5 Cheap Meals You Can Make On A Budget

Eating healthy does not have to be expensive.
If that’s the excuse you’ve been using to put off improving your diet, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s simply not true. Healthy food doesn’t mean $10 juices and $12 açaí bowls and so on. Healthy food doesn’t have to be elite. It also doesn’t have to be boring.

Sure, there won’t be much filet mignon on the menu, and you might opt for a 50-cent apple instead of a $5 basket of blackberries, but if you are willing to cook, there are a plethora of low-cost meals available at your fingertips. Also, meal planning can help reduce food costs. Before picking your recipes, look at store circulars before you shop and build your menu around what’s on sale that week. Shop the bulk bins for dry goods like whole grains, legumes, dried fruits, and nuts, and buy just what you need.

To test this “eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive” theory, we compiled a list of my favorite recipes from the Beachbody Blog and calculated how much a serving of each costs using prices gathered at Ralph’s, a Southern California branch of Kroger supermarkets. Since sale items change every week, we relied instead on the normal retail price. Also, we did not include the cost of common pantry items such as olive oil, vinegar, spices, honey, and maple syrup.

Savory Slow Cooker Beans with RiceCost per serving: 70¢
Beans and rice are staple foods in many cultures for a reason: they’re cheap and can easily be transformed into a variety of meals.

Let this savory bean dish cook all day and have dinner ready when you get home from work. If you want to skip the first step, you can soak dry beans overnight in a large pot of water. These beans get great flavor from celery, garlic, and diced green chiles.

Total Time: 11 hrs. 25 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 10 hrs. 10 min.
Yield: 6 servings, about 1 cup of beans each

Ingredients:

1¼ cups dry red beans (or dry red kidney beans), rinsed
Water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 cups water
1 (14.5-oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles, undrained
Hot sauce (like Tabasco) (to taste; optional)
3 cups cooked brown rice, warm

Preparation:

1. Place beans in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover beans by two inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; gently boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour.
2. Place beans, onion, celery, garlic, basil, bay leaf, broth, water, and tomatoes in 4-quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 9 to 10 hours (or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours), or until beans are tender.
3. Remove bay leaf. Add chiles and hot sauce (if desired); cook for an additional 30 minutes.
4. Place ½ cup rice in each of six serving bowls. Top evenly with bean mixture.

 

 

 

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chickpeas, and Paprika DressingCost per serving: $1.48

 

This colorful salad is a show-stopper. Make it for your next potluck or picnic, or amaze your family for dinner any night of the week. The recipe makes 12 portions, and you’re going to want to eat them all. Even after it’s dressed, this salad stores well for up to three days. Quinoa and chickpeas give it a hearty serving of protein. We love the juicy tomatoes and cucumber, but the stars of the recipe are the piquant paprika dressing and the full cup of torn mint leaves. We think once you taste this salad, you’ll want to add mint to all of your salads.

Total Time: 4 hrs. 26 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 16 min.
Yield: 12 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients:

1½ cups dry quinoa
Water
Sea salt (to taste; optional), divided use
¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
2½ tsp. paprika
Ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups raw baby spinach leaves, washed, dried
2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, drained
1 medium cucumber, unpeeled, chopped
2½ cups halved cherry (or small heirloom) tomatoes
1 cup fresh mint leaves
¾ cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese, divided use

Preparation:

1. Place quinoa in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1-inch. Season with salt if desired. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and gently boil for 15 to 16 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Drain if there is excess liquid. Chill, covered in the refrigerator, for 4 hours or until cool.
2. Combine vinegar, and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired; slowly whisk in oil to blend. Set aside.
3. Combine spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and ½ cup cheese in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Add cooled quinoa to spinach mixture; toss gently to blend.
5. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to blend.
6. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup cheese over salad; serve immediately.

Chicken with Quinoa, Oranges, and WalnutsCost per serving: $2.20
Chicken is pricey when money is tight, but in this recipe, the bulk of the volume is comprised of quinoa, fresh herbs, oranges, and walnuts. To make each serving go further scoop half-portions onto fresh spinach or other greens.

This chicken and quinoa dish is packed with healthy proteins and good fats. Walnuts give it crunch, and oranges and herbs give it lots of fresh flavor.

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa
3 oz. shredded rotisserie chicken breast (about ½ cup)
1 oz. walnuts, coarsely chopped (about 14 halves)
1 medium orange, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 dash ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Place quinoa, chicken, orange, walnuts, and cilantro in serving bowl.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix well and enjoy.

Tip: Store-bought rotisserie chicken is very versatile. You can bone and skin the chicken and use the leftover meat in other recipes throughout the week. It’s great in sandwiches, soups, and salads.

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Skins with Chicken and SpinachCost per serving: $2.57
These stuffed sweet potatoes look like appetizers, but they’re actually pretty filling since they’re packed with spinach and chicken.

 

We took what is usually a greasy bar snack and turned it into a delicious appetizer that is healthy enough to eat for a meal! These baked sweet potato skins are topped with spinach, spiced chicken, and cilantro, with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Total Time: 20 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 baked medium sweet potatoes, cut in half
1 tsp. olive oil
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
4 oz shredded cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 tsp. all-natural taco seasoning, no salt added
1 cup steamed spinach
8 Tbsp. low-fat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Scoop flesh out of the sweet potatoes and reserve for another use.
3. Place skins on a baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crisp.
4. While skins are baking, combine chicken and taco seasoning in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
5. Replace sweet potato flesh and top each sweet potato half evenly with spinach, chicken mixture, yogurt, and cilantro.

Lentil and Feta SaladCost per serving: $2.23
Once you’re done chopping the fresh vegetables and herbs to compose this lentil salad, you’re left with a large enough recipe to feed you all week. Plus, it’s a good vegetarian source of protein and fiber.

This lentil salad is a winner in so many ways. It takes a little bit of effort to chop all of those fresh veggies and herbs, but once you’re done, you’ve got enough food for a week’s worth of meals. Eat it in winter, spring, summer, or fall. It’s a good vegetarian source of protein and fiber and has only 221 calories per serving.

Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 6 servings, about 1½ cups each

Ingredients:

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. dried thyme (or 1½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme)
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
3 cups cooked lentils
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 medium cucumber, finely chopped
3 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
¾ medium red onion, finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Combine lemon juice, oil, and thyme in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.
3. Combine lentils, cheese, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to blend. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 12 hours.
5. You can eat it after an hour, but the next day is the best!

Via Team Beachbody Blog, edited by Maria Doney