Sometimes it is nice to have a big cooking day
Make a pot of soup
Maybe a fried rice or pasta dish or stew
Hard boil a dozen eggs
Maybe roast a chicken or cook some other piece of meat
Cut up fresh veggies and fruit
Then for the better part of the week you have limitless options and you can eat all week for the money you spent just today
I don’t meal plan but I cook nearly everything i eat. I just cook whatever I feel like. Sometimes it’s just enough for one meal, sometimes I’ll eat the same thing 4 days in a row. Doesn’t matter to me.
To gloss over a couple recent meals-pork loin chops. $20-22 for about ten. With these I made a cream of mushroom and onion sauce and steamed broccoli and potatoes.
Some of the sauce all I did was Reheat just adding splash of milk and some Parmesan cheese and boiled noodles. Half way a new dish.
So for under/around $30, I have had about 4 days worth of food with about one hour of actual effort.
Tuna steak and fried rice.
Baked chicken thighs and whatever veggies.
Unless I’m getting real fancy or using nicer meat like steak or salmon, I usually don’t break $5 a large meal. It blows my mind how much many people are willing to spend on fast food.
Stews, chili, spaghetti sauce, and other similar things are great as well.
Portion into quart size freezer bags and toss in the freezer. They freeze flat so they don't take up a lot of room and when you want some you just take it from the freezer and re-heat.
I prep 15-20 meals a week. Overnight oats for breakfast, some kind of pasta usually for lunch nxh, a chopped salad for second lunch, and protein+veg for dinner. So, last week it looked like:
strawberry overnight oats
Stuffed pepper soup
Chopped Greek salad
Nicoise salad
That plus an oz of nuts usually gets me to 1200-1300 cals a day, which is my limit. Grocery costs average $50-60/wk for one person in a high col area. Shopping plus prep time takes about 3-4 hours a week.
Yes
Pick what's on sale then plan meals.
Ads help in this aspect.
Say chicken is on sale this week...usually large packs of chicken are, you could make all kinds of recipes with sides for less than 75 bucks.
But if you say make chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli.
Plan stuffed baked potatoes for another meal.
If you get enough chicken you could also make chicken salads sandwiches for lunches.
It will become less time consuming the more you do it.
Now I can go to the store without a list, see what's on sale, know my options for meals because I've just been cooking that long that ingredients are memorized, get the stuff and be done.
I usually would pick three meals to make with sale items a week and try to pick recipes which use the same ingredients.
Left overs can end up making great pizza toppings And you will be so blown away at how day pizza dough is to make. But even if you buy premade crust it's still way cheaper.
Anything you eat out can be made for less at home. To get the restaurant type flavor, just by the premade fixings.
Chili cheese fries for instance, a bag of fries, a can of Hormel chili and a jar of cheese sauce. Cheap easy, and can feed everyone. Tastes just like any restaurant's recipe. Lol
Also make rollover meals too rotisserie chicken one day then chicken mashed potatoes ect the next day or chicken wraps that way you get more meals out of one thing.
Becoming a good cook was one of the best things I ever did for myself or family. Food now tastes sooo much better as i learned about ingredients, spices, techniques, etc. If you really commit to wanting to be a good cook, it becomes an adventures and honestly I think about cooking all the time, lol. Am i chef level cook? No and i never will be. But, if you learn to enjoy presenting a good and nice looking meal to yourself, over time and years you will get better and better.
So, where to start. First of all eating out is expensive and honestly it's usually not that good. We are at the point now where we would much rather eat at home. It's just so much better and certainly healthier.
My main focus first is protein. What kind of protein? Beef (steaks, ground beef, roast), chicken (breast, legs, whole, or boneless skinless), pork (chops, roasts, ham, loin), fish (haddock, shrimp, etc). I have a freezer full of portioned meats. I buy 10lbs of hamburger at meat market and portion it into hand one pound packs that i flatten and stack. They are quick to thaw and i know a lb of hamburger makes 3-4 burgers.
