Very cheap but healthy meals?

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KayteeBear
KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
in Recipes
So right now I have very little money so I'm trying to cut way back on groceries and I'm finding it hard to have healthy meals.

- I don't often have fresh produce...I do try to keep onions around all the time and carrots...sometimes mushrooms. Potatoes I can get from some friends.
- I always have eggs (again from some awesome friends)
- I usually have lots of ground beef (from my dad's farm) and sausage and bacon (right now one pork roast)
- I have a ton of white rice and white pasta (sadly it's all white...my boyfriend's mom gives him stuff randomly and so she's given us plenty of rice and pasta so I don't have much choice if it's white or not)

I'm not too sure what else I usually have.

What kind of recipes are there for meals that are very cheap and don't have a large variety of things in them?

ETA: Also stuff that works well as leftovers...my boyfriend is never home at meal times (I usually only make food when I'm hungry anyway) so stuff that will work well for left overs so I don't have to make something every day.

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  • susaneec
    susaneec Posts: 72 Member
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    With the veggies and the eggs and a little of the meat, you can make yummy omlettes. Cut up the potatoes and roast them in the oven with chopped onions and carrots. Mushrooms are multitaskers. They'll soak up whatever flavors you cook 'em in. Toss those in at the last five minutes or so. Pepper and a little salt go along way, but you can get cheapo seasonings from dollar stores and such. They are your friends.

    Use the white pastas and rice. Just measure out correct portions and don't go nuts with them. A tip for the ground beef - pan cook it without seasonings, drain the fat, AND then rinse it in a strainer with *hot* water. It will get most of the grease out and be much better for it. You can then heat it back up with seasonings or add it to your recipes.

    Hope that helps. Oooo, also go to Allrecipes.com. You can search for recipes based on the ingredients you have available.
  • susaneec
    susaneec Posts: 72 Member
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    Oh - and a huge kuddos to you for wanting/trying to stick to healthy choices in tight times! It's tough all around, but you can do it!
  • kristinathenina
    kristinathenina Posts: 142
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    try using frozen veggies, that way you arent spending as much money, and even then it takes a decade for them to go bad if you dont use them eventually. I made a chicken fried rice today with 4 ingredients (rice, cooked chicken, california veggie mix and teriyaki sauce). how about beans and rice dishes? beans are always cheap, and have great health benefits. I am on the poor side, but i 'luckily' work at subway 50 hours a week so i eat there a LOT, but feel free to add me to see what I am having for dinners at home, normally just a couple ingredients and very cheap
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
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    Thanks. I try buying frozen veggies a lot. Especially when they're on sale I like to stalk up. I should start making a list of things to make.

    I love beans and rice and fried rice stuff (last time I made a peanut butter fried rice stuff with diced tomatoes and mushrooms and peas...very good stuff...)
  • kristinathenina
    kristinathenina Posts: 142
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    peanut butter fried rice??????? how did you make that?
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
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    peanut butter fried rice??????? how did you make that?

    You make a sauce with some peanut butter, and olive oil and mix one can of diced tomatoes, peas and mushrooms in with it then add to some fried rice. I would never have guessed that tomatoes, peas and mushrooms would taste good with peanut butter but I liked it a lot.

    http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=390450.0

    There's where I got it from.
  • lottycat
    lottycat Posts: 333 Member
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    peanut butter fried rice??????? how did you make that?

    You make a sauce with some peanut butter, and olive oil and mix one can of diced tomatoes, peas and mushrooms in with it then add to some fried rice. I would never have guessed that tomatoes, peas and mushrooms would taste good with peanut butter but I liked it a lot.

    http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=390450.0

    There's where I got it from.

    Bump - sounds yummy!

    Also I would suggest lentils - they are great for bulking stuff out, really cheap, last forever in your cupboards and are yummy re-heated. I make a kind of risotto with them adding in vegetable stock, what ever vegetables I have to hand stir fried, I am veggie, but no reason you couldn't add in some meat too. You can make a huge meal for around 300 cals and with a tonne of veg in.

    Feel free to add me. x

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