Help! Looking for Healthy, Cheap, Plan-Ahead meals...

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cwils35
cwils35 Posts: 51 Member
in Recipes
My wife just got into graduate school (YAY), which means both of us will be in graduate school & working, leaving much less time for food prep. MFP has been great, and the community even better! So once again I am asking for help.

I am looking for recipes that I can cook on Saturday/Sunday for the coming week that are reasonably inexpensive, but more importantly are really healthy. Our biggest problem is usually lunch.
So far we have thought of: Chicken Noodle Soup, PB & J (but the bread can be pretty bad), Tuna on Crackers, Grilled Chicken Salad (Grill on the weekends, chop it up, and keep it separate but mix together at work).

Also curious if anyone has any general tips for eating healthy and keeping costs down. I feel like dieting is usually correlated to increased cost of food.
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  • cwils35
    cwils35 Posts: 51 Member
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    bump please!
  • GormanGhaste
    GormanGhaste Posts: 430 Member
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    You can cook a big pot of beans on the weekend, and use them throughout the week in different recipes.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    When at school, I usually take a big salad for lunch. I do the prep on Sundays, then have 3-4 days worth. What you need:
    1-2 bags salad--either baby spinach or a mixed greens
    1-2 carrots
    1-2 large ribs celery
    bell pepper or 3 mini-peppers
    onion (to taste)
    1/2 cucumber
    vinegar
    chop the carrots, celery, peppers, onion and cucumber into bite-size pieces and store them with 2-3 tbs vinegar in a resealable container. Add a cup at a time to 2 cups of salad for each lunch.

    What to add to the salad: 2-3 oz turkey, ham or lean roast beef or home-made tuna salad (I make it with a hard boiled egg, 2 tbs hummus, and 2 drained cans of tuna, then split into 3 servings.)
    Instead of dressing, I use 1/4 avocado and 1/8-1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese, stirred into the salad.

    Another idea is cranberry trail mix with strawberries and chicken on the salad.

    Sometimes I need to add a fruit on the side, just to give me a few more calories. I don't like starchy carbs at lunch, like pasta, rice or potatoes, because they make me hungrier and sleepy in the afternoon.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,789 Member
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    Make ahead on the weekend: a couple of pounds of grilled chicken, any grains you particularly like, a big batch of baked sweet potatoes (not yams) or smallish regular potatoes, a dozen hardboiled eggs, some fajita meat (flank steak, more chicken, seared fish, whatever), a batch of good ground turkey or chicken meatballs, a big batch of roasted vegetables (any -- beets, zucchini, yams, asparagus, eggplant), and any beans/lentils you prefer.

    Prep ahead on the weekend: many chopped vegetables (carrots shredded, chopped, or speared), cucumbers (sliced and cubed), avocado (cubed or quartered, sealed in Ziploc with 1/2 lemon juice 1/2 water mixture), cubed tofu in a Ziploc with low-sodium soy sauce and water, diced tomatoes, diced onions, sliced or diced colorful peppers, sliced olives, sliced or diced beets, sliced mushrooms (in Ziploc with water).

    Keep on hand: chicken or turkey sausages/hot dogs, string cheese or whatever cheese you prefer (portioned into 1oz servings), big bags of good greens, cans of tuna in water, artichoke hearts, pickles, condiments (relish, low-fat mayo, soy sauce, good mustard, hot sauce, salsa...), frozen vegetables, cottage cheese, easy fruits (berries, cherries, pre-cut melons), quick oats, whole-grain flatbreads/wraps, whole-grain English muffins/bagels, whole-grain sandwich thins, deli meats, real bacon bits, fruit preserves, olive oil, good spices, smoked salmon if you can, unbuttered popcorn, healthy crackers.

