I’m trying to save money on groceries and lose weight at the same time. All of the healthy foods are so much more expensive. What do you guys do when you want a cheap low cal meal? I do have a pretty big appetite unfortunately so I try to prioritize volume but I’m so tired of eating soup. I try to avoid rice, pasta, and beans, because the serving size is small for the calories. I’m also only cooking for one so it doesn’t have to be anything fancy just a very basic meal
What are your favorite cheap low calorie meals?
byu/Mdawg1022 inFrugal
Posted by Mdawg1022
15 Comments
Carrots dipped in Mustard.
Burritos.
You grab protein source like chicken, packnit with a bunch of veggies and season it well.
You can make a bunch and freeze. They reheat really well.
Excluding beans is not a good move (assuming they’re only excluded based on calorie value, and you actually like them). Beans are great for bulking a meal and can really help towards making you feel full.
Beans got fiber though so you’ll stay full for a while for such a small serving size. Anyways one of my fave meals is chicken breast with petite diced tomatoes and a can of chickpeas. I cook the chicken in the air fryer and then put everything together in a deep frying pan with some spices. If you can find a bag of chicken breast, then this is a pretty cheap and healthy meal.
Forgoing major fiber sources isn’t the move.
Eggs
If you learn how to make your own pizza dough, you can top it whatever you like. I do a half white, half whole wheat flour dough. My favourite “pizza” base is combining chopped spinach with grated apple, a bit of bacon or cooked chicken, then whatever cheese I’ve got on top. Flatbreads are so versatile.
Noodle dishes can be relatively low-calorie as well.
Ground turkey- cheaper and healthier than hambuger. Can add rice cauliflower to bulk it up with low calories and high fiber. Add taco seasoning or whatever you want.
Suggest you start by not holding to the belief that healthy foods are more expensive. It’s just not true. Some items are sure, but in general shopping frequently and buying mostly fresh and only for eating soon in planned ahead meals is the answer. Shop the sales too and make it a challenge. My favorites are big healthy salads, whole grains with fresh veggies and a healthy protein source. That’s pretty much my go-to with some variation for fun and to shop what’s fresh and available. Good luck.
Cabbage as your salad base is a good start. Especially now.
I’ve added one extra egg at breakfast. People tell me it doesn’t compute in how it makes me feel but I feel better the rest of the day. Maybe it’s a brain thing or the actual egg, I feel better and fuller.
Heinz Beans on buttered toast.
Spaghetti squash with homemade red sauce. It’s filling and low cal. I make giant pots of red sauce with meat and portion it out and freeze it.
Meat with roasted vegetables. Usually chicken or pork, cooked however. For the veggies, I usually do bell pepper, red onion, zucchini/yellow squash, and possibly potato or winter squash if I have any sitting around or if that’s what’s in season or on sale. Cut into bite-size pieces, toss in some olive oil, season to taste, and bake in the oven or toaster oven.
Winter squash like pumpkin, acorn, or butternut are really good tossed with garlic and chili powder or other savory spices, are usually inexpensive and filling, and store well so you can buy them on sale.
Oatmeal is tried and true.
Processed foods are often far more expensive than whole foods.
There are lots of things you can make a big batch of and freeze into portions. Like stews, casseroles, etc. Make a variety of things so you have options, and pull one meal out at a time to microwave.