I need super cheap but healthy meal ideas?

MeganReid1991

So we are going though some financial struggles we have lots of children and I am desperately trying to lose weight. So I need some super cheap dinner ideas that can feed a whole bunch of people.
I like casseroles cause I can spread it out to last.
Also chilli but I need more ideas!

U2R2

Don't know about healthy but you could feed an army on the cheap with soup beans, taters, onions, pickle relish and cornbread. I know we had it twice a week growing up.

nutmegoreo

I chose to go on an aggressive budget some time back and had to figure out how to adapt my food accordingly. Some staples are inexpensive. Things like rice, beans (dried are cheaper than canned, but take some more prep work). Potatoes, beets, carrots can all be picked up relatively inexpensive.

Depending on where you live, you could grow some yourself, the seeds are inexpensive compared to the amount you get out of it. Although it's getting late in the growing season, but you could still get some faster growing items out.

There are apps out there where you can comparison shop the flyers that are local to you. I use Flipp myself, and that has been very helpful to shop for the cheaper locations. If you go first thing in the morning, you can get in and out pretty quickly. I have a run of 5 places in a big loop, and can be done in less than 2 hours.

I usually pick up my groceries and then pick the recipes. I like myfridgefood.com for recipes. Enter what you have available and it gives you a list of recipes.

nickssweetheart

Lentils. High protein, filling, incredibly cheap, and don't require presoaking the way dried beans do.

Lentil Stew
Lentil Soup

Depending upon how open-minded your family is, you can also use lentils in place of ground meat, like in spaghetti sauce or sloppy joes. Or if that wouldn't go over well, you can cook lentils and use them to stretch your meat dishes, bulking them up for pennies instead of dollars.

Buddie66

If you don't do so already, plan meals. It can be as simple as Monday: chicken, Tuesday: vegetarian. Nicksweetheart is right about lentils. They have more protein than beef. There are quick ways to cook dried legumes. You can pick them over, and freeze them in water. This breaks down the tough skins. Or put the cleaned beans into water and maybe some vegetables for flavor. Bring to a boil, then shut off. Leave the beans in water on the stove for 1 hour. Then cook on low until tender. Use vegetable trimmings and gravy, suitable leftovers items, and pan drippings to make soup of the day. It is filling and helps you to eat less for your meal. Don't waste any food. Freeze it and keep track of what you have in the freezer.

k8eekins

MeganReid1991 wrote: »

So we are going though some financial struggles we have lots of children and I am desperately trying to lose weight. So I need some super cheap dinner ideas that can feed a whole bunch of people.
I like casseroles cause I can spread it out to last.
Also chilli but I need more ideas!

If your family doesn't mind chickpeas (garbanzo), making falafel balls, patties, fritters, burgers, loaves which you may freeze and add to any soups, stews or salads, will help ease the struggle a little. When on an excursion as a family, consider garbanzo baked/roasted snacks.

100_PROOF_

Rice and beans!
You can season it differently so you won't get bored.

Oatmeal is always good.

Pasta. It's cheap and fills me up quickly so I don't need a whole lot of it.

kami3006

I like to boil cabbage and potatoes together until the potatoes are done and then add some smoked sausage to the pot to heat it through. Cheap, easy, and works well calorie wise particularly if you use smoked turkey or turkey kielbasa. We usually eat it for a few days. I don't add any seasoning except pepper to the cabbage once it's plated. It's an extended family favorite.

brazillit

budgetbytes.com has some great recipes.

Libmatos

Been there...here are a few of my many ways to save learned on the road to raising 3 and supporting 4 more: buy nothing pre cooked. Buy in bulk. Never go to restaurants or fast food places. Read labels for sugar enhanced items and delete them. Sugar is expensive and unhealthy. Use farmer's markets and negotiate lower bulk prices. Cook all of it, and freeze it ahead so there's no waste or spoilage. Find community organizations that exchange farm and home products for volunteer work. Work with your kids to teach them how to help. Save more by using resale shops for clothing items. Reduce tv subscriptions. Take advantage of cell phone plan offers to reduce costs. Get new insurance quotes for cars and property as they compete for customers. All that will save you hundreds per month.

acpgee

Check out Jack Monroe's website. Before becoming a food columnist, she was a single mom on benefits (welfare in the UK) . She specializes in cooking on a bootstrap.

