Healthy budget meals?

[SunnyD]

I'm trying to eat frugally too and healthy organic foods. It's easier, if you don't buy organic.
The most important thing is to make your food from scratch. You can make anything from scratch, even things like crackers or vanilla extract. You can save a lot of money this way and eat healthy because you control the ingredients. This takes time, so you do need to figure out whether it is worth taking time away from money making, like Mturk.
Make sure you eat all your food and don't waste. Try to eat food that will go bad as quickly as possible. Or freeze it if you can. I have a big problem with wasting a lot of food, when my produce goes bad.

Cut back on unnecessary junk foods, especially store bought. You can make sweetened drinks from scratch, like lemonade and iced tea. Also try using your spices to make herbal teas, chai and drinks. I do this all the time. It makes things more exciting.

Another thing I like to do is make sweets from scratch. If you have to make your cookies and cakes from scratch, it makes you appreciate it more. So you may eat less of it. You also have to put more effort and exercise to make it. It also taste better and is healthier than store bought sweets. So you may eat less and get better quality too.

[sunflower]

Quinoa has become my new favorite staple. It's not particularly cheap but it is so versatile and nutritious and delicious. I like to cook up a batch and keep it in my refrig and then use it for breakfast like an oatmeal product or make a salad with it for lunch or a main dish at dinner. My favorite way to eat it is to take a pan and saute some walnuts and garlic in olive oil then add the precooked guinoa, and some fresh baby spinach and toss it all together until the spinach wilts slightly and the quinoa is warm. Then I add a little grated or shaved parmasian and sometimes some leftover chicken or shrimp if I'm using it as a main dish. It's wonderful without the meat or cheese, if you're vegan.

I took this to my sister's house for Christmas dinner and people went nuts over it. She was serving prime rib and crab imperial and every single person there asked me for my recipe and made me write it down for them before I left. I couldn't believe it. I had only brought it for my vegan nephew to try but it was a huge hit with everyone.

[Honua]

I love quinoa! And you are right about the price. I was amazed to see how much the price jumped at Costco in the last couple of years. Guess it got 'discovered'. I use it to make stuffed grape or cabbage leaves. I mix quinoa with a lot of fresh minced parsley, pine nuts or chopped almonds, lime juice and salt to taste. Let that marinate for a while. Then roll about a tablespoon of the mix on 1 or 2 leaves and roll them up. (The leaves should be steamed or blanched a bit so they're soft but not falling apart.) They are outrageously good. You can google 'dolmas' for various recipes.

[qtkitty]

Oatmeal - 1/2 cup oatmeal to 1 cup water ( a little brown sugar .. vwala ) add a half banana or a handful of frozen/ dried/ or fresh fruit and you have a more rounded breakfast.

If you need something quick and easy they have Steamers in the frozen food section and are under $2 a bag with 2 servings for something like the healthy color medleys or something with light sauce paired with a few chicken tenders( or for a lower budget a leg quarter) that could be dinner. If there is a fridge at work this could work as a reheat-able lunch as well.

If you need a little something more in a meal add a potato ( microwaved / baked/ boiled). Since you said it was only one person you can microwave a small potato in a baggie or plastic wrap until with an oven mit its easy to smooch. You can use as is for a baked potato. Or let it cool and cut it up to make potato salad instead of boiling potatoes. ( if you do this and use a spoon to scoop the center from the potato you can make potato skins with the outsides) You can also smash the potato in a bowl with a fork add a little milk and butter and smash again with a fork to make smashed potatoes.

Apples are a great belly filler too for snack or when you do not have time to make something to eat, but you know that your going to get hungry. If you can find them on sale or buy them by the bag.

