Wallet Friendly Meal Ideas

Recently I had a friend post on Facebook that she was looking for cheap recipes.  I can understand that raising a large (and ever growing) family can cause strains on the ole pocket book. But aside from that she's also trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle. So I offered to write up a little something on the healthier side for cheaper meal ideas. 

Now you've all heard the phrase "You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy & fake!" right? To a point I agree. If it's fast food, comes through your car window, it's likely fake and you shouldn't be eating it. BUT there are ways to eat clean & healthy on a budget, while keeping your wallet happy.

Click To View Post In A New Window

If you don't know it by now, I'm a Pinterestoholic. It's pretty much my virtual cookbook. I'm able to organize things my way (thanks to my OCD) and I can access it on my phone when it's dinner time so there's no shlepping the laptop to the kitchen counter.

The first thing you should know about my boards... just because I pin it as "clean, healthy or weight watchers" does not make it so. I like to pin things that I a) believe would go over well with the family and b) that I can adapt to our clean eating style. Most of the time you'll see me post in the description what I intend to change when I make it (examples: no vegetable oil, use coconut oil instead / no mayo, use Greek yogurt instead). Also you can find my boards for motivation, exercises and fitness related posts. Feel free to click the picture above to view my boards and follow away!

One key component to making ANY of these recipes work for your budget is PLANNING. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I have a white erase board, square calendar style, on my wall next to the fridge. This is where I write down my meal intentions, what we plan to have, when leftovers may happen, and where my husband gets his say in what he gets to enjoy. ;o)

Start by rounding up a handful of recipes, figure out what ingredients you need, what you have on hand and work it around your budget. Trust me, planning is your best friend!!!!

Now I'll get down to some of my favorite, budget friendly recipes.

Tilapia can be purchased in bulk, making it more affordable, and is generally vacuum sealed individually making it ideal for quick prep. This is one of our most recent favorite recipes, and it works well for Swai fillets as well, another budget friendly fish option.

The Parmesan Broiled Tilapia recipe I found at Spend With Pennies has amazing flavor and can be on the table in around 10 minutes. The basic ingredients I use are plain Greek yogurt, dried dill weed, lemon juice, Kerrygold butter,  and Parmesan. Once I was in a pinch and didn't want to take a few minutes to grate my Parmesan so I subbed some already grated Pecorino Romano. Mmmmm!

We do try to throw in a meatless meal from time to time and this Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Black Bean Casserole from Healthy & Homegrown was one I wanted to give a shot. The first time I tried it I did not have all the ingredients I needed but I made due with what we had and it was still wonderful. The name pretty much tells you what's in it, but I didn't have tortilla shells or enchilada sauce. I used tomato sauce, seasoned with basil, garlic & oregano and it was still fabulous! A dollop of plain Greek yogurt was an amazing way to top it off.

Another thing you will come to love about clean eating is making your own seasonings. Anything mixes/seasonings that you can buy at the store... generally can be replicated at home and when you do, you'll know that there are no additives or hidden chemicals. Home made seasonings can spice up any meal. I found this Onion Soup seasoning recipe at Our Nourishing Roots, and created my own stove top and crock pot versions of Onion Soup Chicken.

In our home we enjoy spicy food and so this Spicy Paprika & Lime Chicken is AH-mazing! Citrus + a slap of spice and perfect on a huge bed of romaine and fresh veggies. It also includes healthy fats provided by coconut oil. And if you've been following me long you know I LOVE my coconut oil. Check out this recipe and more from Eat Drink Paleo.

This is another recent find and it's so delish! Cubed up chicken & your own home made Greek seasoning? What's not to love? I spiced mine up a bit; after cubing the chicken and tossing it into the dish I sprinkled a portion of the Greek seasoning over the chicken but not all of it. I then tossed on top of the chicken, whole cherry tomatoes, sliced mini bell peppers, chopped onion and quartered Brussels sprouts and topped it off with the remainder of seasoning. Because of the added ingredients I had to extend the cook time a bit, but it was so good. Definitely worth a look around over at He and She Eat Clean.

