Does anyone know of any cheap and healthy uncomplicated dinner ideas?

Question

Im trying to save money by making more of my own meals rather than the constant takeaways...and also things that are quick to make as a shift worker but eat healthy too..any ideas would be great!

Answer 1

skinless chicken breast grilled salad and pita breads simple but filling not a lot of mess

Answer 2

To make a great healthly cottage pie - part fry some minced beef, onions, and garlic and put into a saucepan with some tinned tomatoes, worcester suace, 2 oxo cubes and some veg eg peas, sweecorm, courgettes, grated carrotst etc simmer for about half and hour. At the same time boil some potatoes /sweet potatoes/ swede and when cooked mash all together with a bit of bitter and pepper. Put the mash on the top of the mince in a dish and bake in the oven for another 15 mins or so. Cheese on the top is optional . This will feed you for a couple of days and can be warmed up in the microwave.

Answer 3

Fish-finger sandwiches on brown bread... nice and healthy. The fish-fingers only take a few minutes under the grill. Try adding different condiments, such as barbecue sauce or mayonnaise, for a bit of variety.
Alternatively, make meals in advance and freeze them. The easiest of these to do is a pasta bake. All you have to do is cook the pasta (wholegrain is best), and then chuck anything you like on top. You can either buy your own sauce to go over the top, or make your own by blending some tomatoes with some herbs, spices or red onion. Then chuck in the oven for about 20 mins. I usually put some cheese on the top.

Answer 4

This is something I make a lot that definitely qualifies as simple, healthy and cheap. It's a Moroccan-inspired (tasty though probably not very authentic) couscous dish--so let's just call it "Moroccan couscous".

Before you leave for work, cut your choice of vegetables (I use onions, red bell peppers, plum tomatoes cut in half, zucchini in 2-inch chunks, baby crookneck squash in 2-inch chunks, and--once in a while--eggplant cut in cubes). Put them in a Ziploc bag with a healthy drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of ground coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. The quantities on the spices depend on how many you're cooking for. To serve 4, use about half a teaspoon each coriander and cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. If it's just you, a good sized pinch each of coriander and cumin should do it, and just a tiny one of cinnamon. Leave the vegetables to marinate in the fridge while you're at work.

When you get home, preheat the oven to 425. Take the vegetables out of their bag and spread them out in a baking dish. When the oven is hot, put them in and roast them for between 25-40 minutes, depending on how soft you prefer them. Stir them about every 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.

When they're about done, cook some couscous according to the directions on the box. This couldn't be easier, and it only takes 5 minutes to do. When the 5 minutes are up, fluff it up with a fork and add a tiny bit of olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. If you can lay hands on some, stir in a handful of finely chopped cilantro, but it's almost as good without.

Serve the couscous topped with the vegetable mixture.

If you want, you can stir some shrimp or some leftover cooked chicken into the vegetable mixture, but don't do this until the last 3 to 5 minutes that the vegetables are roasting so that the shrimp/chicken doesn't get dry and tough.

Answer 5

1. Steak and mushrooms on toast with melted swiss cheese. Serve with a salad. Purchase a small portion of steak. Saute in a pan at high heat until brown on both sides. Deglaze the pan with a bit of wine if you wish. Lower the heat and add some sliced mushrooms. Toast a half a roll or crusty bread and lay the mushrooms and steak on it along with pan juices. Cover with some slices of swiss cheese and broil for a minute or two until cheese has melted. Enjoy with a green salad.
You might also want to buy a barbecued whole chicken from your supermarket. These are really good buys. One night, have some of the chicken along with crusty bread and salad. Then next night, make up a stir fry with some of the chopped leftover chicken. You do this by sauteeing some celery and chopped onion, green pepper in frying pan. Add some cooked rice and soya sauce, lemon juice and then some of the chopped chicken.
Bon appetit.

Answer 6

G’Mama’s Crockpot Roast

Your choice of Roast, Seared in a hot skillet with oil, salt and pepper
Red potatoes, about 6-8 halved
Celery, 3 stalks course cut
Onion, 1 Lrg, cut into 4’s
Tomato’s, 4, cut into 4’s
Mushroom’s, if you have’um toss um in
Carrots 4, cut into 4’s
Bay Leaves 2
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
1 C Water

Put in the Roast and all the goodness on Medium, it'll be ready when you get home. Any leftovers can be made into a nice stew with a can of tomato sauce and beef broth

Answer 7

Cous cous! Pour on hot water, leave to soak for a short while, drain and eat! Incredibly cheap (a large bag here in the UK costs less than £1 and would feed you every day for a fortnight, easily) and very healthy too. I like to eat mine with grilled or fried veg: courgette (zucchini?), mushrooms, tomatoes etc.

