Low-Cost Family Meals
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Fill your table without emptying your wallet by cooking more and keeping an eye on sale prices for the items you buy most frequently. You can trim your grocery budget by buying seasonal produce in its uncut, unwashed form, which tends to be less expensive than out-of-season produce or bagged produce ready to use. Alternatively, frozen produce is a cost-effective staple that can help you increase your family's fruit and veggie intake while keeping costs in check.
Perhaps the best way to prepare low-cost meals is to fill your recipe arsenal with inexpensive dishes. To help you get cooking, NiceLoans! rounded up cheap family meal ideas that are easy to make and delicious to eat.
Casseroles
Casseroles are a fan favorite among many families. Not only can they be inexpensive dishes, but they also provide nearly endless variety for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For example, you can whip a dozen eggs with some milk and add anything from broken up croissants to chopped veggies to meats and cheeses for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. Chicken or beef on sale this week? Toss it with your favorite veggies, spices, cheese, and either potatoes or rice for a quick, cheap family meal.
Pasta Recipes
Next to casseroles, pasta recipes might be the best go-to for low-cost meals that satisfy a crowd. If you’re looking to branch out from spaghetti or lasagna, consider tortellini or ravioli tossed with diced ham and peas in a creamy parmesan sauce. Toss some gnocchi on a sheet pan with veggies, spices and olive oil to roast to crispy perfection. Or, boil some bowties, brown chicken thighs with some onion and then make a paprika-studded sauce with chicken broth and tomato sauce for a simplified paprikash perfect for serving and just begging for a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Slow Cooker Meals
There are two huge reasons to love your slow cooker. First, it’s ideal for easy, hands-free cooking. Even better, it transforms otherwise tough cuts of meat into tender, flavorful masterpieces for low-cost meals that taste anything but. Those tough cuts are far less expensive, which means you can load up on flavor while saving plenty of green. Pot roast, stew, soup are all inexpensive dishes that thrive in the slow cooker.
One Pot Wonders
Tired of the same pasta recipes you’ve been making? Shake things up without sacrificing speed or savings with one pot wonders like Eggroll in a Bowl, a dish that’s versatile and easy to customize according to your family’s tastes. All you need is a head of green cabbage, carrots to shred, green onions, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to create the base. Add in your preferred protein — ground beef, chicken, shrimp and tofu all work well here. Or, try browning some mild or spicy sausage and sautéing hearty greens, onion, garlic, and white beans for a tasty low cost meal.
These inexpensive family meal ideas prove that saving money doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor or variety. Whether you need new cookware to complete your kitchen or a little extra help stretching your budget, NiceLoans! can help. Visit your neighborhood store to apply for an Installment Loan and get funded in as little as thirty minutes. If you have any questions before coming in to apply, feel free to contact our customer support team at 833.308.6423.
Perhaps the best way to prepare low-cost meals is to fill your recipe arsenal with inexpensive dishes. To help you get cooking, NiceLoans! rounded up cheap family meal ideas that are easy to make and delicious to eat.
Casseroles
Casseroles are a fan favorite among many families. Not only can they be inexpensive dishes, but they also provide nearly endless variety for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For example, you can whip a dozen eggs with some milk and add anything from broken up croissants to chopped veggies to meats and cheeses for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. Chicken or beef on sale this week? Toss it with your favorite veggies, spices, cheese, and either potatoes or rice for a quick, cheap family meal.
Pasta Recipes
Next to casseroles, pasta recipes might be the best go-to for low-cost meals that satisfy a crowd. If you’re looking to branch out from spaghetti or lasagna, consider tortellini or ravioli tossed with diced ham and peas in a creamy parmesan sauce. Toss some gnocchi on a sheet pan with veggies, spices and olive oil to roast to crispy perfection. Or, boil some bowties, brown chicken thighs with some onion and then make a paprika-studded sauce with chicken broth and tomato sauce for a simplified paprikash perfect for serving and just begging for a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Slow Cooker Meals
There are two huge reasons to love your slow cooker. First, it’s ideal for easy, hands-free cooking. Even better, it transforms otherwise tough cuts of meat into tender, flavorful masterpieces for low-cost meals that taste anything but. Those tough cuts are far less expensive, which means you can load up on flavor while saving plenty of green. Pot roast, stew, soup are all inexpensive dishes that thrive in the slow cooker.
One Pot Wonders
Tired of the same pasta recipes you’ve been making? Shake things up without sacrificing speed or savings with one pot wonders like Eggroll in a Bowl, a dish that’s versatile and easy to customize according to your family’s tastes. All you need is a head of green cabbage, carrots to shred, green onions, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to create the base. Add in your preferred protein — ground beef, chicken, shrimp and tofu all work well here. Or, try browning some mild or spicy sausage and sautéing hearty greens, onion, garlic, and white beans for a tasty low cost meal.
These inexpensive family meal ideas prove that saving money doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor or variety. Whether you need new cookware to complete your kitchen or a little extra help stretching your budget, NiceLoans! can help. Visit your neighborhood store to apply for an Installment Loan and get funded in as little as thirty minutes. If you have any questions before coming in to apply, feel free to contact our customer support team at 833.308.6423.