15 Budget-Friendly, Healthy Recipes to Keep Your Stomach (and Wallet) Full
Jun 24, 2018
When you sit down to meal plan for the week, consider these cheap and healthy recipes for the menu. They make use of nutritious pantry staples and in-season produce to churn out flavorful yet fiscally responsible dishes and snacks. Add any of these 15 recipes to your usual repertoire, and you'll be making your body and your bank account happy.
Savory Steel Cut Oats: A bag of steel cut oats goes a long way. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner by topping them with savory ingredients like poached eggs and a dollop of kimchi.
Carb-Free Everything Bagel Frittata: Get the flavor of bagels minus the carbs with the help of a creative seasoning blend plus generous dollops of cream cheese to complete the impression.
Green Shakshuka: Our favorite thing about this recipe is that it's flexible. Use a combination of whichever greens are in-season and affordable at the store, then top with eggs for protein.
Green Blender Soup: Make this soup with frozen or fresh veggies — whatever you have available. Sauté 'em up before blending into a silky-smooth meal.
Cacio e Pepe Chickpeas: Parmesan adds a rich, savory bite to these simple sautéed chickpeas that are reminiscent of the famous Italian pasta dish. Serve them on top of salad greens or zoodles.
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice: Blitz a head of cauliflower for this low-carb rice seasoned with lime and cilantro for a bit of punch. Scoop it up as a side, or top with grilled chicken or tofu for a main dish.
Lemon-Roasted Broccoli: This simple broccoli recipe is a price-conscious side dish that will round out your meals. You can also toss the florets with sautéed tofu or cooked chickpea pasta to complete dinner.
Oven-Baked Falafel: A few cans of chickpeas form the base of this healthy vegan recipe. Keep things low-carb by wrapping the baked falafel in lettuce leaves.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Roasted sweet potatoes are tasty base for all of your meals, ready to be stuffed with anything from chickpea salad to shredded chicken.
Slow Cooker Marsala Veggie Grain Bowls: Marsala wine offers big flavor to these veggie and grain bowls. Fill your slow cooker with all the ingredients at once for a budget-savvy, hands-off meal.
Stir-Fried Bok Choy: Stir-fry a big batch of bok choy and veggies, then use it to supplement your meals all week long. Pour in some broth for veggie soup, or pair with a lean protein for a low-carb dinner.
Toasted Coconut Millet: Add more whole grains to your diet with this quick-cooking toasted coconut millet. With a fluffy texture like white rice and toasted popcorn flavor, it goes with just about any meats and veggies.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash: We love butternut squash. Not only is it affordable when in-season, but it also lasts for weeks at a time when stored properly, so you don't waste money on an ingredient gone bad. Try it stirred into polenta with wilted greens.
DIY Watermelon Jerky: Craving a fancy nibble, but don't feel like shelling out your hard-earned cash at Trader Joe's? Dehydrate your own watermelon jerky at home, and treat yo'self to a stylish snack.
Two-Ingredient Vegan Ice Cream: Blend frozen bananas with non-dairy milk for this inexpensive vegan treat. It's a much cheaper alternative than shelling out for a pint of pricy vegan ice cream at the store and skips the sugar in favor of the fruit's natural sweetness.
Follow us on Pinterest for more tasty, healthy recipes.
Follow us on Pinterest for more tasty, healthy recipes.
(Photos via Brit + Co)
