Super Cheap, Healthy Dinner Ideas?

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Blakelynn3
Blakelynn3 Posts: 127 Member
in Food and Nutrition
We're recovering financially from the holidays, I hate that that's an issue that I'm having to deal with but that's another topic for another time. Therefore I need really cheap meal ideas for a family of three so that I can keep our grocery bill as low as possible. I'm trying to turn a new leaf and stick to healthy meals. In the past, when needing to eat cheaply I would've turned to processed foods as a way to save a buck. Hamburger Helper anyone? If anyone has a minute to throw some (food related) ideas at me, I'd appreciate it!

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  • ninarosenblatt
    ninarosenblatt Posts: 4
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    I hope your family likes beans! I think that is the way to go. Buy dried beans and you can throw them in the crockpot, flavor them with meat if you like or just cook a lb. while you are at work, add salt (Yes it's fine), half an onion, a carrot, a piece of celery, pepper, bay leaf (you can throw a smoked turkey wing in there or ham hock too...)...though you can also just use salt. When you get home you can flavor them how you like or use them in a recipe. Make delicious soup with a can of tomatoes and some chopped veggies, make hummus with chick peas, make refried beans, etc etc..eating beans and rice for dinner is great if you serve it with lime wedges and a chopped salsa, tortillas and shredded cheese for the kids.

    It's winter so it is a great time for braising. You can buy cheap cuts of meat and braise them in your crock pot. Skim the broth really well or better yet, fridge it overnight then remove hardened fat.

    I really love grain salads,. I take quinoa or brown rice and boil it, drain it really well then toss it with a vinaigrette made from 2 tbsp oil and 2tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice, add a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a chopped clove a garlic, add a few of the following: chopped cucumber, chopped carrots, small chopped roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, hard boiled eggs, sesame seeds, cheese...they are DELICIOUS and a great thing to keep in the fridge all week for lunches too. If you buy from bulk foods at Whole Foods or your local health food store it keeps the prices down.

    I'm sorry I'm not giving specific recipes but I think if you try to think as meat as a flavoring agent, or cook vegetarian it will help you keep costs down.
  • rissaloses
    rissaloses Posts: 38 Member
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    Soup! It's a great way to stretch meat or incorporate veggies.
    Split pea, bean, chicken and vegetable, the are many healthy options to choose from. You could Google "healthy soup recipes", I bet there are a ton.
  • lindsayva
    lindsayva Posts: 4
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    Salads are generally good ideas since things like lettuce and spinach are not that expensive paired with lean meat like chicken or fish.

    Stick with fruits and veggies that are "in season" to keep the cost down.

    Try "Meatless Mondays" - or any day of the week - where you don't eat meat to cut down on your grocery cost and calories.

    Beans and lentils are great protein substitutes and they are pretty inexpensive. Use beans to make chili, salads, rice and beans...
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Bean, vegetable and coconut curry - whichever dried beans are cheapest, frozen veggies, block creamed or unsweetened dessicated coconut often cheaper than canned coconut milk per serving, add canned tomatoes or switch up the veggies for variety. Vegetable and lentil soups or casseroles.

    If you can get ground meat for a good price Bolognese or chilli con carne padded out with at least equal parts of veg - grated carrot, canned tomatoes, celery, onion, leek, dried red lentils, frozen corn, whatever is cheap where you are. Cook long and slow, flavour with meat stock cubes and/ or reduced salt yeast extract and it will still be meaty enough for men! Pasta made with canned oily fish like sardines or mackerel and more frozen veggies.

    If you are feeling adventurous consider eating more organ meats - many are crazy cheap and very nutritious. Liver is a traditional addition to a Bolognese sauce and it really does vanish into the dish if you chop up small and cook long and slow. Can also use organ meats in meatloaf to keep the meaty flavour whilst padding it out with lentils, veggies, brown rice etc.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Buy one of those big packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts. Portion them out into single serving sizes and freeze. Use the portions as needed. I baked up 2 breasts this morning, one for my husband's lunch the other for mine. The large packages are usually less than $2 a pound, high in protein and low in fat. Win/win!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    We're recovering financially from the holidays, I hate that that's an issue that I'm having to deal with but that's another topic for another time. Therefore I need really cheap meal ideas for a family of three so that I can keep our grocery bill as low as possible. I'm trying to turn a new leaf and stick to healthy meals. In the past, when needing to eat cheaply I would've turned to processed foods as a way to save a buck. Hamburger Helper anyone? If anyone has a minute to throw some (food related) ideas at me, I'd appreciate it!

