Calorie deficit meals on a budget

wbhanouska

I’m a single mum trying to lose those extra pounds! Currently 165pounds and was hoping to get some ideas for healthy low calorie meals that are great when on a budget! Hopefully this can help some others out also. Just looking for inspiration and to mix things up a little bit, also feel free to add me!

TeaBea

Cheap protein sources - Tuna, chicken, milk, cottage cheese, beans and eggs.

Oats, potatoes and frozen veggies are inexpensive, "Healthy" is a really vague term. It seems everyone has a different opinion.

I like stuffed pepper soup: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/stuffed-green-pepper-soup

I don't like to use Campbell's tomato soup though (too sweet). I just throw in a 15 can of tomato sauce and a half teaspoon of basil.

gallicinvasion

Some helpful things:

Buy veggies in-season (sometimes community-supported-agriculture food boxes are really affordable)
Develop skills in preserving food (freezer meals, pickling, canning)
Buy meat in bulk when it’s on sale and freeze it in 1 or 2 lb portions
Dried rice/beans/legumes are super affordable and nutrition-dense, and can really allow you to stretch your meals (allowing you to use less meat)
Instead of buying pre-portioned snacks, buy in bulk and portion them out yourself when you get home
Buy your most commonly-uses spices in bulk

Budgetbytes.com is a super awesome site that has a ton of delicious recipes that were all developed with the goal of keeping them low-cost. They’re also easy to portio and adjust to keep within your calorie goals.

ehju0901

TeaBea wrote: »

Cheap protein sources - Tuna, chicken, milk, cottage cheese, beans and eggs.

Oats, potatoes and frozen veggies are inexpensive, "Healthy" is a really vague term. It seems everyone has a different opinion.

I like stuffed pepper soup: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/stuffed-green-pepper-soup

I don't like to use Campbell's tomato soup though (too sweet). I just throw in a 15 can of tomato sauce and a half teaspoon of basil.

Oooh, that recipe sounds good! I think I'll be trying that one out!

busyPK

The best thing you can do is get a $10 food scale and weigh out your food. Lots of people lose weight by simply eating less of what they did before. Shop the sales each week at your local grocery store helps.

B_Plus_Effort

what works for me is on Sunday night I will hard boil 5 eggs, let the pot just sit on the stove when done over night (just not in the summer) then in the morning dry them put them in the fridge, and each morning just have one egg with salt and a cup of coffee, I am a grown man weight 195 lbs and that is just fine and filling for breakfast, we really do not need to eat that much, also since you don't fry it there is no additional fats from butter or oils and it is super easy to prep, just peel an egg, ha ha

on weekends don't eat breakfast but do brunch (@ 11:00am) and dinner (@ 7:00pm)

remember the easiest calories to burn are the ones you never put in your mouth in the first place, if you are over weight, skipping a meal won't kill you, so that's the cheapest way you can handle a meal

AshHeartsJesus

Girl find a discount store or aldi. If none of those are an option learn your prices in your stores and shop sales like crazy. Youtube frugal meals and portion control with what you can afford.
Mama of 5 here not single, but hubby works long hours and I do most of the cooking food choices for our babies. Sooo with that said here are some ideas
Crockpot whole chicken with baked sweet potato and applesauce
Baked chicken legs, broccoli, fruit on sale
Chicken tacos, taco rice for kiddos, applesauce
Homemade sloppy joes with veggies of choice
Soup with homemade bread or grilled cheese
Baked Potato with butter and cheese and another veggie
Brinner of what you want homemade is key to controlling ingredients

dzerfas

Lean carnitas: Pork tenderloin or center cut loin in crock pot with sliced onions and peppers, can of chipotle in adobo and juice of 2 limes. Shred it when it's done and put under broiler for a few minutes to get it crisp although it's good as is. Can serve as tacos, over rice or lettuce.

macandcheesefanatic

wbhanouska wrote: »

I’m a single mum trying to lose those extra pounds! Currently 165pounds and was hoping to get some ideas for healthy low calorie meals that are great when on a budget! Hopefully this can help some others out also. Just looking for inspiration and to mix things up a little bit, also feel free to add me!