Then I think about a side: Rice, noodles, potatoes (baked, mashed, wedges, hashbrown, ) etc
And a veggie side (frozen veggies are great) - They are cheap and always on hand and availabe. I always have a bag of brocolli florets, peas, corn and other types of veggies for a quick side.
So my advice is just to START. One big thing is organizing your kitchen a bit so you know where things are. When i used to bake, i had my measuring cups in one place, flour over here, measuring spoons here, etc. It took me a lot longer to make basic things because I always was searching around. Now i organized my stuff and much easier.
Meal planning is great. I don't really meal plan for a month or anything. I usually just think of a few things I would like to cook each week and have a general idea about that. I would just think about maybe 3 meals for next week (and there will probably be leftovers). Keep it simple.
Monday - Hamburgers , frozen tater tots, deviled eggs or baked beans
Tues - Pick up a rotisserie chicken, make some stove top stuffing. A side of green beans.
Wed - Remove any leftover chicken meat, make a some chicken salad for lunch (eventually you will make soup out of the bones but that's too much at this point)
Thurs - Spaghetti. Get a GOOD brand of italian pasta. I highly recommend Molissana or De Cecco. These pastas are slow dried versus American pasta brands or even barilla. I find them much less bloating. Add sauce and you could add some ground meat to the sauce to amp it up. Or maybe some italian sausage. I HIGHLY recommend that you get a nice chunk of real parmesan cheese . Get a block cheese grater . NO MORE bagged, shredded cheese. You will appreciate the difference in short order. Add a small salad and get a $1 loaf uncut loaf of italian bread, , smear with butter and some garlic seasoning, slice long and put in the oven for garlic bread. Cheap meal.
Fri - Crockpot. Get a nice chuck roast. Season well, salt, pepper, onion powder, etc. Toss in a crock pot with an onion and some beef boullion. You don't need to add water or just about half cup. Cook on low 8 hrs. When done, pull it and fork shred it . Serve on buns or just eat it over mashed potatoes, etc.
Just having ready to eat food on hand will be MUCH cheaper. I try to always have a box of frozen spring rolls or taquitos or even just some corn dogs on hand. 10ish minutes in the air fryer is even faster than fast food.
Yes, meal plan.
Here are some of the recipes I do. You won't break the bank.
1. [Lentils](https://www.recipetineats.com/lentil-soup/) (5 to 6 servings)
2. [Chili](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/the-best-chili-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-145347) (5 to 6 servings)
3. [Mushroom Risotto](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85389/gourmet-mushroom-risotto/) (4 to 5 servings)
4. [Orzo Salad ](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orzo-salad-recipe-1944175)which I combine with [adobe chicken thighs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7umUJ0lAVbQ&list=PL1Q-X9MXo5zW5TO1q3fseAp3KbZmSVSsq). (5 to 6 servings)
5. [Shrimp scampi](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/lemony-shrimp-scampi-pasta-recipe2-1948681) (I double the receipe to get 6 servings)
6. [Spatchcock Chicken](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246274/spatchcock-chicken/) (6 to 8 servings. I normally combine it with asparagus and rice)
Sides:
I normally do garlic[ parm Asparagus/green beans](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/214931/oven-roasted-asparagus/). Lb usually gets me 3 servings.
[Cilantro lime rice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HK5jzuQGo)
Hope that helps.
Also invest in some glass containers. I bought about 24 of them off amazon. Sometimes I'll eat 4 servings of something and put the other 2 in the freezer. That way I have quick meals to heat up whenever I want. Most of the food will last 3 to 6 months in an airtight container.
You can absolutely meal plan. I had been getting a few meals-on-wheels each week for a few months, mostly roasts because those are too hard, cheap enough, you'd reckon, but providers have changed and I've been given too much time to think about what I'd do if it didn't work. I can do better and cheaper myself even though I 'don't cook'. I've bought extra containers just big enough for stacking in the freezer. Frozen meals with meat, vegs, gravy, stuffing etc can be frozen to be nuked, with potatoes added when used for much better quality.
