Simple and budget friendly healthy meals

desadkins15
desadkins15 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My healthy eating and diet has started today. I need help and ideas for meals! Simple and budget friendly please

Replies

  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    Do you have any dietary requirements?

    I mean, eggs are quick and easy, and can be an entire meal, but they're not a great suggestion if you're vegan. ;)
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    There are lots of suggestions online for budget friendly meals. The word "frugal" is great for searching for them. Just google "easy frugal meals" and lots of links appear. You could even search "easy frugal meals calories" to find lists of meals with their calorie counts.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    Chili: tomatoes, beans are both fairly inexpensive. Seasonings. Ground beef or ground turkey browned, drained: a decent bit of the fat drains off. This past weekend I made a pot of chili using ground turkey because it was on sale. I don't like using turkey that has a lower fat content than 85/15 because IMO it does not 'crumble' right. As is the case with most foods, be aware of the calorie content of anything you add to the chili.

    Salad (throw in whatever items you'd like) and chicken breast with some crumbled feta or blue cheese. I like to cook the chicken breast in a skillet with a little olive oil. I'll season both sides with a little salt, pepper, and creole seasoning. Chicken breast (where I shop) seems to be decently priced as long as I avoid the 'big name brands'.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Some of my favorites:

    Pasta, beans, and frozen vegetables: you can do this with a wide variety of seasonings/sauces so you never feel like you're eating the same thing twice

    Potatoes with beans

    Burritos: Canned refried beans with fresh vegetables (you can quick pickle them if you like that) and salsa

    Savory oats: Like oatmeal, but savory. You can add frozen vegetables and beans too.

    Rice and beans: This can be exceptionally cheap if you're buying dried beans. You can cook the whole batch at once, they freeze really well.

    Lentil/black bean soup
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Look for sales or bulk purchases. I buy chicken in the value pack when on sale. Portion it out and freeze it. Dry beans/lentils and rice are pretty cheap. Buy fruits and veggies in season.
    Tonight I made a cauliflower lentil stew that was a pretty frugal meal, healthy and delicious.
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  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    What do you like to eat? Unless it's truffles and caviar, most things can be made from scratch fairly cost-effectively.
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,089 Member
    https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/budget
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Where do you live? What's cheap in one country is super expensive in another.
  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
    Canned beans and chickpeas go a long way in making delicious cheap meals
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    Budgetbytes.com is such a fantastic resource for this. She breaks down cost per ingredient, cost per whole meal, and cost per serving. Her recipes are also always super good. I’ve made a ton.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    Jack Monroe - Cooking on a Bootstrap.

    She is UK based and ended up through various circumstances having to feed herself and her son on an extremely limited budget.
  • nikkigetsthinner
    nikkigetsthinner Posts: 19 Member
    Depends on the region, I guess. Some ingredients are cheaper and easier to find in certain countries.

    For myself, eggs and chicken are fairly cheap and can be cooked in various ways, so they are kinda a staple. They also have high protein, so it's perfect.

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