Over the last two weeks I have been trying to be very strategic about saving money on groceries. Although our food budget has been cut, I still wanted to ensure that we ate healthy and yummy meals. I pulled out cookbooks, looked at Pinterest and clipped coupons.
What I found is that if I meal plan 3-4 weeks at a time and "chain" my meals together by some common ingredients I can use in multiple dishes (thank you Zephyr for that idea), I can still cook some pretty amazing dinners and stay well within our budget.
Here are a few cheap dinners that we've tried to date (but that I try to make more fun):
Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
Sounds plain and boring right? To spruce up this meal, I marinated the chicken in lime juice, olive oil and paprika, then roasted it with about 1/4 chopped onion. The rice and beans had a little lime juice added and I chopped up an avocado for garnish.
Breakfast for Dinner
Instead of simple scrambled eggs or pancakes, I made mini pancake muffins and then added a small omelet for each of us that had spinach and a handful of shredded cheddar.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
I always buy frozen meatballs from Trader Joe's (so cheap!) but to add some zest to this meal, I cooked the spaghetti, defrosted the meatballs, then tossed it all into a baking dish with the sauce, toppedd it with some Parmesan or mozzarella cheese and bake it for 20 minutes. Somehow, it seemed fancier, but it isn't!
Chicken Noodle Soup
I bought 2 cans of a low sodium chicken noodle soup, but to spruce it up I added a cup of corn (defrosted from frozen), a tablespoon of hot sauce, and a can of rinsed black beans. It turned it into "Mexican" chicken soup - served with some crushed tortilla chips on top.
Any cheap, but healthy dinner ideas you'd like to share?
One thing I do about once a month is cook 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot with just some salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Then I use that chicken all week. It can be made into enchiladas, tacos, bbq sandwiches, stuffed shells, salads, lettuce wraps, etc! I buy them at Costco or when they are on sale, so it's not too pricey. Then from there I can "chain" the meals and usually use lasagna or enchiladas as "clean up" of leftover veggies and what not at the end of the week to use anything left.
ReplyDeleteI love "chaining" meals together to save on money and time.
ReplyDeleteOne of our Fav Chains:
Chain Ingredients: large package of chicken, large package of fresh spinach, package of grape tomatoes (you can buy these ingredients cheap and in bulk at Costco)
First Night - Spinach salad - I grill up all the chicken and cut up into small cubes. A third of the chicken, a third of the tomatoes, and a third of the spinach goes into the salad. I also add black beans and an avocado.
Second Night - you only need to buy or make whole wheat pizza dough and you can top your pizza with the grilled chicken. I also cut the grape tomatoes in half and saute them with the spinach and put that on the pizza.
Third Night - Pasta with grilled chicken and if you want you can do the same thing with the spinach and tomatoes and make a simple but tasty sauce.
Plus, our one year loves all these meals because they can become easy finger foods for her.
That is a great idea! I love that you can make it different by adding spices. Thanks for that. :)
DeleteYou're welcome! Glad to hear that it is helping. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to have to snag Nikki's dinner chain...sounds yummy!
I am vegan and as such am very creative in the kitchen. I also LOVE cooking. Additionally, we belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture), and we get a box of vegetables/fruit every week. We've had to learn over the years to be strategic with our meals much like you do, so that we don't waste this amazing food we're paying good money for. You know you have a set amount and type of veggies per week -- so that makes chaining really easy! Love that you're doing this. Obviously I don't eat chicken but that chicken/beans/rice dish sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at the quantity of prepared food that is used in your country. If you ever want a 1 hour meatball recipe, let me know!
ReplyDeleteWe make everything absolutely from scratch... but I think it's just because we have a very strong cooking culture and our prepared foods are not the healthiest choices, going to a US supermarket is a really enjoyable adventure for me!!!
Also..I don't have a small child ;) I bet that really squeezes your time.
Our country probably offers too many prepared options! I know how to make meatballs, I just buy the frozen kind (they're all natural meat) since I have limited time.
DeleteI get where you're coming from Leire, but who has an hour to make meatballs? In France we cook from scratch too, but I have half an hour max to cook meals for my family. When I do cook a more complex dish, I make tons and serve it for 2 or 3 days, so it's less variety. There's no perfect way.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm on a saving crunch, I buy less meat and try to get creative otherwise. I make a lot of quiche with veggies, ham, whatever. The crust take 1mn to make from scratch in the mixer bowl and the baking is quick.
In winter I buy bulk veggies and make big soups. My favorites are pumpkin, split peas, zucchini or lentils. I like to spice them up with curry or cumin, and a dollop of sour cream. I'll serve with bread and cheese.
Another chaining meal I learned from my mom. day 1 - roast a whole chicken (stuff with rosemary and lemon and rub with olive oil and coarse salt for example). Day 2 - shred the leftover meat off the carcass, mix it with a few eggs, salt and pepper and pour it into a pie crust for a great meat pie. Serve with salad. Day 3 : boil the carcass in water with some onion and veggies for a yummy homemade chicken broth.
An needless to say I make a ton of pasta when I'm in a hurry. Quick and fancy with arugula, baby tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and parmesan: no need to even cook a sauce! Or tomatoes, jalapeno and black beans for a spicy twist.
Kara, you're doing an amazing job with a baby in tow, I stopped cooking for about 6 months with my first ;)
Thank you! I don't really have a choice - I have to cook to save us money! Thanks for the ideas!!
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