Looking for frugal recipes for family of 3

srianenelson
srianenelson Posts: 2 Member
edited January 2020 in Recipes
Hey guys, I'm struggling a bit to try and keep a cheap, but very healthy diet for my family. Mom and dad and a three year old. I usually get the big bags of frozen chicken and tilapia at Walmart, and use frozen vegetables like broccoli or fresh vegetables like yellow squash and zucchini. Fruit most the time is apples, oranges and bananas and I cook with either 100% virgin olive oil or real butter. We make a lot of deli sandwiches (chicken, colby cheese slices and loose leaf lettuce with whole wheat). Snacks are typically string cheese, yogurt, apple sauce or pickles, and tuna sandwiches (Avocado mayo is amazing) . Breakfast is eggs on toast or generic brown sugar oatmeal (my son loves it).

I think we do well and I can feed them all on less than $300 a month, typically. The hard part is that it's literally the same stuff every day and anytime I try to change it up, the healthy recipes I find are either expensive or not something they want to eat. Last attempt was cauliflower pizza and neither of them could eat it. Can anyone suggest some changes that are still within a $300 per month budget? I'm especially struggling with getting in the recommended iron and protein.

Replies

  • tenacious_dea
    tenacious_dea Posts: 9 Member
    This is a great website which might help! https://cookingonabootstrap.com/
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    One tip that might save you a little - extra virgin olive oil is way too expensive to cook with and is generally not recommended as a cooking oil. Try a cheaper vegetable based or sunflower seed oil.

    Other than that, I’m not sure I can help, I’m not in the States so my views on relative food prices, availability and budgets won’t be super useful!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,994 Member
    tenacious_dea wrote: »
    This is a great website which might help! https://cookingonabootstrap.com/

    Jack Monroe's website is good. Before she became a food writer and cookbook author she was a single mom on benefits (=welfare in the UK).

    This blog hasn't been updated for a while. Focus is a little different. It's more about how to eat well as a foodie while living on benefits.

    https://www.theskintfoodie.com/

  • vivo1972
    vivo1972 Posts: 129 Member
    I save loads by eating pulses instead of animal proteins. Lentils make awesome curries/ lasagnes / burgers etc and are mega cheap :)

    I'm not veggie btw, just rarely eat meat
  • BailTuck
    BailTuck Posts: 25 Member
    There are some websites like Southernsavers.com that will help you reduce your grocery prices by helping find deals in the stores. I'm not sure where you are located. She's in the southeast. But I'm sure there are others. I just used to use her.
  • kamilpcook
    kamilpcook Posts: 3 Member
    Homemade plant-based soups are inexpensive, filling and healthy and a great time saver for busy parents. Black bean soup, split red lentil and minestrone soup from scratch tastes much better than anything you can get from a can or the market. You just have to soak certain types of beans in advance.

    Good luck!
  • carablades
    carablades Posts: 8 Member
    One of the cheapest dinners you can make... blackened Mahi ( or chicken if you don’t like fish)
    Garlic or curry risotto,( Italian rice) and steam in bag vegetables.
    Under 400 cal a serving but looks like a feast.
    Want my recipe? I’m new here! Say hi and I’ll post it!
  • bookgrlph
    bookgrlph Posts: 10 Member
    I know the feeling. We have a tight budget, and my husband and I have very different metabolisms. There are also some specific foods he doesn't go for.
    My biggest budget trick is taking advantage of the meat sales our grocery store runs periodically. I stock our freezer when the prices are lowest so I don't need to buy it at normal price. It saves quite a bit of money. Our meat is mostly chicken thighs, pork loin, and hamburger (doesn't go on sale as often, so less of it).
    Without knowing what specific ingredients your family objects to, I can't share much on actual recipes.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    How about some bean based meals? Black bean or pinto bean tacos for example. Cheap tasty filling
    Things like rice , quinoa, or other grains mix things up
    Pork instead of chicken
    Soups and stews are super filling while also being easy and inexpensive
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    Also do you have an Aldi near you? I find the quality better and prices lower then Walmart
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,994 Member
    There is a BBC show called "Eat Well for Less". Lots of episodes available on YouTube if in are not in a country supported by BBC iPlayer. Their main themes are:

