Meals for two ... on no budget

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Stefanny91
Stefanny91 Posts: 223 Member
in Recipes
So currently I am piss poor! I'm trying to avoid buying too much food... what healthy cheep recipes do people have?
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  • asarwe
    asarwe Posts: 73 Member
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    Lentil soup:

    Lentils, onion, tomato purée, spices of your choice.

    Sauté the onion, pour in the lentils and tomato purée, pour in water, put in spices.

    Can also be done with chick peas.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
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    legume soup all the way or chilli. keep that crock pot busy baby :) but chicken broth or cubes is a must.
    and saute your veggies.
    how bout veggie burgers? I'll have to add more later. I lived rubbing 2 pennies together for a really long time :)
    actually, I still am.


    all about the sales and what's in season first.
    we do all the shopping in 1 place or 1 geographic area. also, depending on where you shop, sometimes there's a significant
    difference in sales tax from one city or state to the next.

    10 min. asian night:

    use your peeler (of food processor, I don't have one) to get the carrots in long strips, or whatever shape you want.
    in long strips it's like noodles. then you can steam these in the microwave or saute in a pan. (need at least 2 carrots)
    serve with noodles or spagetti squash or a combo. I love peanut sauce with this. great way to use up the last bit of pb.
    more veggies on top if you want, or if you're really scrapped could prob. make the whole thing with just carrots and sauce.
    how's that for cheap and healthy? ha ha.

    I make up whatever i'm going to make mostly by just what we have at the time.
    some of my best ideas come when we are limited in ingredients.
    I almost never think of something new when we have a full fridge.

    what kind of diet restrictions do you have?
    kid friendly, fast, easy, healthy.....any foods either of you can't eat?
  • AmyMadeUp
    AmyMadeUp Posts: 19
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    Summerset stew, here is the link.... (mash optional)

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1089635/somerset-stew-with-cheddar-and-parsley-mash

    amy x

    amymadeup.wordpress.com
  • sally414
    sally414 Posts: 51
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    Check out BudgetBytes.Blogspot.com. Great recipes for people on a budget, I can cut most of her recipes in half for two people and they are CHEAP! You can healthify most of them too.

    I also started saving $ on groceries by not tossing leftovers or freezing things for later. I used to just toss leftovers and make a new meal the next day. That was a bad habit!
  • Cobweb200
    Cobweb200 Posts: 49
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    I definitley agree on the soups front it is amazing what you can do if you have tinned tomatoes in the cupboard. I love a spicey red lentil and tomato soup. But I make all sorts of variants depending upon what I have in the fridge or cupboard. Weekends I often make up a "whats left in the fridge" soup or curry. Ring the changes with whatever spices and herbs you have in the store cupboard.

    If you need something more filling, chop up a couple of poatoes into a panful of the soup mix and when they are cooked and you blend the soup it will be lovely and thick and creamy!

    You can also make healthy low calorie "cheats" pizza's on slices of bread or best of all, if the budget will allow, on a Tortilla wrap. This is one of my favoutie low budget, healthy diet friendly options. My OH and family also love these and do not realise they are one of my "diet" meals.

    Good Luck - I have been there xxx
  • davidbronkalla
    davidbronkalla Posts: 28 Member
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    I purchased this cookbook off of amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881507237/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

    It has already proven its worthiness with some delicious recipes. I have made turkey and white bean chili multiple times out of there which is cheap and very filling.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    egg drop soup with a can of sweet corn - it is tasty and eggs are cheap and so is the corn. It is surprisingly filling too.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
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    love egg drop soup!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Buy a whole chicken - about £3.50 in the UK. Have it roast on Sunday, then the rest of the week make curry, risotto, sandwiches, stir fries, salads - whatever takes your fancy. When you've just got bones left, make soup.
  • spiralated
    spiralated Posts: 150 Member
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    Check out BudgetBytes.Blogspot.com. Great recipes for people on a budget, I can cut most of her recipes in half for two people and they are CHEAP! You can healthify most of them too.