Another of my favorite recipe sources is Skinny Taste. I discovered Gina when I began my journey with Weight Watchers and she has some really great, easy and oh so savory recipes. One of our favorites are Loaded Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins, topped with my fav Greek yogurt and green onions of course. This recipe is great for it's dual purpose! First you have dinner with these amazing loaded skins, but the next day you can eat the Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes made from the skins flesh. How awesome? Two meals from one dish!

And last but not certainly least... The most awesome way to sneak a vegetable into your child without them being able to detect it! Turkey Burgers with Zucchini is another great Skinny Taste recipe. I am telling you, because of this post I have been able to get my kids to eat more vegetables than I ever thought possible. Of course now they are pros at eating whatever I put in front of them, but this most certainly helped in the beginning when we began transitioning to eating clean.

You're probably wondering where's the beef? Well, we do eat 93/7 or 90/10 beef depending on what we find in bulk, and we generally use it for burgers every other week, it's been a compromise with the hubby. LOL. I find the only other time I use it is for our Tex-Mex taco salad or when I make Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce. Being raised a meat & tater girl... sometimes there's nothing better than a big juicy burger!

All of the recipes below come from EatingWell.com. They are a great resource, but be sure to double check the ingredients and avoid using canola or vegetable oil. Always use your healthy oils; olive oil or coconut oil. Click on the pictures to open the recipes in another window. Note: I've never made the sauce that accompanies the nugget recipe so I cannot vouch for it.

Beef & Bean Chile Verde

Chili Cornbread Casserole

Cornmeal Crusted
Chicken Nuggets

Tortellini Primavera

There are a bunch of great Weight Watchers resources out there, but I have to be honest... Skinny Taste is my go to. She has a huge recipe box full of fabulous ideas, and I've yet to make a bad recipe from her.

I was hesitant to make these Spinach Lasagna Rolls until a fellow WW friend told me that she did. I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe: 1) Add a bunch of minced garlic (I'm a garlic lover) 2) Use Basil, Oregano & Garlic flavored tomato sauce (or add those spices to your own tomato sauce). My kids even eat this and it's another great Meatless Monday idea.

I'm always looking for new ways to up the veggie intake and I LOVE me some bell pepper. This Turkey Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe is a perfect combination of vegetable, protein, complex carbohydrates and full of flavor. I've even been know to throw in some fresh chopped asparagus, just because I can.

This recipe isn't a complete meal but it is a perfect accompaniment to your dinner. Zucchini Tots! Yep, I had two zucchini's in dire need of a destiny and I found this awesome recipe. In fact I think the first time I made them I paired them with the Parmesan Broiled Tilapia from above. Believe it or not, the kids chowed them down and the hubby text me from work that a co-worker needed the recipe. Apparently he was bragging over them enough that he shared one and well... all it takes is one bite and you're hooked.

I'm a huge proponent of being lazy when it comes to food. Meaning, I enjoy being in the kitchen, but I don't want to live there. So it's no surprise that I utilize my crock pot year round. I'm pretty sure I use it at least once a week. This is one of my favorite recipes, Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I have no other words to describe this meal other than p-e-r-f-e-c-t.

Speaking of crock pot... My friend I would marry you if it weren't for my husband. This post turned out a lot longer than I intended, so I will save my crock pot favorites for another day. Stay Tuned!

Feel free to link your favorite recipes in the comments below!!!!

**Please note that not all of the above photographs are mine, I used the photographs from the links 
 sourced. All credit is given to those website owners.**

Eating Clean On A Budget - Tips and Tricks

What can you get for $50?

So this week is a toughy. We live on a single income, for four of us. I've always heard that eating healthy or clean is near impossible under those circumstances. I say balderdash. This week, I'm proving so. We are literally down to our last dollar until pay day. So, the hubs pulled $50 cash out of an account that we rarely touch, ya know the one he has money automatically put into and we pretend it doesn't exist except for emergencies.

