I need new food ideas!

cavaaller_85
cavaaller_85 Posts: 94 Member
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
I'm getting so bored with the stuff I've been eating; we're on a pretty tight budget right now, so as you can imagine being healthy AND cheap make my options somewhat limited. I know there's more out there, though! So I want to know what your favorite recipes or go-to foods are!

Replies

  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Just made a really awesome shrimp quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla with a tiny bit of pepper jack cheese, some avocado (get in those healthy fats!) and a side of steamed broccoli! Yum!
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    skinnytaste.com :) lean cuisine dumplings are good, too!
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    oh, and whole food citrus bowtie pasta using your own, cheap, ingredients. :D
  • rashaell
    rashaell Posts: 5
    something simple i like to make and is cheap is zucchini, onions, corn (sometimes tomatoes) warm them up and then drain juice and add fat free Italian dressing with some garlic and onion powder, pepper and salt to taste. In expensive to make and tastes good.

    also, i like to do the same to cucumbers....w/Italian dressing, onion and garlic powder, pepper and salt (optional), (my hubby loves this too), or cucumber w/lemon juice.

    I also snack on pretzel sticks...28 sticks for 120 calories and they fill you if you chew them long enough.

    I love fresh spinach w/cranraisens, pecans (lite here cuz lots of calories), red onion, apple, bacon bits w/lite raspberry vinegarette (promise you'll love it), nice blend of sweet and sour.

    also love to snack on lite popcorn w/tampico (if you like spicy) and weight watchers smokey string cheese, or any lite string cheese.

    Hope this helps.
  • mizfit
    mizfit Posts: 118
    A great site to check out is allrecipes.com. There are tons of recipe ideas on the site and if you are looking for specific recipes for a food item you can type it in. For instance if you want a new way to prepare brocolli just type it in and they will give you various recipes containing brocolli.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    Beans and rice, rice and beans as Dave Ramsey likes to say :laugh:

    Buy from the bulk section of your store, it's almost always cheaper.
  • Kym1610
    Kym1610 Posts: 328 Member
    The ones in my blog are mosty vegie/vegan but you can still add meat if you wish and they are cheap to make

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Kym1610/view/my-tried-and-true-reciepes-119373

    I also have soup for lunch usually and that is easy and cheap and makes around 4 serves

    6 carrots
    halve cauliflower
    1 Red Capsicum
    1 onion
    1 teaspoon of powdered vegie stock

    Chop all ingriends roughly, put in a pot with water (generally about 3 cups). Simmer until carrots are soft, about 30min. Blend ingriendients. When almost blended to correct consistancy add stock. Blend to mix in and until smooth consistancy.
    You can however use what vegetables you want
  • clrrrr
    clrrrr Posts: 261 Member
    my diary is public if you want some ideas! Tonight we had beans and greens, salmon (it was expensive to get wild, but if you got farm-raised or canned it would be more reasonable?), broccoli, and sweet potato for dinner. This is the beans and greens recipe, except we didn't add the pepper or the last tablespoon of olive oil http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Greens-with-Cannellini-Beans-and-Garlic-241906. We did a half-recipe and it made three servings; it was like two bucks for the kale, idk how much the can of beans cost but we had the rest of the ingredients in the house (except we used red wine vinegar).
  • rashaell
    rashaell Posts: 5
    oh yeah and i forgot, green beans w/bacon and 1/2 can of cream of mushroom, not many calories there either.
  • Queen_Christine
    Queen_Christine Posts: 342 Member
    One of my MFP friends is sleepytexan, she is fabulous with menus on a budget... Look her up... Also check out website Gina!s skinny recipes.
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
    @catwrangler

    lol:laugh:

    :heart: the pic on your graph too...classic:tongue:
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
    baked sweet potato, one of the best foods on the planet!


    Nine Reasons Why You Should Eat Sweet Potatoes

    1. Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants, which work in the body to prevent inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, gout, and many more.

    2. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates for those with blood sugar problems. These fibrous root vegetables can help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent conditions like insulin resistance.

    3. Sweet potatoes are healthy for the digestive tract. Being rich in digestive fiber, especially when the skin is also consumed, it helps to relieve constipation and may prevent colon cancer.

    4. Sweet potatoes are good for those who are pregnant or trying to conceive because they are high in folate, which is essential for the healthy development of fetal cell and tissue.

    5. Packed with important vitamins and other nutrients, eating sweet potatoes can boost immunity by supporting the needs of the body.