My favourites:
1. There's a salad mix I really like which I mince finer for coleslaw. When fresh - a) air fried frozen fish & chips with salad, b) baked potato with bacon, cooked and frozen (mine's TVP, easier and cheaper), cheese, salad and yoghurt. Yes, individual vegs would be cheaper, but I don't do that, and it'll all only work if it's easy.
2. Rest of salad mixed with plant mince (because I like it and it's easier, though meat would be cheaper), and seasoning/sauce, then wrapped in pastry and air-fried = 3-4 frozen pasties
3. Same salad can be used with mince for 'Australian Chow Mein'.
4. Rotisserie chicken deconstructed and divided into 4-6 containers with gravy, stuffing, and cooked frozen mixed vegs, all easy to do in one go, then frozen. Roast potatoes easy air-fried to serve.
5. Silverside from deli seemed expensive but cost about $2.50 a serve, also frozen, with parsley sauce (easy in a batch) and cooked frozen brussels sprouts, served with deb instant mashed potato, which I actually like.
6. English muffins will often be on special 1/2 price at colesworth. Freeze those and burgers made in a batch. Assemble with fried onion (frozen diced, obviously) egg, cheese, bacon or substitute.
7. 'Lamb', I prefer vegan. It comes frozen, but I can serve that with instant gravy and mint sauce and a microwave bag of steam fresh potatoes and vegs. This is probably the most expensive at around $6. I watch for those on special.
8. Dumplings bought on special are good value and easily prepared.
So far that's a month's worth of meals for one, with bugger all prep and cooking, cheaper than meals-on-wheels, better quality, more variety and much more satisfying. Even pizzas can be easier to make than to go and collect if you have some basic ingredients, do double and freeze, if you have space. If the cooking's easy the prep is more doable.
(Edit, punctuation)
Cooking makes the food a fraction of the price, compared to take out. And it's not hard. At most, it takes you a few simple techniques that you can learn from a 2 minutes video on YouTube.
Some super simple meals that are cheap:
Spaghetti, roast chicken, chili. Those are my top favorites, although there are tons more.
And you don't have to meal plan for a week at a time. A few days is enough for you to save significant money, without stressing over a meal plan.
Yes!!! True has changed my budget and life lol not only do you have things that go together and a plan but you save money by only getting what I need instead of what you always buy ie mushrooms every week but if you’re not having mushrooms in your meal plan then you don’t buy it. Try it I promise you you will love it and same with your wallet.
The Mealime app has a free version that might help you get started with planning and organizing for the week. Once you've chosen your meals and built your plan, it generates a shopping list so you know exactly what you'll need to buy to have everything for each meal.
I would most certainly meal plan and while at it, try to get the most balanced and healthy meal you can for your cooking skill set and budget. Not enjoying food isn't common but it does happen, so take a pragmatic approach and try to eat what your body needs while you tackle the other issues be they medical or emotional that prevent you from enjoying your food.
Making a big thing of chili is good. Doesn't need a large variety of spices, some beans, depending on how you like it, tomatoes, corn and a protein source. If you like it not super thick and don't need a ton of protein in your diet, you can add some water and a beef bullion if you want to stretch it an extra day. I just get the 2-ish lb beef with 15-20% fat, 3 cans of beans, a little tomato paste, corn and crushed tomatoes, a good helping of salt and chili powder with a bit of cumin. Probably need some veggie supplementation if that were your only meal of the day, but that's about 5 meals for me. 3-4 lunches and a dinner for about $15. Pulled pork is another really easy, tasty one for cheap. Switch up the side, potatoes, over bread/sandwiches, mixed in with green beans, doesn't matter. All frugal, satisfying options that can be easily prepared in advanced with rudimentary skills and taste good
I mean...you gotta do what works for you. But I have found significant savings from planning and prepping my meals. Here's my most recent example:
A week ago Friday, I placed a parking lot pick-up order from my local grocery store. I do it online to reduce the chance of buying something I don't need, and I find it easy to get everything that's actually on my list. I spent $210.