    Homemade "hamburger helper" is much cheaper. Buy some lean ground meat, wholemeal pasta, reduced fat cheese and frozen veggies and you can make a much larger portion of a one pan hamburger/pasta meal than Hamburger Helper (or Tuna Helper) will provide, and get better nutrition from it.

    I would suggest meals that include wholemeal pasta, brown rice, beans and/or eggs. These are cheap, filling, healthy foods.
  • tlinval
    tlinval Posts: 175 Member
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    How about breakfast for dinner (or "brinner" in our house)? It's cheap and it's easy. Eggs, pancakes, quiche, baked oatmeal, etc.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Beans
    Rice
    Eggs
    Potatoes
    Frozen veggies
    Canned tomatoes
    Cheaper cuts of meat - cook them in the crockpot (low & slow)
    Onions
    Tortillas
    Whole wheat pasta

    ^All are inexpensive. I like to go to allrecipes.com, enter the ingredients I have on hand and then do a search for recipes that use those items.

    I also like to cook chicken in the crockpot with lime juice, onion, and a can of diced tomatoes for a good, tasty taco filling.

    Put a cheap cut of beef in the crock pot with some onions, seasoning and water and then serve with rice. Tasty, simple, and cheap. Add a side of frozen veggies. Or dice up the beef and cook it with the veggies as a stir fry.

    A recent favorite of mine is 2 fried eggs served over hashbrowns. I use frozen hashbrowns, but you could dice potatoes up for the same effect. Cook in the skillet in a little oil - with onion for flavor. Sprinkle with salt and top with eggs. I usually add some spinach too. Very good & filling!
  • tat2dzombiegirl
    tat2dzombiegirl Posts: 54 Member
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    I don't know if you have a Grocery Outlet store nearby but they are AMAZING! It's basically overstock or out of season items. Just make sure to check the expiration dates. Produce is super cheap and they have really good high quality frozen foods. I love big bags of frozen chicken and my rice cooker. I'm big on the beans too. Ortega makes a jalapeno black beans that are wonderful. I cook them in the rice cooker with rice, maybe add a little cheese and hot sauce after. Great way to use leftover rice.

    Whole chickens are a great way to get lean protein on the cheap. Like others have said google healthy soup recipes that way you can really utilize the whole bird.

    Aaaand lastly spaghetti! It's one of the cheapest things you can make just stick to whole wheat and check the sodium content on the sauce francisco rinaldi is the only one I've found with no salt added and it tastes great. Sauce is super easy to make if you have a slow cooker and cheap! I love adding turkey sausage to mine and loads of veggies.
  • ChristaToTheMax
    ChristaToTheMax Posts: 41 Member
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    Buy one of those big packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts. Portion them out into single serving sizes and freeze. Use the portions as needed. I baked up 2 breasts this morning, one for my husband's lunch the other for mine. The large packages are usually less than $2 a pound, high in protein and low in fat. Win/win!

    We do this, too. I will thaw the chicken the night before and do tons of lunches and dinners with it. An easy one is to just throw a chicken breast ($1.99 a pound) in for each person, throw in some frozen veggies (get them on sale for $1 a package), a package of dry soup (we like the onion one best, not sure on price but it comes with two packages in a box), and some chicken broth or water (very cheap). Cook until the chicken is done! So good.

    Stir-fry is very cheap, healthy, and filling. Take that chicken breast, throw in some frozen stir-fry (or buy it all fresh), and place over a small amount of rice or noodles (or not at all).

    There's a lot of other cheap chicken recipes as well that are super healthy!
  • victoriavoodoo
    victoriavoodoo Posts: 343 Member
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    I don't know what grocery stores are near you but most of them have buy one get one free sales or 10 for 10 dollar sales; this isn't really a meal idea because it changes each shopping trip but as a rule my bf and I only buy things that are on some kind of sale. So if we go to the store and bag salads are buy one get one free, we have bag salad that week. Heh. Winn Dixie does a lot of 10 for 10 dollar sales if they have those around you, and Albertsons is big on buy one-get TWO free in their meat section; so you could get three steaks/chicken breasts/etc for the price of one. That's pretty cheap and enough for three people.

    Alot of the sales are for processed things, but the meat and salad sections are a good place to look, and staples like rice and beans and things. Also if your grocery store has a bakery there is usually a section of greatly reduced breads that are a few days from expiration, so they have to be eaten within a couple days but are otherwise fine.

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