Fast, easy, healthy, cheap recipes?

LooseSeal

Well-Known Member
#1
I'm trying to be an adult who does adult-ish things like making my own food and not going to Chipotle or eating ramen every day of the week. Anyways, does anyone have some easy, tasty, minimal ingredient, fast, easy clean-up, cheap, healthy, filling, low-calorie, foolproof recipes I can try out? I'll eat pretty much anything. Bonus points if it's something I can easily take with me to work, too.

Thank you in advance for writing my grocery list for me your kind contributions to my health and my bank account!
 
#2
Baked Brussels sprouts idk if you like them though and find them worth buying within your budget. They are delicious, low calorie, and very easy to prepare and surprisingly filling <3
 
#3
I'm not one for cooking often, so I usually eat smart ones TV dinners. Two things I make that aren't wrapped in plastic are these:

Breakfast Sandwich:
1 Thomas High Fiber English Muffin
1 serving of Egg Beaters
1 slice of Morningstar Veggie Bacon (or turkey bacon)
optional sprays of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"

Toast the muffin, heat the egg beaters and bacon in the microwave, and assemble the sandwich. I love this energizing, filling breakfast. It's great if you add fresh strawberries or another fruit on the side! I also drink hot tea with this selection.


Lunch Wraps:
High Fiber Tortilla
"Light" Turkey & Ham

It's a wrap... :badumtss:


Veggie Chicken Bacon Ranch:
Arnold Sandwich Thins
Fat Free Ranch Dressing
2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Morningstar Veggie Chickn' Grillers
Morningstar Veggie Bacon

Assemble the sandwich and panini press, grill, however you like it.

I've found that you can make almost anything in a "healthy" version. Just look for high fiber and fat free/low-fat foods to substitute for the "real thing" in the original recipe!
 

pirateguitarchick

eyerolling is my cardio.
#4
okay, there's nothingggg wrong with going to chipotle everyday... but i understand how that $6.86 gets spendy.... lol.

for us, we get grilled & ready tyson chicken breast strips (tastes amazing and healthy!). we heat that up in the microwave and add it to some instant rice. you can add like a marinade, cheese and sour cream. < its a somewhat of a downgrade from chipotle bowl, but its at home, fresh and healthier option. we eat that all the time for quick lunches or dinners. its pretty filling.
 

LooseSeal

Well-Known Member
#5
Baked Brussels sprouts idk if you like them though and find them worth buying within your budget. They are delicious, low calorie, and very easy to prepare and surprisingly filling <3
I know I said i'll eat pretty much anything, but I'm not sure about brussels sprouts haha. Thank you for the suggestion :)

I'm not one for cooking often, so I usually eat smart ones TV dinners. Two things I make that aren't wrapped in plastic are these:

Breakfast Sandwich:
1 Thomas High Fiber English Muffin
1 serving of Egg Beaters
1 slice of Morningstar Veggie Bacon (or turkey bacon)
optional sprays of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"

Toast the muffin, heat the egg beaters and bacon in the microwave, and assemble the sandwich. I love this energizing, filling breakfast. It's great if you add fresh strawberries or another fruit on the side! I also drink hot tea with this selection.


Lunch Wraps:
High Fiber Tortilla
"Light" Turkey & Ham

It's a wrap... :badumtss:


Veggie Chicken Bacon Ranch:
Arnold Sandwich Thins
Fat Free Ranch Dressing
2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Morningstar Veggie Chickn' Grillers
Morningstar Veggie Bacon

Assemble the sandwich and panini press, grill, however you like it.

I've found that you can make almost anything in a "healthy" version. Just look for high fiber and fat free/low-fat foods to substitute for the "real thing" in the original recipe!
Mmm I love making wraps - my go to is with hummus, chicken, carrots & spinach OR spinach, carrots, chicken, goat cheese, craisins & raspberry pecan vinaigrette - so yummy! Love the fiber one wraps.

okay, there's nothingggg wrong with going to chipotle everyday... but i understand how that $6.86 gets spendy.... lol.

for us, we get grilled & ready tyson chicken breast strips (tastes amazing and healthy!). we heat that up in the microwave and add it to some instant rice. you can add like a marinade, cheese and sour cream. < its a somewhat of a downgrade from chipotle bowl, but its at home, fresh and healthier option. we eat that all the time for quick lunches or dinners. its pretty filling.
Whaaaaaat I paid like $8+ for a Chipotle chicken bowl the other day with no add-ins (like guac, chips etc). I'm in a city so everything is much more expensive :(. I love pre-cooked chicken haha - so easy. Thank you for the tip :) One of my housemates has a rice cooker and I think rice is pretty difficult to mess up (although I'm sure I'll find a way!)
Me in the kitchen:
 

D.Va

Literal Princess
#6
I'm trying to be an adult who does adult-ish things like making my own food and not going to Chipotle or eating ramen every day of the week. Anyways, does anyone have some easy, tasty, minimal ingredient, fast, easy clean-up, cheap, healthy, filling, low-calorie, foolproof recipes I can try out? I'll eat pretty much anything. Bonus points if it's something I can easily take with me to work, too.