    1. Eat as a family all having the same thing.
    2. Ditch big brands for supermarket brands.
    3. Eat vegetarian at least once a week.
    4. Avoid buying any product that charges you for processes you can do yourself. This includes ready washed salads, ready grated cheese.
  • patols1
    patols1 Posts: 108 Member
    We are a family of four and on a tight budget as well. I use boneless skinless chicken to make a variety of dishes, like pot pies, fajitas, white chili, etc. I also buy a boneless pork loin and cut into 4oz servings. I also like to mix it up with burger also. We also make tortilla pizzas with lavash bread from Walmart, we do BBQ chicken, buffalo chicken,cand also ham(I use the buddig ham packets), pepperoni and mushroom. Instead of oil I use the pan spray(Walmart brand is cheapest) .
  • patols1
    patols1 Posts: 108 Member
    Also we make sugar free Jello and pudding for snacks/dessert along with buying fruits(this week cantaloupeand blueberries were on sale at meijer). You could also make french toast(I use the Walmart brand fake eggs as I call them) as for bread I use the 35 calorie potato bread for me and my husband(it's low cal and still tastes good), but buy white bread for my son and his daughter.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,994 Member
    In the UK the price difference for skinned de-boned chicken thighs and regular bone in thighs with skin is quite large. Compare prices and if you can save money use youTube tutorials to learn how to de-bone different cuts of meat, and fillet fish yourself.

    I also notice in my neck of the woods anything you can buy at the Asian supermarket is cheaper than the regular supermarket. That's where I get frozen fish, pepper, vegetable oil, peanuts. This might be true for other ethnic grocers.
  • KevinWH87
    KevinWH87 Posts: 74 Member
    Look into crock-pot recipes. Crock-pot meals tick off all the check-boxes - affordable, easy, healthy, delicious, large variety. They just require a little planning beforehand.
  • AmatullahMuwahidah
    AmatullahMuwahidah Posts: 22 Member
    agb94cl2z0w9.jpeg

    1large onion grated or puréed. 1tspn garlic purée, 1tspn ginger purée. 1tspn coriander powder, 1tspn cumin powder, 1/4tspn Ground Turmeric, pinch of chilli powder, salt.
    500g lentils, 1ltr boiling water, 50g butter, 3tomatoes.

    Melt the butter, gently fry the grated onion in the butter, add the spices, ginger & garlic and fry on low heat for two min. Wash the lentils until the water is clear & not cloudy. Add the washed lentils and boiling water, to the spice mix. Chop tomatoes and add to the lentils. Simmer on a medium heat for about 1.5hrs (if you like lentils whole), cook for a bit longer if you want lentils mushy. Add chopped peppers for the last 15min cooking time.

    Peppers and chilli have a LOT of VitC, you just need 1/4bell pepper per portion and you’ll get a lot of vitC (cheap way to get nutrients!). Lentils are a cheap protein and their fibre content make them filling. Garlic onion & ginger & tomatoes are great for fighting illnesses and have antibacterial properties. It’s cheap & very nutritious.

    -
  • AmatullahMuwahidah
    AmatullahMuwahidah Posts: 22 Member
    gpmeygm3ty1c.png

    I make my own probiotic yoghurt, it’s MUCH cheaper than store brought and you get much more volume for your money.

    I personally use this brand: https://www.npselection.com/products/yogurt-starter-cultures-pack-of-3-freeze-dried-culture-sachets-for-acidophilus-yogurt

    You boil 1ltr milk, then let it cool to Luke warm. (40-45degreed), then add the yoghurt culture into it and stir. Then there are various methods for the next part, if you don’t have a yoghurt maker or yoghurt thermos, just wrap your pan in a thick towel, preheat your oven to 180, once oven has heated up, turn it OFF, place the towel covered pot in the oven and leave overnight about 12hrs. Watch YouTube tutorials for yoghurt making.

    To make a new batch of yoghurt you don’t need to use another sachet of cultures, just boil 1lt of milk, let it cool to like warm, then stir in about 4tbspn of yoghurt from the previous batch you made. Then keep it warm in the oven or yoghurt maker for 8-10hrs.

    You can also just buy a pot of organic natural yoghurt such as Yeo Valley and use that to add to 1ltr of milk.

    Once you have your big tub of natural yoghurt, you can add sweetener or honey or fruits, oats etc. I add 1tspn chia seeds because it’s cheaper than buying fish and they have a LOT of omegas to keep brain and nervous system healthy. You can get a pack for about £2 and only need 15g per portion, so the pack will last almost a month for one person. Seeds can sometimes be cheaper than fish, as a way to get your Omega and vitE and magnesium.
  • AmatullahMuwahidah
    AmatullahMuwahidah Posts: 22 Member
    Eat nutritious but smart... eg you can eat 1/4 bell pepper and get a LOT of vit C, or eat a few apples to have the same amount of vitC as the pepper. You won’t need to eat so many fruits and veg if you’re smart and research which ones contain the most vitC, vitA etc. Fruit and veg can be expensive if you buy a lot, so eat less of them buy eating the variety that packs the most amount of vitamins in it, that way you won’t need to eat a lot to reach your daily vitamin needs.
  • AmatullahMuwahidah
    AmatullahMuwahidah Posts: 22 Member
    https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLAB854AFF16A1DB45

    I find East African and Middle Eastern and Asian food is flavoursome, but not expensive. There’s a lot of lentils, couscous, rice, home made breads etc these ingredients are affordable. The spices they use make it tasty.