Any who, so he gives me $50 and that's it. That's all I have to work with and I have to make it work. Tonight I set out to prove that it is totally possible to make it work. 

First off, there are a couple of items we buy each month (or week) that cost us a little extra money, rather than buying from a grocery store. We purchase one gallon of Raw Milk from a local dairy farmer, per week at the rate of $10 per gallon. (Totally worth it... do the research.) We also purchase grain and soy free farm eggs, 2 dozen every 1-2 weeks depending on how many little man devours, from a good friend of mine. Again, totally worth the $3 per dozen, and I dare you to research the problems with soy, more specifically the USA and GMO corn. 

When we run out of Raw Milk, we do buy a locally produced Whole Milk, which comes in glass jars, and has a $2 deposit on the bottles (I'll discuss how this comes into play). This milk, while pasteurized, is still better than anything you'll ever buy in a plastic jug or paper carton. It is hormone free and the cows are pastured.

Aside from those two items, we try to buy as much organic produce as we can afford. Some weeks it isn't as much as others. There are a couple of things that I will always buy organic -- Spinach, Baby Spring Mix, and Sweet Baby Lettuce. That is because I can purchase it in bulk and it's cheaper that way. ;) Another way to buy organic cheaper is local farmers, specifically at your Local Farmer's Market.

ALDI - $1.72 PER POUND??? Our local grocer cannot beat that! And when turning the package over... Ingredients: Chicken, sea salt. Definitely a win in my book.

Here's how that chicken turned out tonight! Chicken sprinkled with Mrs. Dash salt free Chicken Seasoning, with a side of brown rice and green peas.

Moving on... First stop Aldi. Aldi's is a grocery store... a cheap grocery store. I'm struggling with how to describe it. Basically their food is either store branded or obscure branded you've never heard of and the prices are a third of national chains. SOLD! They have a lot of products that change constantly as well as your staple products. And occasionally you will find brand name food (Dole, Del Monte) and the occasional mass chain toys (Mattel, Play-Doh).

ALDI

Asparagus (1 lb) $2.49 x 2
Green Onions $1.19
Green Grapes $2.98
Strawberries (1 lb) $0.99 x 2
Blueberries $1.69
Mini Sweet Peppers $2.49
Roma Tomatoes $1.29
Baby Carrots (3.26 lbs @ $0.29/lb) $0.99
Bananas $0.95
Limes $0.19 x 2
Lemons $0.39 x 2
Cucumber $0.49
Peaches $0.49 x 2
Plums $0.49 x 2
Avocado $0.39
Fresh Chicken Tenders (2.69 lbs) $4.63
Confetti Cake Mix* $0.99

Subtotal $28.16
Tax $1.44
Total $29.60

Next stop is Price Chopper. Price Chopper is our locally owned grocer where we earn fuel points for every dollar we spend. So not only do I shop there for the deals, but it helps us put gas in the tank a little cheaper. Not to mention the kids can score a free cookie at the bakery (They see this as a real treat, and if they misbehave, it doesn't happen.) The kids can also look for Clifford. Clifford is a chicken (on a piece of cardboard) and get a freebie (donuts, candy, piece of fruit) from customer service.

As I mentioned above, when we have to purchase milk from the store, the brand we choose comes with a $2.00 refundable deposit on the glass jars. So prior to starting our trip we returned 6 jars, which netted us $12.00 cash.