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/category/recipes-food/

apullum

Do you have a crock pot? Or can you buy a cheap/secondhand crock pot? If so, then you can use it to cook dried beans with almost no effort on your part. Spices can be expensive, but having a basic set of spices will give your beans some variety. Cooked beans also freeze nicely, so you can let your crock pot cook a big batch and then freeze whatever you won't eat right away. You can eat your beans with rice, put them in casseroles, bean soup, burritos, black bean burgers, falafel, hummus, put them on salads...

acpgee

The Skint Foodie is another blog featuring very cheap recipes. Written by a guy who used to have a high flying job who ate Michelin starred
https://www.theskintfoodie.com/about.html

acpgee

Whoops. Hit reply accidentally. Blogger used to eat at fancy restaurants but but was on benefits for a while following mental health issues. Good recipes and tips on how to shop if you are broke.

amusedmonkey

Load up on spices and herbs, they last long so you won't have to buy them often. They can make the most simple dish taste gourmet, or the same dish taste like a completely different dish.

A few days ago I had a fried egg. That's as simple as it gets. With a touch of dried oregano, it felt like I was eating something special and new.

tammytam72

Chicken cacciatore is a cheap meal and can make bunches. Onions peppers. Mushrooms. Boneless chicken of choice I changed it up a big to be more healthy friendly by adding 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce. Uses less sauce that way and adds great flavor. One pan cooking also.

TheArchyBunker

Good ol Army slop S.O.S. ground beef browned, mixed with gravy slopped over mashed taters or toast. My kids go nuts over this one! 40 years of eating I still do.

RaeM1818

Go meatless occasionally - make your own salad ( have your kids choose their own toppings) and make your own grilled cheeses ( each make your own creation).

jgnatca

Lots of great ideas upthread. I'll try and mention stuff that hasn't been brought up yet.

The expense of vegetables is the wastage, so either get sturdy vegetables that don't go bad quickly, or get frozen.

Sturdy vegetables include cabbage, carrots, and other root vegetables. Keep potatoes in the house.

Dry beans and legumes keep forever and aren't that hard to prepare. You just have to plan a day in advance of cooking.

Cheese is expensive and calorific. You can cut the cheese by a quarter in most recipes, and try grating finer to extend it longer.

I never let myself run out of onion, flour, or eggs. Eggs can be a little more expensive but they are so versatile, and a quick way to add a little protein.

I think you will find for chicken that the thighs, bone in, are cheapest. Lately pork loin has been very cheap here. I make a roast and freeze the leftovers for future casseroles.

You can save time with your meats by bulk cooking in the oven and packaging up the precooked meat to use later on in the week.

Go ahead and try substitutions if you are short one or two ingredients on a recipe.

If you are looking to diet on a budget, just eat less than everyone else is having, and bulk up on vegetables.

jgnatca

Here are some casseroles that are on my "proven" list.

https://www.pinterest.ca/janetkarasz/proven-mains/casseroles/

I freely skip green onion garnish, and replace shallots with regular onion.

CowboySar

Costco is great for your needs.

4lbs ground turkey $20.00
Large eye of round roast can be cut up $20.00
Fish is cheap

I eat a lot these days and do most of my shopping at Costco as if I bought the amount of food I eat from a normal grocery store I would not be able to afford it.

Ideas for meals with Costco shopping

Chili
Spaghetti and sauce
Turkey burgers
Stir frys
Steaks
Quinoa
Philly cheese

tons of ideas I could go on and on

krokador

Frozen veggies tend to be on the cheaper side of the spectrum, won't spoil very quickly and are quite easy to prepare/season. Potatoes and rice are great cheap carb sources (especially if you cook/prepare them yourself). Pasta cna be used in moderation. For the protein, any cut of meat that's on sale will go well. extra lean ground pork has a pretty amazing nutritional value, and typically goes for half what beef does (and is delicious). Pork loins. Chicken thighs are extremely cheap, you can cook a whole bunch of 'em at once, then spend some time removing the skin from the bones and splitting it out into different meals. Frozen fish is also a decent idea as it tends to be cheaper than fresh (although also a bit more bland, but seasoning is key). Get 1 big thing of montreal steak seasoning and put that stuff on everything.

