What are your best CHEAP meals? Bonus points if they are somewhat healthy!
We need to cut our grocery and eating out budgets!
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Pasta with any type of sauce, it's not the healthiest ever but we buy wheat pasta. That's usually my go to when things are tight but I'd love some more ideas too!
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I always buy meat on sale (I'm not opposed to freezing it, I know some people are) so this helps save a bunch. And I meal plan based on sales on meat. So if beef is on sale we might have that 3 times a week instead of 2 or chicken if it's on sale.
I buy the fresh produce and make sure I use the whole thing: so if I need 1/2 an onion for one meal I choose another meal that I can use the other half for so it doesn't go to waste. Same thing with say cilantro, I will make a salsa/salad to use the rest in so it doesn't go to waste that we can eat for lunch. My best advice is have a lightly stocked pantry for the basics, and then meal plan weekly! It has literally saved me 75/week.
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@Bao: yep, spaghetti is my go-to as well! I prefer the wheat pasta, but DH prefers regular. Sometimes we'll do broccoli on spaghetti night, or ground turkey for DH, but when times are especially tough just noodles and sauce is fine!
I like to stock up on sauce and pasta when my grocery store has 10 for $10 sales.@lulu mom: I'm trying really hard to get back into meal planning. using all the produce is a great tip. I HATE wasting things!
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Beans? They're super inexpensive and if you get the dried ones, they're even more economical. I perfer canned because I can't manage the long soaks required for dried.
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-Spaghetti w/ side salad
-Buffalo chkn sandwiches (I put 3 pcs chkn breast, 1/2 bottle of buffalo sauce, a few TBL ranch dressing in a crockpot on low for 8ish hours. Shred the meat and put it on a cheap hamburger bun)
-Tacos? I usually use a lean ground beef, but you could use ground turkey. I also use lower sodium taco seasoning. Add a ton of veggies (toms, lettuce, GP, etc) to make it healthier?Idk, I need more cheap meal ideas, too!
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@looch: I love beans. I have never figured out how to use the dry ones. No matter how long I soak they end up a little crunchy, yuck!
Rice and beans, beans and rice as Dave Ramsey would say! I just need more ideas on how to make them appealing to DH.
@doxielove: We will do burrito night, quesadilla night, taco night where everyone can customize their own (more veggies and beans for me, more meat for DH).
Grilled cheeses and tomato soup is a good quick/cheap meal in the fall/winter.
Baked potatoes! Regular or sweet. A veggie/salad on the side, or top with beans and other toppings.
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Beans and rice are always a good, cheap meal! Throw some frozen veggies on the side and DONE.
I usually find the simpler the meal, the cheaper. You can get chicken breasts for $1.89lb on sale or at Walmart all the time. Salt and pepper it, grill or bake. For the sides, use potatoes or rice or pasta (all cheap) and again, frozen veggies. Frozen veggies are our go-to in every month other than summer when we can find them super cheap.
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Breakfast, beans & rice, grilled cheese & soup
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@looch: Beans are a great way to cut costs on favorite recipes - and I make my dried beans in a crock pot and then freeze them flat, portioned out in ziploc bags. Requires very little work from me but is even more cost-effective. I could never get them tender enough with the soak/boil method either!
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@lindseykaye: tell me more...what is your process?
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@looch:
Rinse beans and pick out any pebbles.
Dump in crock pot.
Fill with water about 1-2 inches above beans.
Cook on low 6-8 hrs.
Cool.
Scoop/measure out into bags, add a little juice, squeeze out the air. (A can of beans is about 1 3/4 cups)
Freeze flat.
Yum!I thaw them in the fridge over night if I remember, but they thaw quickly in a sink with water, too. I have cooked 1lb and 2lb bags this way, both with good results. And if you are doing this on a weekend you can test a few beans towards the end of cooking and shut it off when they're close as they will need a good amount of time to cool and will continue cooking a bit. Little beans (black beans) need less time than big beans (chickpeas).
Enjoy! -
I love black beans and rice with cornbread, vegetable soup, and pasta.
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Stir fries are always quick and cheap- I just throw in whatever meat I have plus veggies lying around. It's also a good way to use up the old veggies that are about to go bad.
Also agree with pastas - baked ziti, lasagna, etc can all be made in a huge pan.
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We do 3 night pasta meals.
Stir Fries = a protein plus whatever leftover veg you have.
We always buy and freeze meat when on sale. You can't afford to eat meat otherwise. All meat is frozen at the store anyway.
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I love all the stir fry suggestions, but I have never actually cooked one! Any tips or examples you'd like to share ladies?
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@cmomma17: stir fry is the easiest thing in the world. Pick a protein; my go to is usually chicken or pork. Then literally use whatever veggies you have on hand. I tend to have celery, broccoli, onions, peppers.
I like to marinate my meat in a little sugar + soy sauce. Then I precook it in a hot pan with a little EVOO to get the "funk" out.
Clean pan (I use a wok) and add in EVOO till it gets hot, add in smashed garlic, let that brown. Then throw in veggies, stir around, add sugar, soy sauce. Cover and let cook for about 5-10. Then add in meat/protein, add a little more sugar + soy sauce. I also add oyster sauce. Let cook about 2 more minutes till meat is done.I usually serve over jasmine rice.
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Haha pasta, but both DH and I love it so much that we end up eating a ton of it and it doesn't really save us any $
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Polenta with tomato sauce and a fried egg.
Roasted cauliflower steaks with tomato sauce.
Tofu stir fry.
Eggplant parm.
Faux chicken pot pie, with a shredded chicken breast, frozenixed veggies, in a bechamel sauce, served with a grain.We also rotate grains-quinoa, couscous, barley, bulghar. We don't do a lot of pasta, because it don't find it fills me well.
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@lindseykaye: I might give it a whirl this weekned! I want to do some chick peas for hummus.
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@regberadaisy: thanks so much! I'm a vegetarian so wondering about the "funk" part of the meat lol
@moderndaisy: us too! we overeat pasta so easily! I'll make a big baked ziti and say "this is for two dinners and leftovers for lunch" Nope.
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Chili and Soups are usually inexpensive.
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@lindseykaye: awesome tip for dry beans. I'll have to try that sometime soon. I use a ton of beans and I'd love the extra savings.
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Yeah it blew my mind when I read that long ago - now I swear by it!
@looch: Nice - hope it goes well for you!
Oh and I totally forgot to add some of my favorite cheap meals...
Quick Channa Masala
Chickpeas, jarred spaghetti sauce, spices (garam masala, curry, ground ginger), box of frozen peas, serve over rice.Southwest Grits
Make cheese grits, serve with seasoned black beans, guacamole or avocado and a scoop each of salsa and sour cream.Potato Hash
Sweet or Russet potatoes cubed (or a mix), one onion diced, and veggies you like (mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers. Serve with a fried egg on top.
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