Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications.
His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
If you're looking for cheap, healthy meals, these ideas are guaranteed to satisfy any of your cravings. With more than a month's worth of nutritious meals on a budget , you'll soon learn how to use inexpensive but flavor-packed ingredients to bring well-balanced meals to your table.
Choose your own adventure with this North African-inspired feast. The chicken, chickpea, and veggie stew can be made on your stove top in a Dutch oven, or you can hit fast-forward with a pressure cooker or go low and slow with a slow cooker.
Using either of these methods will treat you to a healthy meal on a budget that's low in calories, high in protein, and nicely spiced with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne. This traditional Southern comfort dish is said to bring good luck if you eat it on New Year's Day.
But we're so obsessed with this cheap, healthy meal, we eat it all year. Instead of calling for bacon or ham, our vegetarian variation of this rice and black-eyed peas dish features several spices and heaps of veggies, including bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and frozen corn.
The spice—and the price—are right for this Indian-inspired cheap, healthy meal. Serve the turmeric- and ginger-infused grilled chicken on a bed of basmati rice included in the price estimate to round out the meal. Save leftover sliced meat to tuck inside warm pita bread or a tortilla for a lunch wrap the next day.
Meatloaf secures a top spot on the list of easy, cheap, healthy meals when you use lean ground beef and boost the filling factor with inexpensive spuds. And don't you love how sheet-pan dinners like this one require so little cleanup time?
Cooking everything on one foil-lined pan speeds it up. You'd be hard-pressed to find a delivery pizza as affordable as this homemade healthy dinner recipe. Start with store-bought dough to make the Mediterranean meal a practical choice, even on a weeknight.
Look for the dough in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or ask your local pizza shop if you can purchase an extra pound of their secret recipe!
Noodle dishes are known to be easy on the wallet. Not so much. Fortunately, a small handful of heart-healthy nuts can go a long way to add a rich flavor to cheap, healthy meals like this one. Whole wheat noodles help too.
Low in fat 6 grams per portion yet high in protein a strong 28 grams , this five-ingredient slow cooker pork recipe checks all the boxes. Only 10 minutes of prep required. Indeed—it's one of the lowest-cost options in this collection of cheap, healthy meals.
Here's a cheap, healthy vegetarian meal you'll want to make again and again. With 24 grams of protein and a nice portion of hunger-taming broth and noodles, this soup will fill you up for hours. Meat-like portobello mushrooms , tofu , and a poached egg join fresh veggies in this cozy, crowd-pleasing Asian noodle soup.
Breaded with whole wheat panko and baked instead of fried, this eggplant Parmesan is calories less than some classic recipes. Keep your nutrition streak going by grabbing a couple of zucchini at the store to spiralize , toss with the rest of the marinara , and serve under the baked eggplant.
Voilà—a budget dinner recipe for four that tastes up to par with its restaurant competition. A few decades ago, "stretch the meat" was the mantra for cutting costs at dinnertime.
It's still a great strategy for making cheap, healthy meals even more affordable. Here wide egg noodles , mushrooms, and a bit of cheese extend 8 ounces of ground beef to provide five hearty servings. One bite will be all the proof you need that you can absolutely make satisfying suppers without making meat the main event.
Instead of refried beans, this flavorful Mexican entrée —ready in 30 minutes—features a creamy cauliflower puree. If you're hungry and have leftover chicken or shrimp , toss them in too. the serving size can be cut in half for an easy, healthy dinner recipe for two on a budget. To maximize your cheap, healthy dinner recipes, never let any ingredients go to waste.
Instead, use any leftover pesto in these quick and easy pesto recipes. Turn budget-friendly shaved cooked ham into a delicacy by serving it on mashed sweet potatoes and topping it with cranberry sauce. This healthy dinner recipe on a budget offers a taste of Thanksgiving any time of year.
Not into ham or craving more holiday spirit? Dishes vary from smoothies to pizzas and flatbreads, and even soups and oat bowls.
Family-friendly meals were also available, which dietitian Perry Nix, RD, enjoyed. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism. Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U.
RELATED: Plant-Based Protein Powder Benefits. Good for: Families needing meal kits with options for all family members. Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery service that sends you everything you need for a fun, tasty meal right to your door. Blue Apron is our favorite budget-friendly meal delivery service for families.
With wellness and veggie plant-based options available in their preferences, Blue Apron also provides family-friendly options for kid-friendly meals, as well as a fast and easy quick prep option.
RELATED: Blue Apron Vs HelloFresh Vs Home Chef. Our tester, Sarah Carlton, enjoys the meal kits overall, although some meals shine brighter than others. On the other hand, the Salmon was packed with flavor and so good.