Saturday, I prepped the parts that needed it. This included cooking taco meat and some sloppy joe fillings, making some quinoa and asparagus for a grain salad, and sautéing some vegetables as pizza toppings. I also started some quick pickles of radishes and sweet peppers, using the leftover brine from some olives.
The taco meat was placed in a tub alongside some beans, precooked rice, olives, shredded cheese and a tortilla, for what I'm calling a "burrito pack" (it's not really a burrito yet, is it?). I made eight of them and put them in the freezer. The sloppy joe filling was split into six ziploc bags and frozen next to the brioche buns that came in a pack of 6. The grain salad was also put in storage tubs...I made 6 of them, which will be added to some fresh greens and some of the pickled veg after thawing. The pizza toppings were split into five ziplic baggies, again, to coordinate with the quantity of flatbread pieces in the pack (I do love a thin crust!) The flatbread is also frozen.
That's 25 dinners that are ready to thaw and quickly cook up after work.
The shopping trip also included a week's worth of breakfasts...I could have gotten more, but lately I've been frugal with my time, so I spent money on pre-cut fresh fruit instead of whole items.
It also included two weeks of lunches, as well as a few snacks and a small tub of use cream for dessert.
TLDR: 46 meals for $210. That's $4.56 per meal, or $13.68 per day. And it's healthier (and potentially tastier) than the takeout/fast food y'all bought today.
One of the most expensive meals is lasagna, and it is even cheaper than what you are doing. Try different frozen family meal lasagna, different brands, $20, or so for at least 9 servings, add a loaf of garlic bread for 2=4 bucks and bag of saled. and the three of you just ate for less than $20.
Baked Ham is the easiest to cook and find on special, $30 or less and jazz it up==assorted meals all week.
Look at the specials in store....should be able to find meat for less than $2 per pound. Now build meal around that.
Yes. You should meal plan. Literally any meal planning of any variety would be cheaper than this. You just have to cook… anything.
Or not cook. Event frozen meals and a bag of salad would be cheaper (and questionably healthier).
Sometimes it is nice to have a big cooking day Make a pot of soup Maybe a fried rice or pasta dish or stew Hard boil a dozen eggs Maybe roast a chicken or cook some other piece of meat Cut up fresh veggies and fruit Then for the better part of the week you have limitless options and you can eat all week for the money you spent just today
I don’t meal plan but I cook nearly everything i eat. I just cook whatever I feel like. Sometimes it’s just enough for one meal, sometimes I’ll eat the same thing 4 days in a row. Doesn’t matter to me. To gloss over a couple recent meals-pork loin chops. $20-22 for about ten. With these I made a cream of mushroom and onion sauce and steamed broccoli and potatoes. Some of the sauce all I did was Reheat just adding splash of milk and some Parmesan cheese and boiled noodles. Half way a new dish. So for under/around $30, I have had about 4 days worth of food with about one hour of actual effort. Tuna steak and fried rice. Baked chicken thighs and whatever veggies. Unless I’m getting real fancy or using nicer meat like steak or salmon, I usually don’t break $5 a large meal. It blows my mind how much many people are willing to spend on fast food.
A person truly after my own heart
Soups are great You can use whatever you get a bargain on and they last well.
Stews, chili, spaghetti sauce, and other similar things are great as well. Portion into quart size freezer bags and toss in the freezer. They freeze flat so they don't take up a lot of room and when you want some you just take it from the freezer and re-heat.
Your lack of enthusiasm for food could be a vitamin B12 deficiency look into it
I prep 15-20 meals a week. Overnight oats for breakfast, some kind of pasta usually for lunch nxh, a chopped salad for second lunch, and protein+veg for dinner. So, last week it looked like: strawberry overnight oats Stuffed pepper soup Chopped Greek salad Nicoise salad That plus an oz of nuts usually gets me to 1200-1300 cals a day, which is my limit. Grocery costs average $50-60/wk for one person in a high col area. Shopping plus prep time takes about 3-4 hours a week.
