Cheap Healthy Recipes for Family of 3

christinaleighwalker
christinaleighwalker Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Being so use to buying frozen foods, hot dogs, tacos, pizzas, etc. I need help finding cheap ingredients that are healthy that I can turn into meals for 3. I hate grocery shopping when I have no idea what to look for...this would help me so much to stay on track! Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • jcraig10
    jcraig10 Posts: 477 Member
    I like to buy a large pack of chicken breasts. I cut into small-ish chunks and grill (or use grill pan). Put in container in the fridge. Then I use the chicken as a base for most lunches or dinners. You can add so much to chicken and have plenty of options. On sale I can usually get a 3lb pack for about $7 which for me lasts about 2-3 days when using it for 2 people lunch & dinner.

    Chicken stir fry
    Chicken noodle soup
    Buffalo chicken sandwiches
    Chicken tacos/fajitas
    Chicken salad
    Chicken cheesesteaks

    Other options-
    Ground turkey ...use for chili or tacos or meatballs. Start looking at allrecipes.com for hundreds of options

    Just made a really good pizza today using a tortilla as a crust. Was only 270 calories. More of a light lunch since it's so thin but it was really good on a 10" tortilla.

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited January 2017
    One of my life long favorites is smoked sausage or kielbasa (you can use the turkey versions; I love those too), cabbage and potatoes.

    Bring the cabbage to boil in a large pot, add your potatoes (whole or halved), cover and simmer until you can put a fork into the potatoes easily. Then put the sausage in, cover again and let it heat up for 5 to 10 minutes. And you're done.

    Cheap, easy, only takes one pot, and easy on the calories.

    Also reheats very well for leftovers.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    christinaleighwalker wrote: »
    Being so use to buying frozen foods, hot dogs, tacos, pizzas, etc. I need help finding cheap ingredients that are healthy that I can turn into meals for 3. I hate grocery shopping when I have no idea what to look for...this would help me so much to stay on track! Thanks in advance!
    Great attitude! Cooking can be fun when you cook meals you like, and shopping can be kinda fun when you know what you are looking for.

    So, start with what you and your family already eat, what you like. Look up recipes for home made varieties. Look at the ingredients. This is what you have to buy. Write a list. This is your shopping list.

    Now see if you can tweak it. You may see suggested some ingredients that won't get used very often. Maybe you don't need a lot of different varieties of the same food. Similar ingredients can replace other ingredients. Some aren't even necessary.

    You will slowly build up a stock of versatile and shelf stable staples that you just have to fill up from time to time. You will most likely want to try new dishes and new ingredients.

    After a while, you will learn what foods are value for money, how prices vary with season, and what traps to avoid. But these are a quite safe bet: Rice, pasta, oatmeal, eggs, tuna, chicken, peanut butter, frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, dried beans and lentils, potatoes, onion, carrots, apples, oranges, bananas.
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 422 Member
    Sauté green peppers, onions, garlic, mushroooms, whatever you like, add spaghetti sauce, throw in some oregano, basil, and then boil your favorite pasta...that's a vegetarian kind of spaghetti meal.

    Taco soup-my son is vegetarian so sometimes I will cook chicken ahead and add that to the rest of our families soup if they want it. Otherwise, carton of vegetarian broth, large can diced tomatoes, small can tomatoes and chilies (rotel), can corn, 2 cans black beans, 2 packs of taco seasoning- crock pot on low for 5-6 hrs or high for @2-3. Add sharp cheddar, sour cream, and tortilla chips for add ins. (Note: for protein, I also will add some quinoa in)

    Sweet potatoes, butternut squash are super yummy with real butter (a serving 14gm)
    A side of meat cooked in crock pot or grilled, baked
    Salad--I like to just chop up my salad with a scisssors, add 1 tbs of ranch dressing or whatever kind I'm in the mood for, shake up in a little plastic container (my own serving) and it's so yummy and I don't notice the small amount of dressing.

    There are so many options out there besides hot dogs and you don't have to be a chef to cook healthy meals or spend all day in the kitchen. I love all recipes as someone else mentioned! Whatever you've got a "hankerin'" for, look up a recipe and if you want "easy" just type that in and voila! Enjoy and best of wishes to you!! Hope this helps!

  • hedwardsb
    hedwardsb Posts: 201 Member
    I'm a traditional cook in that I aim for a starch, protein,1-2 veggies per meal.
    Veggie-wise including beans we usually have some combination of the following: corn, salad, broccoli, black eye peas.
    Starch-wise we usually have just one of the following: pasta, rice, some form of potato
    Protein is usually a meat at my house. I lean towards easy to prepare. Shoulder roast or beef tips in the crockpot in broth to be thickened while everything else is cooking; Chicken to be baked; hamburger steak or meatballs; pork loin in crockpot; chicken taco soup in crockpot.
    We eat more beef than is recommended, but I aim for appropriate serving sizes, and I think it's still a lot healthier than eating takeout or frozen meals.
    Before the store I decide what our entrees will be for the week and restock our standard sides.
    I know it's unhealthy to cook in plastic, but we're all exhausted and starving when we get home from school, so we eat a lot of those steam on the bag vegetables. I pop them in the microwave while preparing the rest of the food.
  • 890emma
    890emma Posts: 16 Member
    I am mother of 3 , l buy a lot frozen fruit n veg and freezer has meat in it all stuff in house so l do not have to waste time going to supermarket. I have 6 stalwart meals that can be adapted for the fussy one . I also invested in one spot cooker , it's brilliant when l have time put food on usually when boys are at school food ready at tea time . The one pot sautees and has pressure cooker , makes great soup and porridge , l work as does my husband very busy house hope this helps ......oh yes good store cupboard stash Inc herbs n spices .....Try lorraine Pascal butter chicken hairy bikers diet recipes good luck
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    One of my favorite meals growing up was ham & beans with cornbread. I had no idea we ate it so often because it was cheap, I just thought it tasted wonderful. I now make it for my family. If someone in your family is vegetarian, you can skip the ham and just season the beans well.

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