HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE EASY MEALS
Making simple easy meals is an important aspect of saving money. Cutting your grocery budget is great but only if you can still successfully prepare easy budget-friendly meals all week. So what is the best way to trim your budget and still have what you need for simple easy meals?
Simple easy meals on a small budget
The first step to successfully plan for simple easy meals is the basic weekly prep. What you will need to do is prepare ahead for each week which can be broken down into a few simple steps.
Step one prepare a menu
Each week you need to have a basic idea of your upcoming week's meals. It doesn’t have to be exact but you need to be able to narrow down the ingredients that you will need that week.
simple easy meals
Step two prepare a shopping list
Making sure that you create a shopping list and stick to it can save a lot of money. If you stick to the list and do not buy a lot of extras you can streamline your grocery budget. Having a list can also ensure that you do not forget any necessities for any of your upcoming meals. Remembering everything on your list is an important step in being able to create simple easy meals.
Meal prep in advance or easily prepared options
Do you work full time? Do you have very little extra time to prepare meals? If so this will be especially important to you. When preparing a simple easy meal one of the toughest parts is the actual food prep. How can you simplify the food prep portion and make it simpler?
Tips to simplify meal prep for faster prep time every night
Cut up veggies and freeze them for certain dishes. You can easily free onion, green, and various colored peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.
Buy pre-chopped, squeezable, or minced garlic and other herbs. These can most often be found in the produce section. Not having to prep these items can save a lot of time. The length of time these items last after opening them can save you significantly off your monthly grocery budget.
Lemon and lime are usually available in a juice form in the produce section also. These are great to buy for times when your recipe calls for lemon and lime juice. These cost much less than the fresh fruit do in this quantity and the bottles last a lot longer.
Stocking canned beans, vegetables, canned broth, noodles, rice, etc. can save you a lot of time and money overall. I recommend shopping at a store like Aldi for these items and just buy a few of each to keep on hand each time you purchase them. Aldi products are usually cheaper than most store brand products and we like the quality of their products. Having these on hand can help tremendously if you need an extra item for a meal.
Keep aluminum foil and parchment paper on hand for cooking and baking. When it is possible to use these items while cooking you will find it much easier to clean your dishes afterward. Saving you even more important time on your meals.
Our favorite simple easy meals
Naan bread pizzas and flatbread
Costco sells an 18 pack of Stonefire mini naan bread for under $6 usually. Why not buy a pack and get creative all week. These cook fast and can be so much fun to get creative making pizzas.
Vegetable wraps
a variety of cut-up vegetables on a tortilla covered with ranch dip and some shredded cheese.
Salad wraps
We purchase dole chopped salad kits or similar and use a tortilla accompanied by some chicken and even cheese with some varieties.
Simple Chili
1 can of black beans, 1 can chili beans, 2 small cans or one large can of tomato sauce, 1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilis, onion powder, chili seasoning mix, chili powder, and a dash of cinnamon. (My favorite way to make chili)
Burrito/ Taco night
Make up your favorite meat with taco seasoning (Add a can of black beans to stretch the meat further) This can be one of the cheapest meals and can yield some leftovers.
Easy crockpot soups
Find a recipe on Pinterest for an easy crockpot soup such as Taco Soup, Tortellini soup, etc. Make a large batch that can feed your family for multiple meals.
Salads
Get creative with Salads and toppings. If you do not have a lot of time to cut and prepare you can always buy some of the bagged salad kits and add protein to make it a meal.
Why do we choose these simple easy meals?
The biggest reason that we make the majority of these items is the combination of quick, simple, and healthy. These are three very important factors in preparing our household meals. Quick and easy are necessary but healthy is also. We cannot eat just anything and feel healthy and energetic. We have discovered over the last 10 years that eating fast foods often leaves our health a mess. So my husband and I work together to not only prepare quick and easy meals but focus on what we are eating also.
Think outside of the normal dinner options
Try breakfast for dinner
Easy Soup one night. I love Rao’s soup which is already pre-made and can be ready in minutes. Panera and a few other brands also make refrigerated soups which can be a quick meal option.
Running out of ingredients? Get creative with what you have already. Don’t have any meat but have a can of refried beans try bean burritos or tacos.
Make a quick pasta salad and add chicken for a complete meal
Want to eat out or splurge a little during the week? Why not try Fresh Market little big meals. For my husband and me, one meal can make two nights' dinner.
