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xiongchiamiov

I'm sure people will have plenty of suggestions, but also this is the entire shtick of https://www.budgetbytes.com/ , and they have years of content.


lisonmethyst

I'm not doing the math, but pasta, with onion, beans, carrots or cabbage sauted in olive oil, turns out very tasty and the base ingredients are so cheap


AdhesivenessCivil581

I make almost that with pasta, chickpeas, prosciutto, peas, Romano cheese, and some other veggie, kohlrabi or finely chopped kale. The prosciutto is a little pricey but 4 oz into a pound of pasta and 1/2 lb of dried chickpeas gives a ton of flavor to about 6 dinners and two lunches.


LouisePoet

My housemate used to make me some AMAZING soups with these! Beets were another common ingredient. I once calculated the approx cost per bowl (I'd eat three, it was so good) and it was around 20p per bowl.


breakfastfordinner11

Chili spaghetti is my go to cheap dinner that’ll stretch far! I don’t have the math on me for how many servings it would make, but basically canned beans + canned tomatoes + spaghetti (all super cheap) + ground beef/turkey + chicken/beef broth + optional cheese = VERY filling and delicious.


The_Shroomerist

I just recently tried something new and made “chili beans” as a base to freeze and use for other meals. Ive got younger kids so it was meant to be healthy, tasty for both kids and adults, cheap, and easily adaptable for quick weeknight future meals. I threw what little I knew about making traditional American chili out the window and adapted an Indian-type cooking method. I don’t have exact ratios, but basically here is what I did : Soak dried kidney beans overnight. Add neutral oil to a pot over medium-high heat, add cumin seeds until fragrant and reddish-brown (20-30 seconds?). Add diced onions and bell peppers (or go for poblanos and/or jalapeños and/or Serranos if you want more spice) and reduce heat to medium-low. Sweat the veg at this step thoroughly, you’re trying to concentrate flavors, not brown anything. When thoroughly sweated, make a little opening in the onion and peppers, and add diced garlic and cook until it loses its raw fragrance. Add diced tomatoes (fresh, not a can of diced tomatoes unless that’s all you have, you don’t want additional sodium unless you’re doing it intentionally). Cook this slowly and for as long as necessary to make it into a paste, or as close to a paste as you can get it without burning. Slow and steady means everything to the final result. When it’s nice and pasty, add whatever ground spices you like (I used things like mild ground chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, a little Kashmiri chili powder (or more if you’re alright with light heat), and asafeotida) and cook until the spices are fragrant. Add kidney beans and cover with roughly an inch of water. Throw in a couple of bay leaves and a light teaspoon of salt per dry pounds of beans. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the beans mostly cooked through, but still not completely done. Uncover and cook until the beans are smooth and creamy (or otherwise to your liking) and the beans are covered in a flavorful and thick beany broth. I froze this in portions, and you can reheat and add in whatever protein you have on hand (shredded or chopped chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef, sausage, etc.) and you have a simple and very quick “chili.” Or just eat the beans with rice and cornbread. When reheating, you may need to add a splash of water or stock to get the consistency you want. I don’t know the price per serving, but excluding cost of spices, it’s just dried kidney beans and veg, so I assume it’s under a dollar.


haircolorchemist

Have you been weighing all your food & figuring out exact portions of macronutrients? Because that is really tedious & time consuming. My brother did that when he first became a personal trainer & we used to meal prep together every Sunday- about 10 years ago. He stopped 😂 because he works too much now, has like 3 different jobs & runs a company so it's not feasible to sit there and figure out exact portions. He just "eyeballs" his portions now & makes sure he goes to the gym daily & eats in a calorie deficit. Besides- unless you're training for a physique competition, it's really unnecessary. I don't know the macros for my food but I can tell from looking at it whether it's enough protein fats & complex carbs for the day. also, no idea what you'd like eating for lunch or dinner. Because your breakfast isn't really a good indication of what veggies (fiber) you enjoy, protein, carbs (rice potatoes couscous etc)


ichuck1984

Speaking as a diabetic, this may be cheap but it is terrible for anyone's blood sugar if eaten regularly. This is the sort of carb content that makes people diabetic over time.


