I need some simple, inexpensive, healthy menu ideas

[Aunt Bea]

I have been gradually changing my eating habits as the cost of food increases and I'm looking for some simple, healthy, low cost recipes that I can add to my rotation. I would like to stay away from recipes with starchy fillers and focus on recipes that feature fresh or frozen vegetables and small amounts of meat or other protein.

Here are a couple of examples of what I have in mind.

Braised Peas And Ham With Eggs Recipe | Food Republic

Sauteed Escarole with Garlic and Cannellini Beans Recipe : Food Network

Thanks for your help!

 

[Addie]

Boiled smoked ham hocks with root veggies. For a family, I made it with a smoked picnic shoulder. (New England dinner) Living alone, the ham hocks are cheap and just enough meat for one. They usually come with two in the pack in the meat section. A lot cheaper than a whole shoulder.

Loose hamburger sautéed with onions, drain the fat, and make pan gravy. Serve over mash potatoes, seasoned rice, or whatever meets your fancy. Add frozen peas or veggies of your choice. It doesn't take much meat. This gives you four veggies if you count the 'taters.

Of course American Chop Suey. Elbow macaroni, a can of crushed tomatoes, and some hamburger. You have a starch, meat and a veggie. You can add green peppers to it for color.

The old standby Tuna Casserole with peas.

Hope some of this helps or rattles your brain into thinking of more foods you like.

Make a list of all foods you really like. Then cross of all the expensive ones.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Try these recipes Aunt Bea, there are several pages of them and fit into a healthy lifestyle:
Mediterranean Diet Recipes - Allrecipes.com

 

[GotGarlic]

Take a look at CWS's breakfasts in the breakfast thread

 

[menumaker]

1. vegetable curries with indian fry bread or rice.
2. Finely chop a small eggplant and mix it with equal quantity of ground beef. Make cottage pie with it or cook your favorite recipe as usual. This will give you enough for more than one meal but much cheaper and very delicious.
3. Use half an onion instead of a whole one when you can..
4. Buy cheap tomatoes, cut in half on a foil lined baking tray, drizzle with oil, S+P, herbs, garlic or what you fancy and roast in the oven until the edges singe. Leave to cool. Put into zip lock bags and gently squash with a rolling pin. Freeze flat and use as pasta sauce as you need. Cheaper and better than tinned.
5. Buy a whole chicken, cut into 6-8 portions. Use or freeze as required. Use carcass to make fantastic soup base or stock.
6. Use ox heart cut into bite sized pieces for super stew instead of more expensive beef cuts.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

What about a simple stir fry, using very little protein and loads of veg?

I find bags of Broccoli Slaw for under $2 at most grocery stores,

then thinly slice a piece of b/s Chicken, or some Flank Steak or what about some Shrimp for a splurge
sometimes I add rehydrated shitake mushrooms (very inexpensive at the Chinese Market) or a can of Straw Mushrooms for some added umph,

stir fry everybody,

add in your favorite stir fry 'sauce' (either bottled or homemade), a splash of Ponzu is tasty...

this can be served along or over rice or noddles.

I found a couple of different frozen stir fry in a bag at the megamart as well as the nicer places, like TJ's or WH for a bit more $$. Really, any frozen veg will do, snow peas, asparagus, whatever your household likes.
Some even included a sauce packet. Easy Peasy

 

[Dawgluver]

Tortillas, both corn and flour, are cheap and can live in your freezer. They can sub for bread, used for rollups, make chips, etc. I rediscovered personal pizzas, and by baking the tortillas a bit to crisp them, then topping with whatever you have on hand and baking again, they come out great. I make my own sauce with a little can of tomato paste, some chicken broth, a bit of sugar, and Italian seasoning. Store brand mozzarella.

Our grocery store often cuts prices on perfectly good produce like broccoli and mushrooms simply because they're past their prime. Broccoli salad with kidney beans, dressed with low fat mayo or yogurt, vinegar and a bit of sweetner, sunflower seeds and raisins or craisins is delicious and cheap.

I love making and eating soup of any kind, and keep a bag of leftover veggie scraps in the freezer. I also chop and freeze onions, celery and carrots in a ziplock for instant soup mix.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I really appreciate the replies on this!

I can adapt some of the ideas to my situation by eliminating the rice, potatoes, pasta, etc...

Addie's New England boiled dinner is already in the rotation. I leave out the potatoes and for the meat I use a vacuum packed ham steak, kielbasa or German sausage. It is based on a thread from TATTRAT and adapted to my peculiar way of doing things!

