Either fast OR cheap low-carb meals?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Both would be even better, but I'll settle for one or the other! We're eating at home much more often we used to, but I'm finding that either my meals take me hours to make (and are delicious, but I'm exhausted) or cost more than we can afford at the moment. And I'm burning out on my regulars!

 

Does anyone have any go-to recipes they're willing to share?

 

I just posted in another thread, but I made a variation on this tonight, and it was a hit. I ate mine right from the bowl, and the kids had theirs on whole grain rounds (those skinny sandwich rounds). I think next time I'll add a little fajita seasoning to the chicken as I cook it. 

 

http://omgchocolatedesserts.com/chicken-avocado-burritos/

 

:lurk5:

[AK_Mom4]

Fast - roast chicken and bagged salad from the grocery store.

[wintermom]

Chili

Meatloaf

Taco salad

[AK_Mom4]

Adding more -

 

hamburger patties and steamed cauliflower with alfredo sauce

Pizza chicken ( chicken breast baked in spaghetti sauce with mozarella cheese on top) with a salad

beef or chicken fajitas (skip the tortilla for low-carb and add extra veggies like mushrooms and red peppers)

mozarella-stuffed meatballs (use egg yolk for the binder in place of bread crumbs) with roasted broccoli/cauliflower (olive oil, parmesan, and garlic powder)!

 

 

[Momof3littles]

TJs burgers (chili lime chicken burgers, turkey burgers, etc.) are inexpensive

 

Joe's Special (there are a lot of variations, we just do a very simple one with spinach, egg, ground beef.  Google for an idea of "recipes" although you really don't need one)

 

Coleslaw mix cooked (shredding your own cabbage is cheaper, obviously.  Coleslaw mix wins for convenience though!) with ground beef, ground pork, or ground sausage.  You can add condiments like soy sauce, coconut aminos, hot sauce, sesame oil, whatever to liven it up. 

 

frittatas

 

Egg salad

 

Not super cheap, but a whole chicken, boneless leg of lamb (costco), pork tenderloin (costco).  Not super fast, but not much hands on time.  If you want to make it really easy, roast some veggies in the pan with the meat.

 

 

 

[Gentlemommy]

Tonight we had-

Rotisserie chicken from Costco $5 (I have enough for some chicken salad tomorrow for lunch)

Steamed green beans 2 lbs (5 lbs bag from Costco is $5? I think, so about $2)

Leftover mashed potatoes (about $1 worth?)

Salad (bag of six romaine is $4 from Costco, so between that, tomatoes, and dressing, $2)

 

Look for less expensive cuts of meat. Chicken, ground beef or turkey, and roast meats are usually fairly inexpensive. Root vegetables are cheap right now, carrots, parsnips, beets), one butternut squash can make a big pot of creamy soup, frozen green beans and broccoli taste just as good a fresh. Brussel sprouts are inexpensive at Costco as well, so I make those quite a bit. I sub cauliflower for potatoes or rice, and while its a tad more expensive, it's not by much. Premade meatballs can be frozen for a quick meal. Chili is cheap and filling.

[Jennifer132]

Supper number one: Buy a whole chicken. Rub spices of your choosing on it. Stack it in the crockpot on top of some quickly sliced onions to keep the chicken from drying out. Cook on low until supper (4-5 hours). This process takes about 10 minutes of hands on time, if that. Make peas or corn on the cob to serve it with (takes 15 minutes). The chicken will fall right off the bones, it takes like 10 minutes to carve.

 

Now, leave the bones in the crockpot as well as the juices the chicken produced whilst cooking and the onions. Add a few carrots, some celery and another onion. Chop them quickly--or don't chop them at all, doesn't matter. Fill the crockpot with water to the top. Cook overnight on low. You now have approx a gallon of chicken broth. Throw the scraps away and strain the broth into containers.

 

Supper number two (soup): take a portion of your chicken broth and put it in the crockpot, add in some nicely chopped celery, carrots and onions and any desired spices. Add some water. This is a ten minute process. Let cook for several hours until veggies are soft. Add cooked leftover chicken (alternatively you can add raw chicken earlier in the process and shred it later). Serve.

 

Another quick one I do is chili in the crockpot. Throw the raw chicken breasts in with salsa, chili spices, corn and beans. Shred the chicken when it's done and serve.

 

Or salsa chicken, which is literally shredded chicken breast with salsa poured on top. Cooked in the crockpot.

 

Although it is called a slow cooker, it is fast IMO because it takes very little hands on time. :)