{"id":61290,"date":"2017-08-28T11:15:34","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T15:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=61290"},"modified":"2021-05-03T14:40:41","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T18:40:41","slug":"cheap-meal-prep-grocery-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/cheap-meal-prep-grocery-list\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy Ways to Meal Prep for Less Than $20 a Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meal prepping doesn\u2019t have to mean eating the same meal five days in a row. The new trend isn\u2019t just efficient and budget-friendly \u2014 it can spare your taste buds from boredom, too. By adding different ingredients, your basic protein-veg-and-starch combo will feel completely new. Take a batch of quinoa<\/a>, for example. You can add herbs to it and pair it with some baked salmon for one day. The next day, prep the quinoa with spices and beans to pair with tacos.<\/p>\n

If all this is starting to sound pricey, fear not. We tapped Kevin Curry<\/a>, creator of FitMenCook and the newly launched FitMenCook Meal Prep App, for his money-saving meal prep tips. Curry\u2019s number one rule when it comes to meal prepping is to start small \u2014 only one or two meals a week \u2014 to avoid feeling overwhelmed. \u201cWhen I search for recipes, I look at the number of ingredients as well as the number of steps in the instructions. You don\u2019t want a recipe that takes too long to prepare.\u201d Read on for more of Curry\u2019s cooking shortcuts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>20 Meal Prep Tips From the Best Meal Preppers We Know <\/a><\/p>\n

5 Tips to Save Time and Money on Meal Prep<\/h3>\n

1. Nail down your essentials.<\/h3>\n

Think of all the foods, flavors and textures you enjoy in a meal. What are your favorite spices and herbs? Curry personally loves bell peppers and green onions. \u201cThey add flavor without adding so much spice,\u201d he says. For $1-2 per bell pepper, you can use them to prepare breakfast frittatas, stir-fries<\/a> and pasta dishes. Coconut milk is another go-to. \u201cIt has the right balance of sweetness, and you can use it to dress salads or make a dairy-free Alfredo sauce<\/a>,\u201d Curry says. For $3 to $4 per carton, it goes a long way when you use it to prepare smoothies, overnight oats<\/a>, soups and marinades.
\nMeal Prep This<\/em>: <\/strong>Steak Fajitas Recipe <\/a><\/p>\n

2. Stock up on non-perishables.<\/h3>\n

Curry always keeps his pantry and freezer stocked with frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, peanut and almond butter, beans, rice and quinoa. \u201cI love frozen vegetables because they\u2019re easy to prep, and they don\u2019t go bad. Some people buy all this fresh produce, but when they can\u2019t use all of it, it just goes to waste,\u201d he says. You can steam or saut\u00e9 frozen veggies with some brown rice and turn it into a healthier \u2018fried rice<\/a>\u2019 side dish. Beans are also cheap (less than a dollar a can), and versatile enough to work in a variety of dishes. Think tacos, chili, Budha bowls<\/a> or even post-workout protein brownies.
\nMeal Prep This<\/em>: <\/strong>Fudgy Black Bean Brownies<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>11 Cook Once, Eat Twice Recipes to Save Time and Money<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Use veggie scraps for sauces.<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t let your cauliflower stems, kale ribs and carrot leaves go to waste, Curry says. Stretch your dollar and use them for pestos, marinades and bone broths<\/a>. Got pasta and pizza<\/a> on your mind? Roasted veggie scraps<\/a> can help round out your tomato sauce. Curry suggests stocking up on a few 50-cent cans of tomato sauce, since ready-made pasta sauces can be pricey and packed with preservatives. \u201cI store small servings of tomato sauce in Mason jars in the fridge. Just blend it with roasted veggies, some minced garlic, a little salt and pepper, and whatever herbs you have,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Meal Prep This<\/em>: <\/strong>Spaghetti Squash with Chickpea Tomato Sauce\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

4. Vary your cooking techniques.<\/h3>\n

Whether you have filets of steak, fish or chicken<\/a>, Curry is all about “remixing” preparation. \u201cI love the smoky, charred flavor that grilling infuses into your food. Roasting meats and veggies tenderizes them and brings out their natural flavor,\u201d Curry says. Instead of grilling an entire haul of chicken breast, save some to make foil packets<\/a>. Wrap the chicken breast with mini red potatoes, green beans, parsley and grated Parmesan in foil. Bake the packets in the oven for about 30 minutes, and you\u2019ve got a few days\u2019 worth of delicious lunches<\/a>. If you\u2019re a kitchen novice, check out this guide<\/a> to cooking every protein.
\nMeal Prep This<\/em>: <\/strong>Grilled Pesto Salmon Kebabs<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Cook Every Type of Meat (And Tofu)<\/a><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Get creative with your leftovers.<\/h3>\n

Changing up your food presentation is just as important as your preparation. Have an extra batch of overnight oats? Toss them up in these blueberry muffins<\/a> to save a buck (real talk: a whole box of oats can cost less than a single muffin from a cafe). Stuck with leftover roasted veggies from a sheet pan recipe<\/a>? Use the rest to brighten up proteins (we love these tequila-glazed shrimp skewers<\/a>). Or, chop them up to add extra veg to your omelets or grain bowls<\/a> for a well-rounded meal.
\nMeal Prep This<\/em>: <\/strong>Grilled Veggie Wraps with Sundried Tomato Pesto<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>30-Minute Meals for Quick, Healthy Dinner Ideas<\/a><\/p>\n

Your $20 Weekly Meal Prep Grocery List<\/h2>\n

Check out our grocery list to help you plan out a week\u2019s worth of meals on a budget.<\/p>\n

\"Meal
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Read More:
\n<\/strong>Printable Meal Planning Templates to Simplify Your Life<\/a>
\n15 Genius Meal Prep Ideas from Top Trainers<\/a>
\n50 Resources That Make Meal Prep a Snap<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meal prep can get expensive if you don\u2019t use your ingredients wisely. FitMenCook\u2019s Kevin Curry shows us how to stretch our dollar with simple, healthy eats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":61293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11],"tags":[317,292,71,341,388],"class_list":["post-61290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","tag-meal-planning","tag-meal-prep","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}