    Not that you need all of this simultaneously, but you can basically pick four items from each category and have like 50 different combinations through the week. Just grab components and assemble however you like -- stir-fries, wraps, snacks, dairy-and-fruit, healthy sandwiches, grain salads, veggie salads, tuna or chicken salads, sausage and grains with dark leafy greens, smoked salmon platters with cheese and veggies... Crap, now I'm hungry.
  • G__Force
    G__Force Posts: 280 Member
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    On the PB&J use whole grain flat bread, Its only 100 calories and its not bad tasting.
    I also like to use a lot of ground turkey pretty much anything you can make with ground beef you use ground turkey. turkey chili is awesome, and I will last for a few days without a problem.
    I also make turkey burritos in about 15 minutes with ground turkey, pico, cheese, tortilla seasons to choice, I normally make gauc at the same time. avocado, pico and sea salt. yummy and healthy.
  • MarioLozano16
    MarioLozano16 Posts: 319 Member
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    6 oz chicken and 3/4 cup of brown rice for a lunch
  • Habiteer
    Habiteer Posts: 190 Member
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    I make a lot of slow cooked chicken dishes. 5 lbs of chicken at a time, usually enough for ten servings which should last about a week. Search for taco slow cooked chicken on YouTube and you'll probably find one of my favorite dishes so far. Make it, put it in tupperware, put in freezer, when you're ready to eat just pop it in the microwave for ten minutes. Serve with bread if you want to make it better
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,789 Member
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    If you make a vinaigrette out of 1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar, 1-2Tbsp olive oil, a little sugar (or granulated sweetener of your choice), and pepper to taste, you can make a lot of good stuff with it. Cut up some of those baked potatoes you pre-made and toss them with red onions and the vinaigrette for a healthier potato salad, pour it over green beans, garbanzos, and kidney/black beans for a three-bean salad, dice some cucumber, tomato, and onion and mix together for a gazpacho-like summer salad. You can even drizzle it over very sweet fruits like melons, or top your fish/chicken dishes with it. It really adds pizzazz to a bunch of things.

    ETA: If you cook and season ground meat ahead of time, you can use it endlessly. A pound or two of ground meat, well-seasoned with chili powder, cumin, pepper, and garlic can be a salad topping, a flatbread filling, quick tacos if you pick up some shells at the store, a baked potato filler... It's pretty handy, is what I'm saying, and good seasoning makes it seem pretty decadent and unique after endless chicken-and-salad iterations.

    (I will shut up now, JFC, sorry y'all, food gives me lots of feels.)
  • SHDenver
    SHDenver Posts: 87 Member
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    Brocolli Casserole

    2lbs (or so) of fresh or frozen brocolli
    1 large can of cream of mushroom soup (3 cups total)
    2 large onions
    2-3 tbs of low sodium soy sauce (I add less soy and include a potassium salt substitute, 'No-Salt')
    Pepper

    Set oven to 350.

    Cut onions in half then slice them in to thin strips, saute them with pam spray in a saute pan, add light salt and pepper. I like to saute until they begin carmalizing...

    Use a 13 X 9" baking pan (I can't remember if that's what they're called, the kind with the taller sides :)

    Lay brocolli in pan and cover with the can of cream of mushroom, add like a quarter to a half cup of water (I've found I don't have to use as much water if the brocolli is frozen.) Add soy sauce. I usually bake for about 10 minutes to soften the cream of mushroom, because it's hard to spread around straight out of the can.

    Stir Soup in to brocolli until each floret is covered, add most of your onions and stir those in as well. Leave some to put on top of the casserole so they can brown further.

    Cook for 30 mins, stir again, then cook for another 15 to 30 minutes. It tastes awesome and actually gets better over the course of the week.

    ALSO
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx6svS1oxDE
    Along with http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/09/pickled-red-onions/
    and light sour cream on lettuce leaf. It makes 8 meals or so and is pretty filling. You can also use tortillas if you'd like obviously :)
  • cwils35
    cwils35 Posts: 51 Member
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    Thank you all, these are great ideas!!!! The mix and match was really nice so things will not seem too repetitive!
  • MissyPoo2013
    MissyPoo2013 Posts: 190 Member
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    Bump!
  • ArtsyAlexis
    ArtsyAlexis Posts: 29 Member
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    Bumping! Awesome ideas, guys. I love these. My fiancé and I are also in college. I usually make dinner beforehand and take it with me but now that I work as well I can't always do that. We only have school twice a week at night so we usually just have leftovers. These aides are great, though, wonderful for lunches and dinners! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
  • Michellekutz1
    Michellekutz1 Posts: 122
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    I make big batches of stuffed peppers, they are even better the next day or so as the pepper absorbs all the flavor and it's easy to take to work for "lunch" when I reheat people always come in to see what I'm eating and then say their sandwich doesn't look so good anymore, lol
  • shannonerdelyi
    shannonerdelyi Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm in grad school as well so I can relate to this. Preparation, especially on weekends, has been key. Here are some suggestions that have worked for me:

