Meals on a Budget
How exciting to be participating in the 2nd ever Cornerstone Content Blog Challenge and the 1st for 2021! When I started writing about how to stretch meals and save money back in 2016 it was 2 years before I started my healthy eating plan. Since then I have learned a few more interesting ways to come up with meals on a budget and stretch food and enjoy delicious and healthy meals.
I always look for sales especially on meat and chicken. Ground beef was on sale for $1.99 per pound when purchasing 5 pound packages. My granddaughter makes a mean lasagna so this is one of our meals that we can stretch. We ended up with a 9″ x 13″ pan, a 9″ square pan plus a smaller one without cheese for hubby. Alexandra, Rich and I had lasagna for two days plus I made a dinner meal prep box to deliver to our neighbor who had Covid.
But this is how I stretched this meal even further. I made up four freezer containers with enough lasagna for two dinners each. Look how delicious the frozen meal looks after it’s warmed up and I even included homemade garlic bread from left over hamburger rolls!
All this lasagna took about 1 1/2 pounds of beef, 2 jars of sauce, a container of ricotta cheese, a package of shredded mozzarella cheese and a package of provolone sliced cheese. Add a box of lasagna noodles and the total cost was about $12.00 to prepare. This batch of lasagna made about fifteen meals! Not bad for delicious dinners.
Yesterday for Sunday dinner Alex and I had one of the lasagna meal prep containers and I told her we need to make up another batch real soon!
Another meal I love to stretch is chicken. Last year after COVID was in full swing we bought 40 pounds of chicken breasts and 40 pounds of legs and thighs at a steal. I packaged them in freezer bags and would pull out however many bags needed for dinner. When I cook up chicken for a meal I always cook up extra for meal prep containers. That way I can have meals prepared and just heat it up for a quick and delicious dinner.
Some easy chicken meals are barbequed chicken which is great cold on the second day! Hubby loves chicken legs and I like the breasts. For another meal idea, I take chicken breasts left over from cooking a few extra, add alfredo sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake until warmed and cheese is melted. Two chicken breasts are enough for two meals for me.
But my favorite chicken meal is again using left over chicken, cut in pieces and brown in a frying pan with Avocado oil. Add alfredo sauce, cut up pieces of broccoli, cooked cut up bacon and cook until bubbly and hot. Just before serving I top with shredded cheese. It smells so good while it’s cooking and melting the cheese. If I use one cut up boneless chicken breast in this dish, I can get three of four individual meals or a filling meal for the family. With the chicken cost of $1.00 per pound for the breasts and 50 cents per pound for the leg/thigh I was able to stretch it and made some delicious and inexpensive meals.
When I wrote this blog a few years ago about how to stretch and save money I wrote about beef. Since then I’ve been looking for more ideas to make delicious meals on a budget. http://themarthareview.com/how-to-stretch-and-save-money/
Stay tuned for more yummy dinners I have planned to share with you!
It all sounds so good!!! I need to get back to trying to stretch meals. My son and I have been eating separately because he works odd hours, but I wish we could figure out a way to eat the same food so we could eat more economically. Also, I haven’t been doing the casserole and leftover thing, just make a small amount and make another small amount. Gotta get back to meal planning. Thanks for the inspiration!
I save so much by making a larger portion and then doing meal preps Jeanine. You could do this, make dinner one time then make a meal prep container for your son. When he gets home from work all he has to do is heat it up! A time saver and money saver!
That Lasagna would not last in my house. Great ways to stretch the food.
This was DELICIOUS Brenda! I was telling Alex we need another batch real soon!
None of those would ever work in my house, but that’s what makes the world go round.
Glad they satisfy your needs.
Someday I’ll find a meal that will work for you Roy! I love doing meal preps and saving money and time.
I’ve been doing this too — making double batch dinners so I can put individual meals in the freezer. That way on writing days I don’t feel guilty when I don’t want to stop and cook. Pastas alway work well for this – but need to find some low carb solutions
That’s why I love this too Angie, it’s like having home cooked meals all the time! I like making my chicken alfredo dish and meal preps from that!
Martha, how totally satisfying to read all these ideas! I do make some meals similar to yours, and large batches of chili, then freeze a bunch. But I would like to organize a large batch of eggplant parmigiana, and have some of that to just heat later! Thanks for the inspirations!
Oh yes, I love to made a batch of chili for the freezer! For my eggplant, I fry up the cut up eggplant and freeze like cookies. I don’t make eggplant parmigiana up and freeze it because it’s so simple once I have the eggplant frozen. I just take out how much I need from the freezer and add the sauce and cheese. Maybe I’ll make a big batch next time we’re doing lasagna!
like Roy, these meals won’t work in our home too but I can apply the ideas for sure!!! as of now, we only go grocery shopping when the fridge looks like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard. I use up everything I can to make meals (like today is the very last stretch dinner) and then we head out
Same here Vidya, I’m emptying the pantry and fridge both before we stock up. It’s fun to come up with new meals that way!
Hi Martha, thanks for sharing these tips. This last year has been a struggle as I was/am learning how to do this. We have traveled so much and have gotten into the European way of shopping and just grabbing a few things here and there cause they don’t have a lot of refrigeration in some places. Plus I am not a left-over person really. Of course, certain things are fine later like spaghetti sauce, but not everything. However, with this last crazy year, I didn’t like the idea of popping in the store several times a week. So I have been making a lot of chili dishes, and Italian (even did lasagna) dishes. Also really enjoyed Gumbo while in New Orleans so that has been a staple as well. Sometimes as a meal with salad and bread, and other times as a side. Just a few other thoughts. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Stay safe. p.s. Sorry for the book, lol
I can see why it might be hard to meal prep when traveling Samantha. I’ve always like to cook in quantity and freeze for other meals but since COVID I’ve been doing it almost steady! If we decide to eat out, the fast food doesn’t taste good and then I look at the prices of restaurant meals and cringe. I can eat for a week on one meal. I’m just so frugal….no I think I’m cheap! I loved reading your “book”
Yum. Great ideas.
I’m always looking for expensive meal ideas Amanda.