Dinner HELP!!!!!

CierraLouise
CierraLouise Posts: 16
in Recipes
My husband has given me the job of planning dinner for the next 2 weeks. It has to be healthy for my diet. No seafood. And cheap. I only have $100 to buy all I need for 2 weeks.

Replies

  • maggiemay22467
    maggiemay22467 Posts: 214 Member
    This is cheap and very very good.

    Coke Cola Chicken

    In Crock pot add 3-5 chicken breasts
    around 10 dashes of soy sauce
    One can of Coke.

    Cook on low for around 5-7 hours

    This is very good with stir fry vegs

    One Breast has 160 cals.
  • AmyJMadison
    AmyJMadison Posts: 143 Member
    My budget grocery list always includes, dry beans, lentils, brown rice, whole wheat pasta... then load up on good canned items like tomatos or tomato sauce, tuna, and lite cream soup like chicken or mushroom or celery... get some jarred salsa... and packet of taco seasoning and some tortillas.... in the frozen section load up on veggies like cut brocoli, caulifower, peas, corn or mixed veg (they work for sides as well as in soups and stews). Rremember I am planning on 2 weeks and not spending tons on fresh produce. Be sure to have eggs and lite cheese. At the meat section look for sale prices pot roasts or the like that can be done in the crock pot for night one then made over into a hot sandwich wrap or stuffed potato. Be sure you have onios, garlic and sweet potato if you fancy those. Then get some lite sausage, chicken thighs and a ham steak. $100 can go a long way.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    My favorite cheapie dinners are whole grain pastas (or plain, if you prefer) with steamed veggies and some kind of sauce on them--marinara, pesto, a drizzle of olive oil with a sprinkle of parmesan...you can buy the frozen veggies and steam those to really save money. You can also add grilled chicken or make meatballs if you need extra protein.
  • BrittKnee_Rae
    BrittKnee_Rae Posts: 111 Member
    Cook large and have left overs!! Fajita chicken/beef salad, veggie soup, turkey meat chili, turkey burgers, to name a few.. Decide your menu and make a list, so your less tempted to buy snacks and things you don't need (don't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach!) I am not sure if you use pinterest, but they have GREAT IDEAS.. Just search low calorie (or whatever diet you are on), they even have smart shopping tips, or crock-pot recipes for when your time is limited (they even have freeze ahead crock pot meals, so after you shop you can prepare all your veggies and meats and freeze it all together then) GOOD LUCK :)
  • Sharon_73
    Sharon_73 Posts: 189 Member
    My budget grocery list always includes, dry beans, lentils, brown rice, whole wheat pasta... then load up on good canned items like tomatos or tomato sauce, tuna, and lite cream soup like chicken or mushroom or celery... get some jarred salsa... and packet of taco seasoning and some tortillas.... in the frozen section load up on veggies like cut brocoli, caulifower, peas, corn or mixed veg (they work for sides as well as in soups and stews). Rremember I am planning on 2 weeks and not spending tons on fresh produce. Be sure to have eggs and lite cheese. At the meat section look for sale prices pot roasts or the like that can be done in the crock pot for night one then made over into a hot sandwich wrap or stuffed potato. Be sure you have onios, garlic and sweet potato if you fancy those. Then get some lite sausage, chicken thighs and a ham steak. $100 can go a long way.

    I love seeing so many people talk about beans, legumes and lentils! They are so often overlooked but are inexpensive, easy to prepare and full of health benefits! Try making a big batch of vegetarian chili with Red and kidney beans, black beans, tinned tomatoes, green peppers, onions, jalapeno and seasoning (cumin, chili, red pepper....the usual!). inexpensive, easy and tastes great!
  • daisiemae123
    daisiemae123 Posts: 277 Member
    Buy a roasting chicken. Someplace almost always has them on sale for 99 cents per pound. This amounts to easily three healthy meals for my husband and I. We have roast chicken with veggies and maybe some stuffing (made without butter) one night, usually chicken enchiladas or tacos another night with salad, and a chicken rice broccoli casserole a third night. The weeks I know money is going to run tight (like when the mortgage is due) I can guarantee a roast chicken dinner on Sunday. Stick with frozen veggies, cheap cuts of meat can be made delicious using the slow cooker and yes there are weeks we eat a lot of pasta and I still manage to lose weight by bulking it up with the frozen veggies and not eating as much pasta. Good luck.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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  • terijoestoes
    terijoestoes Posts: 205 Member
    I cook on the weekend. A pot of turkey chili, a big pot of spaghetti sc, roast a chicken or some kind of chick pieces. If I have rice pasta and frozen veggies I am set for the week. I shop at winco and a place called grocery outlet here in the Pacific Nw. I use coupons and really watch the sales. Before thanksgiving I spent 120 and got a free turkey!!! That was groceries for a month before the turkey. Winco has a bulk section that I use a lot for spices nuts rice pasta and flours. Hope that helps. Hope your family is good like mine about eating what is on the table. Remind them "happy wife happy life " and "if momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy "
  • terijoestoes
    terijoestoes Posts: 205 Member
    Bump
  • kayprincess08
    kayprincess08 Posts: 14
    This is on of my favorite CrockPot receipies.
    4-5 FROZEN chicken breasts *yes I did say frozen*
    1 packet of Italian seasoning (i.e. the dressing packet)
    1 cup of low-sodium/low-fat chicken broth

