If You Had to Be VERY Careful Money-wise….

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  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    This is wonderful… boil two bone in chicken breasts in a big pot of water. I add the end of an onion and some tops of celery in the stock pot..anything for flavor.

    After they're cooked let them cool..remove the skin..and shred the chicken. Strain the broth…. Put the chicken back in the broth…add canned tomatoes some uncooked rice..(half cup or 1/4 depending on your calorie goals.) Add a bag of frozen soup vegetables. Really anything cheap in your freezer vegetable -wise or even canned vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar for taste… throw in a bay leaf..salt pepper.. Hot chilies if you have them. Let it simmer for an hour or so. It turns out like a stew. Very filling. Let it cool and ladle it out into tupperware containers. YOu'll get at least six servings or more. Eats like a meal..wonderful. and so very low calorie. I also had a tablespoon or two of tomato paste for flavor too.
  • Elizabethgulick93
    Elizabethgulick93 Posts: 46 Member
    I know this sounds horrible, and most people don't like them, but Spaghetti O's! I'm basically a tall kid, so I love them. They're only about a dollar a can and most of the time can be split into two servings. They also have a lot of protein.
  • 8bitAlina
    8bitAlina Posts: 353 Member
    http://www.eatliverun.com/cuban-black-beans/

    One of my fave recipes. So simple, and you don't need a slow cooker to do it. For one person, it'll last a while, and you can eat it with rice if you want it to go further.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    Invest in a protein shake.
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 905 Member
    There's a good website for cheap meals called Budget Bytes!

    www.budgtbytes.com

    Don't forget about the zillion recipes on Pinterest!

    You might also look up the Living on a Dime blog (www.livingonadime.com)
  • Ke11er
    Ke11er Posts: 147 Member
    Tons of great ideas here, so just a different idea to make a sort of game of it to make the next month less stressful. When ever we've moved we always set a stop date for grocery shopping so we don't have to move food, or have it go to waste. Totally opposite way of thinking for you, but the goal of the game is to empty the pantry. The fun comes in trying to be really creative about how to use the supplies you have on hand together somehow. If we don't have a move we still play the game for a month every couple of years just to make sure goods don't slip past their expiration date. When your goal is to empty the pantry and freezer those bare shelves are liberating. We've found it takes more meals than we imagined. Give everything a good scrub when you win membership into the clean pantry club, put down fresh shelf paper, and go forward with a renewed idea of how long you really could live on what's in your kitchen. It will change the way you shop!
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    I know this sounds horrible, and most people don't like them, but Spaghetti O's! I'm basically a tall kid, so I love them. They're only about a dollar a can and most of the time can be split into two servings. They also have a lot of protein.

    Spaghetti O's and van camp's pork and beans are lunchtime staples around here!
  • ritabwatkins
    ritabwatkins Posts: 1 Member
    Lentil soup is really good! You can use Giadda's Recipe and make it taste Italian (leave out the pasta for fewer calories AND you can spice it up Mexican style by adding cilantro, lime juice and some Tajin (I put that S&HT on everything!) The Only expensive thing in it is the low fat, low sodium chicken broth, but if you go to Costco, Smart and Final or Food max Im sure you can find it for much less! Its also a great source of Folic Acid! And settles the stomach when you are starving.
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
    bump
  • myrtille87
    myrtille87 Posts: 122 Member
    If I had to be very careful money-wise, I would cut out meat (more or less).

    I would get my protein primarily from beans/lentils/chickpeas and do things like vegetable curries, casseroles, tagines, etc. with rice/pasta/couscous depending what went best with the flavours I was using.

    I would eat meat if I found some at less than half price reduced to clear. I might also add cheap tinned tuna.

    I would probably use some of the older recipes from this site: http://agirlcalledjack.com/ She had to feed herself and her son for £10 per week, mostly using supermarket budget ranges.
  • darkrose20
    darkrose20 Posts: 1,139 Member
    BUMP for a good read. Sorry, but I don't have any suggestions to add. These are already fantastic suggestions!
  • dyngdong7
    dyngdong7 Posts: 3
    I know what it is like to live on a low grocery budget. Have you tried couponing?There are many websites dedicated to helping you get started with it and it can really pay off. You don't have to be an "extreme couponer" to get some great deals. If you pay attention to the sale cycles, you can get lots of free things like toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, shampoo, etc. Many dollar stores accept coupons too. Just ask the sales associates about the store's coupon policy.

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