Cheap, Filling, Low Calorie Foods

JoshuaMumford28 · April 2019

Does anyone know any decent, cheap, low calorie meals that are filling and help you feel fed longer throughout the day? Preferably without TOO much preparation, but I'm open to just about anything.

lynn_glenmont · April 2019

Everybody is going to have their own views as to what is filling or low calorie -- or even cheap, depending on their budget. Here are some things that I find relatively filling for their calorie count that are also cheap.

Beans and lentils, especially from dried.

Rice (regular, not converted or instant where you're paying for convenience).

Dried pasta.

Canned tomato or marinara sauce (much cheaper than the stuff in a jar, but store-brand on-sale in a jar is an option).

Eggs.

Store-brand frozen veggies, especially when on sale.

In-season fresh produce.

In my neck of the woods, fresh potatoes, onions, and carrots are pretty cheap year-round. Ditto bananas, mandarins/clementines, and apples, although personally I find most of the apples I can find in the grocery store pretty tasteless, and prefer to just buy them from local farm stands in the fall.

I tend to find meat/poultry/fish among the pricier things, so if I were on a budget, I would look out for loss-leader sale items (if you have a freezer, you could stuff a few turkeys in there ahead of Thanksgiving or Christmas, if they go on sale then in your neck of the woods, ditto ham, or even roasts ahead of any holiday that a store might put those on sale just to get you in the door). I'm not a big meat eater myself, so I tend to look for meat in forms that I can add it in small quantities to salads, soups, stir-fries, pasta dishes, bean dishes, etc. Sometimes there are good sales on canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel) or chicken -- if you're dumping the chicken into a pot of soup, it will be fine that it came out of a can.

Cheese: store-brand, on-sale, in a block. Don't spend money for someone else to slice it or shred it for you, which only makes it dry out or get moldy faster anyway.

Yogurt - quart containers, plain. If you want it sweet, add your own fruit. Leave it plain for savory uses, substituting for sour cream or mayo.

Learn not to waste food. Don't buy more than you can eat before it spoils. If things come up and you end up with more than you can eat, freeze it. Use up leftovers. Learn how to repurpose leftovers into other dishes.

Comms0p · April 2019

Bananas, plain rice cakes and peanut butter
Plain yogurt, Oatmeal, frozen blueberries (overnight oats) or just as a snack; plain yogurt with fruit
Eggs, spinach, hot sauce and some whole wheat bread
Tuna, celery, light miracle whip, mustard in romaine lettuce - sandwiches
Sweet potatoes, olive oil and some seasonings with protein (lean meats)

oatzilla · April 2019

Ready Pac - Spinach Dijon Salad bistro bowl. It's cheap, filling, surprisingly tasty, rich on protein, and no prep. Even comes with a plastic fork.

_Fluff · April 2019

Have you ever had millet? It's like 75 cents a pound in the bulk section of my grocery store and cooks up in less than 20 minutes. It's a grain that tastes like a firm, nutty couscous. I mix a cup of millet with a half cup of canned beans to make a complete protein. My preference is for flavored beans or beans that come in a sauce, like bacon and onion or spicy red beans, but if you're worried about added sugar/sodium, plain beans with black pepper and cumin are delicious, too. For about a dollar, and 250 calories, it keeps me full for at least four hours.

kshama2001 · April 2019

When I hear "cheap and filling" the first thing that always comes to my mind is rice and beans, bought in bulk.

I've been eating various types of rice and beans all winter for breakfast, plus a fried egg. I make a big batch on the weekend and freeze anything over 5 servings, and eat those 5 servings over the work week.

I started with Cuban rice and beans, started adding Berbere spice, and now I'm having rice and lentils (Lebanese mujadara) with Berbere spice, which is Ethiopian, but you don't need to get carried away like that - playing with spices and different cuisines is my thing

However, using different spices is indeed one way to not get bored with eating the same staples over and over. I learned this when I was cooking for a small yoga retreat center in Costa Rico, when the staples were rice, black beans, lentils, and pasta, with an emphasis on using the rice and black beans as they were the cheapest, being delivered in 50 pound bags by farmers on horseback.

Panini911 · April 2019

I am a volume eater (meaning, I like lots of food and for eating to take time even if I tend to eat fast). My eyes are bigger than my stomach, something I am working on.