    I love this blog!
  • mltaylor948
    mltaylor948 Posts: 1
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    Menu plan for the week and only buy exactly what you need. Try to make foods from scratch and quit eating out. We have recently had to make these changes for our budget.
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
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    red beans and rice

    split pea soup

    baked potatos/sweet potatos

    You can usually find pasta and canned tomatos super cheap too.

    Also try the dollar store. There are usually fruits, veggies, frozen food and some boxed type foods.

    If you have a Kroger or Farmer's Market near by, they usually have "manager's specials" which is food nearing it's shelf life. Usually those foods should be frozen or eaten within a couple of days.
  • moebius13
    moebius13 Posts: 39
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    bump
  • Lindseyelizabeth87
    Lindseyelizabeth87 Posts: 151 Member
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    Honestly I find the cleaner you eat the cheaper it is.
    Just had my breakfast.. apple, orange and banana was $1.52. Add an egg for protein and it's still under $2.00

    Same goes for the lovely soups mentioned.. clean, simple foods are really not so expensive!
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Lentils, chick peas, yams, beans, frozen veggies, whole wheat pasta...

    Make food from scratch. PLAN every single meal for the week before going grocery shopping - this was a biggie for me; we were throwing out food because we were impulse buying stuff then letting it go bad. Now our fridge is empty (except for condiments) by grocery day.

    Figure out ways to use any leftovers of fresh veg/fruit if you've had to buy more than you need for one recipe (like yesterday I used half a squash in one recipe, today I roasted the rest and am going to make a salad with it).

    Buy in bulk when you can (especially meat - repackage and freeze into appropriate portions). Double any casserole-style or pasta recipe you make and freeze the leftovers for future meals (great especially for particularly "broke" weeks).

    I'm pretty budget-conscious and pick recipes that don't have a lot of expensive ingredients. You can check my Pinterest board, which I'm slowly starting to add to: http://pinterest.com/tgiq/recipes-main-courses/
  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
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    Chickpea casserole is very inexpensive - you can add a bit of chorizo/bacon/pancetta/sausage/left-over shredded bits of Berry's roast chicken as the budget allows:

    Slice half a red onion, and fry in a heavy casserole pot with a little butter or olive oil until soft. Add chilli powder to taste (or hot paprika) ad cook for 1 minute, stirring. Then, add a drained tin of chickpeas and a tin of tomatoes, cover and cook on low heat for 25-30 mins. Add sliced peppers (I prefer red) and/or carrots, green beans, broccoli - whatever you like/have, and maybe a sprinkling of chopped dried fruit and slivered almonds if you have them and the budget - financial or calorific - will allow. Serve with couscous and a dollop of plain or greek yoghurt. Serves 4-6, and is even better after a day or two in the fridge.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
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    http://www.rachaelray.com/food/collections/budget/index.php?cat=weeknday
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
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    Check out BudgetBytes.Blogspot.com. Great recipes for people on a budget, I can cut most of her recipes in half for two people and they are CHEAP! You can healthify most of them too.

    Great blog, thanks!

    Here is another good link for buying nutritious food on a tight budget - her emphasis is on nutrients.

    http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faqs/improv.html
  • samnco
    samnco Posts: 16 Member
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    Pasta Carbonara. Very easy to make for two people.

    Cook 1-2 pieces of bacon per person and crumble them up.
    Add 1 egg to a soup bowl (this will be the dish you eat from) w/ 1 tbs parmesean cheese. Add bacon.
    Cook 1 portion of pasta and once its done move the hot drained pasta to the bowl and stir.

    Done! So delicious, the hot noodles cook the egg!
  • ecka723
    ecka723 Posts: 148 Member
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    So currently I am piss poor! I'm trying to avoid buying too much food... what healthy cheep recipes do people have?

    I'm a college student, and my husband and I live on a very strapped income! I hear ya! My cheapest ingredients are big bags of brown rice, dried beans/lentils, eggs, peanut butter, pasta, oatmeal. Often, I will make a large pan of spanish rice and cook black beans in the crockpot. I get sick of eating beans and rice, but it's filling and healthy. I have eaten oatmeal at lunch and dinner when in a pinch. It's crazy, but it's super filling and definitely worked for us. I am sort of becoming a pro at this whole "spending nothing on groceries" game. If you need some more help, feel free to ask!

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