Start                +$50.00

Aldi                  -$29.60

Bottle Refund +$12.00

Running Total  +$32.40

PRICE CHOPPER

Whole Milk (1/2 gallon) $2.59
---Bottle deposit $2.00
Granny Smith Apples (0.90 lb @ $1.99/lb) $1.79
Pink Lady Apples (0.81 lb @ $1.99/lb) $1.61
Organic Spinach $3.99
Cherry Tomatoes $3.99
Romaine (1.58 lb @ $1.99/lb) $3.14
Jicama (0.97 lb @ $1.49/lb) $1.45
Sack Refund -$0.05
--- (I bring my own cold grocery totes)

Cherry Tomatoes Sale -$1.00

Subtotal $20.64
Tax $0.95
Total $21.46

Start                +$50.00

Aldi                  -$29.60

Bottle Refund +$12.00

Price Chopper -$21.46

Running Total  +$10.94

So as you can see... I did it! I came home with cash in my pocket. Now had I not had the bottles to return, obviously I would have had to leave something behind at the store. *Also the cake mix was a purchase made by my 4 year old. :/ She threw that on the belt when I was trying to pay attention to the register. :P I went ahead an allowed it, only because the 4th is coming up and I will have to drag something to the party and well... this is something she can help me with and she finds it new and exciting because I don't allow her this pleasure often. ;)

It takes a little thinking, planning and common sense, but shopping for clean eating is completely doable if you want to make it happen. You're probably wondering where's the protein? Cause you know, less than 3 pounds of chicken isn't going to last all week. As I said before, I love buying in bulk. So I have a freezer stocked with ground meats and chicken breasts that I will use to accompany all the produce. I shop for the meats once a month and produce weekly, or as needed.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Asparagus: First off, Asparagus can be super expensive in the store... enough so it makes me want to scream. Now, if you have the time, by all means you can forage for your own wild asparagus. But for those that don't, don't buy it unless you can find a deal!!! I've seen it as high as $4.50 per pound. :( Lucky for me, cause I'm digging raw asparagus these days, Aldi had it for $2.49 per pound in one pound packages. Price Chopper... $3.49 per pound and their bundles vary in weight.

My Tip: To keep your asparagus, for up to one week, place it up right in a container, loosely, and fill the container with water. Asparagus isn't a fan of the fridge and needs air to breathe. Just make sure you change the water daily and use sooner rather than later.

Green Onion:  We love green onion. We do a lot of salads in the summer time and I love some onion on my eggs in the morning. So you could say we go through our share of onion. Since we buy a lot at once I've some what perfected the art of cutting it up quickly.

My Tip: Begin by holding two to three onions upright at the opening of a large mouth jar. Using sharp kitchen shears, snip the onion into the jar. Once you get to the white part of the onion, lay it down and continue to cut it using a paring knife. Personally I like this trick because when I try to cut the tips of the onions they end up bouncing all over the floor. Problem solved!

As you can tell, by now, I'm a huge fan of glass. I don't like that most plastic can leach into our foods, even if they say they are BPA free. I'm all for food prep. It makes life easy, it makes eating clean easier and I love being able to see what fresh food I have on hand. I like to store chopped green onion, chopped mini sweet peppers and cucumber, as well as fresh grated organic cheese. The possibilities for jar are endless!!!!

But my favorite thing to store in a jar??? Romaine lettuce. Lettuce is 1) Expensive 2) Wilts so quickly 3) Should be in everyone's refrigerator. Through trial and error I've found that Romaine does NOT need oxygen to survive, unlike its counterparts Kale and Spinach.

So I break out a half gallon Mason jar, rinse and dry each leaf, chop and pack it in tight. (The red funnel is specifically for canning, they come in two packs, and quite frankly they are a life saver... no need to clean the rims when you're done packing.) Once it's packed in tight, yes that really is an entire large head of Romaine, I place the canning lid on top, followed by my Food Saver, wide mouth attachment, close the sealer and press "canister." Voila! Every time I open it... fresh Romaine. Yes, you can vacuum seal it after each use to keep it longer, but honestly we go through it so fast that it doesn't hang around a week. ;)

So, there you have it... my trip to the store today and a few tips to get you through your next food prep. Have any questions? Feel free to comment. I love getting ideas for posts from you guys!