Thank you in advance for writing my grocery list for me your kind contributions to my health and my bank account!
I've discovered a love of Indian food! They sell jars of Indian sauces at grocery stores, such as masala sauce and vindaloo sauce. You should pick one up and try it. Just cut chicken into cubes, cook it for a little while in a hot pan (you can put a little water to steam the chicken if you'd like), then dump it into a saucepan (drain the water first) with your sauce in it and let it simmer for a bit (until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the sauce is hot). Serve it with some steamed basmati rice and a vegetable of your choosing. Super simple and soooooo tasty!

Grocery list:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast (however much you need for yourself and maybe some leftovers)
Jar of masala or vindaloo sauce (vindaloo tends to be quite spicy, so if you don't like spicy, go with masala sauce)
Basmati rice (or whatever kind of rice you like)
Fresh or frozen veggies

Easy dinner for less than $15, depending on where you shop!
 

SpriteFabio

Well-Known Member
#8
First off; Living for your profile picture. Second, I'm a huge fan of making stir fry. It's very versatile and pretty simple to prepare. You can use lots of different veggies, proteans, and grains with it. Also Quinoa is an amazing grain that is really filling and depending on where you go; really affordable. I usually toast mine in butter and olive oil before I simmer it. Use google to find different recipes and techniques for both of these; they're both super tasty imo <3
 
#9
Invest in a Magic Bullet. So many healthy, delicious smoothies are waiting to be made.

I make green tea smoothies, greens smoothies, greek smoothies, berry smoothies, etc...

Milk
Acai Juice (It is hard to find truely healthy versions of this. The rule of thumb I along with many others use is how quickly it parishes. The longer it takes to parish, the more artificial it is)
Greek Yogurt (the healthy kind, not Chobani or any of those other fake brands)
Spinach/Kale
Banana
Strawberries
Ice
(a green, greek, berry smoothie all in one)

If you are into supplementing, Magic Bullets make protein powder much more bearable. There won't be any protein powder chunks left in your drink. It'll be extremely smooth.

Milk,
Protein Powder
Peanut Butter (the healthy kind)
Banana
Ice

Also, you can add Chia, Flax, or Hemp seeds to your smoothies if you don't mind the taste. At first, I couldn't handle the taste but I am used to it now and it doesn't bother me one bit. Now it seems as if my smoothies are incomplete without the little seeds.
 
#10
Fool-proof meals that even I can make!

Grilled Cheese

--> Bread
--> Cheese

Cereal
-->Milk
-->Cereal

Water

-->H2O

Pita Bread Pizza

-->Pita Bread
-->Sauce
-->Cheese
(broil on low for about 5 minutes)

Macaroni & Cheese

-->Pasta
-->Butter
-->Milk
-->Flour
-->Cheese
(combine 3 tablespoon flour, 3 tbsp butter and 3 cup of milk, then add cheese. Then add cooked pasta! Also salt/pepper to taste.)

This is all I know how to make, sadly. Oh and french toast! Also these aren't all super healthy, but hey. Live life and enjoy lol.
 
#12
I use my rice cooker all the time, and dump in the frozen cooked chicken strips and whatever else I want when I'm cooking the rice.
One easy dish my mom always made, was in a large dish cube up round steak (it's the cheapest cut) can of tomatoes, package of lipton onion soup mix (or just dice up a real onion) I add peppers, mushrooms, cook in over for 2 hrs 350. meat will be really tender and yummy, server over rice or potatoes. Now I've never personally used a slow cooker, but people swear by them, and I can see this working well in one of them.[DOUBLEPOST=1436298411][/DOUBLEPOST]And you live in a city, check around most have a farmer's market on the weekend somewhere, fresh cheaper vegetables
 

Desertfreak

Lost Desert team member
#13
Hungry-Girl.com

A HUGE selection of under 400 calorie meals that taste like fatty foods but are really good for you!

The Mac and cheese is one of my favorite
 
#15
If you like to bake, a small bread pan can do wonders! You find them at grocery stores, and at Dollar Stores. You can make a lot of different types of bread with just flour, eggs, sugar, and additional random ingredients just lying around in your cabinet. Flour and sugar are always handy in your kitchen!
A couple I swap between are=

Banana Bread-
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour, 1/3 cup melted Butter, 3/4 Ripe Bananas, 1 cup Sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1 large beaten Egg
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350
-Peel and cut ends off of bananas, just enough to take the little stem part off
-Mash the bananas and add the melted butter.
-Add in the sugar, salt, and the egg. Lastly add the flour.
-Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until you can stick a knife or fork in the bread and it comes out without any on it!
This Banana Bread not only tastes awesome and is really gooey, it also makes your whole house smell like bananas while cooking it. I cut it right after it comes out and eat it while still warm, and it stays out for the next few days while we munch on it. You can find other recipes that are less gooey and also recipes with nuts.

Another bread that is easy is Cinnamon Sugar Bread, and there are tons of different ways to make it so if you're curious google it! I like a simple one but some add nuts and icing and things!

You can also do stuff like this on smaller scales in coffee mugs! And cook them in the microwave! Google is an amazing place!
 
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