I've been doing chia seed pudding in the morning, cheap and easy to make the night before.

B_Plus_Effort

pretty much a salad with no dressing, ha ha this is my go to meal, I try to eat like this at least once a day, just protein and vegies (I get crap for eating deli meat, because of the sodium but I also get reduced sodium turkey a lot)

B_Plus_Effort

dinner: chicken, steak, or salmon and a GREEN veggie, no (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, or tortilla) and this is not for ever this is just during the weight loss phase, it's easy to make and it saves you money

and I am a six foot tall 185 pound man and find this filling once you get used to it, so it should work for you as well, of course adjust the portion size as you see fit

and not to micromanage you I am just sharing my experience and what works for me, eat slowly, slow down, one thing I caught myself doing is shoveling more food in my mouth when I was still chewing the prior load, so stop it, finish and swallow what is in your mouth and that makes the meal go a long way (honestly just trying to help I know it's difficult with small kidoes we've been there and developed a bad habit of speed eating, ha ha)

PremGandhi

muszyngr wrote: »

what works for me is on Sunday night I will hard boil 5 eggs, let the pot just sit on the stove when done over night (just not in the summer) then in the morning dry them put them in the fridge, and each morning just have one egg with salt and a cup of coffee, I am a grown man weight 195 lbs and that is just fine and filling for breakfast, we really do not need to eat that much, also since you don't fry it there is no additional fats from butter or oils and it is super easy to prep, just peel an egg, ha ha

on weekends don't eat breakfast but do brunch (@ 11:00am) and dinner (@ 7:00pm)

remember the easiest calories to burn are the ones you never put in your mouth in the first place, if you are over weight, skipping a meal won't kill you, so that's the cheapest way you can handle a meal

Couldn't agree more sir about the comment on eating less or skipping a meal. It is about will power and not biology for skipping a meal. However instead of egg, I go with apples and milk every morning. Eggs are cheaper though.

sytar7

I've found that one or two vegetarian dinners a week has cut down on cost and calories while still being filling.

Bag of veggies and/or cauliflower rice- $1-2
Tofu - $2
Can of chickpeas - <$1
Interesting sauce - $1-2

Makes 6+ servings for ~$7, less if you make instead of buying the sause. And it is a fast dinner to get on the table!

Vegan chili is also a go to winter recipe.
Black beans, chili beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions, frozen corn, and seasoning on the stove or crockpot for anywhere from 4-10 hours. 4 servings for under $4, maybe $7 if you add some cheese and sour cream!

snowflake954

I cook for a family and try to keep my budget down. I also try to make tasty things--I work at it, hate boring. Yesterday I made Cream of Celery and Potato Cream Soup w grated Parmigiano on top. For 2 servings it is 110 calories, a big bowlful and very tasty.

As you can see, the main ingredients are cheap.

snowflake954

I certainly agree with the posters who suggest buying fresh produce in season--costs less and has better flavor. I'm always combing the grocery ads to stock up on what I need. You can use frozen if you live in a climate that makes fresh produce expensive in the winter. Internet has recipes for everything and some that are very simple. You don't have to eat tasteless food to lose weight. Follow some of the threads running on here--"What do your meals look like? Show me pictures", "What did you cook today?" and "For the love of produce".

acpgee

There is a BBC series called "Eat Well for Less" which you can probably find on youTube. They are in the 7th season. The main points are

1. Avoid all process products, including grated cheese and pre-washed salads and bottled pasta sauces.
2. Cook from scratch.
3. Eat vegetarian once a week.
4. Try supermarket own brands to see if you can replace any costly big brands.
5. Find meals that the whole family can sit down to eat. Don't prepare multiple meals for fussy eaters.

snowflake954

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