I need cheap healthy recipes Please.

Options
StPattiesKitty
StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
in Recipes
I cook a lot in my home actually 90% of the time.
I need some healthy food ideas prefferably something fastish and easy but I will accept all ideas.
Thanks to all who are helping!
By the way I cook for 3 people every other night...
«13

Replies

  • TipTopMMR
    TipTopMMR Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    www.epicurious.com. You can do an advanced search for all your categories (fast and easy, healthy, budget).
    Voila! Dinner!
  • StPattiesKitty
    StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
    Options
    www.epicurious.com. You can do an advanced search for all your categories (fast and easy, healthy, budget).
    Voila! Dinner!

    Hey! Thank you! I will totally check it out!
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    Options
    I would suggest looking up on any cooking website or blog dry rubs/ marinades for the different proteins that you usually cook with. Once you find some that you like feel free to vary and add/ subtract spices. I like to taste the combination before using it to cook with in case something is off a little bit. What you season your food with will help vary the taste of your meals, and once you've built up your spice rack it is really cheap to make diferent dishes. A couple examples:

    pork: mix brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper, garlic salt, black pepper, Rub on pork and let sit 15 mins-1 hour. Grill, bake or pan fry pork chop, add BBQ sauce if desired

    Chicken: rub for chicken-salt, pepper, oregano. Heat nonstick pan to medium, sautee olive oil and garlic in pan for 1 min, add chicken, once chicken is slightly browned add 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 c. dry white wine to pan and lower heat if necessary cook until finished.

    Serve with a large helping of fresh veggies, steamed or sauteed. Brown rice, whole grain bread or potatoes if you want a starch
  • April_220
    April_220 Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    I will try to come back and post some websites later, but I wanted to say that if you don't have a slow-cooker/crockpot that you should invest in one. It is a lifesaver for me. I can put a meal in the pot and have a main dish, then just add something to it during the week so I don't get bored with it.

    For example, I made a meatloaf (using lean, ground turkey breast meat) in my crockpot on Sunday while doing housework, exercising, etc. Then, during the week, I only had to make a quick side dish like vegetables, or a side salad, or soup, or I made a sandwich with another side. One day I even used it as a topping in a salad I took to work for lunch. So, I had a variety of quick meals that I could eat during the week just by making one big "main" food in my crockpot.
  • StPattiesKitty
    StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
    Options
    Thanks! These suggestions are really fantastic! Keep realling them in!!! :D
    I am totally getting a slow cooker now!
  • Ultimatefitmama
    Ultimatefitmama Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I have a ton of easy and cheap slow cooker meals. I'll post one now and come back later on to post more

    3-4 chicken breast
    a splash of red wine vinegar(you don't need this if you don't have any)
    1/2 bag of baby carrots or 3-4 carrots chopped into sticks
    1 butternut squash cut into cubes
    2tbsp italian seasoning

    Place chicken in crockpot add a splash of red wine vinegar. In separate bowl mix veggies and seasoning pour on top of chicken cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours
  • Ultimatefitmama
    Ultimatefitmama Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    you could also just cook chicken breast in the crockpot and use the meat for several meals. Just put chicken in bottom of crockpot add enough chicken stock to cover chicken breast and cook on low. The meat will fall apart so you could use it for salads, hot chicken sand.....
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    Options
    A slow cooker is a fabulous idea. Also, use www.supercook.com to find recipes for ingredients you already have. Just enter what you've got and the more stuff you enter, the more recipes will pop up and to give you a choice. I find that a whole lot easier than finding a recipe then going out to buy the stuff.
  • QueenWino
    QueenWino Posts: 106
    Options
    A favorite of mine is a pasta bowl. Brown wheat linguine and brown rice pasta. 8 oz for for people total. Grate coarsely 2 zucchini, wrap in a towel w/a little salt to expel liquid. Cook your pasta while zucchini dries. In lg skillet heat olive oil on med-hi. Add a few thinly sliced cloves of garlic and 1/4 tsp chili flakes, sauté till garlic fragrant - add zucchini. Maybe another 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta. Let it get all the flavors for a few minutes. Add off heat 1 ounce of real parmesan or romano and 1 Tbs. butter. It is delicious and cheap (the parmesan is expensive but only 1 ounce). I eat it once a week or more during zucchini season.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Options
    I cook frugally most of the time and try to stick to healthy recipes. You are welcome to look at my diary or check out my food blog or the recipes I put in the Just-a-Pinch recipe club site. Also, I'm a retired librarian and teacher so feel free to friend me or ask questions because finding answers is fun for me.

    www.heidicookssupper.com

    http://www.justapinch.com/me/heidicookssupper/recipes/
  • StPattiesKitty
    StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
    Options
    Thanks! I am getting great oppinions and ideas!!! I am so happy! Please feel free to continue to bring on more!! :D
  • m16shane
    m16shane Posts: 393 Member
    Options
    Bump
  • seanpaget
    seanpaget Posts: 6
    Options
    Beans and pulses, if you like them. Cheap, low in calories and damn healthy. I like to eat till I'm full, and I can eat loads. I eat chana dal most weeks. A portion with rice costs me no more than 20 cents.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    Options
    lettuce wraps. Chicken, onion, carrot, ginger, water chestnuts and baby corn if it is in the budget. soy sauce (saved packets from take out). Saute in a pan. I use an orgreenix pan. Serve in butter lettuce if it is in the budget, iceburg if it is not.
  • StPattiesKitty
    StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
    Options
    Bump
    Thanks for bumping :D
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
    Options
    Right now my goto meal is couscous, butternut squash and meat (chicken, pork, lamb, whatever I have), I do 40g couscous, 180g buttnet, and around 100g of the meat. i add all sorts of flavourings and seasoning to change up the taste, sometimes I use sweet things like honey to roast the squash, others it's garlic.. as someone said above, you can totally change up a meal just with herbs and spices! Right now I'm adding harisa to the couscous. Dead easy to make, just shove the squash and the meat in the oven until done, and the couscous takes about 5 minutes start to finish. Very cheap as well because a bad of couscous lasts ages and only costs a couple of quid
  • crisb2
    crisb2 Posts: 329 Member
    Options
    For me, the easiest and cheapest are always the smoothies (frozen strawberries, mangos, sugar free juices, water, nuts, etc.) I try to stay stocked up on things I can just throw in the blender, and as soon as I get home from the supermarket, package it all in small ziploc bags (keep in freezer) so that all i have to do is remove the bag, add liquid and blend. But for other ideas I always go to Pinterest... http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=quick healthy meals a lot of fitspiration on there as well...
  • StPattiesKitty
    StPattiesKitty Posts: 106
    Options
    Thanks for helping yall! Keep sending in ideas so others can use this too! :D Thanks!!!
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Options
    I buy frozen tilapia a lot. Cheap and a great source of protein.

    Defrost, then put in the center of a tin foil square. Cut up a pat of butter and put some under the filet and on top of the filet. Add any herbs and veggies you like, and a squeeze of lemon, fold up the tinfoil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I often do tomatoes and fresh basil. If I don't have lemon, Ill add a drop of white wine vinegar or even just white wine.
  • kmash32
    kmash32 Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    bump for later

Categories