Breakfast sandwich ---
1/4 to 1/2c eggbeaters or 1 to 2 eggs or 1 egg 2 egg whites ( depends on how Hungary you are )// Option adding veggies to the eggs.. left overs or frozen onions peppers ect)
slice of ham, bacon, roast beef, or any cold cut you may like
1 English muffin
(optional) slice of cheese ( provolone, American, Swiss, Velveeta, ect)
Pour the egg beaters in a wide coffee cup and heat in the microwave until set... move around the outside with a knife and it will pop right out ( if you can find the right width coffee cup it will be the same size as the English muffin ) I normally toast my English muffin. Add other ingredients. I like a little deli mustard or course ground mustard on the ones I make with ham. I like onions and peppers with a shot of Worcestershire in the eggs when I use roast beef. I thought to make caramelized onions ahead and put them on them, but have yet to do so. I have however made what I just normally call my veg which is onion, green pepper, yellow and/or red pepper ( if they are on sale), celery, and carrots, which sweat down until tender. I cut the veg small and grate the carrot large so that the egg binds everything together well and does not fall apart and add about 1/4 c to the eggs. It adds nutrients and stretches the eggs and fills my belly.

Around here eggbeaters are less expensive then a dozen eggs especially if your doing egg whites and throwing out the yokes ( seems like a waste to me / I hate throwing out food )

[cheshir3]

Thanks so much for the tips everyone! I've got a bunch of new ideas to try out now

[Proim]

Tip for the oatmeal: make a large batch that you can use for several days, just reheat in the morning and add your mix-ins. A real time saver

[Skye - Closed]

We make meals from...well, not scratch, but I prepare a meal most nights of the month. I can't make rice. I get distracted. We have a rice cooker and it's amazing! Rice is cheap and can easily be spruced up. I'm guilty of liking a lil bit of garlic salt on it.

Also...and I was hesitant at first...add a can of kidney beans in place of meat in some dishes. Of course it depends on the dish but it works because they're cheaper and none of us dislikes the taste. I commend you for trying to set a budget. I haven't been able to get ours (family of 4) to under $400 a month yet. I'm working on it. One of the best things I Have Done is to make a list of meals I like to prepare and stock up on the things I need when they're on sale. Careful with the cheapies that are also carbs. They sneak up on you. Well, they snuck up on me. Good luck!

[trarms]

Lentils can also be cheap, if you can get them in bulk (plain brown or green lentils, not the fancy Lentilles du Puy, which while delicious are expensive). I love this recipe for lentil tacos: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...l-Tacos-351390 It might sound strange, but I now like them better than ground beef tacos. Brown rice stir-fried with canned pineapple, onion, egg and cilantro (and whatever else you want to toss in) is delicious too. I also often eat tofu instead of meat. For example, I'll top brown rice with seared tofu, stir-fried broccoli and carrots, and peanut butter sauce. The trick is to marinate the tofu first. Try homemade veggie burgers too: http://www.eatliverun.com/boyfriend-...-bean-burgers/ You can substitute an egg for the flax + water that the recipe calls for. Finally, I love thick Greek-style yogurt, but store-bought is just too expensive. However, you can make your own at home by straining regular, plain yogurt through a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel.

[missamyliz]

One of my favorite super cheap meals (and healthy!) is baked chicken fingers.

Mix 2 parts seasoned bread crumbs (any flavor you desire) and 1 part parmesan cheese (I prefer the Walmart brand). Cut chicken into strips and coat in the bread crumb mixture, bake at 350 for 5-10 mins on each side. Then either baked potatoes or homemade mashed potatoes w/ sour cream and cheese, and a package of $1 noodle sides.

Bag of frozen chicken breasts: $7/6 breasts ($1.17/ea)
Can of bread crumbs: $2
Can of Parmesan cheese: $3
Bag of Potatoes: $4 (about 50 cents ea)
Noodle Side dish: $1

Total cost per serving: ~$4 ($17 for all ingredients, with leftovers of all except noodles)
Extra bonuses: Can easily be adjusted for bigger/smaller groups of people, kids love and can even help make it.

[ursalita]

I agree with the other posters re: farmer's markets and whole grains. I don't know if you eat meat but you could probably get a lot of mileage out of a small, whole chicken. I always buy whole chickens and cut them into parts. It's cheaper than buying boneless breasts or other cuts. Also, once you've cut it up, you can use the carcass to make a delicious soup with rice/beans/potatoes/pasta and lots of veggies. So hearty and filling! You can make chicken salad with the leftover chicken. I usually get two or three meals out of one chicken and I cook for 3 hungry boys!