From the /c/budget_cooking community on Chambers

I enjoy cooking but hate meal planning and grocery shopping. So I've been doing this thing where I buy a bunch of staples with $50 a week and I can make 6 different meals that all generally lend themselves to repeats. This is a very low effort meal plan that I'd expect some people to dislike, but if you want a super cheap, easy way to cook then take a look: **What you get:** **Meal 1:** Chicken Mac and Cheese. Pasta, shredded cheese, milk, garlic powder, flour, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cost 7.50 for 2 servings. **Meal 2:** Black Bean Tacos. Tortillas, black beans, salsa, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, garlic salt, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cost 4.50 for 2 servings. **Meal 3:** Chicken Soup. Chicken, Noodles, mirepoix, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cost 7 for 3 servings. **Meal 4:** Chicken Mozzarella Pasta. Pasta, shredded cheese, marinara, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cost 5 for 2 servings. **Meal 5:** Chicken Quesadillas. Tortillas, shredded cheese, salsa, diced tomatoes. Cost 3.50 for 2 servings. **Meal 6:** Bean Quesadillas. Tortillas, black beans, salsa, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika. Cost 3.50 for 2 servings. **Cost of Staples:** Chicken Breast $12. Milk $5. Shredded Cheese $9. Chicken Broth $1. Eggs $2. Pasta $2. Tortillas $2. Black Beans $2. Paprika $2. Garlic Powder $2. Onion Powder $2. Salt $2. Marinara $3. Canned Tomatoes $3. Pantry Staples $2. Noodles $5. Cost $46. You'll be able to prepare each of these meals in 30 minutes for 60 minutes of prep/day, 5 days a week. You'll have to do prep work for about an hour and a half on the weekends to get this all done but I'll include all of the steps. **Basic Instructions:** Weekend Prep: 1. Boil the Chicken until tender and salt with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside. 2. Chop the Onion and let set aside. 3. Chop the Carrot and let set aside. 4. Chop the Celery and let set aside. 5. Chop the Bell Pepper and let set aside. 6. Chop the White Onion and let set aside. 7. Chop the Canned Tomatoes and let set aside. 8. Portion out the Noodles for the Chicken Soup and let set aside. 9. Chop the garlic and let set aside. 10. Chop the Mirepoix and let set aside. Step 1: Chicken Mac and Cheese 1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. 2. Heat 2 TBS of oil in a pan. 3. Add the chopped White Onion and cook until fragrant. 4. Create a flour slurry by mixing equal parts milk and flour. Pour into the pan and whisk until smooth. 5. Add butter and mix until smooth. 6. Add shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. 7. Add 1 cup of milk and mix until smooth. 8. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese and mix until smooth. 9. Add salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix until smooth. 10. Add the cooked pasta and mix until well combined. 11. Add the chicken and mix until well combined. 12. Stir in chopped parsley and serve. Step 2: Black Bean Tacos 1. Boil the black beans until tender. 2. Heat 1 TBS of oil in a pan. 3. Add chopped onion and cook until fragrant. 4. Add 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook until fragrant. 5. Add black beans and salsa and cook until fragrant. 6. Cook tortillas in oil until flat and tender. 7. Add black beans and shredded cheese and mix until well combined. 8. Serve. Step 3: Chicken Soup 1. Heat 2 TBS of oil in a pot. 2. Add chopped Onion and cook until fragrant. 3. Add chopped Carrot and cook until fragrant. 4. Add chopped Celery and cook until fragrant. 5. Add chopped Bell Pepper and cook until fragrant. 6. Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. 7. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes and cook until fragrant. 8. Add cooked noodles and cook until fragrant. 9. Shake in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. 10. Add cooked chicken and mix until well combined. 11. Stir in parsley and serve. Step 4: Chicken Mozzarella Pasta 1. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. 2. Heat 2 TBS of oil in a pan. 3. Add chopped onion and cook until fragrant. 4. Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant. 5. Add 1 cup marinara and 1/2 cup shredded cheese and mix until well combined. 6. Add cooked pasta and cook until fragrant. 7. Add cooked chicken and mix until well combined. 8. Stir in chopped parsley and serve. Step 5: Chicken Quesadillas 1. Cook tortillas in oil until flat and tender. 2. Lay tortilla flat and sprinkle shredded cheese on one half. 3. Add cooked chicken and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. 4. Fold tortilla in half and cook in oil until well combined. 5. Serve. Step 6: Bean Quesadillas 1. Cook tortillas in oil until flat and tender. 2. Lay tortilla flat and sprinkle shredded cheese on one half. 3. Add black beans and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. 4. Fold tortilla in half and cook in oil until well combined. 5. Serve. **Lessons Learned:** I'm not a chef, so if you have any suggestions that would make these meals better please let me know. The biggest lesson that I learned is that the quality of your ingredients can make all the difference. I used to get cheap ingredients, but that made these meals unpalatable. Spending a little more money to get higher quality ingredients has made these meals much better (even if that means eating fewer meals). The other lesson is that this meal plan is great, but it's only a starting point. I typically cook a lot throughout the week, but I've also been known to order food and eat snacks etc. I think that it's much easier to sneak in these low cost meals if you already have a solid meal plan to work from. So it's best to establish a solid meal plan and then substitute a couple of meals a week with these meals to save money. If you have any other questions or need further clarification, please shoot me a message.

$50 for 6 meals

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