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

TahoeSki · June 2013

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connieleavens · June 2013

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iDYG · June 2013

For lunch everyday I make myself an AMAZING tuna wrap.
I use Country Harvest Tortilla (25% less sodium) the whole wheat one.
I drain a can of light flaked tuna that is less sodium. Canned tuna is pretty cheap, super low in calories, and very high in protein.
I put half a can in a small bowl (use the half the next day) and sprinkle paprika, black pepper and sea salt. I cut 2 small radishes in there. A bag that lasts me more than a week is also very cheap (2$). I cut one stick(?) of green onions in it. I squeeze fresh lemon juice on there. I put 30grams (1oz) of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese in the bowl and mix it all together. Then cut half an avocado on to the tortilla and then put the tuna mix on the avocado. Wrap the tortilla and put it in the toaster for a minute or two so the cheese melts and the avocado get all nice and soft in it. And then its ready!! It tastes amazing. Its the meal I look forward to everyday. Its around 430 calories. Lots of protein in there from the tuna, cheese, and tortilla. Good fats and fiber from avocado. I usually put a bowl of plain mixed greens and just grab a bunch with every bite.

Jodster8 · June 2013

Once a week I cook for the week. I usually by rotisserie chickens, cut them up in 3 oz portions, that I can use whenever I need to for salads, tacos, soups, or to add to a healthy carb. I also, take 5 pounds of lean ground turkey and cook 2 pounds of it. then separate it into a pound each, add taco seasoning to one pound and put the other into spaghetti sauce. then I take 2 more pounds and separate them out into 2 separate bowls and add ingredients for feta and sundried tomato meatballs and Asian ginger meatballs. Then I make a meatloaf out of the last pound with added carrots, onions and peppers, tomato juice and quinoa as the replacement for the breadcrumbs. I love mustard on it as well. Once you have your protein choosing the rest usually comes pretty easy. I also do a lot of smoothies for meals. easy and no cooking required. I hope this helps.

Hearts_2015 · June 2013

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newfiemidge · June 2013

What kind of beans are you talking about?

jmmnhi · June 2013

I just discovered yummy "Chicken Nuggets" made from chicken thigh fillets or boneless skinless thighs (thigh meat only has 10-20 more calories than breast meat)

Preheat oven to 400
Dry the thigh meat and put it in a large bowl
Add a little olive oil, salt/pepper and any spices you want then mix together.
Put on a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish and lay them flat.
Bake for 40-45 min.

They come out all golden and crispy. I make a large batch at a time and if they last I can use them for a couple of days on salads or just by themselves.

emcdermott85 · June 2013

Have to try some of these!

paprikas · June 2013

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SHDenver · June 2013

A quick, filling side for a meal if you have a toaster oven or broiler handy...

Cut a large tomato (or two) in to wedges. I like to keep the "meat" and dredge out the soft seedy part because I'm not a fan of it. Sprinkle with salt/salt substitute (I do a combo), black pepper, garlic powder.

Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan or 3-cheese Italian cheese.

Either broil in a toaster over for 8-10 minutes (Until cheese starts to brown) or perhaps use an oven to broil. I haven't tried the oven because I've had toaster ovens available at work and home. I usually put it on tin foil with some Pam spray for easy clean up

tntmom87 · June 2013

I generally tend to go for really simple meals - I'll make up a pot of brown rice (which will last me a week), mix in some black beans, diced tomatoes, taco meat - this is pretty good, and filling. My go-to meal when I'm in a jam though is tuna. Mix in some diced onions, sometimes add a tbsp of mayo and make a sandwich out of it. Or through some tuna on top of a salad (I thought that was really strange when I first heard of it til I tried it - pretty good!). I also stock up on frozen veggies. Pretty cheap, and fast to make.

HotAshMess · June 2013

It is a work in progress, but I blog about eating cheaper (cheap shopping, cooking smarter, eating out cheaper). There are also a few recipes. I hope you can find something that helps

thisdamselflies · June 2013

I'll very often roast a chicken over the weekend and roast some in-season veggies on the side for dinner, then shred the rest of the chicken and use it for a bunch of different recipes over the week. You can make chicken fajitas with peppers and onion, chicken soup, chicken sandwiches, etc. (To roast a chicken, stuff it with a punctured lemon, chopped carrot, celery, and onion, and some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage, rub it with some homemade poultry seasoning--usually the dried versions of the stuffing herbs along with some garlic, salt, and pepper--and stick it in the oven at 350* for a couple hours...check the temperature every once in a while to see if it's done, and baste it when you do that)

Chili is also a good thing to make ahead and take to work, and it's especially easy because all you have to do is toss the ingredients in a crock pot and then leave it alone for 8 hours. I really like turkey chili, and you can make cornbread to go with it.

If you have a refrigerator at work or in the department, you can make salad, just make sure it's got protein in it (chicken, beef, eggs, chickpeas, etc.), and make sure you don't put the dressing on until right before you eat it. Soggy salad is gross. You can also take sandwiches, and I'm sure you can find lots of creative ideas online for interesting sandwiches.

I'm also a big fan of the Clean Eating Magazine recipes. Some of them are duds, but a lot of them are very good. The two websites that have yet to fail me on flavorful meals are smittenkitchen.com and thekitchn.com, and you can probably find a lot of lunch ideas and dinner recipes that will be good leftover.