3 DOLLAR MEALS

monkeyboy881

LETS HEAR EM ???

blondie76

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

MeliciousMelis

Check out this website for some ideas: http://www.5dollardinners.com/

My go to cheap staples:
Eggs
Tuna
Beans
Frozen veggies on sale

What kind of chain grocer do you have in your area? Might see if they have a website with coups. GOOD LUCK,

monkeyboy881

ohhh sounds awesome ill look into it

BigBoneSista

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

Thanks for that website

kayemme

every meal should be under $3! hahah... ours are usually betwen 2-3. Once we tracked our food expenses and realized we were eating for $4/day. At the time I was over 300lbs, so really, no meals were lost.

it's only a little more "expensive" now because we only buy organic/ fair trade, etc... i could easily have it down to $1/meal if i was going "conventional"

I have some recipes on my website (with costs) at http://life.kerimarion.com ... i'll edit back to give you a starting post. please excuse my poor spanish; i'm still learning.

borscht & wild raspberry cake http://life.kerimarion.com/2010/06/borscht-rhubarb-cake-el-borscht-y-torta-de-ruibarbo/
taco salad http://life.kerimarion.com/2010/06/taco-salad/
kale & potatoes http://life.kerimarion.com/2010/06/kale-n-potatoes-weds-para-miercoles-el-col-y-papas/
spaghetti & olive feta herb bread http://life.kerimarion.com/2010/06/sunday-spaghetti-olive-feta-and-herb-bread-domingo-espagueti-y-pan-de-hierbas-con-olivas-y-queso-de-feta/
green frittata http://life.kerimarion.com/2010/06/friday-green-fritatta-la-fritatta-verde-de-viernes/

Manda1987

It all depends on what you consider to be a 3 dollar meal. 3 dollars for one person, for two people, for a family?

I crock pot like a crazy woman, and I've perfected the art of the $5-$10 soup/stew (10ish servings). All of the following are less than $2 a serving. Batch cooking is the way to go for low cost.

Chicken (or turkey) Stew (approx. 10 servings, 160 cals per serving)

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in chunks and browned, or leftover turkey meat (great for avoiding "dry turkey leftover syndrome")
3 cans cream of chicken soup (low sodium/fat if possible)
carrots
green beans
corn
potatoes
any other veggies you like (I add mushrooms and leeks as well)
sage to taste
thyme to taste
black pepper to taste
flour to thicken

Put in pot, cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add the corn and green beans with about an hour left, or else they get mushy. I serve it in bread bowls if I feel like being extra fancy.

Ham and Lentil Soup (8 servings, 131 cals per serving)

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotsoup/r/bl17c6.htm

Carrot and Honey Soup (8 servings, about 120 cals per serving)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/carrot-soup-with-honey-recipe.html (I omit the sauteeing, and thus the oil)

My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe (12 servings, 150 cals per serving)

3 900 mL cans crushed tomatoes
1 lb ground beef, browned
red onion
jalapenos
green peppers
mushrooms
frozen chopped spinach
zucchini when it's in season
italian herb blend

Throw in crock pot, cook on low 8-10 hours, adding zucchini in the last hour or so if you're using it.

mamagooskie

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

I'm going to check this site out for sure!

craft338

lean cuisine or smart ones are great if you just need to grab something to bring to work for 300ish calories, and they're around $2 depending on the store or if they're on sale. i usually stock up on tons if i find them at 2 for 1 same goes for some light canned soups when they're on sale, and they're under 200 calories.

blondie76

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

I'm going to check this site out for sure!

I love how she shows all the steps and then breaks out the cost at the end!

hroush

my goal at home is $1 per serving (one meal per person). I easily accomplish this with rice and crock pot recipes. Check out the recipe threads on here, especially for crock pot.

greeneyed84

Buy what's on sale, then improvise. There's a website that lets you put in the ingredients you have &.it'll search out a meal for you. I can't remember the name right now but you can google it

Sarahr73

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

I just took a look at this site and it is awesome! Thanks for the great info!

Jade_Butterfly

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

Fabulous website. Thank you so much for sharing.

Jade_Butterfly

Check out this website for some ideas: http://www.5dollardinners.com/

My go to cheap staples:
Eggs
Tuna
Beans
Frozen veggies on sale

What kind of chain grocer do you have in your area? Might see if they have a website with coups. GOOD LUCK,

Thank you for sharing the site. It is nice that we can all help each other.

monkeyboy881

yeah im a single guy so was looking more for single servings all theses tips and tricks sound great

SeasideOasis

Thanks for the thread, monkeyboy Im getting lots out of it too

ATBC

Thanks for the tip! This is a very useful site and it allows me to think outside the box.

shallo

my favorite site

www.brokeandhealthy.com

What a great site

swimmermama

Tilapia and some fiber-rich veggies!

Lentils, spinch, and quinoa is a yummy, healthy, and cheap dinner. Saute some onions in a pot. Add about 2.5 cups of water per cup of lentils to the onions. Bring water and lentils to a boil, and let simmer until the lentils are soft while you prepare the quinoa according to the directions on the box. Saute some spinach, add it to the lentils and mix. Serve the lentils and spinach on top of the quinoa. I had this for dinner last night and it was SO satisfying!

monkeyboy881

Thanks for the thread, monkeyboy Im getting lots out of it too

totally me too

monkeyboy881

ok lets try more with this approach i am walking into the store with 4 dollars what do i buy ... not so much cost per meal after dividing ingredients up

melissapoulin

bump

Lizzy_Sunflower

I love this thread. Also arroz con pollo (chicken &rice) served with red beans.... Yum!

HelenTheKitchen

1 medium baking potato - 50cents
1 can solid white albacore tuna - $1.50 (you could also use salmon or chicken)
1 shallot - 20cents
1 clove garlic (sorry you have to buy the whole bulb) - 70cents

Pantry items - Olive oil, salt (very little, there is tons in the tuna) and pepper, favorite spices

Total $2.90

Bake Potato until soft. While baking chop shallot finely and crush garlic clove into paste, place in bowl. Add tuna, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and spices. Combine. Cut open potato and fill with tuna mixture. Bon appetit!

Sarahr73

ok lets try more with this approach i am walking into the store with 4 dollars what do i buy ... not so much cost per meal after dividing ingredients up

I would go for a can of tuna, crackers, and if you have money left over a fruit or veggie. You can always get the off brand crackers which will save you up to $1 or so depending on what you get, and tuna is inexpensive, filling, and great for you.

monkeyboy881

1 medium baking potato - 50cents
1 can solid white albacore tuna - $1.50 (you could also use salmon or chicken)
1 shallot - 20cents
1 clove garlic (sorry you have to buy the whole bulb) - 70cents

Pantry items - Olive oil, salt (very little, there is tons in the tuna) and pepper, favorite spices

Total $2.90

Bake Potato until soft. While baking chop shallot finely and crush garlic clove into paste, place in bowl. Add tuna, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and spices. Combine. Cut open potato and fill with tuna mixture. Bon appetit!

tears of joy NOW THATS WHAT IM TALKING BOUT THANKS HELEN!!!!!!

kayemme

ok lets try more with this approach i am walking into the store with 4 dollars what do i buy ... not so much cost per meal after dividing ingredients up

a sweet potato, a head of garlic. that should be about a dollar total. hopefully you have some olive oil and salt at home. prepare them in an obvious way

tweety170

Awesome ideas!

healthyjen342

very great topic! thank you for sharing!

iamthepreston

I would go to McDonalds and get 3 double cheeseburgers. Saves time with the cooking and all.

They are about 500 cals a piece.

They sure do tase good and go down easy.