Most affordable meals

[Nenibay]

What are your go to options for affordable meals. We are in massive budget mode and I need to trim the grocery bill. We are not picky eaters but do want to be healthy.

[patbutcher]

Crockpot anything.

- stew with beef that I find reduced for quick sale, potatoes, onions, carrots, a can of tomatoes and Italian seasoning

- vegetarian chili- couple cans of beans, 1 can baked beans, frozen corn, peppers, can of tomatoes, chili powder


Meatless meals in general are cheaper. Pasta with tuna is a popular meal in our house. Also tuna melts.

I find making from scratch is the cheapest way to cook.

Another popular meal at our house is bbq crockpot chicken. Basically put chicken breasts in cp and dump half a bottle of bbq sauce on them. 8 hrs on low then shred over couscous or rice or make sandwiches.

Best way to save money is probably to shop the sales and meal plan around the flyers.

[VillainV]

Anything meatless or that only uses a little meat so we can stretch one pack of meat to cover two meals. For example I'll use 1/2 lb of ground beef to make meatballs for spaghetti, and use the other half for tacos or stuffed peppers. We augment with big salads or lots of veggies (which is healthier anyway).

Also, you can save a lot by avoiding pre-packaged convenience foods,like buying a head of lettuce instead of the bagged lettuce, a block of cheese instead of a bag of shredded cheese,etc. Frozen veggies are pretty cheap and can be very tasty in recipes.

[magdala]

Eggs are another reasonably priced protein option. Stratas, frittatas, shakshuka, omelets all can be reasonable in price and filling.

I also find vegetarian pastas to be reasonable: www.budgetbytes.com/2015/06/one-pot-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/
www.budgetbytes.com/2013/10/spinach-artichoke-wonderpot/
www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles/
www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/04/the_dinner_im_a.html

If you have ethnic grocery stores in your area, they can be more affordable on staples such as beans, rice and spices. Make sure to price compare before buying.

[jinkies]

Breakfast for dinner.

Grilled cheese.

This is the perfect time of year for budget eating bc a lot of fresh produce is in season. If you can find a cheap produce hookup, fresh tomato sandwiches and sweet corn make up a lot of summer meals in our house.

[Noblegirl]

Whole chickens. You can usually get them for around $6.00 each and we get several dinners and lunches (by eating the leftovers) out of them.

Dinner 1: Roast chicken; rice; veggies
Leftover Options:
Chicken fried rice
Chicken noodle soup
Chicken and gravy over homemade biscuits
Chicken quesadillas
Chicken tacos

[Deleted]

I'm all about easy on week days and don't put a lot of effort into dinner. This time of year we eat a ton of vegetables. We'll roast a bunch and eat them with cottage cheese or chicken breast on the side, or even use a rotisserie chicken if we find one on sale. Or we'll toss the roasted vegetables with a little pasta and seasonings. Or we sauté them with a little meat and make quesadillas. If we get some really good tomatoes we make a tomato pie from Annie's Eats. I also like the Zucchini Pie from Skinnytaste. We also make veggie omelets for dinner. This week we'll be having cabbage rolls, those are always cheap too.

Seasonal produce is very cheap around here, so we take advantage of it.

[irene adler]

Bean burritos. We make refried beans in the crockpot, mix it with cheese and salsa and put it on a tortilla.

[livinitup]

Whole chickens ... and use all the meat. Whole chickens give you the most bang for your buck in terms of nutrition and low cost. There are several cooking options to keep it interesting. The per meal cost of a serving of chicken with sides ends up being around a dollar or two.

- Roasted chicken. Kids love the legs. Add potatoes and onions to roasting pan for a whole meal. Great leftovers for sandwiches.
- Cut-up parts and put then on the grill. Add zucchini and squash (if in season and on sale).
- remove skin and place in pot, cover with water and simmer for 2 hours. Add onions, carrots, celery for a soup broth. Shred for soup, enchiladas, tacos, salad or anything. You get a TON of chicken.

[gt7301b]

Black bean soup, I just throw a bag in the crock pot with various seasonings (cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, sometimes I use chicken stock)... If I want it to be a little heartier I add sausage.