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f14/boiled-dinner-tattrat-style-81806.html

This immediately caught my eye on PF's Mediterranean Diet link.

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach with Garbanzo Beans) Recipe - Allrecipes.com

GG, I will check the breakfast thread and see what stands out.

MM, I like the sound of a vegetable curry, do you have a simple TNT recipe that you could share?

Kgirl, I have used the broccoli slaw for salads, never tried to cook with it. The idea appeals to me because I could use half a package for a hot meal and the other half for a cold salad. I can't wait to look over the items in Trader Joe's, ours opens October 3rd!

Dawg, Looking for the quick sale vegetables is a great tip! The 1950's grocery store that I go to on Sunday mornings has a rack of musgoes in the produce, meat and bakery department, I frequently find good deals, I wish all the stores did that.

Some of these ideas will help me keep my self imposed grocery budget of $35.00/wk on track. It is getting tougher and tougher to maintain. I notice the pantry slowly thinning out and on weeks when I need to replace a big ticket item from the pantry it just about sinks the budget. I'm lucky to have access to the farmers market and a no frills grocery chain called PriceRite for my fresh vegetable purchases.

Thanks again and if you think of any other ideas please pass them along!

 

[Kayelle]

If anyone can do this, you can AB! You've inspired us so many times with thrifty cooking.

We have a Dollar Store here that's just unbelievable with high quality fresh produce, refrigerated items, not to mention canned and dry goods. It's hard to find a parking place there lately.

I don't know if you have anywhere like that there, but it's sure worth the hunt, even if you have to spend some gasoline to drive to one.

 

[Aunt Bea]

If anyone can do this, you can AB! You've inspired us so many times with thrifty cooking.

We have a Dollar Store here that's just unbelievable with high quality fresh produce, refrigerated items, not to mention canned and dry goods. It's hard to find a parking place there lately.

I don't know if you have anywhere like that there, but it's sure worth the hunt, even if you have to spend some gasoline to drive to one.

I appreciate the encouragement.

I still follow my basic plan. As prices creep up I find I start making a few poor choices. I'm trying to correct that by coming up with a handful of healthy items to fill in. Addie's idea of making a list of possibilities is a good one. I started doodling with a list of inexpensive low carb vegetables and then look for a main dish that features them.

I don't have an elaborate dollar store. I do have an outlet store near my home that sells all sorts of items nearing the use by date. This time of year they have a large amount of produce from local growers that need to move it or lose it. I stop in if I see a new item advertised that catches my eye.

It's all just a big tasty puzzle.

 

[CWS4322]

Aunt Bea, I spend less than $35/week on groceries (okay, discount the fact that TL and I shared a side of grass-fed beef). A good time to shop is the day before the new flyer comes out--at least around here. That is when the featured meat will be marked down 30-40%. I also check the "discount" veggie and fruit rack. I dehydrate mushrooms from that rack. You don't need an expensive dehydrator, you can use your oven, but I snagged a very nice dehydrator for $15 at a Thrift Store. I have several different kinds of rice. Lots of dried legumes, frozen veggies from the garden, and powdered coconut milk, soy milk, buttermilk, and skim milk. Those are used in cooking. Tofu (yes, I know, tofu) is a very inexpensive source of protein. It takes awhile to learn how to season it so it has flavour. Tofunnaise substitutes well for mayonnaise.

I make a lot of vegetable curries. I don't really have recipes, but palek paneer with the addition of chick peas and tomatoes, substituting extra firm tofu for the paneer would work. The root vegetables and cabbage should be coming into season. I had seven (yes) seven very lean years re: work because of my mom's health. I learned how to cook and shop based on what I had available and how much money I had. Yes, it is extra work to soak the beans and cook them, but I can freeze them and add them to salads, make a quick hummus or refried beans. I also cut back on cheese because it was too expensive. Instead of sour cream, I strain plain yogurt (when it is on special--the least expensive source seems to be the Lebanese/arabic shop) to make a yogurt cheese, add a bit of lime or lemon juice for the "bite" of sour cream.

I don't grocery shop weekly. I don't garden because I want to, I do it so I can eat what I want and have $ for meat, cheese, etc. I also cook seasonally. I don't buy out-of-season things (like asparagus). I grew up eating seasonally available food and that's how I try to cook and eat now.