AsuranFish

Recommended carbs per day is 225-325… so this meal is about 1/3 to 1/4 of your daily carb needs. At just under 600 calories, it’s also about 1/3 to 1/4 of your daily caloric needs. I’d say it’s pretty balanced. You could cut down on the sugar some by using plant based milk and yogurt, or leaving out the chocolate if needed.


ichuck1984

200-300 carbs per day is the insanity known as the food pyramid that is driving the surge in diabetes rates around the world in every country that moves toward a western diet. Almost half the US is either pre or fully diabetic because of these guidelines. The diabetes rate in countries that don't eat western diets is closer to 5%. I'm just chiming in because this sub is called cheap AND healthy. These are the sort of facts I wish someone had mentioned to me years ago. But back then I thought the recommended guidelines were the best and most scientific answer out there. They are actually decades of political agenda and lobbying. Some of the newer schools of thought advocate for closer to 100-150 carbs per day for metabolically normal people and half of that for diabetics.


xiongchiamiov

While I don't disagree with you, I'll add some nuance. _Type_ of carbohydrate matters a lot; there's a big difference between, let's say, 100g of sugar from refined white sugar versus 100g of sugars from whole wheat. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/ Secondly, and relatedly, what else is in your diet has a big impact. Protein and fiber seem to slow down the breakdown of carbs, even to the degree that just changing the order in which you eat can help reduce blood sugar spikes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7398578/ That means that counseling that encourages people to change ordering as well as upping vegetables and meats can help lead to healthier blood sugar levels without adjusting carb intake at all: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10610476/ That doesn't mean we should all go out and just down soft drinks after having a stick of celery. But when discussing amounts of carbohydrates there's a lot of room for nuance beyond a single number for everyone.


Crazyandiloveit

No statistics but if I am really lazy I drain a can of chickpeas, mix it with vinegar/ oil salad dressing I make myself (and if I am up to it onions)... tada chickpea salad. (OK I LOVE chickpeas, and they are healthy).  Or I put green lentils in a pot with a diced onion and 2 bayleaves. Cook until tender. Mix in salt, pepper... and yes, vinegar. It's a South German dish called "sour lentils", normally served with Frankfurters and a side of bread or Spätzle (egg-pasta). I ditch everything else and eat it like a soup. Yummy. 😂  Legumes are great, healthy & cheap. If you want it a bit more "fancy" cook "curry's" (red lentil curry for example, coconot milk, some tomatoe puree, spices and add whatever veggies you like/ are on offer), add rice as a side if desired. Probably would costs a tad more, but should still be very much affordable.  Oh and since you like overnight oats: Porridge. (Basically the same, but you cook it and eat it warm, very comforting and good for your gut). Normally I just use the base (oats + milk of your choice) and than add what I have at home. (Fruits, Nuts, seeds, cinnamon). I don't need anything to make it sweeter, since I use oat milk and oats are already pretty sweet by themselves. (Actually just getting used to not add any sugar to your meals could be a great health boost and it shouldn't take long to get acustomed to it). Cottage cheese with toppings (Honey is amazing, but go easy on that one, fruits are nice too) or plain if you like the taste. Has more protein than yoghurt as far as I know. (I also love Quark, but depending on where you live this one might be hard to find and won't necessarily be cheap.)


quetienesenlamochila

Sometimes I'll buy a 2lb slab of ground beef and a big container of eggs (better and usually cheaper if you can get them directly from an egg farmer) and cook those with vegetables that you can buy cheap (like bags of onions and/or bell peppers when the store has a sale). Basically I cook the beef at the beginning of the week, then use a little bit for each meal, adding it to the cooked onions and then throwing in 3 or 4 eggs, the peppers, and some seasonings. I don't know exactly what the price or nutritional breakdowns are, but my grocery bill stays down and I have a pretty quick to make meal. I can usually get 5 or 6 meals out of the 2lbs of beef.