We’ve all recently experienced sticker shock at the grocery store and cooking healthy, easy, and affordable meals can seem like a struggle. After a trip to my local grocery store (Kroger) to gather prices, I put together ten of my favorite recipes—complete with prices—for meals under ten dollars. (The ten-dollar price limit requires that you already have a few staples on hand, such as olive oil and spices.) Each meal will feed a family of four.
1. Trout with Couscous: $9.74
This is an inexpensive dinner dressed to impress. I found some great looking trout that cost, for 2.16 pounds, a mere $7.75. Add Near East brand couscous for $1.99, and you have a healthy, well-rounded meal.
The recipe: (20 minutes)
Trout: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Rub both sides of the trout with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 15 minutes or so, until fish is flaky.
Couscous: Boil water. Add couscous, then take off heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Photo source: WordRidden on flickr (cc)
2. Rice and Beans: $4.29
This is a staple of my family. It’s ridiculously cheap, absurdly healthy, and toe-curlingly good. You can purchase one pound of Mahatma brand rice (more than you’ll need) for $1.19, two cans of black beans for 85¢ each, and a garlic clove for 69¢. So for about $4, you have a huge, wholesome meal for a family of four.
The recipe: (20 minutes)
Rice: Boil two cups of water. Stir in one cup of rice; reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the rice cook on low for 20 minutes.
Beans: Pour a dollop of olive oil into a frying pan and add garlic. Add beans. Then raid your spice cabinet to give the beans some pep. Some of my favorites include a dash of curry (sounds weird, but it’s great), paprika, chili pepper, salt, pepper and any hot sauce I have hanging around. Cook on low while the rice is ready, adding water if the beans get too dry.
Photo source: angela on flickr (cc)
3. Parmesan Chicken and Broccoli: $8.46
This is another dinner that will taste like a treat—not a meal on the cheap. Not only does the chicken call for only three ingredients, it is extremely healthy, with the only fat coming from olive oil. You can buy two pounds of boneless, skinless Tyson chicken breasts for $3.98, Italian-style Parmesan breadcrumbs for $1.99 (and there will be lots left over), and a large bunch of broccoli for $2.49.
The recipe: (25 minutes)
Parmesan chicken: Preheat oven to 425° F. Dip both sides of the chicken breasts in olive oil, and then dip both sides in breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish, then cook for 20 minutes.
Broccoli: Boil it, steam it, or pan-fry it. All methods are easy, and none require more than 10 minutes.
Photo source: bucklava on flickr (cc)
4. Quesadillas: $9.57
Quesadillas are a crowd pleaser, and when you do it like this at home, it’s cheap, easy, and healthy. You can buy a pack of ten large flour tortillas for $1.79, a rotisserie chicken for $6.99 (only half the cost goes toward this dinner, because we’ll use the other half of the chicken for the next recipe), goat cheese (ditto splitting the cost of the goat cheese) for $4.99, and a jar of Private Selection brand salsa for $1.79.
The recipe: (10–15 minutes)
Heat a frying pan on the stove. Combine chicken, goat cheese, and salsa in a bowl. Place in the frying pan, in the middle of two flour tortillas, and cook until tortilla is browned and filling is warm.
Photo source: jspatchwork on flickr (cc)
5. Spinach Salad with Chicken and White Beans: $9.03
This is one of the healthiest dinners you could dream up, but the chicken, beans, cheese, and tomatoes make it a tasty one too, even for kids. You can buy a big bag of spinach for $2.99 (we’ll split the cost with the recipe below, so you can have a salad to go along with the pasta recipe), a can of white beans for 79¢, and a quarter-pound of on-the-vine tomatoes for 75¢. Use the leftover rotisserie chicken and goat cheese from the Quesadilla recipe. (You’ll still have some left.)
The recipe: (5–10 minutes)
Combine all of the ingredients on top of the spinach, adding a few dashes of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to the top for dressing.
Photo source: nattokun on flickr (cc)
