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!)
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