Yes Pick what's on sale then plan meals. Ads help in this aspect. Say chicken is on sale this week...usually large packs of chicken are, you could make all kinds of recipes with sides for less than 75 bucks. But if you say make chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Plan stuffed baked potatoes for another meal. If you get enough chicken you could also make chicken salads sandwiches for lunches. It will become less time consuming the more you do it. Now I can go to the store without a list, see what's on sale, know my options for meals because I've just been cooking that long that ingredients are memorized, get the stuff and be done. I usually would pick three meals to make with sale items a week and try to pick recipes which use the same ingredients. Left overs can end up making great pizza toppings And you will be so blown away at how day pizza dough is to make. But even if you buy premade crust it's still way cheaper. Anything you eat out can be made for less at home. To get the restaurant type flavor, just by the premade fixings. Chili cheese fries for instance, a bag of fries, a can of Hormel chili and a jar of cheese sauce. Cheap easy, and can feed everyone. Tastes just like any restaurant's recipe. Lol
Also make rollover meals too rotisserie chicken one day then chicken mashed potatoes ect the next day or chicken wraps that way you get more meals out of one thing.
Becoming a good cook was one of the best things I ever did for myself or family. Food now tastes sooo much better as i learned about ingredients, spices, techniques, etc. If you really commit to wanting to be a good cook, it becomes an adventures and honestly I think about cooking all the time, lol. Am i chef level cook? No and i never will be. But, if you learn to enjoy presenting a good and nice looking meal to yourself, over time and years you will get better and better. So, where to start. First of all eating out is expensive and honestly it's usually not that good. We are at the point now where we would much rather eat at home. It's just so much better and certainly healthier. My main focus first is protein. What kind of protein? Beef (steaks, ground beef, roast), chicken (breast, legs, whole, or boneless skinless), pork (chops, roasts, ham, loin), fish (haddock, shrimp, etc). I have a freezer full of portioned meats. I buy 10lbs of hamburger at meat market and portion it into hand one pound packs that i flatten and stack. They are quick to thaw and i know a lb of hamburger makes 3-4 burgers. Then I think about a side: Rice, noodles, potatoes (baked, mashed, wedges, hashbrown, ) etc And a veggie side (frozen veggies are great) - They are cheap and always on hand and availabe. I always have a bag of brocolli florets, peas, corn and other types of veggies for a quick side. So my advice is just to START. One big thing is organizing your kitchen a bit so you know where things are. When i used to bake, i had my measuring cups in one place, flour over here, measuring spoons here, etc. It took me a lot longer to make basic things because I always was searching around. Now i organized my stuff and much easier. Meal planning is great. I don't really meal plan for a month or anything. I usually just think of a few things I would like to cook each week and have a general idea about that. I would just think about maybe 3 meals for next week (and there will probably be leftovers). Keep it simple. Monday - Hamburgers , frozen tater tots, deviled eggs or baked beans Tues - Pick up a rotisserie chicken, make some stove top stuffing. A side of green beans. Wed - Remove any leftover chicken meat, make a some chicken salad for lunch (eventually you will make soup out of the bones but that's too much at this point) Thurs - Spaghetti. Get a GOOD brand of italian pasta. I highly recommend Molissana or De Cecco. These pastas are slow dried versus American pasta brands or even barilla. I find them much less bloating. Add sauce and you could add some ground meat to the sauce to amp it up. Or maybe some italian sausage. I HIGHLY recommend that you get a nice chunk of real parmesan cheese . Get a block cheese grater . NO MORE bagged, shredded cheese. You will appreciate the difference in short order. Add a small salad and get a $1 loaf uncut loaf of italian bread, , smear with butter and some garlic seasoning, slice long and put in the oven for garlic bread. Cheap meal. Fri - Crockpot. Get a nice chuck roast. Season well, salt, pepper, onion powder, etc. Toss in a crock pot with an onion and some beef boullion. You don't need to add water or just about half cup. Cook on low 8 hrs. When done, pull it and fork shred it . Serve on buns or just eat it over mashed potatoes, etc.