    Throw everything into the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. When you pull it out of the crockpot you can shred it like I love to do or eat it whole with some rice or pasta.

    I also like to shread it and use it in burritos with homemade beans, you can make your own pizza crust and use it on pizza. Or another fast meal that I use it in is I take some of the shreaded chicken and put a little bit of hot sauce, I cheat and use the Taco Bell Mild sauce, and a little bit of light mayonaise just enought to coat it. Put everything into a tortilla with some cheese and melt in a pan like a quesidilla. Enjoy! Another thing you can do it have in chicken noodle soup or white chicken chili. The possibilites are endless. I like how versital the chicken is you can dress it up or dress it down. Hope this helps.
  • CierraLouise
    CierraLouise Posts: 16
    Thanks guys for your wonderful ideas!!!
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    DO you have a crockpot?

    If you do take a large package of chicken breast. Chop up one onion and layer it on the bottom of the crockpot. Add the chicken and a whole bottle of BBQ sauce of your choice. Than set the crockpot to high for about four hours. Once the four hours have passed (or longer if you set it on low) take the chicken out and shred it with two forks. Put back in the crockpot and leave on low for about 30 mins to one hour. Than you can put it on buns. Next day have it as part of a stir fry or with pasta. There are tons of uses for it! WHen I Have done this recipe I have had more than enough chic.ken to add for over a weeks worth of meals (it freezes great too)

    You can also add it on top of pizza (get a pack of pitas for quick and easy crust or make your own).
  • worm5996
    worm5996 Posts: 28 Member
    I find that when I can cut the meat up before serving/during cooking I use less than when I am just serving pieces of meat. Like chicken, cut up, and roasted with veggies, I can use just two breasts for the four of us instead of using 4 breasts. Less meat, less cost.

    Look at your sales and plan your meals around those but be flexible too. If there is a good deal in the store then switch up your menu.

    Look at larger meats that can be used more than once. Turkeys will make several meals and a good soup (excellent for lunches!). A ham can be a meal and then a few more. A roast is a roast the first night made with lots of veggies. Later that week it is good beef stew!

    Frozen ravioli is only around $3 a bag. Top with a little red sauce and a salad on the side and you have a full meal. We like perogies too!

    A lasagna would be good loaded with veggies like spinach and would make a few meals. Or stuffed shells.

    Bean soup, split pea soup are cheap to make. I saw a delicious sounding lentil stew on Pinterest last night.

    Breakfast for dinner is always cheap. Eggs, frittatas, quiches, ommletes filled with lots of veggies and hash browns/home fries.

    How many people are you feeding off that $100? We spend around $300 for 2 weeks but I have 3 adults, a teen boy, and a toddler I am feeding and foods have to be both low sodium and low cholesterol. I make a lot of stuff from scratch.
  • NuggetLovesEdie
    NuggetLovesEdie Posts: 477 Member
    "I love seeing so many people talk about beans, legumes and lentils! They are so often overlooked but are inexpensive, easy to prepare and full of health benefits! Try making a big batch of vegetarian chili with Red and kidney beans, black beans, tinned tomatoes, green peppers, onions, jalapeno and seasoning (cumin, chili, red pepper....the usual!). inexpensive, easy and tastes great!"

    Love this!

    Also, I find that making stir fry dinners with lots of veggies helps make filling meals.

    Last night I had one chicken breast that was close to two servings. I diced it into small pieces and stir fried it with a clove of garlic and some olive oil. Then I added a thin sliced carrot, 1/2 head of broccoli cut into florets with some of the stem cut into bite size pieces, a bell pepper, and some chopped kale, continued to stir fry. I added about 3 tbsp soy sauce and 3 tbsp lemon juice for flavor and served it with quinoa (I had some left over, so I didn't make rice).

    This made dinner for me and my sweetie... though since he wasn't home for dinner last night, I now have leftovers for lunch today... quite big portions.

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