 

[CWS4322]

Take a look at CWS's breakfasts in the breakfast thread

Thanks, GG, breakfast is my favourite meal to cook. I've had a lot of fun going from a non-breakfast person to breakfast is the best meal of the day person.

Aunt Bea--favourites have been the poached eggs in a tomato sauce, chickenkeeper hash, and breakfast wraps using rice wrappers. And of course, my boring stand-by of poached eggs, greens, and grains. Loading up on protein in the morning means I'm not hungry later in the day and can focus on breakfast as my big meal. Breakfast is one of the least expensive meals one can make.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Aunt Bea, I spend less than $35/week on groceries (okay, discount the fact that TL and I shared a side of grass-fed beef). A good time to shop is the day before the new flyer comes out--at least around here. That is when the featured meat will be marked down 30-40%. I also check the "discount" veggie and fruit rack. I dehydrate mushrooms from that rack. You don't need an expensive dehydrator, you can use your oven, but I snagged a very nice dehydrator for $15 at a Thrift Store. I have several different kinds of rice. Lots of dried legumes, frozen veggies from the garden, and powdered coconut milk, soy milk, buttermilk, and skim milk. Those are used in cooking. Tofu (yes, I know, tofu) is a very inexpensive source of protein. It takes awhile to learn how to season it so it has flavour. Tofunnaise substitutes well for mayonnaise.

I make a lot of vegetable curries. I don't really have recipes, but palek paneer with the addition of chick peas and tomatoes, substituting extra firm tofu for the paneer would work. The root vegetables and cabbage should be coming into season. I had seven (yes) seven very lean years re: work because of my mom's health. I learned how to cook and shop based on what I had available and how much money I had. Yes, it is extra work to soak the beans and cook them, but I can freeze them and add them to salads, make a quick hummus or refried beans. I also cut back on cheese because it was too expensive. Instead of sour cream, I strain plain yogurt (when it is on special--the least expensive source seems to be the Lebanese/arabic shop) to make a yogurt cheese, add a bit of lime or lemon juice for the "bite" of sour cream.

I don't grocery shop weekly. I don't garden because I want to, I do it so I can eat what I want and have $ for meat, cheese, etc. I also cook seasonally. I don't buy out-of-season things (like asparagus). I grew up eating seasonally available food and that's how I try to cook and eat now.

Thanks for the tips, we share many of the same shopping strategies. I too have given up buying most kinds of cheese on a regular basis. I still buy a small container of imported Romano and make it go a long, long way. I also cook beans from scratch and freeze them. I have started seeing a significant increase in the price of dried beans, in some cases the cost rivals the canned ones. I still cook mine from scratch, I figure it is a couple less cans in the recycling bin. I need to start experimenting with lentils to come up with a couple of solid go to recipes. I don't garden, about the only crop it would be practical to grow in my apartment is still illegal in New York!

Funny you should mention the eggs and tomato sauce, I had a sunny side up egg with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of Romano cheese the other day for lunch.

I have always been frugal by choice not circumstance, now it's more or less a habit or game to get what I want or need on my terms. The $35.00/week that I spend includes all of my cleaning, paper, basic HBA etc... I would say that I manage to stay within my budget 90% of the time. I splurge for the major holidays or for family and friends, I tell myself those things come under the heading of entertainment not food!

 

[CWS4322]

Thanks for the tips, we share many of the same shopping strategies. I too have given up buying most kinds of cheese on a regular basis. I still buy a small container of imported Romano and make it go a long, long way. I also cook beans from scratch and freeze them. I have started seeing a significant increase in the price of dried beans, in some cases the cost rivals the canned ones. I still cook mine from scratch, I figure it is a couple less cans in the recycling bin. I need to start experimenting with lentils to come up with a couple of solid go to recipes. I don't garden, about the only crop it would be practical to grow in my apartment is still illegal in New York!

Funny you should mention the eggs and tomato sauce, I had a sunny side up egg with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of Romano cheese the other day for lunch.

I have always been frugal by choice not circumstance, now it's more or less a habit or game to get what I want or need on my terms. The $35.00/week that I spend includes all of my cleaning, paper, basic HBA etc... I would say that I manage to stay within my budget 90% of the time. I splurge for the major holidays or for family and friends, I tell myself those things come under the heading of entertainment not food!

I find that buying the dried beans at ethnic shops is cheaper than those in the grocery store. And, you can grow baby greens in pots--broccoli sprouts, pea sprouts, baby kale, etc. Those can grow on window sills. I have a lot of single friends/ couples who like to cook and find ways to save money. We often get together to share a large bag of something--50 lb of wild rice split 5 ways, restaurant sized bags of beans, etc. I too have noticed that legumes have gone up in price. We also share 2 dehydrators, a meat grinder, and a grain grinder / mill. It works for us. Who uses those on a daily basis?

