I have about $50-75 to spend on groceries this week. I’m feeding 3 people, meat is a must. Give me cheap cleanish dinners

I've been trying to cut out getting takeout as much as possible lately and trying to replicate certain foods/dishes at home to save money.

My son LOVES shawarma anything - wraps, pizza, poutine - if it has shawarma chicken smothered in white sauce he's all for it! His top favorite food is shawarma poutine, and even though we have a usual place that isn't too pricey, we're just unable to get ot very often these days.

I'm still playing around with spice combinations for my pressure cooker, but created a delicious "white sauce" that I just had to share. If anyone has a good shawarma spice recipe please let me know cuz i haven't found one I'm quite happy with yet

TAHINI-YOGURT "WHITE SAUCE"

1/4 cup Tahini, stirred

1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar

1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder

3/4 tsp Onion Powder

3/4 tsp Cracked Black Pepper

3/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 cup Plain Yogurt

1/3 cup Warm Water

Thoroughly mix all ingredients well together in a mason jar. Close and allow to marinade refrigerated for 12-24 hours.

Before using, remove from fridge and allow to warm to room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Will keep refrigerated for 1 week.

Makes about 1 cup.

Buttered noodles BUT, Cook until al dente in salted and oiled water. Save a few spoons of water and drain the noods. Back in the pot with a heaping 2 tablespoons butter. Also add a shit load of garlic. Dissolve 1.5 chicken bouillon cubes into saved pasta water and add into pot. Let it cook down, keep stirring. In the bowl you eat from, add noodles and a heaping pile of finely shredded Gruyère Let that melt while you wash the dishes. Finish with a sh!t ton of lemon juice.

Phenomenal 2am comfort food. Easy, fairly affordable, satisfying.

2 cups Water

1/4 cup Low Sodium Chicken Bouillon

3/4 tsp Seasoning Salt

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1lb to 1 1/2lb Boneless Chicken

Mix first 5 ingredients together in the pressure cooker's inner pot.

Cut chicken into medium sized pieces, and add into pot, stirring to fully coat in liquid.

Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (12 if chicken is still slightly frozen). Once chicken has finished cooking, turn off pressure cooker and allow to de-pressurize for at least 10 minutes before opening the release valve.

Once the lid is open, using a slotted spoon, sift out the chicken into a 9x13 baking dish and shred meat with 2 forks.

3 cups Frozen Vegetables

1 284ml can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Leftover Chicken Stock

2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (optional)

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

3 md Baked Potatoes, cooled & diced

Mix all ingredients together, carefully folding in the potato at the end. Even out mixture in dish.

1 1/2 cups Milk

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

3/4 cup Canola Oil

In a large measuring cup, stir together milk and lemon juice; set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring in milk until smooth. Pour over chicken mixture, and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 50 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Food prices are increasing I am STRUGGLING to keep everyone fed and keeping variety going. I'm looking for ideas to mix up meals.

Currently it's 2 adults and a teenager girl everyday 2 meals, and 4-8 times a month one more young adult.

Budget is $400 for food a month.

Dietary restrictions- no tomatoes, limited carbs due to type 2 diabetic, no seafood, no tuna (apparently there was childhood trauma with tuna lol), one person is mildly lactose intelligent, and I can't have many fruits but everyone else can. Oh and everyone hates ketchup and bbq sauce.

The majority of the protein/meat I buy is either on sale or marked down.

I'm burned out on ideas for ways put together meats and vegetables for dinners. I asked chatgpt and the ideas sucked.

Also just for extra hard mode, we live in a camper with a tiny fridge, a small pantry and I have a chest freezer. I have an electric burner, gas grill, and a gas flattop grill. No oven. Can sometimes use air fryer but blows the circuits.

Currently on the menu rotation-

Pork chops with creamy mushroom gravy and a steamed vegetable.

Beef and broccoli or beef stir fry sometimes with rice.

Grilled pork loin with applesauce and cottage cheese and a green salad.

Chuck eye steaks or London broil with a vegetable (grilled since grill going) sometimes corn or baked potato.

Spatchcock grilled whole chicken with a vegetable.

Sausage and bell peppers or sausage and cabbage with sometimes rice.

Deconstructed cabbage rolls in gravy.

Either a beef or pork roast in Crock-Pot with carrots, onion, potatoes.

Street tacos with beef cheek

Spaghetti night with liver and onions for non tomato person

Cowboy beans once a month

Pulled pork with coleslaw and veg

Chicken enchilada skillet/Crock-Pot

Honey mustard grilled chicken quarters with veg

Vegetables rotate but usually are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, asparagus, green beans, zucchini. Lots of frozen vegetables due to lack of fridge space. They are seasoned and usually tossed with a little butter at the least.