The quality of the ingredients impressed Perry Nix, RD. These ingredient standards support the environment, farmers, and animal welfare. A fault that Perry notes is that Blue Apron is fairly limited when it comes to dietary preferences.
RELATED: Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss. There are no subscriptions, you can order at the frequency to like. Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz. Clean Eatz allows you to pick six meals from their meal plans—including keto, high-protein, and gluten-free plans—and then a quantity of these six-meal packs.
Only being able to choose six meals at a time with limited variety might not be what some are looking for; still, with a decent amount of protein in each meal and delicious ingredients, Clean Eatz provides good value at a pretty low price.
Busy parents will rejoice in picker-eater approved menu items with hidden vegetables and wholesome ingredients from Little Spoon, a kid-specific meal delivery service. Little Spoon has meal options for babies who are not yet eating solid foods, little ones moving to bite-size pieces, toddlers eating finger foods, and smoothies for on-the-go snacks.
Subscription plans offer biweekly delivery cadence that can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time. For the picky eaters in your household, we suggest Little Spoon. Providing meals for all age ranges, from infants to toddlers to young kids, Little Spoon exposes kids to a variety of flavors and ingredients at a young age.
Dietitian Perry Nix, RD, speaks on the importance of diversifying the foods a child is exposed to early on. Senior editor and certified nutrition coach Nicole Davis tested out these meals directly with the source: her two oldest children.
The kids, being moderately picky in their foods, had mixed reactions to some meals. Whether or not Little Spoon is right for you and your children will mostly depend on how your children like it.
However, with organic ingredients that are non-GMO, this is a great meal service for kids. You can read our in-depth thoughts in our Little Spoon review. Not every meal service we tried made our top picks; here are a few honorable mentions we tested:. Obviously, one of the biggest factors we accounted for on these meal delivery services was the price that these meal services brought to the table pun intended.
There are more benefits to an inexpensive meal service besides the money. You can still have many of the benefits of meal services while staying on budget.
Finding a meal delivery service that fits in your budget will help you save money. You buy just the meals you need at affordable prices, and can save on the cost of a grocery run in many cases.
Meal prep for the week can take up a lot of time, which is a huge perk of meal delivery services. Meal kits provide just the right amount of ingredients for your meals, with many ingredients prepared already, so it minimizes the time needed to prepare and cook meals.
Additionally, prepared meals can just be put in an oven or microwave to heat up, virtually eliminating prep time completely. Many meal services provide plans and options for people with specific dietary restrictions or needs.
Also, anyone following keto, low-carb, paleo, vegan, or pescatarian diets will often find options through meal delivery services.
This takes out a lot of the hassle of having to find the right meals for your exact needs. Often at the grocery store, you may have to purchase more food than you want or need for the week, like purchasing a bag of onions when you only need one.
Plus, many meal services source their ingredients sustainably through local organic farmers, which also impacts the environment in a positive way.
With trying to be frugal with your money, here are some things to look out for:. Many meal delivery services offer a first-time discount, which can vary depending on the company. These discounts can be substantial, although prices may jump back up after a bit of use.
Here are a few of our best picks for meal services that offer consistently inexpensive meal options:. Many meal delivery services have smaller minimums and meal plans to cater for just one person. The cost of HelloFresh varies depending on the number of meal portions you order each week.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
Can you safely consume protein powder while pregnant? Likely yes, but there's a major caveat. How we operate is that we have 2 chequing accounts we use a online bank that offers free daily banking.
All our fixed expenses. Any kind of discretionary spending, basically. We project what we need for the year and divide it into 24 payments. And finally we have money going to an emergency fund. We use a high-yield savings account.
If nothing breaks or explodes, the emergency fund just keeps growing until we need it. So we have this hybrid system that works really well for us. I just wanted to let you know that it was helpful!
I already have two checking and savings accounts, so I really think this would be helpful for me to form a decent budget.
I am just kind of curious what amount I should be putting into each account. I have a myriad of surprise expenses as well and that is the main reason that a budget never works for me as I get frustrated and just give up as well.
Thanks again for your advice! For anyone who doubt some that this is economical in other locations, I did some calculations with Canadian prices. Thanks for doing that for us Stacey.
Often I think people will say that or miss the point because they are busy thinking of an excuse to keep spending the way they do so thanks for this.
We have very specific preferences for household items and pet care items and source them from a variety of places. Everyone is different, though, so by all means, I think that the best budget is the one that you will follow! Other folks may feel more comfortable putting all categories together.
Patrick they may cost more in your area but not in Colorado and Kansas where we are from. As a matter of fact I can get some of the things for even less if I get them on sale. I really hate giving people prices on things even though that is always what they want for a couple of reasons.