I guess having a pet laying hen is out of the question...

 

[Cheryl J]

Homemade split pea soup! Inexpensive, filling, and healthy. I just made some yesterday. I usually add chopped carrots, celery, onions, and sometimes a little ham or smoked neck meat. Even better the next day, and freezes well.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Lentils, YUM!
Salad
Soup
Stewed
... with any combo of veggies or proteins... sausages, chicken, turkey (there's another UBER cheap protien)

cheeses freeze very well, I buy stuff on sale, portion it of in zip tops and in to the deep freeze it goes...

Canned Tuna fish... CHEAP! I buy it at Costco for what, a little more than a dollar a can... stuffed tomatoes, tuna pasta sauces, like a puttanesca, (pasta is like what $1 a box), tuna ala king (ooh, chicken ala king), and on and on ...

If you want to know about eating on a budget, ask ME!
Trying to make a penny cry 'uncle' in Hawaii is a MUST!

 

[Bookbrat]

I second lentils. We ate a lot of them 'back when'. We were poor and ate vegetarian and they're cheap, fast, good for you and gasless. Cooked up and refried with taco seasoning for burritos, chili dip or 'surprise burgers'. Lentil burritos made with homemade flour tortillas are comfort food now.

Right now it's salad season...greens and whatever vegies are around dressed with a vinaigrette and topped with a little grilled chicken or shrimp or hard boiled egg. Last night it was leftover corn, some black beans and avocado.

Once it cools down we eat a lot of soups and stews. I dry garden vegies and whatever's on sale (celery is cheap at Thanksgiving). No one knows it's dried food.

I guess we are frugal by choice, although I'm not sure how much we save if you count time and energy. And jar lids and foodsaver bags and freezers and a bazillion gadgets and tools, hehe. Mostly we're spoiled on homegrown/homemade.

 

[CWS4322]

I guess we are frugal by choice, although I'm not sure how much we save if you count time and energy. And jar lids and foodsaver bags and freezers and a bazillion gadgets and tools, hehe. Mostly we're spoiled on homegrown/homemade.

It takes a lot of time and energy (personal and electricity rates). I have bones cooking down for stock right now. Yes, I love homemade stock, but it takes planning and time to make the stock to make the soup/stew/whatever. If I want to make tacos, I have to grind the grain to make the flour to make the tacos...grind the meat...pick the veggies...not an impulse "let's have tacos tonight" kinda meal.

While doing the research to present a weekend seminar on the ingredients in pet food, I stumbled across an article about how convenience food came about after WWII (and how the rejected stuff was turned into pet food--floor sweepings, etc.). Back in my grandma's day, women spent a minimum of 3 hours a day preparing food. That brought it home to me how my grandma had time to make homemade bread, sausage, etc. I may spent 45-60 minutes cooking and cleaning up, but I sure as heck don't have 3 hours in a day EVERY DAY to spend cooking with all the time I spend on DC and watching the Girls. No wonder she had so many aprons. She probably wore those like I wear scrubs...

 

[Aunt Bea]

Homemade split pea soup! Inexpensive, filling, and healthy. I just made some yesterday. I usually add chopped carrots, celery, onions, and sometimes a little ham or smoked neck meat. Even better the next day, and freezes well.

Sounds good!

I usually make a small pot of Senate bean soup when I cook up a batch of dried beans.

I remember split pea soup from when I was a kid. The taste was fine, it was the texture that put me off or maybe it was the jokes that my older brothers made about it. My mother always ran her split pea soup through a cone shaped sieve. I might enjoy it if it was cooked a little less and had some texture from other vegetables.

I will revisit it, thanks!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Sounds good!

I usually make a small pot of Senate bean soup when I cook up a batch of dried beans.

I remember split pea soup from when I was a kid. The taste was fine, it was the texture that put me off or maybe it was the jokes that my older brothers made about it. My mother always ran her split pea soup through a cone shaped sieve. I might enjoy it if it was cooked a little less and had some texture from other vegetables.

I will revisit it, thanks!

Aunt Bea, I always reserve a portion of al dente peas to add back into the soup once it's cooked. Adding cooked barley, onions and carrots help with the texture problems, too. My split pea soup isn't sludgy like some I've had.