Cheap Meal Ideas

In these hard times it is difficult to keep a low grocery budget and retain all the nutrition of fresh produce and organic products. I want to see how little I can actually spend on dinner meals that are good for my wife and I. What are your experiences and/ or ideas?

I don't know if youhave one where you live, but Costco has a been a lifesaver for our family.  We have 5 total.  The produce is unbeatable!  The meats are the leanest and most flavorful I have ever seen. 

I get a HUGE bag of fresh spinach for 3.99.  there is also a box of spring mix for the same price.  Every now and again, I can get a bag  of sweet peppers to put on the salad. 

They also have a great selection of vitamins and supplements, including protein powder and muscle milk.

This is how my family is doing it, hope it helps!!

google the hilbilly housewife, there is a lot of great info on that site to save money on food and some good recipes.

great site, thank you

Your welcome, she was recommended by a former member and I love it.

I like to stock up on canned beans when they are on sale. You can make alot of quick and simple meals with them. I just tried a sweet potato smoothered in black beans, I think there is a recipe on here, it was good and inexpensive. You can also add it to soups, with rice etc.

Lowering your meat consumption lowers your food bill. For instance, instead of eating a piece of meat each, you can slice up one piece of meat as part of a stir fry and it's enough for a whole family. Add a grated carrot or two to mince dishes to bulk them out. Since the traditional Western diet uses too much protein, you'll still be getting enough even if you lower your meat consumption - and if you replace it with veggies, you'll be healthier, too.

Develop a taste for vegetarian protein: eggs, pulses and tofu. Eggs can make all sorts of dishes from omelette to frittata to quiche, and are still cheap. Tofu is super-cheap when you buy it fresh in Chinatown (stored underwater; lasts for 3 days in the fridge). Use it in strongly-flavoured food to get used to the taste and texture (it can be a bit bland if you're not used to it). I eat it microwaved plain with chopped spring onions on top, and then drizzled with soy sauce. Lentils are a great protein, fibre and b-vitamin source. You can use a spicy lentil-and-tomato sauce in place of mince sauces in many dishes - I've done it for lasagna, canneloni and so on - or use half mince and half lentils if you can't go without the meat. Beans are great in soups and stews; just remember to add spices or they'll be a bit bland. A good place to look for bean and lentil recipes is in indian cookbooks under 'dhal' or 'dal'. Hindus are not supposed to eat any meat, so there are masses of different dhal dishes to try. My favourites were black-eyed beans in spicy tomato sauce, and lentils in cinnamon and lemon.

Oh yes, and buy and cook in bulk whenever there's a special offer on something. Eat whatever's in season. Freeze it in portions and you're saving money both on the food and the cooking energy.