First they focus and get upset about the amounts listed instead of focusing on the practical tips we give that you can use any where and any time.
I once heard a successful man say that excuses are just lies people tell to themselves to keep from doing what is right. Even if they do in fact cost more the point is to save as much as you can where you are.
These prices are to give you a general idea. Great article! I would be buying dry goods on sale so this would be less. onion, mostly apples and oranges through the winter. It is not the most expensive store in my area.
I always keep a full fridge, freezer and pantry by stocking up at rock bottom prices. For fresh produce we eat what is on sale; this week that means asparagus, beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, navels, strawberries and pineapple. I still have some of the sheets—sale prices on most things really have not gone up that much!
Things like this are always interesting to me. I would love for someone to actually document their household eating only the foods on this shopping list, in the same quantities listed, and see how many days the food lasted.
This amount of food would feed our family of 3 for two weeks. I weigh pounds, my husband weighs pounds and our child weighs 30 pounds.
Are there good ideas here? Can people use these ideas to save money? Did it take a lot of thought and time to come up with this? Oh, yes. People never factor in so many things when they read this type of post.
Your family is completely different — you may be built smaller, larger, you may be very very active all day long — running after small children or work at manual labor. If you have boy and girl children, what their age is, if they going through a growth spurt makes a difference on how much is eaten and spent.
I mean I could go on and on. You need to stop comparing yourselves to others and buy only the food you can afford too. Not too much and not too little. You need to factor in where you live — some places do have to pay a little more on some things.
So why does it really matter what someone else is eating. Your family probably would not even like the same foods that you watch someone else eating.
THE WHOLE POINT IS TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN WITH THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE, NOT OVER EATING OR WASTING YOUR FOOD. If you do that so what does it matter what someone else is doing.
Also, when I said I was curious if others thought it was enough food to feed 4 people for a month, it was a genuine question. The reason is, if 5 other families say, oh yes, that could feed us for a month, then maybe I should reevaluate what my family is eating.
A couple of years ago, I mentioned to a friend what we spent a month on groceries. I apologize if I misunderstood your question Melinda. If you are gaining you may have to adjust and eat less or if you are loosing you may have to just eat more. You do need to watch calories of course but equally as important is to make sure that you are getting the right servings for all the different categories of food groups.
Are you getting the right amount of servings and of grains, dairy etc. Most of the time if you are getting the right amount of servings of the different food groups you should be ok.
Also that amount may change too at different times like during the winter and summer you will have to adjust it or if you are more active in the summer.
For example you may hike or go swimming more during the the summer compared to the winter. Just watch your weight and you can tell. Also you might watch your prices — for example can I get apples cheaper at a different store than where I usually buy them or if I bought a different type of apple but tastes just as good would that help me save etc.
I did notice there were some additional items that would need to be purchased, like jelly for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cream of chicken soup for the chicken pot pie.
Of course, people would also need to buy the food they like to eat. Melinda makes a great point, as does Jill and most others that have commented. Everyone is different in what and how much they eat, what they are willing to spend, and how much time and know how they have for food purchase and preparation.
I have a husband and 17 almost 18 year old son that could not survive on the food that is listed here. I live in southern Illinois and our grocery prices are very similar to those that Jill has listed here.
BUT, I have a freezer full of venison and pork because my family hunts and because we raise our own pigs. Besides my full time job, I also work part time at a creamery and have access to cheese and grass fed beef at a great price. I love to cook and make many things from scratch that some may buy in a package, box, etc.
There are no rights or wrongs, just what works for you and your family. Like Jill mentioned time and time again, this is what works for HER family and is just an example to show that it can be done. Each person has to use what is available and make it work for their family.
Where there is a will, there is a way! Yes Tracy exactly. I so appreciate you mentioning the things like the hunting, pigs, chickens etc. So thank you so much for this post. That is why I hate giving numbers because there are so many variables to it but I am afraid that is what people want for some reason.
They also get hung up on the numbers instead of listening to the tips we give of how to do the best you can for your family and in your situation. Thanks again. I bought the cookbook for my granddaughter and liked it so much that I bought one for myself as well.
We live an hour away from any big stores like Walmart so we only go shopping once a month usually. We keep a running grocery list on our phones that is shared and it updates each phone.
We go to a restaurant supply store to buy our meat, frozen vegetables and fruit for the month. The packaging is larger so we slice and repackage the meat for our dinners and freeze them. Our little store has specials every week and I stock up on anything that we use on a regular basis as we like to shop local too.
I buy by the case when things are on sale. This has saved us so much on groceries over the years. I have used coupons now and then. I make my list and then look for any coupons for what is on my list. I save a ton of money on pet food and personal hygiene products this way.
Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for
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