With many people struggling financially here are some ideas for meals that are quick, easy, and cheap to make. Not only do people need to cut back on their food budgets to save money, but with many working more than 40 hours a week meals need to be prepared quickly. While this may not be an ideal situation, this is the situation that many face. These meals should help address these problems and help people to save time and money. The goal of these meals is to feed a family of four for less than 10 dollars, requiring less than 10 minutes to prepare (except for cooking time), and be relatively healthy. Obviously microwave hot dogs and other foods can do the job in under 10 minutes for under 10 dollars, but is not a healthy meal! While these meals won’t win any awards for overall health, they are better than many other fast and cheap choices.
Rice is a cheap food, but can be a pain to make. Not only can it be time consuming, but the cook needs to stay on the ball to keep it edible. However, microwaveable rice and other quick preparation rice can fit into the hurried and frugal kitchen. I recently discovered Mahatma’s Red Bean and Rice mix. Throwing the mix into a bowl with butter and water and microwaving for 15 minutes, makes a cheap and quick meal starter. When the rice mix is done you can throw in a can of drained green beans or other vegetables (the red beans and rice is hot enough to warm your canned vegetables) and serve with sliced kielbasa or other precooked meats warmed in the microwave.
Tacos and Burritos can be made quickly by skipping the hamburger. Using refried beans in place of the hamburger will cut cooking times significantly. Adding tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cheese will make a fairly healthy meal that is quick and cheap.
Adding crumbled bacon (or a leaner cut of meat) and cheese to a prepackaged salad can make a cheap and quick meal as well. Throw in some cherry tomatoes and serve with a thick slice of Italian bread. As long as you don’t go overboard on the meat or salad dressing, the meal will be a healthy one for well under $10.
The humble baked potato should be served often in every frugal kitchen. Made in the microwave the baked potato can be a source of a quick meal as well as a cheap meal. Baked potatoes are hot enough to melt butter and cheese and anything else that you might want to throw into it.
Making your own soups is another way to make a cheap and quick meal. While it will take more than 10 minutes to prepare you can make it on the weekends and eat during the week, or freeze to eat later. Potato soup, chili, vegetable soup are all easy to make and produce a lot of food for a low price.
With a little thought and planning most people can cut their food budget significantly.