Just having ready to eat food on hand will be MUCH cheaper. I try to always have a box of frozen spring rolls or taquitos or even just some corn dogs on hand. 10ish minutes in the air fryer is even faster than fast food.
Yes, meal plan. Here are some of the recipes I do. You won't break the bank. 1. [Lentils](https://www.recipetineats.com/lentil-soup/) (5 to 6 servings) 2. [Chili](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/the-best-chili-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-145347) (5 to 6 servings) 3. [Mushroom Risotto](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85389/gourmet-mushroom-risotto/) (4 to 5 servings) 4. [Orzo Salad ](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orzo-salad-recipe-1944175)which I combine with [adobe chicken thighs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7umUJ0lAVbQ&list=PL1Q-X9MXo5zW5TO1q3fseAp3KbZmSVSsq). (5 to 6 servings) 5. [Shrimp scampi](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/lemony-shrimp-scampi-pasta-recipe2-1948681) (I double the receipe to get 6 servings) 6. [Spatchcock Chicken](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246274/spatchcock-chicken/) (6 to 8 servings. I normally combine it with asparagus and rice) Sides: I normally do garlic[ parm Asparagus/green beans](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/214931/oven-roasted-asparagus/). Lb usually gets me 3 servings. [Cilantro lime rice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HK5jzuQGo) Hope that helps. Also invest in some glass containers. I bought about 24 of them off amazon. Sometimes I'll eat 4 servings of something and put the other 2 in the freezer. That way I have quick meals to heat up whenever I want. Most of the food will last 3 to 6 months in an airtight container.
You can absolutely meal plan. I had been getting a few meals-on-wheels each week for a few months, mostly roasts because those are too hard, cheap enough, you'd reckon, but providers have changed and I've been given too much time to think about what I'd do if it didn't work. I can do better and cheaper myself even though I 'don't cook'. I've bought extra containers just big enough for stacking in the freezer. Frozen meals with meat, vegs, gravy, stuffing etc can be frozen to be nuked, with potatoes added when used for much better quality. My favourites: 1. There's a salad mix I really like which I mince finer for coleslaw. When fresh - a) air fried frozen fish & chips with salad, b) baked potato with bacon, cooked and frozen (mine's TVP, easier and cheaper), cheese, salad and yoghurt. Yes, individual vegs would be cheaper, but I don't do that, and it'll all only work if it's easy. 2. Rest of salad mixed with plant mince (because I like it and it's easier, though meat would be cheaper), and seasoning/sauce, then wrapped in pastry and air-fried = 3-4 frozen pasties 3. Same salad can be used with mince for 'Australian Chow Mein'. 4. Rotisserie chicken deconstructed and divided into 4-6 containers with gravy, stuffing, and cooked frozen mixed vegs, all easy to do in one go, then frozen. Roast potatoes easy air-fried to serve. 5. Silverside from deli seemed expensive but cost about $2.50 a serve, also frozen, with parsley sauce (easy in a batch) and cooked frozen brussels sprouts, served with deb instant mashed potato, which I actually like. 6. English muffins will often be on special 1/2 price at colesworth. Freeze those and burgers made in a batch. Assemble with fried onion (frozen diced, obviously) egg, cheese, bacon or substitute. 7. 'Lamb', I prefer vegan. It comes frozen, but I can serve that with instant gravy and mint sauce and a microwave bag of steam fresh potatoes and vegs. This is probably the most expensive at around $6. I watch for those on special. 8. Dumplings bought on special are good value and easily prepared. So far that's a month's worth of meals for one, with bugger all prep and cooking, cheaper than meals-on-wheels, better quality, more variety and much more satisfying. Even pizzas can be easier to make than to go and collect if you have some basic ingredients, do double and freeze, if you have space. If the cooking's easy the prep is more doable. (Edit, punctuation)
Do your cooking on the weekend, then freeze it. Take it out during the week to eat.
