Soups, stews, chili, taco meat, pasta sauce, really anything that freezes well. Make a batch big enough for 4-5 meals eat once and freeze 3-4 meals worth in meal sized portions. Do that twice a week, and soon you’ll have a freezer full of good options for the week that require little to no work. Supplement fresh veg and cook fresh pasta/rice/potatoes to go with it.
Slow cooker Beef or Pork roast dinner.
Shred a portion of the leftovers for BBQ sandwiches. Another portion of the shredded meat becomes a ragu for spaghetti. The remaining meat and vegetables get chopped up and the juices made into a gravy for a thick stew.
If you keep the original roast mildly seasoned you can also use the shredded meat to make: Tacos, Fried Rice, shepherd’s pie, huevos rancheros, lunch wraps, burritos, Cuban sandwiches…ect
This is my favorite way to plan for a weeks worth of meals. I have a “Cash and Carry” store near me that mainly sells to restaurants but I can get giant bulk cry-o-vac roast for a really good price compared to regular grocery stores. You have to break them down yourself but as long as you’re just making roasts it’s not to hard, and there are YouTube videos if you want to make traditional cuts.
ETA: I know it sounds meat heavy, but really a lot of these recipes call for only a little meat. Staying meat centric for the first meal frees you up to just use it as a small ingredient in the future meals without the hassle of cooking it.
Sweet potatoes are cheap this time of year. Sweet potato and black bean burritos are delicious and filling. I don’t really follow a recipe, but the recipe below is basically how I make mine. I bake the potatoes instead of boiling and use chili powder in place of the cumin and coriander seeds, simply because that is what I have on hand. They are good even without lemon or cilantro if you don’t have it. I like to mash the beans up with the sweet potatoes and seasoning, then simmer everything together before wrapping the burritos.
http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/2014/07/black-bean-sweet-potato-burritos/
Take a look at what you have on hand or what’s on sale and search budgetbytes.com. I always have good luck with her recipes. Her SNAP challenge week might be worth a look for a tight week. I recently made the slow cooker Italian chicken and vegetables. The recipe made a delicious big pot of chicken and vegetables (you can increase the vegetables as you like) that are good in many ways - over pasta, rice, polenta, in a sub, fill an omelet, top a baked potato.
I just wanted to add to mu previous post. The key is to keep the meat versatile by not seasoning it too much. Also I’ve learned to pull it out of the crock pot that night and break it up into smaller portions. If you leave it as one big cold roast sitting in the refrigeration, you’re less likely to use it.
I keep baking potatoes around for when I forgot to have something planned or when we need something cheap. You can just bake potatoes and top with steamed broccoli (and maybe make a cheese sauce), or put that chili from the freezer on them, or we like little potato skin pizzas (bake, halve, scoop a bit out, spoon in tomato sauce, mozarella, any toppings you like, then put them back in the oven for ten minutes) which are fun and cheap. Not even bad for you, depending on what you use.
For easy and plentiful I make a sort of lasagna with 1 lbs of ziti or penne stirred up with a jar of sauce, cottage cheese and sweet Italian sausage. Make a layer in a 9x13 dish, throw in some sliced mozzarella, make another layer, spread on another jar of sauce to cover the top and keep things juicy, top off with some more mozzarella and bake. I usually end up with dinner for 4, at least 2 lunches of leftover lasagna and a lunch of leftover noodles to which is usually added smart balance and Parmesan. Of course if you have an issue with cheese, this meal is not for you.
Can’t help with planning. We buy groceries every day and I often don’t know what I’m going to make for dinner until I’m in the grocery store and something strikes my fancy.
Cullen skink is hearty and warming and keeps well in the fridge.
Roast two or three large chickens at the beginning of the week.
First night; freshly roasted chicken with rice (make twice what you need!) and a frozen veg.
Second night; penne pasta, frozen veg added to pot when pasta nearly done, slather in garlic butter, add chunks of chicken, Parmesan, serve with garlic bread or salad.
Third night; fried rice (day old!) with chicken and whatever veggies you can scare up (gr onion, peas, celery, chopped cabbage) and an egg.
Fourth night; large Caesar salad with chicken bits and garlic or fresh French bread.
Fifth night; ramen cooked as dry noodles not soup. Add soup packets to your bowl not the water, chop up some veggies fine, add shredded chicken, plop cooked ramen on top with a tbsp of the broth, mix, mix, mix, top with fresh coriander and Chili sauce. (Best Ramen: Indo Mie, any flavour!)
It’s good to have a couple easy meals you can make with things from the shelf/freezer. That way, if you don’t end up with leftovers you thought you’d have, you’re still OK.
