Help with Budget, Healthy Recipes for the week.?!
Answers: I am looking for recipes that are healthy, dairy free and low sugar and affordable to a college student for the week. Please provide me with any info as you can. I need to go to the grocery store soon and I don't know what to get. Thanks!
Buy a bag of frozen chicken breast, they are cheaper than buying fresh, it's about 6-8 bucks and you get about 6 in the bag. Buy frozen broccoli and peas. Always buy fresh carrots. Brown rice is cheap and is 100 percent whole grain. I like to cook it with some boulion granules for better flavor. Canned tuna is cheap, and if you put it on whole wheat bread, it's filling and good for you. I like to put it on a whole grain pita. Buy whole wheat tortillas, a can of refried BLACK beans(the 99% fat free ones) and some salsa and cheese. Spread tortilla with beans, spoon some salsa and sprinkle with some grated cheddar cheese. Top with another tortilla, and grill in a frying pan till golden on each side and cheese is melted. I dip in sour cream or guacamole. These are sooo good and good for you as the beans are a complete protien and fiber in one little package. Hope this helps!
When I was in school, I would always buy a couple packs of frozen veggies, some ground turkey or a small pack of chicken, and some sort of starch in bulk, like rice or potatoes. I consider onions and garlic staples, and maybe pick up some spices too. You should eat pretty well for the week. Also, take what you bought and input your ingredients in www.allrecipes.com and it will give you different recipes for those ingredients. Hope this helps.
Fresh veggies stir fried with rice. Add a little chicken if you like. Pasta with marinara sauce. You can add lots of stuff to pasta and rice - meat, veggies, beans etc. Mix it up to get lots of different varieties. With a few salads, a little fresh bread and some fruit you are good to go.
This is the simplest recipe that you can do anything you like with. Sautee up about 1/2 onion, a few cloves of garlic in olive oil salt and pepper. Just let them get soft. To this add 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes with a little bit more salt and pepper. This is your basic simple sauce. This will cost you maybe $4 to make. You can simply add pasta to this. Some fresh ripped basil and parm cheese will make it better though. I have an issue digesting a lot of protein so I buy Barilla Plus pasta.
Then you can take the rest of the sauce and make a nice soup. Simply sautee up some veggies - I use 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 zucchini - with a little salt and pepper. Then add 1 box of chicken stock and the rest of the tomato sauce. You might need to add a little water depending on the size of your veggies, etc. Season with salt pepper a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf. Once it reduces for about 20 minutes add a can of drained white beans and a handful of small pasta (ditalini, shells, etc.) Let it simmer until the pasta is cooked. Maybe another $4 for ingredients.
This is a great menu planning site, written by a Registered Dietitian with an eye for nutrition, budget, and using up leftovers. I love this site! Recipes and shoppping lists provided, too!
http://www.uclick.com/client/adv/mu/