[lime]

Another vote for veggie stuff - corn, rice and beans are a complete protein.

Add tomatoes and cilantro for some taste. If avocados are expensive in your area, just get a single one and put thin slices on top for garnish. A bit of cheese helps add flavor, and if you get an extra strong cheddar, you can use very little.

[mbcdefg]

Ditto the whole chicken suggestions. Either roast it yourself or get a $5 rotisserie chicken from Costco.

If you want to buy chicken pieces, go for bone-in thighs, legs, or the big quarter thigh-leg pieces. Boneless is more expensive.

Pork is usually inexpensive. Chops, a shoulder for pulled pork, roast the loin.

Buy the loose vegetables rather than packaged ... spinach, head of lettuce, etc.

Use up leftover little bits of meat and veggies for stir fry, fried rice, soup, stew, omelets, hash, pot pie, etc.

If you want beef, get something like a London broil rather than pricier steaks. Chuck pieces are great if you have time to braise them or throw them in a crockpot.

Check out the Budget Bytes website.

[mich1]

I can get about 3-4 full meals out of a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken for the 2 of us.

First meal is usually chicken with some sides (rice/veggies/salad). I pick all the chicken off the bones and throw them into the stock pot and make stock. This becomes the base for chicken soup, with noodles/rice, carrots, onions and celery, or chicken and noodles. Meal 3 is usually a chicken Cesar's salad. Meal 4 is paninis or quesadillas.

Any leftover veggies/meat becomes a frittata for either breakfast or dinner when you saute them all together and toss in a few eggs. Throw a little cheese on the top.

Bean soup is cheap. I can get a hamsteak for about $3 (3/$10 at Costco) and a bag of beans for $1. Carrots, celery and onions are cheap and those usually go in too - so $5 for a pot of soup.

I think my cheapest meal I have ever priced out was lentil soup. $1 for lentils, $1 for stock and $1 for the onion/carrot/celery mire poix I start the soup with. $3 for the whole pot.

[Pom]

www.wisebread.com/what-to-eat-every-day-a-month-of-frugal-meals

[darkling_glory]

Potatoes. Big bags are cheap. Bake em and top them with whatever is on sale.

- Black beans and salsa.
- Broccoli and cheese ends (cheap at the deli)
- Slice them, bake them, and top them as "nachos"
- roast mini potatoes and toss with Dijon mustard and dill from your garden

Also, pick up a couple small herb plants (my Lowes had tons of stuff marked down to a dollar this week) and use that to dress up pantry meals. A $1 box of pasta with marinara and a can of chickpeas feels much fancier with fresh basil on top.

Beans are cheap and filling. Soak and cook big batches and then freeze in 1-2 cup servings so that its more like a convenience food. Cheaper than cans, too.

Don't be afraid of the farmer's market. 4 zucchini for a buck is much better than $1.99 each at the grocery store.

[imojoebunny]

My favorite is rice and beans. I will put onion, corn cut off the cob, avacado, tomato, nectarine, and/or other fruits and veggies in it after I heat the rice and beans. I sometimes add cream cheese, which is cheap on a per ounce basis and adds some fat.

I can make it different every time by adding a different veggie or fruit combination, so I don't get bored with it.

[pumpkin]

mich1, do you have recipes for your bean and lentil soups? I'd like to make some and freeze some, but am a 'requires a recipe' cook

[namasteak]

Look at the $5 Dollar Dinners website. Lots of good ideas for meals that feed appx 4 people!

[mich1]

Jul 5, 2015 17:45:41 GMT -5 pumpkin said:

mich1, do you have recipes for your bean and lentil soups? I'd like to make some and freeze some, but am a 'requires a recipe' cook

Both start the same way.  I sauté a mire poix of carrots, celery and onion until softened.  I grate garlic into both.  I play around with spices, I like cumin in the lentil, thyme (I grow it on the deck and it seems to even stay alive during the winter here).  The spices and beans/lentils go in, along with chicken stock.  The lentil soup cooks until they are softened and I pull about half out.  The rest I hit with the immersion blender as I like the texture.

