Help! Looking for Healthy, Cheap, Plan-Ahead meals...

tntmom87 · June 2013

I generally tend to go for really simple meals - I'll make up a pot of brown rice (which will last me a week), mix in some black beans, diced tomatoes, taco meat - this is pretty good, and filling. My go-to meal when I'm in a jam though is tuna. Mix in some diced onions, sometimes add a tbsp of mayo and make a sandwich out of it. Or through some tuna on top of a salad (I thought that was really strange when I first heard of it til I tried it - pretty good!). I also stock up on frozen veggies. Pretty cheap, and fast to make.

HotAshMess · June 2013

It is a work in progress, but I blog about eating cheaper (cheap shopping, cooking smarter, eating out cheaper). There are also a few recipes. I hope you can find something that helps

thisdamselflies · June 2013

I'll very often roast a chicken over the weekend and roast some in-season veggies on the side for dinner, then shred the rest of the chicken and use it for a bunch of different recipes over the week. You can make chicken fajitas with peppers and onion, chicken soup, chicken sandwiches, etc. (To roast a chicken, stuff it with a punctured lemon, chopped carrot, celery, and onion, and some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage, rub it with some homemade poultry seasoning--usually the dried versions of the stuffing herbs along with some garlic, salt, and pepper--and stick it in the oven at 350* for a couple hours...check the temperature every once in a while to see if it's done, and baste it when you do that)

Chili is also a good thing to make ahead and take to work, and it's especially easy because all you have to do is toss the ingredients in a crock pot and then leave it alone for 8 hours. I really like turkey chili, and you can make cornbread to go with it.

If you have a refrigerator at work or in the department, you can make salad, just make sure it's got protein in it (chicken, beef, eggs, chickpeas, etc.), and make sure you don't put the dressing on until right before you eat it. Soggy salad is gross. You can also take sandwiches, and I'm sure you can find lots of creative ideas online for interesting sandwiches.

I'm also a big fan of the Clean Eating Magazine recipes. Some of them are duds, but a lot of them are very good. The two websites that have yet to fail me on flavorful meals are smittenkitchen.com and thekitchn.com, and you can probably find a lot of lunch ideas and dinner recipes that will be good leftover.