    1. http://www.budgetbytes.com/
    This website has all kinds of cheap big-batch recipes, and they're all healthy and delicious! One of my favourites is the black bean quesadilla - something I never thought to freeze, but makes a great lunch when heated in the microwave.

    2. You can freeze almost anything
    Freeze bags of smoothie ingredients for a quick and easy meal or snack. Individually wrap and freeze homemade muffins to eat for breakfast or bring to school. Make a large amount of lasagna, soup, chili, enchiladas, stuffed peppers, etc. and freeze them in meal-sized portions for quick reheating.

    3. Keep healthy snacks around that don't expire quickly to supplement your meals
    Generally cheese is good (pre-slicing your own "cheese strings" is probably cheaper and just as good). Almonds and pistachios are both reasonable, too. I have emergency granola bars (fibre 1) in my desk. I'm sure you could make your own granola bars to suit your nutrition needs and have those ready to go.

    4. Always plan to make leftovers
    ... and bring them for lunch the next day!
  • cwils35
    cwils35 Posts: 51 Member
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    Great Stuff! Thank you all (MFP community rocks again)

    I'm def going to try black bean quesadilla frozen - mexican is our weakness.

    Michelle do you have that stuffed peppers recipe?
  • cwils35
    cwils35 Posts: 51 Member
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    Bump
  • chilliewillie75
    chilliewillie75 Posts: 14
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    Bump!
  • SHINDY12
    SHINDY12 Posts: 53
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    bump
  • dmarien
    dmarien Posts: 58
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    Prep work is the key. Also to save money if you have a local farmer's market to get your fruit and veggies from you can get a great savings buying what is on clearance and plan your meals around that. The other way is check your grocery sales and schedule your meals around what meat, veggies and fruit are on sale that week. I actually hit the grocery meat departments early in the morning or later in the evening when the reduced meat is on clearance even more and schedule meals around that. i go ahead and cook it up how I think I will want it and freeze it.

    Any amount of prep work you do on the weekends will make it easy to prepare a quick healthy meal on the go regardless of when you throw it together.

    Alot of people do not like the cabbage soup diet...or the soup. I personally love it, it makes a large amount , it is super cheap to make and I take it serveral days in a row for lunch and then eat a nice dinner or if I am wanting to save my calories I eat it for dinner as well. 2 cup serving is only 90 calories without the meat added. Head of cabbage, chicken broth, 2 fresh tomatoes, 1 bell pepper, 1 onion, any seasoning you like (i dont add salt because of the sodium that is usually in the broth) but season it to your liking. Sometimes I throw chicken in mine. I have a girlfriend who likes sausage in hers.
  • jkmiller82
    jkmiller82 Posts: 214 Member
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    I've made this pasta primavera recipe before and it makes a ton! Probably enough for you and your wife to have lunch for the week and it's very healthy.

    http://kfoxcooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/healthier-pasta-primavera.html

    When I first started dieting I felt like I was spending so much money because I was still experimenting with what I wanted to eat. Once I figured out the foods that I kept turning to, it made it easier to go to the grocery store. I live by myself to so I try to buy foods that don't expire too quickly in bulk and ones that do expire quickly (salad stuff, fruits, milk) in smaller quantities. I finally had to tell myself that I'm not going to eat one million apples in 2 weeks, but they won't go bad if I just buy a couple.

    Also, if you don't have one, you should definitely invest in a crock pot. You can make all kinds of cheap meals in them and freeze what you don't use. www.skinnytaste.com has some great recipes.

    I made some caramelized onions in the crock pot with this recipe:
    http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/crock-pot-caramelized-onions-slow-and-steady-does-the-trick/

    They were so good and it made so much for so little money and the flavor it adds to everything from omelettes to salads to perogies is amazing!

    Congrats on grad school!

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