5 Health- And Budget-Friendly Dinners For Your Busy Week | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
food

5 Stress-, Health- And Budget-Friendly Dinners Perfect For Your Busy Week

Stay on a budget while keeping your diet healthy and wholesome.

79
vegetables
https://unsplash.com/photos/9m2RZvHS_cU

In This Article:

When life is getting crazy, the last thing you want to do is worry about what you're going to eat. Whether you're in college and it's finals week, or you're simply looking to stay on a budget while keeping your diet healthy and wholesome, you're going to want to try these recipes out!

The grocery list:

Potato Gnocchi - $1.90

Your favorite tomato sauce - $1.50

Grated parmesan cheese - $2.20

Ground Turkey - $2.80

Taco seasoning packet (1) - $0.45

Avocado - $0.98

Tortillas - $1.50

Chicken Breasts - $6.65

Frozen Brussels sprouts - $1.30

Red steam-able potatoes - $2.00

Naan Bread (4 count) - $2.50

Pepperoni - $2.30

Total Cost: $26 (that's $5.20/day!)

1. Make Some Pasta Monday

Ingredients from your fridge: Potato Gnocchi / your favorite tomato sauce / grated parmesan shredded cheese.

Pasta night is always fun, but I'll be honest with you, it takes a heaping serving of pasta to fill me up, and afterward, I'm always left feeling carb-o-loaded and bloated. Potato gnocchi is a little-known fancy pasta base, and I first discovered it in a gourmet Italian restaurant years ago. It's similar to a small dumpling, and pairs perfectly with pasta sauce and a generous helping of cheese. Plus, not only does it help you skip the bloat, it will fill you up faster, allowing you to get more value from your dollar. Low and behold, Walmart carries this gnocchi, and at only $1.50 a batch! Bonus advantage: it cooks in a whopping three minutes! That's not even as long as you'll want your study break to be!

Time: 10 minutes or less

2. Turkey Taco Tuesday

Ingredients from your fridge: Ground Turkey / 1 taco seasoning packet / avocado / tortillas

Taco Tuesday is a classic tradition that I'll never be willing to give up. So, I've been to find ways to keep Taco Tuesday around, while not having my cheat day a week early. Jennie-O carries lean turkey up only 1% fat content (this means up to — fewer grams of fat per-serving than ground beef!) and frying this up is just as simple as traditional taco filling. The only way you'll be able to tell the difference is how refreshed you feel after devouring them!

Time: 15 minutes, sauté that turkey until it's well-browned!

3. Wholesome Wednesday

Ingredients from your fridge: Chicken Breast / frozen Brussels sprouts / steam-able red potatoes

By now, you've so far been a modern chef this week! You probably want to sit down for a traditional home-cooked meal, so get excited for some good old-fashioned meat, potatoes and greens! This is a truly delicious meal that I always look forward to. I even pan-sautee the Brussels sprouts with some salt and pepper. Eat as much of this as you want, it's got everything you need!


Time: 25 minutes (but you can work while your chicken is baking!)

4. "Toss It In" Thursday

Ingredients from your fridge: Gnocchi/ground turkey / Brussels sprouts / parmesan cheese

If you're like me, you HATE letting food go to waste! I have Toss it up Thursday weekly; it's my delicious way of cleaning out my fridge before the weekend, and before it's time for my next week's grocery venture. So, this week, boil up the rest of your potato gnocchi dumplings, toss in your leftover turkey and the rest of your Brussels sprouts (because I know you didn't eat all of them), and sprinkle a generous helping parmesan on top.


Time: Like, two minutes!? Just toss it all in!

5. Flatbread Friday

Ingredients from your fridge: Naan bread / that favorite tomato sauce/pepperoni/ parmesan cheese

I'm not sure why, but Friday night has always been pizza night to me. I started cooking pizza on Naan bread after my mom introduced it to me, letting me know that it's a carb-friendly alternative to any other pizza options. It's way healthier than food-chain or freezer pizza, and it's also way more fun!

Bonus tip: Naan bread usually comes in packages of two and four, so invite some friends over for a study-free evening and build a make-your-own pizza bar!

Time: (10 minutes to as much time as you want to spend!)

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774541
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

444
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

College Life: As Told By Bob's Burgers

If there's anyone who understand the struggles of college, it's the Belcher family

1098
Bob's Burgers

College is a time of gaining independence, exploring new things, and copious amounts of Netflix. If you're like me, you often find yourself laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situations you find yourself in. Here are ten times Bob's Burgers accurately captured college life.

1. What you're pretty sure your upstairs neighbors do at 3am every morning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Why Theater Kids Are the Greatest People Ever

Supportive and spontaneous human beings are the best.

828
Theater Kids

Throughout school, the theater department has always been my go-to place with go-to people when I need advice, a dance party, or just someone to listen to me vent.

You never know what's going to happen when you're dealing with theatre or what kind of characters you'll encounter. We have too much fun doing anything! One time in my senior year acting class, we spent an entire class period watching Bob's Burgers, and it was the greatest class period ever.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments