Best budget friendly meals?

[justkeepswimming]

I'm trying to create 4-6 weeks of meal plans for my brother and sister-in-law. SIL is having a series of surgeries which has required her to leave her job. My brother will be in charge of cooking (for the first time ever) and will be doing it with a very limited income. I'm 1,000 miles away and not in the position to really help them financially, so they asked if I could help with this.

I'm looking for fairly easy, inexpensive, somewhat healthy meal ideas. Anyone have a favorite? Thanks in advance!

[lilybug]

Soups for sure. You don't have to use a ton of meat (or expensive cuts) and a pot will feed you for days.

One of my go to broke ass meal plans is to roast a chicken for dinner one night, then pick all the extra bits of meat off the bones and the next night, throw it into a soup with rice and whatever veggies we have. Very filling and super cheap.

[notoriousmeg]

Do they have a crock pot? I make salsa chicken a lot (chicken thighs, a jar of salsa, a can of black beans, and some frozen corn on low for 6 hours). It makes 2-3 meals for the 2 of us. Soup is another good option. Pasta with marinara or meatballs makes a lot. Lasagna roll ups are good too b/c he can make a bunch and freeze them.

[justmeandmydog]

I really love this recipe and her site as a whole. Hope this helps!

www.budgetbytes.com/2013/07/creamy-tomato-spinach-pasta/

[moonriver]

Check out cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com

I've made their egg drop soup and it was really good!

[lilafowler]

Pasta is cheap and you can do many different things-red sauce, mix it with chicken and veggies, baked with sauce and cheese, macaroni and cheese, etc.

[lilafowler]

Eggs are kind of expensive right now but if they find a sale or a comparable egg substitute they can make quiches, breakfast casseroles, quick scrambled eggs, etc.

[lilafowler]

Chicken thighs are inexpensive and very versatile!

[isabel]

Any chance they have a CostCo membership? Their rotisserie chickens are sold for less than what it costs them to prepare. Super cheap! You can use the carcass to make stock for homemade soup.

Beans are a good way to bulk up soups.

[Aquatica]

Another crock pot meal person checking in. With it just H and I, this meal plan lasts double time because it's based for a family of 4.

It's from 5dollardinners.com and they also have a gluten free meal plan as well.

[justkeepswimming]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I am sending them a crockpot via Amazon. I asked and they don't have a Costco membership, but one of their friends does, so they could go together once in awhile.

[FastHands]

Is there a schwanns near them? My bff had them deliver a bunch of stuff to us after I had ds, and it was tastier than I had expected, and not that expensive. The meal plans will be great too, but if you wanted to help stock the freezer from far away, that might be an option.

[Jalapeñomel]

Enchiladas

[lilibet]

Do they have an aldi? They can get a bag of frozen chicken thighs for a pretty good price and do a lot with that especially with a crock pot. Salsa chicken like pp mentioned also I like to cook it in the crockpot with some broth and then shred it and add my favorite bbq sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray which our Aldi carries too).

This soup is really good - www.yourhomebasedmom.com/tortellini-and-sausage-soup-2/ You can use canned tomatoes, I tend to leave out the zucchini, and I know around here the frozen tortellini is on sale a lot this time of year.

I'd also check out the freezer cooking part on Money Saving Mom blog. She has some good recipes and links out to a lot of other blogs with good ideas. They're usually very healthy, easy to make, and typically make a lot or can be made ahead.

[spellingbea]

Dried beans are great for budget meals. A big pot of pinto beans and they can have beans and rice one night, burritos another and use the rest in a big pot of chili. Stores with bulk bins (I love Sprouts) will have rice, beans and other staples for super cheap. Egg dishes are another great option: quiche, egg tacos, shakshuka.

[circa1978]

Jan 16, 2016 19:23:24 GMT -5 justkeepswimming said:

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I am sending them a crockpot via Amazon. I asked and they don't have a Costco membership, but one of their friends does, so they could go together once in awhile.

I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but I think if you have a Costco gift card, you can use it even if you aren't a member. 

[circa1978]

Also, I love anything to do with lentils, which are high in protein and inexpensive.

[lolo]

I do tacos often as an inexpensive meal. Black beans, corn, sometimes I add zucchini or pepper, onion, spices. I typically make a big batch each week and use it for tacos, bean salad and also to top mixed greens.

As others have said, soup is amazing and also freezes well. My favorites are lentil soup and potato and leek soup. Chili is also delicious and you can serve leftovers on baked potatoes, which is excellent.

Baked fish and roasted veggies are easy and delicious and can be budget friendly.

Budget bytes is a good website with suggestions.

[CloudBee]

A cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco or the grocery store, and a bag of salad. Should come out to $10 or less and last them at least 2 meals.

[eb777888]

I LOVE beans and hamhocks (or black-eyed peas and hamhocks). I like it spicy so I add Rotel and jalapenos but it can be made for $5 a pot and it makes a ton (we get about 10 servings out of it). I make it in the crockpot. It also freezes well.

[janetplanet20]

This crockpot balsamic roast beef is really good, super easy to make, and utilizes a cheap cut of meat. We usually get 3-4 two person meals out of it. I like to eat it on a sandwich roll with some horseradish. It's one of those dishes that tastes better a day or two after making it, too.
addapinch.com/cooking/balsamic-roast-beef-recipe/

[janetplanet20]

Here's a bunch of recipes for chicken breasts too.
www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/chicken-breast-recipes#.miDYYg9XQ

[janetplanet20]

Oh a super easy dinner I used to make a lot when I was learning to cook;
Put chicken breasts in a small shallow baking dish (I used a pie tin for just two breasts). Pour BBQ sauce (of teriyaki, Soyaki, or any other bottled sauce) on top of the chicken. Cook until done.

[thatgirl2478]

We like chicken enchilada chili in the crock pot:

20oz of boneless chicken thighs
1 15oz can corn (drained)
1 15oz can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 10oz can enchilada sauce
1 pkg enchilada seasoning
1 pkg shredded cojack or mexican blend cheese (2 cups - added at the end)

ETA: cook all but the cheese in the crock for either 3 hrs on high or 6 on low if chicken isn't frozen when you put it in the crock.  When cooked, shred chicken, mix in the cheese.

We serve it over rice to stretch it out a bit if we need to.

[bab]

I love making Pioneer Woman's Lazy Lasagna

He will need a box of pasta(I use rotini or penne if I don't have bow ties) sauce, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, sour cream and ground beef (as well as a few basic spices)
When I make this, I freeze half of it in a glass 8x8 dish and use it another time. This recipe makes a ton of food. It's nice eating the leftovers because you heat it in the oven and add a littlue extra cheese and sauce.

Serve with salad from a bag and some garlic bread
Very easy

thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/16-minute-meal-2-bowtie-lasagna/

[thatgirl2478]

If you can find inexpensive pork chops (I know I've gotten good deals on the thick cut ones from Sam's) we also like Ranch chops:

4 thick cut chops
1 large can of cream of mushroom (20oz I think)
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

brown chops (not required, but makes them yummy), mix soup & ranch in the crock, put chops in, spread some of the soup mixture over the top and cook for 3-4 hrs on high (assuming chops were not frozen).

We serve with either potatoes or rice.

[MrsAxilla]

Jan 16, 2016 21:31:27 GMT -5 @dixiedarling said:

Chili. I use a lot of beans and it really stretches it out, we get 6-8 meals out of a batch.

This is my suggestion, too.  Sauté a bell pepper and onion, add diced tomatoes (2-3 cans), several types of beans (we like black, pinto and kidney), chili powder, cumin, garlic.  Simmer 20 mins.

[miniroller]

Just wanted to add it's really nice that you're helping out like this! All my ideas were already mentioned, but I think what you're doing is really great, OP

[isabel]

Jan 16, 2016 19:54:17 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

Jan 16, 2016 19:23:24 GMT -5 justkeepswimming said:

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I am sending them a crockpot via Amazon. I asked and they don't have a Costco membership, but one of their friends does, so they could go together once in awhile.

I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but I think if you have a Costco gift card, you can use it even if you aren't a member. 

Yes. This is correct. I used to buy gift cards for a friend so she could grab stuff there from time to time.

[justkeepswimming]

I love all of these ideas! I'm going to end up adding a bunch to my own rotation! They have Aldi, Kroger, and Giant Eagle, none of which I have near me, but they look reasonable. I didn't realize that non members could use Costco gift cards, that's a great option for them.

Thank you all so much for your help! I'm going to be able to put about six weeks of meal plans together with all of these suggestions and websites.