Healthy meals on a budget

I always make big pot meals to keep for a week so these would probably feed your family for a day or two

> 1 cup bulgar/brown rice/etc
> 1 tin of canned tomatoes
> 3 cups of peppers (I use anaheim)
> 8 oz stew meat/chicken/pork cubed
> 1 med onion
> 2 cups shredded cabbage
> 1 cup mushrooms
> tbsp garlic
> taco seasoning

Cook garlic a bit, then add the meat, cook until meat is done, then remove it for nkw. Add the veg to the pan, cook and stir lightly 5mins or so. Add the meat back in, 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, water appropriate, rice/bulgar, and tinned tomatoes. Let cook covered for 10mins or so, then turn the heat off and let the grain rest a bit to absorb all the liquid.

Serve with a bit of cheese on top, sour cream if you like. Tastes like an enchilada. Really good on a baked potato for leftovers. Made mine reaaaaally spicy though.

Otherwise beans are super cheap.

> 1 cup black beans
> 1 cup pinto beans
> 1 large onion
> 3 cups cabbage
> 4oz ham

I use that as a base for soup, then add diff things like tinned tomatoes, or mushrooms/celery, whatever needs to be used up in my fridge. Beans are really low cal and filling. You could make a big pot and a family of four could all have seconds for 500cal each max, likely.

Beans and bulgar save my budget. And carrots/onions/cabbage/potatoes. Apples and bananas for fruits. Milk/butter/sugar/flour/etc for dairy and sweets/baked goods. I don't buy chips/cookies/etc... shop at Aldi's mostly, yeah. It's an adjustment but I know all those things I dont buy don't taste as good as something I can make. And I have at least one day to mass cook and freeze food for the week.

Here is a great website for healthy recipes on a budget.
She even calculates cost/serving!
BUDGET BYTES
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/
Jo

I really don't have any meals for a budget but I have been trying to cut processed food out of my diet and do find living in Maine it is hard to get fruits and veggies during the off seasons but at our sams club they do have great prices on fruits and veggies. I can get a good amount of stuuf for right around 75 dollars give or take and if preped and and stored well will last me 1 1/2 to 2 weeks I get everything from avocado to eggs to bag salad for busy days.

Wheat is not really healthy, not even whole wheat. One good indication is that so many people can not tolerate it.
Dried beans, brown rice, and fresh and frozen vegetables.
Once you get the processed foods out of the house, you will get rid of a lot of toxins and feel healthier.

I just wash, boil the beans for an hour and put on salads, mash and put on rice tortilla

Just recently I have been experimenting with making my own veggie burgers. I dislike the bought ones.
I mash beans, add onion and garlic powder, sage and thyme and make little meatballs, broil about 10 min.
They taste like stuffing, but no wheat that cause intestional problems.

Use different color beans and substitute in any recipe with meat. Yesterday I overate on those bean balls and lost weight.

Oh, and FISH, not tuna. Big fish eat many little fish and accumulate mercury poisons, plus the cans have BHP? more poison.
Besides tuna is not cheap. Figure out the cost per pound, using "net" weight on can, and fresh fish is cheaper.

I always make big pot meals to keep for a week so these would probably feed your family for a day or two

> 1 cup bulgar/brown rice/etc
> 1 tin of canned tomatoes
> 3 cups of peppers (I use anaheim)
> 8 oz stew meat/chicken/pork cubed
> 1 med onion
> 2 cups shredded cabbage
> 1 cup mushrooms
> tbsp garlic
> taco seasoning

Cook garlic a bit, then add the meat, cook until meat is done, then remove it for nkw. Add the veg to the pan, cook and stir lightly 5mins or so. Add the meat back in, 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, water appropriate, rice/bulgar, and tinned tomatoes. Let cook covered for 10mins or so, then turn the heat off and let the grain rest a bit to absorb all the liquid.

Serve with a bit of cheese on top, sour cream if you like. Tastes like an enchilada. Really good on a baked potato for leftovers. Made mine reaaaaally spicy though.

Otherwise beans are super cheap.

> 1 cup black beans
> 1 cup pinto beans
> 1 large onion
> 3 cups cabbage
> 4oz ham

I use that as a base for soup, then add diff things like tinned tomatoes, or mushrooms/celery, whatever needs to be used up in my fridge. Beans are really low cal and filling. You could make a big pot and a family of four could all have seconds for 500cal each max, likely.

Beans and bulgar save my budget. And carrots/onions/cabbage/potatoes. Apples and bananas for fruits. Milk/butter/sugar/flour/etc for dairy and sweets/baked goods. I don't buy chips/cookies/etc... shop at Aldi's mostly, yeah. It's an adjustment but I know all those things I dont buy don't taste as good as something I can make. And I have at least one day to mass cook and freeze food for the week.

I found a great mix of spices that tastes like taco seasoning mix, but without all the weird "extras" and unpronounceable ingredients in the pouch taco seasoning. Take one tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2-1 tsp chili flakes (depending on spice level) and 1/2-1 tsp chili powder (again, depending on spice level). Mix and sprinkle with pride!

A recipe I use that in that also makes a lot to keep for the week is:

1) In a med-hot pan add 1 tbsp olive oil, then cook 1 lb ground turkey/chicken/other lean meat of your choice.

2) Once cooked, add spice mix mentioned above with 1 cup diced onion and cook until onion is tender.

3) After onion is tender, add 3 cloves minced garlic, cook for one minute.

4) Next, add 1 14oz can of tomato sauce, 1 14oz can of a bean of your choice (I like black or kidney beans) and about 1 cup of corn kernels.

5) Cook for another few minutes until heated through, serve and enjoy! Can be great with cheese grated on top.

This meal is REALLY filling, and the amount listed above makes 4 portions. Made with Extra Lean Ground Turkey, this recipe is 350 calories, 37g of carbs, 10g of fat and 30g of protein.

If you're limiting carb intake, most of the carbs in this recipe are from the corn and beans, so feel free to replace with peppers, zucchini, etc.

Hope that helps!

Here's a great site with some inspiration:
http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/

I hope you find some posts helpful!