Buying in bulk, in general, will also save you lots of money. Cheese for example: buy a big 1kg brick when it's on sale, shred it and put into a big ziploc freezer bag, and if you have the space, try to make little compartments of it while it's freezing to make it easier to break up (or split into smaller portions into smaller baggies in the big baggie). Meat cooked in bulk can be portioned out and frozen to keep longer. Get the vegetables that are in season, if you can from a farmer's market as it tends to run cheaper and the stuff if fresher, thus will keep longer.

Emw148

Eggs are inexpensive, nutritious, and who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? Add veggies and cheese, make your own healthy fat home fries if you aren't cutting back on carbs

madwells1

Along with all the other posters above who have great ideas, I find that when I focus on NOT wasting stuff, I can get a lot more food from things.

For example, if my vegetables are starting to turn, I either freeze them or make vegetable soup. I also eat everything I buy and try not to throw any of it away.

This means that I usually go to the grocery store every day and buy whatever protein is marked down and whatever I may need to complete a meal.

Most grocery stores cut the price on their meat when the date is about to expire. It's amazing how much the markdown is on things and people are scared to buy it because they think it's going to go bad. As long as you freeze it or eat is straight away, it is no different than the other stuff. I then use then chicken bones (from thighs, breasts and whole chickens) for my own stock (I freeze them if I don't have time).

If you ask your fish monger in the store for shrimp shells or heads, they usually just give them to you. You can make stock with them, throw in some vegetables and potatoes, and you have a nice soup.

I also make my own staples like yogurt and bread. Although I don't eat many carbs, I make my own dutch oven bread when I feel the need.

I also frequent asian markets for produce as they always have the best deals.

Also, most groceries now allow you to load coupons on your loyalty cards from home. No cutting required. If they double coupons you can get some pretty great deals. For example, last week I wanted to carb load and since I didn't have any pasta at home, I went to the store. I found a 1 lb of whole wheat pasta on sale. There was a jar of a new product (sugar free, organic) pasta sauce with a coupon attached. The store doubled the coupon, and I ended up paying $1.25 for both. That fed me for the night, and I only used 1/4 of the pasta, and froze the rest of the tomato sauce.

Note, I am blessed not to need to cut corners on groceries, but I was spending way too much money on food. I started with the simple idea of trying not to throw anything away, and I have been able to eat like a royal for very little.

acpgee

There is also a series on the BBC called "Eat Well for Less" about cutting down on food bills. Can you see the you tube versions in the US?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwV3b_jNSk

giulianabruce28

grow your own herbs and vegetables, being italian I think pasta and risotto work out quite cheap . Pasta with pesto, pasta with tomato sauce and chilli, spaghetti with oil/chilli/garlic and fresh parsley and tuna. Risotto, mushroom risotto is one of my favourite

sra455

you might want to try looking at recipes on this site: https://www.budgetbytes.com/

it's not all advertised as healthy, but i'm sure there are some. they break everything down by prices per recipe and per serving, it's really great.

I make the dragon noodles (https://www.budgetbytes.com/spicy-noodles/) all the time as a cheap meal at only 271 calories a serving...

some of my other favorites are
Curried chickpeas and spinach over some rice (which is super cheap) https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-chickpeas-spinach/
spinach feta grilled cheese, 436 calories for 1 sandwich https://www.budgetbytes.com/spinach-feta-grilled-cheese/
chorizo sweet potato chili, 405 cal per serving https://www.budgetbytes.com/chorizo-sweet-potato-chili/

MegaTunez11

Egg in a hole is a cheap breakfast idea. During mid week is when markets have their cheapest deals on Chicken. Buy a super pack and simply place in crock pot and shred it after a few hours and you could have chicken tacos, bbq chicken over rice, mix a can of cream of chicken soup with chicken over rice.

juliejulie120

Jiggs Dinner = boiled meat (traditionally salt beef but I prefer corned beef) + yellow split peas (which cooks down to make peas pudding) + carrots + potatoes, everything boils in one large pot, including the Figgy Duff (its a sweet dumpling type bread thing with raisins), it feeds a lot of people and is easy to cook.

reta6