    6. Sweet potatoes are good for preventing heart disease. High in potassium, sweet potatoes can help prevent the onset of heart attack and stroke. Potassium also helps to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, which is important for stabilizing blood pressure and regulating heart function.

    7. Sweet potatoes are good for alleviating muscle cramps. Potassium deficiencies are a leading cause of muscle cramps, as well injuries. By making sweet potatoes a regular part of your diet (along with proper exercise), you can expect an energy boost and fewer muscle cramps and injuries.

    8. Sweet potatoes are good for treating stress-related symptoms. The body tends to use a lot of potassium and other important minerals when it is under stress. Sweet potatoes provide important minerals that will help maintain balance throughout the body during times of stress.

    9. Sweet potatoes ranked number one in nutrition out of all vegetables by the Center for Science in the Public Interest because they are such a rich source of dietary fiber, natural sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, carotenoids, vitamin C, iron and calcium.

    Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031543_sweet_potatoes_minerals.html#ixzz1TRzAsk2d
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    A fave meal for my famiiy, all on the grill, done in about 20 min. This serves my family of 6 for under $15 so l$2.50 per person. We also usually have leftovers:

    Grilled green beans and tilapia tacos, homemade guacamole and fresh fruit. appx. 244 calories (add 12 tortilla chips for another 110 :tongue: ) You can see this meal on my food diary, last on Sat. 7/16 to see exactly what I had for that 244.

    Ingredients:

    1 lb. fresh green beans (or however many you want) - appx. $1.50
    1 lb. tilapia (Around here you can find tilapia on sale for $2.99/lb., or regularly $3.99/lb.
    1 lemon - .30 cents
    Olive oil (on hand in pantry)
    Lemon-pepper blend season salt (on hand in pantry)
    Tortillas (without partially hydrogenated oils) $2.99

    Condiments: salsa, guacamole, marinated cabbage, pico de gallo, cheese, whatever you have! (Avocados are plentiful and cheap here now, so I'm making homemade guac almost every night)--guac recipe below!

    Fresh fruit (whatever you have: strawberries, peaches, raspberries, mangoes, bananas, blueberries--whatever you have) $1 - 3.00


    Prep green beans, snapped, soaked in water and lemon juice for a few minutes, then tossed w juice of 1/2 lemon (microwave lemon for 20 seconds, then roll it on counter pressing hard to release more juice before you cut it), a bit of olive oil, and lemon-pepper blend (sprinkle spice). Preheat a veggie tray on the grill, then add the beans, reduce heat to low-med. Toss them a few times over the next 10 min. While those are on the grill, prep the fish:

    I mix a bit of olive oil and lemon juice (other 1/2 of lemon) and turn the fillets in it a few times and let sit about 5-10 min. Then sprinkle with lemon-pepper blend and add to the med-low grill; SPRAY THE GRILL W NON-STICK SPRAY. flip after about 5 minutes, then cook 2-3 min.

    Meanwhile place tortillas between damp paper towels, microwave for 1 minute.

    Make the guac (recipe below), chop fruit.

    Remove fish and beans from grill, chop up the fish--SERVE! (I put the chopped fish in a bowl and let everyone build their own tacos).

    Guacamole (serves 6-10)

    1/8 - 1/4 c. chopped onion - .30 cents
    2 T. chopped cilantro (optional) - bunch is .99 cents (you'll only use a bit)
    2 T. chopped tomato (more if you like) - .30 cents
    2 ripe Hass avocados - $3.00
    juice of 1/2 lemon or lime .20 cents
    sea salt (on hand in pantry)

    Mix all in one bowl: add the chopped onion, tomato and cilantro. Slice and scoop out avocado flesh; discard pits and skin; add to bowl. Squeeze in citrus juice and sprinkle sea salt to taste. Mash all with a fork (try to serve without eating it all yourself).

    yum!

    blessings.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    also -- don't limit grilling veggies to only green beans! This summer I'm cooking almost every night on the grill, and do the veggies at the same time. Other veggies that are great on the grill:

    asparagus
    broccoli
    snap peas
    brussels sprouts (omg to die for tossed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar--my kids even beg for more)
    carrots
    zucchini/summer squash

    toss any of them with olive oil, season salt, or sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar. Most things take about 15-25 minutes on low-med heat.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    One of my MFP friends is sleepytexan, she is fabulous with menus on a budget... Look her up... Also check out website Gina!s skinny recipes.

    Hey, thank you, Queen!!
  • ActiveTami
    ActiveTami Posts: 33 Member
    great post... had to bump for future reference. Thanks!
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