.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/miles-to-go-before-i-sleep/ sounds like what you’re looking for. Brown rice and quinoa freeze well and I’ll soon see how farro does. I’m waiting for the second freezer from my brother-in-law, and as soon as I get that, I will start posting recipes that are freezer to table specific. Scout’s honor.
Pingback: Zwetschgenkuchen: Traditional German Plum Cake | Beyond Bubbie's Kitchen: presented by New Center NOW
Hi Molly!
Love your blog, it’s a great concept, cheap yet still good eats.
I came across this doing research, but you used to work in Alumni Relations at BU? I worked there part-time 3 years ago, I wonder if we met before. >.<
Anyway, definitely wanted to say that it's great seeing blogs like this out there.
H Winnie,
Thanks so much for stopping by. I still do work in the Development department at BU. I’ve been there since 2008, so there is definitely a chance we shared an elevator ride up to the 7th floor, or met in the large kitchen overlooking the river. I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying what you’ve read and hope you continue to visit Cheap Beets
I LOVE CHEAP BEETS!