poor mans low calorie meal options
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Check out budgetbytes.com. She has LOTS of really great recipes that are very easy to make and many are low cal/healty and can be modified to fit what you have around the house or what you can get your hands on. We've eaten several of her recipes and every one has been wonderful! Check it out
*** Edit to add: as implied by the name of the site everything is budget friendly and has a cost breakdown per meal & serving! Good Luck!
Thanks! This website looks very informative!0 -
Bump. I checked it out real quick......looks good. Will definitely revisit0
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Bump.0
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I agree with the leftovers comment. Here are some casseroles I make because they are inexpensive and leave leftovers. My mother cooked these and we loved them as children.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
3 thawed chicken breasts $4
2 cups brown rice or white rice $1.50
2 cans cream of mushroom soup $3
2 cups water (we use the empty soup can) free
1 small can sweet peas drained or 1/2 bag frozen peas (also can use diced celery or carrots if you have them) $1
Seasoning of choice
Mix the rice, soup, water, and veggie in a 9X13 casserole dish. Lay the chicken breasts into it. Sprinkle the top with some seasoning (paprika or seasoned salt is good). Cover with tinfoil and bake at 375 degrees F for 70 minutes if using brown rice or 55 minutes if using white rice. Take it out and test the rice (white rice cooks faster than brown) and make sure the chicken is done. This feeds 2 people 3 or 4 times for around $10. We usually eat this with green beans on the side.
Easy Chicken Spaghetti
3 chicken breasts $4
1 small package spaghetti noodles or 1/2 or a larger package $2
1 can rotel $1.50
1 can cream of chicken soup $1.50
Can or frozen sweet peas or corn drained $1
8 oz sharp cheddar $2.50
Boil the chicken breasts in salted water until cooked. Take the chicken out of the water and boil the noodles in the same water. Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces. Mix the rotel, soup, peas, and chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and add them to the chicken mix and stir well. Cover this with the cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.
When we make tacos or fajitas, I will use the leftover tortillas to make a kind of quesadilla. Put some cheese and black beans between two tortillas and cook in a non-stick skillet like a grilled cheese. Cut into triangles and dip into salsa or sour cream.
And an egg and cheese sandwhich with a little jelly is not so bad either.0 -
Check out budgetbytes.com. She has LOTS of really great recipes that are very easy to make and many are low cal/healty and can be modified to fit what you have around the house or what you can get your hands on. We've eaten several of her recipes and every one has been wonderful! Check it out
*** Edit to add: as implied by the name of the site everything is budget friendly and has a cost breakdown per meal & serving! Good Luck!
budgetbytes.com
Awesome site. Love the breakdowns on cost. Thanks!0 -
OMG you guys are amazing. Thank you sooo much for all of these suggestions. These are going to be a great help as i re-start my journey ( grocery shopping tonight) new journey starts tomorrow. Thank you all again!!:happy:0
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I'm on a super tight budget right now, so I have to be really careful not to get carried away with my grocery spending. The most important thing is that you plan your meals and your grocery list before you go shopping. Not only will it help you save money and waste less food, but it will mean you're always prepared to make a healthy meal and are less likely to be tempted by takeout or fast food. Check your store's sale flyer (most stores have them online) so you can try to plan meals around whatever lean proteins are on sale and staples like rice or beans that you already have on hand or can buy without spending too much. Try to shop for what fruits and vegetables are in season, or else things you know will keep well. Eggs, yogurt, or oatmeal are great affordable breakfasts, and try to repurpose leftovers for lunches.
For example, on the weekend maybe I'll grill up some chicken breasts and veggies and make a pot of couscous or quinoa. Then for lunches throughout the week, I'll mix those ingredients and add some raw veggies. How I keep myself from getting sick of eating the same thing is that I try to add a little something different every day--a few slices of lime one day, maybe a few tablespoons of salsa on another day or a splash of Italian dressing. It takes time on the weekend, but I love not having to worry about meal prep again until I make my grocery list the next Thursday.
Also try not to be too brand loyal. For most things, I try to buy the brand that has the best price. Fage is my favorite yogurt, but it's regularly $1.49 at my store. I can't afford that most weeks, since I eat a lot of yogurt, but my store usually has some kind of Greek yogurt 10 for $10. When Fage is the one on sale, I buy a lot, but other weeks I buy just what I'll need for that week.
Planning my meals like this has gotten a lot easier. Even when I'm through the tough times I'm going through now, I think I'll probably stick to what I'm doing. It's really forced me to be more mindful of what I'm eating, which I think is helping me in the long run.0 -
Butternut squash soup: Ingredients are 1 butternut squash, 1 small Vidalia onion diced, 3 jalapeno peppers diced and seeded, if you like spice, 8 ounces of heavy cream, and 4 ounces of skim milk or 1% milk, 2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger grated, 1 can of chicken broth, low sodium, and salt and pepper. You can rinse the squash off, cut it in half, seed it and place it in a glass lasagna dish, submerged in some water, slightly covering the top of the squash. Put it in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes on 350 degrees. Then, take it out, let it cool some, then remove the skin.
Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil in a large pan or dutch oven until melted on medium heat. Then throw in your diced jalapenos, diced onion, and grated ginger root. Let it cook and sauté in the oil for about 7 minutes. Then add the squash and chicken broth. Then stir it all together. Then add the cream and the milk. Stir it together once more and remove from the heat. Then add in about a teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir. Then, add it to the blender, filling the blender half full and covering the top with a towel. Pulse it until it has a smooth consistency. Serve it in a bowl. Garnish with croutons, thyme, and parsley.
This is a quick filling meal, inexpensive, because you can always use evaporated milk or coconut milk, if you don't want to use the heavy cream of 1%milk, just as long as it is milk. You can omit the jalapenos if you want, but it gives it a nice kick and the coconut oil, gives it a Thai flare, but coconut milk probably would do just as well too. Do not forget the ginger root!
Another one is Mexican Casserole: Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef, 2 cups salsa, 1-16oz can of dark red kidney beans, drained, 1-1/2 cups of tortilla chips crusted, 2 soft tortillas, 2 cups of sour cream, greek yogurt or plain yogurt., 1 (2ounce can of black olives drained, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, 2 cups of shredded cheese.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef. Stir in salsa, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans and heat through. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place 2 tortilla wraps at the bottom of the dish, then spread crusted tortilla chips in the dish on top of tortilla wraps. The wraps should be side by side of each other. Then spoon beef mixture over chips, spread sour cream over beef, sprinkle olives, green onions, and tomato over sour cream. Top with cheddar cheese or Mexican-style cheese. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, 30 minutes or less.0 -
bump0
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Thank you for the continued suggestions. This will be a great help in my journey!0
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Usually there's a bit more work involved if you want to save money. The biggest thing is not to buy convenience foods -- that's anything already prepared for you because you pay a premium for small volumes of food. So, for example, if you usually get frozen dinners, then if you make your own you save a lot. Another is buy the sales. Either look at the flyers or in-store stock up on things that can be kept or frozen, like protein or vegetables or fruit. If you have a choice buy the seasonal veggies and fruit; they're always cheaper. Buy bread on sale and freeze it, it defosts fine and you can take a slice or two out of the freezer and toast it, if necessary. Get an Indian cookbook if you enjoy the food, or search on line for many recipes. Dahl ( different kinds of dried lentils or split peas) is one of the tastiest and nutrient dense foods and it makes a great meal with (brown) rice and chutney or sliced cucumber. Dahl made with red lentils is mild and cooks in about 15-20 minutes, no soaking required. You can add spice to your taste. A simple recipe is to put a cup or two of rinsed red lentils in a big pot, cover well with water, and add two thin slices of fresh ginger and 1/2 tsp or so of turmeric. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Meanwhile, in a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and put in 1 tsp of whole cumin seeds, swirl around and add 3-5 cloves of minced fresh garlic and 1 medium onion, chopped. When it becomes fragrant and just a bit brown add it all at once to the pot of lentils. Add 1 tsp or so of salt (to taste) and 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Sprinkle in about 1/2 tsp garam masala and serve over hot rice. You can measure the rice and the dahl separately to get the calorie count, which is reasonable, and this can be stored in the fridge and reheated ( you might need to add a bit of exta water) for at least 3-4 days, maybe a week. It can also be frozen. If you don't have the spices you can get them cheaply at an Indian market and they'll last for a long time.0
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Thanks!0
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- Dried beans are a staple in my home. They're super cheap...I make a Lb of beans every Sunday night in the crockpot while we're sleeping...I usually soak them over night on Saturday and through the day Sunday with water and salt. I will add a bit of onion and garlic for flavor. If I have other stuff laying around like bell pepper or celery or whatever that needs to be used up before it goes bad, I'll throw that in there as well.
- Grains/Rice/Pasta
- Cabbage...so often ignored and very healthy...and cheap. I saute it in a bit of oil and I like to dice up some bacon for bacon bits and throw them in there as well.
- Frozen vegetables on sale...there always seems to be a sale on something in the frozen veg section...
- Potatoes
- ground beef or cheaper cuts of beef that require more cooking time to be tender...I use the crockpot for these types of roasts frequently
- whole chickens vs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, etc.0 -
Yum on all of the great suggestions here! I will be trying out the cabbage/bacon and the black beans and rice bowls soon! Thanks, all!0
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