Test your creativeness in the kitchen with less meals that require meat. This was hard for my family at first but we discovered that some meatless meals became favorites for us! I found that we saved $40 per month by going meatless at least twice per week.
If you have not discovered Quinoa, it really is a treat! Quinoa can be found in many health food stores– I buy Quinoa at Winco out of the Bulk section.
Here is one of our favorite meatless meals, that is also very flavorful dispite the way it looks
Quinoa Black Bean Burgers: Makes 4 patties
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 carrot, diced (I shredded)
- 4 scallions, sliced (or onion)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup Italian seasoned dried breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quiona, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
- Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick paties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
adapted from Whole Living
Need Ideas? You can find a nice list of Meatless meals here
My Name is Josie and I live in sunny Southern California and I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful boys. We all know that living in California is a task of it's own and saving in California IS possible! I started this blog mainly to share all the awesome deals out there and show others how to save in any area of life. Even though you may make the commitment to be frugal and pinch your pennies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice!
Meatless meals in the form of extra grains and refined carbs are easy to overeat because they are so packed with calories and will probably make you gain weight. Meatless meals in the form of tofu (soy) is bad because of the high levels of genistein, which should not be fed to children. It can also cause decreased fertilization in adults and is bad for men on so very many levels: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects
I stretch my dollar by buying meat products when they are on sale. I just stocked up on boneless skinless chicken breast at $1.50 / lb (one day sale at a local grocery store). If the price is good, buy a lot of meat and that’s the best way to save without changing your diet. Alternatively, if the price of meat is too high, just buy more vegetables. Sweet potatoes are a good choice. You can always supplement your protein with protein powder if you feel the need (whey, not soy).
The Okra & Chickpea Tagine looks delicious, as long as you leave off the cilantro (it tastes like soap!) http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/okra_chickpea_tagine.html
Actually, Josie. I disagree with the above statement. I agree with you and think that meatless meals are a wonderful and healthy way to stretch the food budget. I noticed, in your picture, though, that you had canned beans and store-bought bread crumbs. Making those two items from scratch saves a ton! Put day old or stale bread (or dry it out in the oven) then food processor or blender for bread crumbs — I do this in a big batch, then store the bag of bread crumbs in the freezer. And beans, well, that’s pretty easy.
Thanks Kelly! You are completely right. One thing that I am trying to accomplish is to make this series appealing to everyone… the couponer who may have a stockpile of items that they could use and the non-couponer who may choose to do the things you outlined above.
Canned beans can be stockpiled on sale and have a shelf life of many years. They are also easier to prep than raw beans since they require no soaking. I always end up using canned beans, but I would be interested to know what the actual savings from canned to raw is.
Store-bought beans are around $1/can, and I buy pinto or black beans on sale for 69 cents/lb. 1lb=2cups dried beans=4-5 cups of cooked beans, so around 30 cents to equal a 15 oz. can.
I love this! I also (not very often) do meatless meals. Another Idea is pasta bake. Or if you feel you need meat with your dinner. I buy a couple packages of bone in chicken breast when on sale. Throw them in my crockpot and cook for 8-10 hrs on low. Then I skin and debone and make 1lb. Packages and freeze. You can have chicken salad, chicken enchaladas or even shredded bbq chicken sandwiches…just put chichen in a sauce pan add bbq sauce warm up and viola..
Wow, I never thought of putting in the crock-pot to debone. Thanks!
Do you season, or leave plain?
Eating meatless meals does not just save money but it’s soooo much healthier than eating meat. And humane. I am a pescetarian who eats lots of vegan and raw vegan meals and love it! Thank you Josie for this article and promoting healthy foods. Regarding grains – there are tons of options that are actually packed with proteins (lentils for example). They are very cheap (I buy them at the bulk section at Sprouts), very easy to prepare, and very versatile (many uses). Your quinoa black bean recipe sounds interesting. I may give it a try.
Fabulous idea! My husband is always weary about meatless meals but I know this will change his mind. Thank you for this delicious recipe. I cannot wait to try it! YOU.ARE.AMAZING.JOSIE!
this looks so yummy!! I will have to try it out. Thanks for the recipe Josie.
-I also liked Nanette’s idea about the chicken. (BBQ chicken sandwiches sound good too)
I usually do a pasta primavera, with veggies only. Hubby doesn’t notice that there’s no meat in it,
Or I also make a baked potato soup minus the bacon. The kids and hubby love it.