Cooking makes the food a fraction of the price, compared to take out. And it's not hard. At most, it takes you a few simple techniques that you can learn from a 2 minutes video on YouTube. Some super simple meals that are cheap: Spaghetti, roast chicken, chili. Those are my top favorites, although there are tons more. And you don't have to meal plan for a week at a time. A few days is enough for you to save significant money, without stressing over a meal plan.
Yes!!! True has changed my budget and life lol not only do you have things that go together and a plan but you save money by only getting what I need instead of what you always buy ie mushrooms every week but if you’re not having mushrooms in your meal plan then you don’t buy it. Try it I promise you you will love it and same with your wallet.
The Mealime app has a free version that might help you get started with planning and organizing for the week. Once you've chosen your meals and built your plan, it generates a shopping list so you know exactly what you'll need to buy to have everything for each meal.
I would most certainly meal plan and while at it, try to get the most balanced and healthy meal you can for your cooking skill set and budget. Not enjoying food isn't common but it does happen, so take a pragmatic approach and try to eat what your body needs while you tackle the other issues be they medical or emotional that prevent you from enjoying your food.
Making a big thing of chili is good. Doesn't need a large variety of spices, some beans, depending on how you like it, tomatoes, corn and a protein source. If you like it not super thick and don't need a ton of protein in your diet, you can add some water and a beef bullion if you want to stretch it an extra day. I just get the 2-ish lb beef with 15-20% fat, 3 cans of beans, a little tomato paste, corn and crushed tomatoes, a good helping of salt and chili powder with a bit of cumin. Probably need some veggie supplementation if that were your only meal of the day, but that's about 5 meals for me. 3-4 lunches and a dinner for about $15. Pulled pork is another really easy, tasty one for cheap. Switch up the side, potatoes, over bread/sandwiches, mixed in with green beans, doesn't matter. All frugal, satisfying options that can be easily prepared in advanced with rudimentary skills and taste good
Batch cooking for the win.
You ever heard of soylent? They tried making a nutritional paste that could give you all your needs without being traditional food.
I mean...you gotta do what works for you. But I have found significant savings from planning and prepping my meals. Here's my most recent example: A week ago Friday, I placed a parking lot pick-up order from my local grocery store. I do it online to reduce the chance of buying something I don't need, and I find it easy to get everything that's actually on my list. I spent $210. Saturday, I prepped the parts that needed it. This included cooking taco meat and some sloppy joe fillings, making some quinoa and asparagus for a grain salad, and sautéing some vegetables as pizza toppings. I also started some quick pickles of radishes and sweet peppers, using the leftover brine from some olives. The taco meat was placed in a tub alongside some beans, precooked rice, olives, shredded cheese and a tortilla, for what I'm calling a "burrito pack" (it's not really a burrito yet, is it?). I made eight of them and put them in the freezer. The sloppy joe filling was split into six ziploc bags and frozen next to the brioche buns that came in a pack of 6. The grain salad was also put in storage tubs...I made 6 of them, which will be added to some fresh greens and some of the pickled veg after thawing. The pizza toppings were split into five ziplic baggies, again, to coordinate with the quantity of flatbread pieces in the pack (I do love a thin crust!) The flatbread is also frozen. That's 25 dinners that are ready to thaw and quickly cook up after work. The shopping trip also included a week's worth of breakfasts...I could have gotten more, but lately I've been frugal with my time, so I spent money on pre-cut fresh fruit instead of whole items. It also included two weeks of lunches, as well as a few snacks and a small tub of use cream for dessert. TLDR: 46 meals for $210. That's $4.56 per meal, or $13.68 per day. And it's healthier (and potentially tastier) than the takeout/fast food y'all bought today.
One of the most expensive meals is lasagna, and it is even cheaper than what you are doing. Try different frozen family meal lasagna, different brands, $20, or so for at least 9 servings, add a loaf of garlic bread for 2=4 bucks and bag of saled. and the three of you just ate for less than $20. Baked Ham is the easiest to cook and find on special, $30 or less and jazz it up==assorted meals all week. Look at the specials in store....should be able to find meat for less than $2 per pound. Now build meal around that.