Refried beans is a good one (fry a chopped onion, add cumin and maybe some chili powder, a can of black beans), with rice and salsa. Kiddo will eat the rice if nothing else (ideally you make enough rice to give for lunch tomorrow, too).
Another staple chez Quercus is spaghetti with meatballs-- we get the two-pound bag of frozen meatballs, which isn’t super-cheap but not really expensive either (mmm… mystery meatball meat). The sprout would eat the meatballs for four meals a day, so they also make it into lunch a lot, along with the noodles.
Do you like Japanese curry? You can by a brick of roux for around $4 that will yield 12 servings or so in total, as you break off chunks over time. You can add whatever vegetables and meat that you like, and serve it over rice. Easy, flavorful and filling. You can even find very mild versions aimed at kids that your two-year-old might like.
Make it on the weekends, and make extra to freeze and then nuke on a weekday for a fast meal.
This system has pretty much eliminated our waste also. The other secret is to stick to the shopping list when you go shopping. That eliminates impulse purchases which look good there but which don’t get eaten. We do have entries like “look at fish” to see if there is any fish or some other meat on sale. We do that the night we shop and push everything else back a day.
I know him from the Times, but we have a large bookcase full of cookbooks, so availability of recipes is not an issue. The Weight Watchers books have simple vegetarian recipes also, and we often do one vegetarian meal a week. My wife works from home so she cooks (that way we don’t have to wait until 8 pm) but when I retire I plan on cooking at least one recipe from each book we own.
My wife is not super fond of Indian food, so we have no Indian cookbooks. Plenty of Chinese, Japanese and Thai ones, and the official UN cookbook too.
Working at home definitely makes things easier. I work at home, and being able to cook as soon on as I punch out is a real blessing.
I may have a diff reason for your problem. But the result is the same.
I’m single and I just don’t have sufficient energy to bother cooking an entire meal and then to face the inevitable “clean up” afterwards. So much work for just one person. I need a spouse but in the meantime …
My solution? I like to prepare food that I can keep for many days (read “freezer”). To make things even more challenging, I prefer to eat vegetarian. After trying a great many recipes, I found one that fits most all my needs. It has the added bonus that I can substitute a great many diff items and so the final dish usually depends on what produce looks best (read “freshest”) at the grocery store.
If you can’t abide the notion of “vegetarianism”, you can always cook some chicken breasts or strips of sirloin and add them.
This is just a standard “stir fry”. It is very versatile in that you can use whatever vegetables look most appealing at the grocery store. The key to this recipe, the thing that makes it so delicious is the sauce. I never knew how to make a good sauce before I found this recipe. The following link includes the author’s info. So if you like it, you can check into other recipes she has written.
I sincerely hope your family will enjoy this as much as I have:
Tofu That Tastes Good: Stir Fry
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
A tofu-veggie stir fry made tasty with a simple technique that gives the tofu perfect texture and flavor. Serve over rice or on its own for a healthy and delicious weeknight meal. Feeds 2-3.
Author: Minimalist Baker
Recipe type: Stir Fry
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients:
FOR THE STIR FRY:
1 14-ounce package firm or extra firm tofu
2 cups roughly chopped green beans
1 cup diced carrots or red pepper
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil for sautéing (or sub peanut or coconut)
FOR THE SAUCE:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (make sure it’s gluten free if G-Free)
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp agave, maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
1 Tbsp corn starch
Instructions:
. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and begin drying your tofu. Drain, remove it from the package and place between two thick towels folded into the shape of the tofu. Then place a plate or bowl on top and top it with something heavy like a book or skillet.
. Let it dry for about 15 minutes, changing your towels if they get too wet. Once dry, chop into roughly 1-inch cubes or rectangles (see photo).
. Arrange tofu on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet to prevent sticking and bake for a total of 25-35 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking. This will dry out the tofu and help give it a more meat-like texture. If you want a tougher texture, cook it for 30-35. For a slightly more tender texture, pull it out at 20-25 minutes to check.
. Once it’s golden brown and a bit tough and firm, remove from the oven set it out to dry a bit more while you prep your vegetables. Ideally, it would set out another 45 minutes or even longer. I haven’t tried letting it set out for much longer, but I don’t think it would hurt either way.
. If serving over rice, start the rice at this point.
. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients – set aside.
. To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add sesame oil and swirl to coat. Then add veggies and toss to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. When the vegetables have some color and have softened a bit, add the sauce and stir. It should bubble and thicken. Then add the tofu and stir to coat.
