budget friendly, diet friendly, and kid friendly

spazztazztic

hey everyone! i'm really new to trying to lose weight and i was never completely ignorant but from seeing what i eat laid out on my screen along with where i lost the most calories or sugars i'm making choices based on whats worth it to me. we are on a tight budget now due to my husband being unemployed so i can't really buy special food just for me. oh, and i have a 2.5 year old who is very picky and has a dairy allergy so i prefer not to rely heavily on dairy because then a chunk of my food budget has been used toward food off limits to my daughter. shes the reason i want to change my ways and get fit but i can't starve her to make that happen. open to any and all ideas

*TL;DR - looking for cheap, healthy, kid friendly food. preferably dairy free. thanks in advance!

Q2Power

We love this dish, not sure what its called:

1 can beans (we use pinto but you could use black beans)
1 jar of salsa
1-1/2 TBSP. taco seasoning
1 pound of cooked chicken breast cut up
1 cup of cooked rice per person

Cook rice.
Cook chicken breast.
Add salsa, drained and rinsed beans and taco seasoning to skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chicken.

Serve over rice. Add sour cream if desired.



We also will take chicken breast and just bake it with salt, pepper and a bit of paprika on top. We serve it with crinkle cut French fries sometimes or a salad.


We like to cook whole chickens too. Very inexpensive. I usually cut up an onion and a few carrots and put them underneath the whole chicken so all the chicken juice keeps them moist and fills them with flavor. If I have them I might add a few potatoes or in the last 10-15 minutes I might add some mushrooms. I usually will just sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, rosemary, and paprika. I put a pat of butter underneath the breast skin on both sides and a small pat on top of each breast side. Delicious!!!

Queenmunchy

I'm going to send you a huge document tomorrow, but I was a single mom for many years, and eating healthy has always been super important to me.
Easy/cheap meals: pita pizzas, loaded baked potatoes, chicken/zucchini or squash nuggets, turkey/zucchini or spinach meatballs, cauliflower/cheese Mac and cheese. There are a lot of ways to add vegetables into foods that your child already loves and to replace some of the higher calorie components to make healthier meals for you both.

For example, when my daughter was around 3 she requested spaghetti-o's with meatballs from a can because she had it at her dad's. I refused to buy that, but I made a tomato sauce with puréed carrots and Romano, mixed that with small O pasta, and added in some super tiny baked turkey/zucchini meatballs.

MissJay75

I know you are looking for recipes, but I don't have a lot of non-dairy recipes to share. However, one thing I do with my family is change the portions of each food on the plate.

My kids need to eat calorie dense stuff, higher in carbs and fats, while I do not. So most dinners for us have 3 components; lean protein, veg, and a carb. When I am dishing the kids, their meal is probably 60% carb, 30% protein, 10% veg. When I am dishing my own plate it is more like 40% protein 50% veg, 10% carb.

Does that make sense?

Queenmunchy

Oop, non dairy. Honestly, a seasoned puréed cauliflower sauce can be excellent without cheese as a sauce. Pizzas can me made without cheese - maybe do a homemade pesto type sauce without the cheese or one with a hummus, peanut, or bbq sauce as a base and add veggies to top.

spazztazztic

thanks so much for all the help! if anyone just feels like tossing out ideas without recipes thats also fine

rheeneek

I'm a single parent with a 3 year old and am currently unemployed as well so this thread is brilliant.

trisH_7183

Maybe breakfast for dinner? Most kids love it. Just anything you all like for breakfast.

Fresh veggie dish,,with or without meat....served with salad. My husband loves green beans with cut up potatoes....along with a ham bone,smoked turkey meat or just sliced smoked sausage. Big bowls of soup,bean,veggie etc ....very filling & leftovers even better the next day.Same with scalloped potatoes.....use as the main dish.Fresh tomato slices on toast for yummy sandwiches.
Google dairy free meals,low cost dinners......you'll soon have more recipes than you can use.

This is a great site for recipes. http://www.skinnytaste.com
Anotherone....both sites give nutrition info
http://m.allrecipes.com/recipes/15522/everyday-cooking/budget-cooking/?page=2

spazztazztic

rheeneek wrote: »

I'm a single parent with a 3 year old and am currently unemployed as well so this thread is brilliant.

hopefully this takes off and we can both get some awesome ideas

trisH_7183

A couple more sites you can check out.BTW.......A frittata as mentioned is cheap,filling & just as good the next day.Can add most any veg,cooked meat etc......or plain.

http://www.budgetbytes.com

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/cooking_on_a_budget/

jgnatca

Children typically enjoy chilis and sloppy joe type meals. Slow cooker meals are often inexpensive. You fit these in to your diet by watching the portion, which MFP is designed to do. Learn to enjoy beans from dry and cooked in the slow cooker. A roast chicken is also inexpensive and good for the whole family. The meat can be used in wraps and casseroles.

Inexpensive vegetables can be got frozen as they won't get bad before they are eaten, and veggies in season and in small quantities. Sturdy vegetables include carrots and cabbage. Hubby loves the coleslaw I make from carrots and cabbage.

I have a Waldorf salad made of shredded apples and carrots that gets gobbled up every time I make it. It is full of color which children like.

ms_smartypants

The websites I use quite often are emilybites.com .....skinnytaste.com...chef-in-training.com...eatyourselfskinny and canyoustayfordinner..