healthy but broke - recipes please!

kaylalove09
kaylalove09 Posts: 2 Member
in Recipes
Hey guys. Family for 4 and on a very tight budget. Looking for good priced recipes that are still healthy. My fiance is a very picky eater and tends to eat a lot more junk food then he should and has gained quite a bit of weight. If i find recipes that he'll like, i know he'll eat better! Plus i got another 40 lbs to go and need new ideas. Thank you in advance!

Replies

  • Achieyidi
    Achieyidi Posts: 1 Member
    Have you tried cauliflower fried "rice"? You prepare and cook everything just like you would regular fried rice, but use finely minced cauliflower instead of rice. It's great with chicken , eggs, shredded carrots, snow peas, green onions and sprouts. Adding pineapple next time for some Thai flair. Cheap, quick, and easy.
  • Coupongrl79
    Coupongrl79 Posts: 193 Member
    Tostadas! They are fast, cheap, and can be healthy if you pile them high with veggies and beans. Here are a few ideas:

    http://camillestyles.com/food-and-drink/from-camilles-kitchen/pita-tostadas-with-butternut-squash-black-beans-avocado/

    http://www.nomingthrulife.com/grilled-zucchini-corn-tostadas-spicy-hummus/

    http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/chicken-summer-vegetable-tostadas

    http://www.thecreativebite.com/buffalo-chicken-sweet-corn-tostadas/2/
  • zira91
    zira91 Posts: 670 Member
    an mfp friend here suggest me this great site for cooking recipes with budget. they listed each ings with price too. very good blog with lots of cheap and affordable recipes. u really need to check it out :)

    http://www.budgetbytes.com/
  • rsleighty
    rsleighty Posts: 214 Member
    "Healthy but broke". The story of my life. My lifesavers are, beans of all sorts (dry, much cheaper than canned, plus you control the amount of sodium) and lentils. Brown rice (more expensive than white but still cheap and more nutritious). Quinoa (again more expensive than white rice but a little makes a lot and its packed with protein). Baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes. I often make lentils, flavored with curry or Mexican spices or even a Cajun flavor and serve over any of the above.
    Feel free to add me and check out my diary if you like. I just started so I only have a week of food though.
  • kaylalove09
    kaylalove09 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks you guys! Moneys just super tight right now and i gotta find recipes that my horribly picky fiance will eat while i still stay within my range aswell. :)
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Budget bytes is amazing!
  • svts123
    svts123 Posts: 23 Member
    This blog is my life saver: http://cookingonabootstrap.com/
  • caroldavison332
    caroldavison332 Posts: 864 Member
    on Saturday shop. On Sunday hard boil a dozen eggs for lunch plain or as egg salad. Make tub of oatmeal to nuke daily. Make a pound of beef burgers. Than a pound of salmon burgers. I add a cup of oatmeal, eggs, lipton's onion soup mix and ketchup to the beef only to extend them. Fry 8 ounces of meat in a pan. Than add an onion. Then add 2-4 quarts water, beans, a package of kale, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and a couple of potatoes. Cook until done. Purchase frozen veg at the dollar store. Blessings.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I have a picky meat-and-potatoes eater too. What I do is mark recipes that are winners and recycle them over and over. I also vote for budgetbytes.com.

    I suggest encouraging your (I am sure budget conscious) fiancee to fill up on nourishing inexpensive food, and if there is room, finish off with a snack of whatever he likes.

    Fruits and vegetables; buy in season and on sale, or get the frozen.
    Legumes and beans of all kinds are inexpensive and nourishing. Even more so if you prepare from dry.
    Chicken thighs.
    Hamburger in bulk and repackaged in to meal-sized servings. You can also bulk make meatballs and refreeze for various dinners.
    Air popped popcorn for snacking.
    Soups and stews.
    Potatoes, rice, and noodles.

    I always have onions (and dehydrated in case I run out), canned tomatoes, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt and pepper on hand to extend the potential meals I can make.
  • EastSideJohnny
    EastSideJohnny Posts: 18 Member
    edited February 2016
    4 multi colored bell peppers
    1 onion
    1 poblano
    1 jalapeño
    3 cloves garlic
    Sauté all over med-hi (after chopping) for 5-7 minutes.
    Add 1 jar green salsa, 1 cup boxed veggie broth and bring to simmer.
    Add 1-2 cans low sodium black beans (rinsed and drained).
    Add 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin and salt/pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes on low and you have killer vegetarian low-cal chili that is every bit as good as any other chili but 1/4th of the calories...and really healthy. Feeds a family of 4 dinner for two days.
  • emmaprocopiou
    emmaprocopiou Posts: 246 Member
    Cheaper cuts of meat tend to need longer cooking but are full of flavour. If you have time slow cook meals using these cheaper cuts in stews casseroles and curries.
    In the supermarket near the end of the day check out the reduced aisle for meat and fish and veg you can cook up straight away or freeze in portions for later.
    Canned , dried and tinned foods are great for making up a quick last minute dinner. Also frozen veg is great too.
    My husband is a meat and potato guy , getting veggies in him is as hard as getting the kids to eat them and also he has no weight to lose but needs a lot more cals than I do.
    A weekly staple for us and kids is a quick sausage pasta with extra olive oil and cheese to bump up cals for him.
    Pasta of choice
    Sausages , pulled out of skins made into meatballs
    Small tin sweet corn
    broccoli (frozen florets) for me on the side
    Canned tomato or passata
    Grated carrot
    Diced mushrooms
    Tomato purée
    Onion
    Garlic clove or garlic granules
    Paprika
    Oregano dried
    Basil dried
    Parmesan / shredded cheese / drizzle olive oil for him

    Kids and man like the sweet corn and the other veg is hidden in the sauce but bulks it out .
  • zilannoj
    zilannoj Posts: 138 Member
    I love Reddit for cheap recipes. Eat Cheap and Healthy is my favorite. https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    Well I fit everything into my cal goal. Yesterday we had cheeseburger mac for dinner which gives us dinner for 3 days between the 2 of us. We buy our meat from a meat market in bulk which saves money. We have a foodsaver which helps us keep things a lot longer. Tacos are also good and healthy, chili. Salads, burrito bowls. We make about 40 recipes on a regular basis.
  • rmntrose2
    rmntrose2 Posts: 8 Member
    For lunch I had a sandwich with one ounce of ham,one slice of American cheese,two pieces of pepperidge farm light oatmeal bread, one teaspoon mustard and one teaspoon mayonaise, half an ounce of lettuce and a delmonte fruit cup and water. My food will last longer portioning it out like this. I am broke too, with two young son's, ones very picky and one wants to eat anything unhealthy. And I'm a short order cook who works nights. So I save most my calories during the day, take something to work for dinner. Being broke and surrounded by cheap (or free even) unhealthy food is definitely a hard way to lose weight. I'm looking for healthy meals right now also.

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