Inexpensive Healthy Dinner Ideas

Buy a big bag of frozen talapia its about ten dollars but there are about 20-25 servings in the bag. some ideas for use...parmesan crusted talapia (coat fish in egg and low fat parm cheese sautee in nonstick skillet.) or stuffed talapia (cook 2 cup spinach and 1 cup sliced mushroom in chicken broth and sliced green onion cook till liquid is gone then add 2 tb feta cheese. place in raw fish and roll up cook in oven till fish is tender) also buy fresh fruits and veggies at farmers market

Tacos with ground turkey.

Grilled chicken sausages in tortillas.

Grilled chicken legs (BBQ sauce if you want)

Sloppy Joe's,(purchase the dry mix and follow the directions) I add shredded zucchini to the ground beef or ground turkey while it is browning, they never know..

Stuffed Microwaved baked potatoes,

Crock pot roast (when on sale)one night, left over roast to make stew the next night.

Chili beans over rice. Or homemade cornbread.

Cabbage rolls stuffed with rice, a tiny bit of ground beef and onion and nutmeg..

www.e-mealz.com

$15 for three months. Weekly dinner recipes, the shopping list is on the back. For a family of 6 or less, the weekly menu's grocery bill is ~$80. You can also customize to your grocery store (Aldi's, Walmart, etc.)

We tried it and loved it. We only did a three month spiel, we rotate the recipes. It's lasted us 9 months now.

Pulled Pork sandwiches cooked in the crock pot . I buy the Pork Tenderloin when it is on sale. Even not on sale it is only 10-11 dollars for a 2-3 lb tenderloin. On sale though , I'll pay around $5 at Kroger. Feeds about 6-8 people conservatively. I put it in the crock pot w/a bottle of root beer in the morning. Cook on low for about 6-7 hours. Take it out, drain the crock pot . Shred the pork, put back in the crock pot w/ your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook for another 30 min. or so. Your done. Serve on your favorite hamburger buns.

Beans are a great, inexpensive protein source. Go meatless one or two days a week and it will make a big difference. If you have a local farmers market, show up during the last 15 to 30 mintues and many will discount so they don't have to pack it up.
Useful websites: www.allrecipes.com
www.livingonadime.com
www.savingdinner.com
All have articles on cooking on a budget.

Do you have a slow cooker? I'm going to try placing a whole chicken in it. Then I will use the carcass for chicken soup!

One thing is to make a weekly menu... and base your grocery list and shopping on that. So you don't buy other unneeded things.
That is what we do. What I do.

Go to the Food Network website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/ to get ideas.
Also: Martha Stewart has great healthy recipes and ideas. www.marthastewart.com

Buy certain things in bulk from like Costco, and freeze it.

For me, the more ingredients a recipe has the more expensive it is. But I cook from my head... not really relying on 'recipes.' So I can make good healthy economical dishes.

Compile recipes that you like and are healthy/cost effective. Then put it in a folder, and use it for your weekly menus and grocery lists.

all the best,
Susan

One of the most difficult issues we have every week is trying to put food on the table. We can easily go through the motions at times and get in the car and drive our lovely little ones from school to gymnastics and back to home but to create a meal at the end of the day, that requires planning and thought...who has time or energy for that!

I am a foodie through and through but not every meal can be gourmet and if it was, my kids would never eat! So I try and use fresh local ingredients that are in season to prepare delicious meals to keep my kids sitting at the table. Well, my oldest is 4 so I pretty much have to tie him down to his chair to keep him seated but you know what I mean.

Please check out my Market Menu each week for what is on sale in our local grocery stores and a listing of great menu ideas that you can make for your family.

It Takes a Village...
Where Dallas Moms go for Food, Family and Fun

http://www.ittakesavillagedallas.com/It_takes_a_village/M...

Recently I've noticed that Walmart has a store brand for just about everything. Maybe if you used the store brand instead of the usually more expensive name brand, you could still prepare some of your family's favorite meals for less money.

I would highly recommend a slow cooker. We did the same thing a few months back, and we have been able to save a lot of money and time. We use it at least 3-4 times a week. Every meal has a similar base - dry beans of some sort, but each meal is different because we add different ingredients. Most days, we will add the meat to the crock pot, so there is only one item to clean up after dinner. Not to mention, I bring the leftovers to work with me for lunch. We can feed our family of three two meals for a total of about $5-$8.

Check out this website: https://www.angelfoodministries.com/