Healthy Budget Friendly Recipes

Featured Recipes

Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute

Green beans add snap and color to the garlicky shrimp and butter beans in this Spanish-inspired sauté. Slightly pricier prepeeled shrimp are worth it, given the amount of time they save on a harried weeknight. Serve with quinoa or brown rice.

» Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute

Pork Chops au Poivre

Turn your dining room into a French bistro when you dress up pepper-crusted pork chops with a rich, creamy brandy sauce. Serve with roasted sweet potato slices and green beans.

» Pork Chops au Poivre

Chicken with Honey-Orange Sauce

Here we combine raisins, cinnamon, honey and almonds with orange juice, zest, wine and broth to make a rich, savory pan sauce for chicken. There's plenty of the gorgeous sauce, so be sure to serve whole-wheat egg noodles, couscous or rice on the side.

» Chicken with Honey-Orange Sauce

Hawaiian Ginger-Chicken Stew

This chicken stew has a bold ginger-flavored broth and provides a whole serving of dark leafy greens in each bowl. We tried it with frozen chopped mustard greens (available in large supermarkets) and it was even quicker to prepare and just as delicious. Serve with brown rice.

» Hawaiian Ginger-Chicken Stew

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

White beans mashed with ripe avocado and blended with sharp Cheddar and onion makes an incredibly rich, flavorful filling for this wrap. The tangy, spicy slaw adds crunch. A pinch (or more) of ground chipotle pepper and an extra dash of cider vinegar can be used in place of the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. Serve with tortilla chips, salsa and Tecate beer.

» Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard & Zucchini in Packets

Mustard and thyme flavor chicken and veggies in this easy dinner.

» Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard & Zucchini in Packets

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple light summer sauce. We like it over angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta will work. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a mixed green salad.

» Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Healthy Entrees Under $3 Per Serving.

With the stock market falling faster than a cold soufflé, many of us are looking at just how much our meals cost. And when we start trimming expenses, our food budget is often one place that takes a hit. An easy way to save money is to eat fewer meals out and make more meals at home. Plus you’ll have greater control to create healthy, delicious meals.

We “shopped” online for ingredients and then calculated the cost per serving for main-dish recipes in one of our recent issues. The results seemed so amazing we even went back and double-checked the math: most main courses cost less than $3 a serving and we’ve listed the cost after the recipes. And if you think that nothing’s cheaper than fast food, what would you rather have for dinner: a slice of fresh-baked Parmesan-Herb Focaccia, Pork Chops with Orange & Fennel Salad and Baby Tiramisù for dessert (total: 488 calories, 3 grams of saturated fat) for less than $6—or a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, fries and apple pie (1,040 calories, 17 grams of saturated fat) for about the same price? If you, like us, choose the healthy homemade meal, enjoy these budget-friendly recipes—your health and your pocketbook will thank you.

READER'S COMMENT:

"at last someone else feels like i do, like to see some budget healthy recipes for single people. "

Comments

Comment	Posted
at last someone else feels like i do, like to see some budget healthy recipes for single people.	3 weeks 6 days ago
Re "cheap and single" buy cheap meat with (or without) bones, dredge in flour and panfry in a bit of oil. Add water, onion, carrot and simmer an hour or two. Remove the meat, cool the broth and then skim off fat. Mash any remaining veggies into the broth. When meat is cool, discard bones, gristle, fat and cut meat into bitesize pieces. Divide the broth into single servings and divide the meat up between them. Freeze the single servings. For soup for one, thaw a serving, add chopped raw veggies of your choice, a bit of salt (or bouillion cube so then nix the salt). Add a 1/4 can of beans in tomato sauce for variety or extra flavor. Freeze the other 3/4 can (again in single servings). Buy little ziplok bags for such storage - buy at the dollar store, even better! Another hint - to thicken without flour, use mashed potatoes - yum! Another cheap... buy navy beans or lentils. Beans should be soaked in water overnight, but not necessary with lentils. Cook in water, or broth, or tomato sauce, or any combination of these. Add bits of ham or other meat if desired, also any veggies which appeal. Even cheap hamburger makes an appetizing soup. The key is not to worry that you are making more than one serving... use the little freezer in the top of your fridge. There are 2 of us, and I have managed for years, making these basics and freezing them for quick and easy meals. Lots of things freeze very well - eg. salmon loaf (can use canned tuna if its cheaper), meatloaf, even cooked chicken livers! I hope this encourages some of you to cook soup from scratch. It really is easy and you shouldn't even have to measure. good luck! Carol, Vancouver Canada	4 weeks 1 day ago
Do you realize that there are a lot of single middle-aged people trying to eat healthy within a budget, too. Your recipes may sound great for a family, but one person can't budget all those ingredients. How about a section for singles? I have just about given up meat, dairy, and desserts and still have a hard time with my $74 a month food stamp allowance.	8 weeks 2 days ago
I would like to see more vegan recipes...I came to this site to see what you offered in that category... —Sher, Monterey, TN	11 weeks 5 days ago
PLEASE! More delicious vegetarian recipes, especially in these tough economical times. Thanks so much! —Tammy, Chandler, AZ	11 weeks 5 days ago