It's also yummy with a bit of bacon or ham chopped up and added to the veg.

Another variation is to use smoked and peppered fish to give it a bit of a bite. Mackerel or kippers are good and because they are oily they are excellent for your brain! A tin of tuna works just as well. You just literally fork the meat in to the cous cous.

Obviously all of these can be done with pasta or rice if preferred, but the cous cous does literally take a few minutes, just enough time to get the veg and meat/fish sorted.

Endless combinations to be had :)

Answer 8

There are loads of Make Ahead cookbooks that provide recipes that you make all in one day and refrigerate or freeze for use during the rest of the week - a cost and time saver. They usually suggest things you would see in a frozen package but made fresh and packed in a microwave safe container for later service. Try dishes likke spaggetti, a broiled chicken breast with a vegetableside, soup and a sandwitch, etc - don't forget to pack your snacks too - cheese and crackers apples and other fresh fruits, cookies - whatever the bonus is you have total portion control so you aren't hungry later and you know it'll taste great because you made it. Good Luck!

Answer 9

~~~~~~~~ Stuffed Pork Chops ~~~~~~~~~~
A delicious and sure to impress dish perfect for two. Double this for a family meal or consider other pork recipes.

Serving: 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes

2 loin cut pork chops with pocket
1 small egg, beaten
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp onion
1/4 cup apple peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp dried cranberries finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled cornbread
dash dried sage
dash dried thyme
dash salt
dash pepper

1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion for three minutes. Add the cranberries and apple and cook for an additional minute.

2. In a large bowl mix the corn bread, sage, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the apple mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoon beaten egg.

3. Carefully stuff the pork chops with the stuffing. Close the pocket with wooden toothpicks.
Dip the pork chops in the remaining beaten egg and then into the flour.

4. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook the pork, turning occasionally, until the juices flow clear when chop is pierced (about 1 hour).

~~~~~~~~~~ Asian Vegetable-Packed Turkey Burgers ~~~~~~~~~~
Prep: 10 min / Cook: 10 min / Cal: 135 / Fat: 6g

Grated carrot is the secret ingredient that boosts both the flavor and the antioxidant power of these low-fat, low-calorie poultry patties.

1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey (7% fat)
2 carrots, peeled and finely shredded
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1.Preheat broiler.
2.In medium bowl, combine turkey, carrots, scallions, soy sauce, ginger, salt, and pepper. Shape into 6 equal patties.
3.Broil burgers 4 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn over and broil just until no longer pink in center, 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve on a roll with lettuce and tomato, just like any burger, or serve on a bed of thin noodles with shreds of scallion and red pepper, tossed with a few drops of dark sesame oil. Cucumbers sprinkled with rice vinegar make a refreshing side dish.

Enjoy! Good luck!..._;-)

Answer 10

How about cooking some hamburger, chicken and fish on the weekend and then storing it is separate bags either in the freezer or frig? The beef could be made into spaghetti sauce, chili, or tacos quickly. And the chicken or fish could be made interesting with a jarred sauce or added to a stir fry.
Make sure you have a bag of salad, fresh veggies or frozen in the frig. You can then whip up dinner quickly with little or no effort.

Answer 11

The most natural and healthy diet for humans is an omnivorous diet, and not a plant based diet, or a meat-based diet per se. The Paleo Diet can be very widely varied and omnivorous for the most part, but the most important thing is that it’s unprocessed, and avoids the worst foods that agriculture brought mankind… refined inflammatory vegetable oils, refined grains (some are worse than others), and sugar! Learn here https://tr.im/oh3zg

As you can see, the benefits of adopting a Paleo way of eating can be incredible! I’ve been eating 95% Paleo for the last 5-6 years and I’ve never felt better. I have dozens of friends that have adopted a more Paleo way of eating too, and have seen all sorts of health problems disappear, including eliminating acne and other skin problems, digestion problems, improving brain clarity, and of course, losing a lot of body fat!