Homemade low cal 'ready meals' on a budget

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

Hi

I'm about to start a run of 11 night shifts and I know that i'm going to be too tired to prepare and cook healthy meals everyday and I want to avoid the temptation to call into McDonalds or the chippy on my way to work.

I've been picking up low cal ready meals from the supermarket but i'm aware that they aren't really as healthy as they are made out to be or calling into subway and getting a light sub but the cost of buying these regularly are driving my food bills through the roof (especially as I cant seem to step foot in asda without finding 1001 other things I didnt know I needed until I saw it was on offer! lol)

Does anybody have any low cal (i.e. 400cal or less) recipes that can be made on a budget which I can freeze and that can be zapped in the microwave?

Thanks

x

barbara4599 · July 2013

I cook lentils in chicken stock with onions, carrots, and some cumin. Put over a little rice. Freezes great. Do a search on the recipe board for soups, I've seen a ton of them here. Don't forget your crock pot. I just did some pinto beans in my crockpot yesterday (soaked over night, drained in morning and coverd in water again, added a diced onion and some minced garlic. Low for 10-12 hours, add a little salt at end) had them in a tortilla with cheese, or skip the tortilla. Search here for crockpot recipes too.

I also do the frozen meals when I'm short on time, it's better in a pinch than fast food. I try to catch them when they're on sale for $2 and add a serving of veggies on the side.

Good luck, you can do this!

msmimi · July 2013

Being prepared is MORE than half the battle.These are my favorite low cal. meals. They are freezeable and can be used for a quick lunch/dinner.
-Skinnytaste Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html
-Cuban Picadillo http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/picadillo-6-ww-pts.html She also has a recipe using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
-Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html

-Emily Bites The Best Lasagna Ever (really) http://www.emilybites.com/2011/02/best-lasagna-ever-really.html
-Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf "Muffins" http://www.emilybites.com/2012/08/chicken-parmesan-meatloaf-muffins.html

ohheyitsfelicity · July 2013

When I'm cramming for an exam, have a long day of classes or have a few essays due within a week span (I'm a student), I always will set aside one day a week, cook healthy meals for the week, then freeze them. That way not only am I saving money by making them myself, but I know what exactly is going into them as well. I love to make soups and healthy chilli to freeze, I find they're so simple to freeze! If you purchase a steamer, there's also a recipe book that can sometimes come along with it and it'll teach you how to make things like chicken in it - which is simple and quick!

benjib84 · July 2013

This isnt homemade but something i can maybe suggest as a last try option if you dont have time -

City Kitchen meals from tescos are 2 for £6 at the moment and honestly they are the freshest tasting, tastiest ready meals ive had... and they are all less than 500kals.. or they were.

They have plenty of fresh stuff in them and are to die for - im a keen chef and dont advocate many reafdy meals but they are amazing lol

martasmith54584 · July 2013

I usually cook up fish and chicken and veggies and make a bunch of meals ready to heat up so I can just pull from the fridge without thinking.

hananah89 · July 2013

Like a few others said, preparing ahead of time is important. I usually throw stuff in the crockpot on the weekends or cook a meal with 4-6 servings one night and then preportion them out for the week. I've spent a lot of time searching online for low cal versions of what I like to eat and just do the above with them.

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

This isnt homemade but something i can maybe suggest as a last try option if you dont have time -

City Kitchen meals from tescos are 2 for £6 at the moment and honestly they are the freshest tasting, tastiest ready meals ive had... and they are all less than 500kals.. or they were.

They have plenty of fresh stuff in them and are to die for - im a keen chef and dont advocate many reafdy meals but they are amazing lol

Ohh i'll have a look for them when I go shopping later, thank you :-)

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

Thanks for the ideas people :-) i'll pick up some stuff when I go shopping, my shifts start tomorrow night and the little one is in nursery all day too so I can have a good day of batch cooking

x

lisquito · July 2013

Yes yes yes, I cannot stress enough how much preparedness counts toward meeting your goals!

I dedicate one day a week (Sunday) to the house, and its when I do most of my cooking. I found that shopping for only a week at a time helps me make sure I use up everything in the fridge and nothing is being wasted! I plan out a menu two weeks ahead with 2-3 meals per week. Most of the meals I cook are batch meals (4-6 servings each) and cooking two batch meals on Sunday leaves me almost no cooking to do during the week, unless I want something different to eat!

I use online recipes for reference or to give me ideas for stuff. Here are some of my fav links:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/index.html

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/

http://www.eatingwell.com/

http://www.cookinglight.com/

Laur005 · July 2013

I unfortunately don't have any meals to share, but I was just looking around for something similar to this. Thanks everyone for sharing such good ideas!

msladydove · July 2013

Thanks for the topic, I am always looking for recipes and such too

Homemade low cal 'ready meals' on a budget

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