For the bean soup, I throw the beans, chicken stock and thyme bundle in.  I do NOT salt this soup.  When the beans are almost done, I throw in chopped up ham steak.  I have found if I throw the ham in earlier, the beans get horribly salty, it s almost like the salt concentrates in the beans.  

I've been working on cream of mushroom soup and almost have it down.  But this recipe takes about $10 in mushrooms alone....not cheap either.

My French onion is pretty cheap.....until you get to the Greuyere.  Domestic doesn't do it justice....never again, so spring for imported.  Ouch!

We eat a LOT of soup!

[msmerymac]

NPR did a series on feeding a family of 4 for $10, and this is a staple in my house now: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102854605

Other things I like:

- cook massive amounts of dried beans or lentils in the crock pot and freeze in smaller portions. Pair with rice to make burritos, tacos, bowls, or salads, and top with things like salsa, avocado, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, leftover sauces, hummus, whatever you have - you don't have to keep it mexican themed. Used chickpeas and make it Indian curry or middle eastern, or white beans and use Italian flavors.

- grow your own herbs - makes pestos, sauces and other flavorings cheap, plus you can use what you need. Basil/pesto also freezes well.

- simple black bean soup = rinsed black beans, veggie broth, salsa and lime juice. Blend half the batch to make it thick and creamy. Serve with tortilla chips.

- easy pasta dishes - I grow tomatoes and will use my own tomatoes and basil, and sometimes toss with a little goat cheese, garlic and olive oil. Pasta is like $2/pound if you buy it (I also make it). Round it out with veggies and it's filling AND pretty healthy. I also make side salads.

- Make your own salad dressing and have a salad on the side of any meal, so you can stretch out the more expensive things. One of my favorites is just olive oil, white balsamic, and a clove of garlic, plus sometimes a touch of dijon.

[itsme]

I make pork roast a lot. I get a roast for under $4 and throw potatoes and carrots in the crockpot with it. I also make pasta often because it's fast and cheap. I add sausage to the pasta, which runs $2.50-$3 and I get two meals out of it.

[Deleted]

Jul 5, 2015 16:38:51 GMT -5 imojoebunny said:

My favorite is rice and beans. I will put onion, corn cut off the cob, avacado, tomato, nectarine, and/or other fruits and veggies in it after I heat the rice and beans. I sometimes add cream cheese, which is cheap on a per ounce basis and adds some fat.

I can make it different every time by adding a different veggie or fruit combination, so I don't get bored with it.

Oh, this reminds me of a dish I had at a lunch place nearby.  Their daily special was Cuban black beans over some sort of yellow rice with roasted butternut squash on top. It was amazing. I need to recreate it.

[mich1]

We eat a LOT of Cesear's salad during the summer, and it turns out it's a fairly cheap meal. Costco sells a package of 6 heads for $3. I use whatever leftover bread we have to make croutons and make my own dressing. The can of anchovies I put into it and half a head of garlic cost about $2 and I get 3 big salads out of it. So for under $2 + whatever leftover meat is dinner. I normally will cook a little extra meat for meals to throw into either stir fries, salads or sandwiches.

I concur with growing your own herbs. I have basil (tons, need to make and freeze pesto today before we go on vacation), rosemary, thyme, oregano, dill and chives. I freeze the pesto in small containers and we'll eat it on pasta all winter long.

I also stock up on staples when I know that the prices are good. Pasta is a good example of this, I can normally get it for $1/lb and will buy about 5-6 lbs of various shapes to have in stock. Costco has REALLY good prices when they put them on discount it comes out to about 0.40/can. I stock up on a couple cases when the price drops as we go through a lot of it. Same with tomatoes and beans (I'd love to cook and freeze, but limited freezer space).

[soso]

crockpot chili. I add tons of different kinds of beans and tomatoes... and very little meat - even 1/2 pound of ground beef for a huge batch gives a good flavor. It's filling, can be frozen etc... I serve it with cornbread -- which is cheap too!