    This potato dish is nice:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sPrAr-bvyMo

    A nice egg dish:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff8jgnUH3hw

    Use chicken thighs to make these:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qla05UP2TY&list=PLZpEix2HAZecELYfHDwRh3GBSk0Nqy7i9&index=46&t=0s

    And put the chicken kebabs with home-made flat bread (so much cheaper than store bought!):

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR0cvRv-Rks

    You can eat breads, rice, potatoes etc if you’re not doing Keto. Just portion control sensibly and don’t eat too much, stick within your calories allowance.
  • ssooooz
    ssooooz Posts: 4 Member
    I do a lot of my grocery shopping online (Coles Supermarket, Australia). I start by looking through the half price specials, the general specials, then go through my list and sort the results by unit price. You can easily track how much you are spending when you add things to your cart. My savings always easily exceed the delivery costs, which is sometimes free if I need to do a big shop - otherwise I can 'Click'n'Collect' if I want too.
  • weatherking2019
    weatherking2019 Posts: 943 Member
    25 Simple 5-Ingredient Meals for Under $5 to Feed a Whole Family
    https://merryformoney.com/5-ingredient-meals/
    51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2
    https://merryformoney.com/frugal-dinner-recipes/
    21 Cheap Pantry Staples List on a Limited Budget
    https://www.thefrugalgene.com/pantry-list/
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i use a lot of the sales flyers and buy stuff in bulk when possible - i.e. pasta this week was 87c a book for the 16oz boxes - so i bought a bunch for down the road; many grocery stores do 50% off protein that needs to be used that day (chicken etc)

    i think your biggest win would be meal planning and figuring out over a week how to maximize use of different things - i.e one week heavy rice dishes with protein that you can make different ways; maybe week after its another grain...grains and straches are often cheap to buy (i.e. a bag of barley which would feed 4 for a couple of days is like $1.50 for me)
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
    Eat less of the chicken, and stretch meals further with lots of rice, beans, lentils. Buy whole heads of cabbage and lettuce vs. packaged precut mixes. Make broth based veggie soups. Experiment with flavored vinegars. Make your own bread and pizza crusts. You can eat the same things over and over if you learn how to mix up the flavors.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,142 Member
    I second beans, legumes, and grains from bulk, dried is cheaper and tastes a lot better. You can get onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic in big bags to add to soups. I save veggie scraps and make broth. I also get a lot of store brand items like diced tomatoes. Signing up for grocery store programs is a good idea, I recently stopped at Raley's for a sale item and got 8 coupons for discount or free produce. If you buy packaged products there's refund sites like Ibotta.
  • jesuslovesme196
    jesuslovesme196 Posts: 2 Member
    srianenelson wrote: »
    Hey guys, I'm struggling a bit to try and keep a cheap, but very healthy diet for my family. Mom and dad and a three year old. I usually get the big bags of frozen chicken and tilapia at Walmart, and use frozen vegetables like broccoli or fresh vegetables like yellow squash and zucchini. Fruit most the time is apples, oranges and bananas and I cook with either 100% virgin olive oil or real butter. We make a lot of deli sandwiches (chicken, colby cheese slices and loose leaf lettuce with whole wheat). Snacks are typically string cheese, yogurt, apple sauce or pickles, and tuna sandwiches (Avocado mayo is amazing) . Breakfast is eggs on toast or generic brown sugar oatmeal (my son loves it).

    I think we do well and I can feed them all on less than $300 a month, typically. The hard part is that it's literally the same stuff every day and anytime I try to change it up, the healthy recipes I find are either expensive or not something they want to eat. Last attempt was cauliflower pizza and neither of them could eat it. Can anyone suggest some changes that are still within a $300 per month budget? I'm especially struggling with getting in the recommended iron and protein.

    Breakfast for dinner
    Spaghetti
    Chili/Soup


  • dnunny70
    dnunny70 Posts: 411 Member
    I shop Aldi and do use Walmart Grocery Pick Up. I also try not to bring my 13 yo son with me. He adds a lot of food to the cart! LOL

    I have started looking at the meat that is on sale/and discounted due to expiring soon. I freeze it or use it before the expiration date. I have gotten grass feed meat that way.

    Meal prepping is key (and the area that I struggle the most with).


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