cost effective cooking on a diet - recipe thread

Chicken thighs are nearly the same as chicken breasts and have much more flavor.

Just throwing that out there.

Thighs are better than breasts

Kids can eat carbless meals. Or add a little fruit or bread so you dont cook two meals.

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I find it to be the exact opposite.

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well im my experience, healthier foods tend to be a 'cook fresh every night' sort of deal, where as i can make a pot of gumbo and we can eat on it for days. average $15-20 per night for a healthy dinner x7 nights adds up.

i know the old go-to is grilled chicken and veggies, but that gets old REAL quick. was hoping thread would get some creativity going. my experience is that changing things up brings more success with weight loss or just healthy living.

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I find it to be the exact opposite.

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Me, too. But then again, I don't consider completely carbless meals to be ideal for health or weightloss. If you focus solely on animal protein, you're missing out on a world of very delicious, good-for-you foods.

Cheapest, best-for-you meals are all legume-based. You can cook huge batches of beans in advance and freeze. A few healthy, bean-centric ideas for ya:
--chickpea salad made w/red onion, crumbled feta, greek seasoning, homemade vinagrette, chopped romaine or baby spinach. If you need more protein, add in a can of olive-oil packed tuna. Give the kids some whole wheat pita (or stuff the salad into WW pita).
--black bean soup. Puree cooked black beans w/some broth (ham stock is esp good), garnish with greek yogurt & chopped green onions. Carb eaters can supplement w/tortillas or a handful of cooked rice stirred into the soup.
--lentils (brown, green, or yellow). Cooked until creamy, with cumin, tumeric, fresh ginger, garlic, onions. Serve over brown rice or quinoa for more protein.
--white bean & kale soup. Freezes beautifully, make a big ol pot on Sunday and you'll be set for a month of soup. You can make it with or w/o andouille or Italian sausage, depending on your dietary constraints.
--three-bean chili. Make your favorite chili with a little ground turkey and use a mixture of pintos, black beans, and red kidney beans.

Seriously, explore bean cookery. High fiber, easy to flavor, and the cornerstone food for thrifty cooks worldwide. Cooking beans from scratch is cheaper than canned, and you have more control over the salt levels.

I love to do a grilled/blackened tilapia soft taco. Use wheat tortillas, make a pico (and guac if that's your thing), add chopped mango for a different twist, skip the cheese and you have a cheap, delicious and healthy meal.

Brine for an hour or three then pan fry in a little olive oil. Season with good ole salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic powder.

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get to know a whole chicken

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Once I discovered whole chickens, my cooking habits completely changed for the better and I also saved money. I buy run-of-the-mill whole chickens for maybe $5/ea. That meat is enough to use in 2-3 meals for my girlfriend and I, not to mention the bonus of stock materials. Stuff, truss, spice, and roast at 350.

Breast meat cooked on the chicken > breast meat cooked by itself. Plain chicken breast is probably the worst tasting common meat.

A couple other tips are buying with the seasons and controlling portion size. An example are bell peppers that can range from 50 cents to $3.

Buy beans in bulk. You can get a big arse bag of beans for cheap. Even cheaper at ethnic stores.

Also, a huge pot of turkey chili is cheap and makes multiple meals for the week. Can also be frozen as well. You can make it with beans if you want more carbs for your kids.

get a crock pot and use it.. game changer for convenient, cheap meals.