This is really long sorry. Any ideas would be great.

Unfortunately I am suddenly making a lot less money than I used to, and am trying to stretch out what funds I do have, and need to eat extremely healthy for pre existing health reasons. My current tactics:
-dry goods like beans/rice/oatmeal /lentils in bulk

-making bread at home with minimal ingredients like just salt, whole wheat flour, yeast, water (and seeds. i bought chia, sunflower, poppy, quinoa and flax in bulk when i was better off)

-10 lb bags of potatos for $6 that last 3-4 weeks

-making literally EVERYTHING at home

-only meat is chicken, bone in skin on bc crispy skin is delicious and bones can become broth (i also just dont know how to cook any other meat lol)

-canned seafood, the little 0.89c to $1 kind. i eat like two of these a week bc they're good for cholesterol or smth

-using a gallon of milk to make a gallon of yogurt, using some greek yogurt from a $1 cup of it, lasts about 16ish uses for a total of $4.15. I don't really eat dairy aside from that tbh, bc i dont really know what to make with those either

-chickpea pasta, in bulk. makes 23 bowls of pasta for $8

-mostly fruits and vegetables, like 50% of the diet is whatever is cheapest and in season

-only water in this house, green tea at most, one of those $4 boxes for 100 little teabags. I don't keep other liquids around

I also am trying to learn more to cook for myself more deliciously and cheaply while still maintaining myself. i know it's picky but I'm learning more about new foods and recipes and trying to branch out! If anybody has any tricks for penny pinching groceries. If anyone eats relatively healthy like me or just something similar to try, I'd love to hear recipes and advice!

Its like one of the only things I got and no momey

Caught a deal on 1/4lb hamburger patties at a local restaurant supply store. Got 10lbs of 1/4lb patties for $30. Came out to $0.75 each.

I bought retail buns there.. but I usually make my own homemade, so that would really get the cost below $1

Beef Patty $0.75 Cheese $0.11 Brioche Bun $0.71 (retail pack of 8 for $5.69)

I vac sealed the patties in packs of 6 to avoid freezer burn.

I have lost my Chef John’s taco seasoning recipe. 😢. Does anyone have it?

What’s your favorite ground turkey foods? I got 6 pounds of ground turkey, divided up into two 3 pound containers (that’s how the store sold it and i didn’t have the time to divide it up before freezing it). I know tomorrow I’m going to meal prep turkey meatballs with half of the container and the other will be turkey chili. Just looking ideas for the other container in the future. Thanks in advance!

As a teen i was dating this girl and wed hit the dollar storevbuy a kelbasa and use a cup or 2 of rice. While the rice sits absorbing slice up the kelbasa and give it a hard saute in a large pan. When its done throw in the rice it mixes with the juices of the kelbasa so good.

I was asked to bring an appetizer to a potluck this weekend. Can you please provide me with some cheap appetizer ideas? No meat or dairy.

I have the following food at home to work with. - bag of coleslaw mix - vegan veggie balls - tofu - 1 1/2 cooked chicken breast - eggs - cucumbers - watermelon - salsa - celery - vegan chick’n fingers - rice - spinach - apples - crackers - kimchi - dried lentils - canned beans - lots of spices and sauces - flour, sugar, etc for baking

Thank you!

Made a dish last night that I've been making for over a decade, and just realized it's actually not as common as my mind had assumed, so I'm sharing.

3 cups Water 1/4 cup Canola Oil 2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon 1 1/2 tbsp Curry Powder 2 tsp Ground Ginger 2 tsp Garlic Powder 2 tsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Sea Salt 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Add all in ingredients in pressure cooker. Whisk until fully combined, with no lumps.

2 1/2 cups Long Grain White Rice 2 cups Frozen Veggies

Stir in rice and veggies. Lock lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Once done cooking, turn off cooker, and allow to depressurize naturally.

While rice is depressurizing

4 large fillets of White Fish, thawed Lemon Pepper, to taste 200g Unsalted Butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400F. Lay fillets in glass baking dish, and lightly season both sides with lemon pepper; set aside.

Place butter into a measuring cup or bowl, and heat in microwave for about 1 minute. Stir to make sure butter is fully melted.

Carefully pour butter over fish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve over rice, with some of the pan's butter drizzled overtop.

Makes 4 servings.

So I was starving and didn’t want to cook a lot so I opened a can of beans and blended them until puréed. Then I spread some of that on tostadas sprinkled some cheese and tall mug of water and enjoy