. Cook the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. When veggies are cooked to your preferred doneness, remove from heat. Serve as is or over rice for a more filling meal. Best when eaten fresh, though will keep in the refrigerator for a couple days.
Notes: Nutrition reflects 2 servings without rice.
Nutrition Information:
Serving size: 1/2 recipe Calories: 371 Fat: 19g Saturated fat: 3g Carbohydrates: 38g Sugar: 23g Sodium: 1500mg Fiber: 6g Protein: 16g
Loved this recipe? Check out our cookbook, 31 Meals Here!
https://minimalistbaker.com/31-meals/
Oops. I ran out of edit time. But I just wanted to add the following:
The basic stir fry listed in my prev post holds up very well to making all kinds of substitutions.
I don’t like refined sugar and so I substituted some honey instead. The result? No noticable difference. I’ve also substituted other items when I ran out of them and never had a problem when substituting various items. I hope your meals will turn out as delicious as mine have.
I never even heard of “sesame oil” and just used ordinary oil. That worked fine. Also, I never heard of some of the things she has - like “agave” or “gluten free”.
And all her fastidiousness with drying the tofu? I just take it out of the package and wash it off. I use “extra firm” tofu and never had a problem with that. Your basic tofu has no taste. It’s the sauce that makes it taste good.
I wanted to add this so that you wouldn’t be frightened off by all the funny sounding ingredients. It may sound a little weird and challenging when you first read the recipe. But it is very easy to make and very forgiving of substitutions and mistakes.
Gluck!
Sorry for spamming you. But I need to add the following. It is the original reason why I was attracted to this recipe and I figured it would appeal to you since you said you need help with “planning”.
I saw this:
“Hi, I’m Dana! I create simple, delicious recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.”
All of her meals require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl and 30 minutes or less to prepare. Isn’t that just fabulous?
I saw that on the following web site:
Eggs are another handy cheap protein we always have around the house. Try some shakshuka (almost infinitely variable - we’ve used goat cheese, feta, pita, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, added canned chickpeas or roasted eggplant…). I love Smitten Kitchen generally - many yummy recipes with bold flavors that aren’t terribly fussy to cook.
Vegetarian Indian legumes of various sorts are always a standard around here - we have a huge drawer full of various beans and lentils, and we always have onions, garlic, various canned tomato products, and tons of spices in the house.
When I was single and working late, I made lots of quesadillas for dinner (tortillas, canned refried beans, salsa, a bit of cheese and cilantro). Also lots of pasta, which is another great way to throw in all kinds of random veggies.
We often make a vat of some kind of legume and veggie soup on the weekend and bring it for weekday lunches. One of my faves is Turkish red lentil soup. It works fine with dried mint instead of fresh. Sometimes I also add a whole head of cauliflower florets for extra veggies, or a half-cup of bulgur (or some leftover cooked rice) for a thicker soup. Vegetarian black bean soup is another fave - try smoked paprika instead of chipotle if you have it around. (I’ve never used nutritional yeast, though. But I usually add some celery, maybe vinegar instead of lime juice - eat it over rice, and it’s basically Cuban dal. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and green onions. Use a hunk of some kind of smoked pork product if you’re into that sort of thing.)
Middle Eastern food can also be your friend. We made a double recipe of bissara, and for about $7 we fed a hearty dinner to 6 people.
ETA: when you are not so strapped for cash, an electric pressure cooker can be your best friend. How about some dal in 20 minutes or less? Chickpeas cooked from dry in under an hour? We also love our curry pastes and spice blends for quick weeknight dinners that don’t require a lot of prep time. Also, marination can be a beautiful thing, even better if you have access to a grill. And as others have suggested, take advantage of your freezer so you don’t feel like you’re eating the same damn thing 10 times in a row.
ETA: IMO a well-stocked pantry can be key to non-boring, quick, cheap meals. Things we always have around:
A jar or two of ajvar - great to jazz up a cheese sandwich or plain grilled meat, or throw a couple tablespoons into a bean soup
Pita and other bread in the freezer
Cheese
Eggs
Onions and garlic
Various grains and pastas, potatoes
Canned tomato products
The aforementioned curry/spice pastes and some dry spice mixes (we just bought a tub of berbere that I want to try out, plus I made up a batch of advieh a few months ago…and we sometimes buy a random jar of some kind of spice mix at the Middle Eastern grocery. Make up a quickie marinade of spice mix, olive oil or maybe plain yogurt, lemon, garlic; thrown in raw chicken; leave in Tupperware in the fridge overnight, or even for an hour or two when you get home; grill, eat with some simple steamed or sautéed veggie and some rice; and enjoy! Take leftovers for lunch the next day.