True Food Kitchen tonight for some healthy eating.
Turkey & Smoked Gouda Burger
avocado, organic tomato, butter lettuce, smoked gouda, jalapeño remoulade, flaxseed bun.
Couldn’t decide on sweet potato home fries or kale salad so she let me have 50/50
That’s a really tough one. I have had some sticker shock at the grocery store recently, also, but I kind of doubt a subscription service is going to be a more affordable option. I’ve been considering buying dry beans in bulk and cooking them, then freezing portions to cut some costs. Frozen veggies on sale are a good thing to stock up on and can be puréed and hidden in things like pasta sauce if the kids have veggie aversions. My biggest cost cutter is buying things like meat when it’s on sale and either freezing it or cooking large batches of meals with discounted items and freezing portions for later. I wish you the best of luck.
My 13y/o rarely eats meat, sometimes Eat chicken, and would live on ramen if i let her 
My little one isn’t picky but has some texture aversions
My son doesn’t like cheese 
or onions or tomatoes because he says they make his stomach hurt, and he’s allergic to shellfish
14y/o and 12y/o girls would rather snack than eat a meal, but they both like rice…
I used to grow a lot of food when i lived in Florida, but i haven’t been able to grow much aside from tomatoes and peppers here… Because of the winter…
I would love to buy in bulk! I have two full sized refrigerators and a deep freezer… But when i buy for the week, somehow it only lasts a few days. Because… Hungry/bored kids lol. So i have been buying food every day after work to cook. And sometimes grabbing unhealthy crap drive thru food is actually cheaper than making anything, but i want them to have access to healthy options if possible.
I love rice and beans and frozen veggies.
Maybe I’ll go to a bulk food store and get that stuff. And we can start trying to find recipes that include them as fillers to make a protein go further. Thanks for the idea of making the beans in bulk and freezing them. I’ve never thought of doing that!
Potatoes and beans, lentils, peas, are healthy foods, rice, too and whole wheat pasta. Also bulghar, barley, farro, the more expensive quinoa, which is a complete protein. Cooked tomato products are super healthy but you have one child who does not like them… You like veggies so that is good.
Think of those foods as being the meal w some meat or chicken being the condiment. In USA we think the meat has to take up the plate, not so. We are one of the only countries in the world thinking that way… we were the only country that could afford to, now we are seeing that we cant really either. Eggs are so expensive!
Split pea soup is warm and nourishing. A loaf of bread, the apples and raisins…
Hot beans w cornbread!!
Bean and cucumber and tomato salad…
Roasted potatoes! White potato and sweet potato, you can mix them together, Put olive oil on them and cook at 425 or whatever… if you are not already, please use your oven for roasting vegetables. Look for what’s cheap, in season, wedges of cabbage, root vegetables that you all probably have never had, ( turnip, celeriac, rutabaga). One at a time, to see if they will eat. Hopefully foods that everyone will enjoy.
Think quick preparation in kitchen, quick cooking ( except for beans) and easy clean up.
Chili… w beans…
I am not big on brothy ( meaning watery) soups, I want more real food in my soups and not a lot of liquid/water… otherwise I just get hungry again real soon.
Carrots, Potatoes, Beans, Green beans, Corn, Pastas, Grains… Apples, bananas, Raisins. Cut up banana and dump some canned pineapple in w them…
Hugs
Bananas. Slice up an apple for each person, put it in a bowl w some water (not much), microwave a few minutes, throw a lot of raisins in there. Healthy dessert or side dish for the children. Could put all of that in oatmeal.
You can put a bag of spinach in the beans if they would eat that. You could put any vegetable in there. Cans of green beans for instance. Canned vegetables are also nutritious. Look for store brand.
Potatoes are healthy and have antioxidant. You can roast potatoes and carrots together, and put other vegetables in there too. The seasonal vegetables bc they will cost the least or get frozen.
Cheese is expensive… Peanut butter and jelly and healthy bread is healthy and not super $$$$$.
Canned refried beans are healthy and nutritious. Go ahead and use cheap tortillas…
Instagram has tons of recipes for healthy sweets… (healthy food in general), something nice for those children to learn to cook! Healthy cake and ice cream!
Check out modernnonna on you tube and instagram just because she is cool.
These are all amazing suggestions too 
I’ll be making a shopping list to see what i can buy with $300. I hope it will be enough for the week. (Or at least until Friday) 
I’m going to save this post as a picture so i can reference it when I go to the store
I did not mean to buy expensive quinoa, I just meant that quinoa is usually more expensive than rice or beans. At my grocery store, pinto beans are $2.32 for 2 pounds, 26 servings, let’s say 13 servings as more of a main dish than a side dish. All you need is water to cook them. Garlic and onion should you wish.
They freeze great, I use yogurt containers or big freezer bags, put the beans in there flat so they will stack. But they will stay good in fridge for awhile.
You probably cook hamburger and noodles a lot, opt for the healthier whole wheat pasta if it is not too much more and a bunch of canned green beans, presto, good food.
I used to cook frozen chicken a lot. 4 pounds in a pan, I put parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, a liquid, you could use chicken broth, water and a boullion cube, sometimes olives or parmesan from jar. Cooked it for umm 1hr 15 minutes at 400?
Also use to put rice in the big rectangular pan, chicken pieces on top of it and two cans? of mushroom soup w two cans of water? It also had bacon but bacon is not too healthy IMO.
Editing to add these links:
these are quick but not budget
Hope something here catches your eye and helps w your family meals. Very nice that all of you sat down for dinner. And that you had meal prep help! Both should be good for everyone’s mental health and physical health.
Cooked zucchini.
Added blueberries to the oats this morning. I couldn’t resist buying these massive berries! Delicious!
That looks awesome 
Do you have an Asian Market? We buy Jasmine rice at Aldi or huge bags at Asian Market. Their fresh produce is also far cheaper and unique. My kids eat ramen a lot, but without the seasoning packet. They make their own flavoring with soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil. They add frozen mixed veg and an egg (boiled or fried). That’s a $2.00 healthy-ish meal. Lots and rice and for them lots of pasta. I don’t eat gluten, they don’t eat meat. Expenses come for us when they want Impossible Nuggs, Impossible Burgers, all of that stuff is becoming cost prohibitive. I need to learn a good GF bread because that’s running $8 a loaf.(a tiny loaf!).
I’m trying to find healthier snacky alternatives. First attempt on crispy roasted chickpeas is a great success! Tossed with avocado/olive oil blend and spices (cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika, light sea salt, etc). Can’t wait to try more spice blends and mix these with nuts or other options. They’d be great on salads, too.
Edit: Forgot to mention, roasted at 425 F for about 25 min.
Favorite! I wish GF noodles were just as good but they’re not.
No they aren’t, but I took a liking to the Shirataki noodles that my Mami gets (low carb for her diabetes mgmt). They’re interesting in their own right and I have been looking for them here, when I remember to which isn’t often, but haven’t seen them.
HyVee’s health markets usually carry them.
Oh wow this looks so yummy! Sometimes I used a bag of bean sprouts insteas of noodles - in stir fry though when I’m doing low carbs.
I’ll take another look!
Roast Chicken leg quarters with carrots.
I second this!