I cut up low cal vegetables to bulk up all meals. carrots, cuccumber, celeri. i make a low cal broccoli slaw (using the prepackged stuff). I add that to low calorie protein (eggs, chicken breast, veggy pattie with good stats). canned tuna. soup. quinoa salad.

snowflake954 · April 2019

I buy a frozen vegetable mix and make all kinds of soups. I add barley, potato, canned corn, beans, --whatever I've got around, and cook it up into a delicious hearty soup. The sky's the limit on what you can add to your, or your family's tastes.

nooshi713 · April 2019

Potatoes, rice, and beans. For the amount of satiety you get, the calories are low imo.

lalalacroix · April 2019

Panini911 wrote: »

I cut up low cal vegetables to bulk up all meals.

This. I add a ton of veggies or fruit to every meal. To my pasta I add 2 cups spinach and 150 grams chopped mushrooms and half a can of chopped tomatoes. My baked potato gets a giant handful of arugula and about 80 grams of tomatoes. Yogurt or cereal gets at least 80 grams of bananas or blueberries. I think this can be done with just about any meal and it's pretty cheap too.

gallicinvasion · April 2019

If protein fills you up, cheaper protein options include canned tuna and chicken thighs (can be much cheaper than chicken breasts and taste better IMO).

Personally, I think rice is very unsatisfying for the amount of calories, but it is definitely a good financial choice if you’re looking to get as much food as possible for your buck.

Daisy_Girl2019 · April 2019

Frozen veggies are my friends.

Keto_Vampire · April 2019

Carbs: Rice - cream of rice (very convenient), oatmeal, potatoes (some prep, convenient if you cook in batches), bulk frozen vegetables (waaay cheaper than pre-prepped, pre-cut stuff)

Protein: greek yogurt (kilo/quart sized, on sale, generic store brand ~4-5$), cottage cheese, ground lean chicken (not bad if you need to spare fat consumption, ~5$/lb < chicken breast), canned tuna, egg white cartons

Fats: PB, Bulk EVOO (can be found pretty inexpensive bulk), whole eggs

apullum · April 2019

See this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also/p1

ninerbuff · April 2019

I buy cauliflower raw, then just eat almost a head of it with small dips of Marzetti Dill dip.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

wilson10102018 · April 2019

I think of this as cost per meal. What is my cost for a meal that fits into the calorie plan?

In the $2.50-$5.00 range, I have Rotisserie chicken (I get three meals minimum from a $5 rotisserie chicken) from Kroger, baked potato and fresh green vege like green beans.

In the $5.00-10.00 range I have fresh trout or salmon filet, fettuccine noodle and better green like asparagus or beets. Alternately ground chuck sauteed with onions mushrooms and oyster sauce.

Lunch is easy. $1.79 can of Progresso Hearty chicken noodle soup (19 oz, 2.5 servings, 230 calories) and an apple. Sometimes I add left over rotisserie chicken to the soup and always Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base to the broth.

deannalfisher · April 2019

i make a killer sweet potato and barley pilaf - it costs me maybe $7 (including the cheese that I sprinkle on top) and feeds me for a week+ (I typically freeze half of it)

corrarjo · April 2019

I eat a big garden salad every day. The basic 8 - 10 cup lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad is 100 to 150 calories. I use olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Good Seasons dry seasoning packet for dressing for another 130 calories from the oil (good fat). I prefer iceberg lettuce because it's crisp, sweet and juicy. Any green, leafy vegetable will do. If I need some fat or protein I add chicken, tuna, cheese, or avocado. Depending what I add, the calories can run up to 500 to 700. I can eat it all at once and call it a meal, or munch on it throughout the day, adding small portions to other meals.

You can add almost anything to this salad to get some good nutrients, from fruits and nuts to veggies like carrots and celery. Or even some hard boiled eggs.

SoaringOccamy · April 2019

I love mixing a can of refried beans, 1 lb of ground turkey, and peppers and onions. I also add some taco seasoning and cumin for flavor. Sometimes I eat it with rice, sometimes on corn tortillas. You can add tomatoes and lettuce if you want to fill out the meal even more.

I find that the calories are pretty good considering that a small portion keeps me filled up and happy for a good long while. I can also make it ahead of time and freeze it. I put it into a storage bag, press it flat, and fold it to make portions that I can break off and microwave at my convenience.

Cheap, Filling, Low Calorie Foods

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