poor mans low calorie meal options

WillowWindow

Usually there's a bit more work involved if you want to save money. The biggest thing is not to buy convenience foods -- that's anything already prepared for you because you pay a premium for small volumes of food. So, for example, if you usually get frozen dinners, then if you make your own you save a lot. Another is buy the sales. Either look at the flyers or in-store stock up on things that can be kept or frozen, like protein or vegetables or fruit. If you have a choice buy the seasonal veggies and fruit; they're always cheaper. Buy bread on sale and freeze it, it defosts fine and you can take a slice or two out of the freezer and toast it, if necessary. Get an Indian cookbook if you enjoy the food, or search on line for many recipes. Dahl ( different kinds of dried lentils or split peas) is one of the tastiest and nutrient dense foods and it makes a great meal with (brown) rice and chutney or sliced cucumber. Dahl made with red lentils is mild and cooks in about 15-20 minutes, no soaking required. You can add spice to your taste. A simple recipe is to put a cup or two of rinsed red lentils in a big pot, cover well with water, and add two thin slices of fresh ginger and 1/2 tsp or so of turmeric. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Meanwhile, in a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and put in 1 tsp of whole cumin seeds, swirl around and add 3-5 cloves of minced fresh garlic and 1 medium onion, chopped. When it becomes fragrant and just a bit brown add it all at once to the pot of lentils. Add 1 tsp or so of salt (to taste) and 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Sprinkle in about 1/2 tsp garam masala and serve over hot rice. You can measure the rice and the dahl separately to get the calorie count, which is reasonable, and this can be stored in the fridge and reheated ( you might need to add a bit of exta water) for at least 3-4 days, maybe a week. It can also be frozen. If you don't have the spices you can get them cheaply at an Indian market and they'll last for a long time.

Missi_Mae

Thanks!

cwolfman13

- Dried beans are a staple in my home. They're super cheap...I make a Lb of beans every Sunday night in the crockpot while we're sleeping...I usually soak them over night on Saturday and through the day Sunday with water and salt. I will add a bit of onion and garlic for flavor. If I have other stuff laying around like bell pepper or celery or whatever that needs to be used up before it goes bad, I'll throw that in there as well.

- Grains/Rice/Pasta

- Cabbage...so often ignored and very healthy...and cheap. I saute it in a bit of oil and I like to dice up some bacon for bacon bits and throw them in there as well.

- Frozen vegetables on sale...there always seems to be a sale on something in the frozen veg section...

- Potatoes

- ground beef or cheaper cuts of beef that require more cooking time to be tender...I use the crockpot for these types of roasts frequently

- whole chickens vs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, etc.

Ideabaker

Yum on all of the great suggestions here! I will be trying out the cabbage/bacon and the black beans and rice bowls soon! Thanks, all!