Cheap Easy Meals $15 for 15 Meals

What The Video Here

What To Look For

No matter your budget, here's what you should focus on when grocery shopping. Focus on building each meal with a protein, vegetable, fat, and carbohydrate. 

Protein

The main focus of your meal should have a quality protein. For this week I was able to purchase a dozen eggs, canned tuna, and bacon. 

Our body needs the essential amino acids that protein provides. Protein also keeps us full longer with minimal glucose spikes allowing for sustained energy. 

Fat

You will most likely get your fat from the oil you cook in and as part of the animal protein. Recommended fats are: extra virgin olive oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, avocado oil, or coconut oil. 

This week I mainly used the fat from the bacon and a little avocado oil. 

Non Starchy Vegetables

Starting a meal with a non starchy vegetable will help any glucose spikes and provide you with antioxidants, minerals, and fiber. Fiber is great at helping our digestive system especially if we are consuming simple carbohydrates. 

Think leafy greens, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, etc. 

On a budget look at the frozen foods section! Best part is the frozen veg won’t go bad as quickly and often times can come out cheaper. 

I found lots of frozen vegetable options at the 99¢ Only store and used 2 bags for 15 meals. 

Carbohydrates

In an ideal world we’d have starchy vegetables and complex carbohydrates only, but that’s just not the world we live in. Whenever possible find a complex carbohydrate to pair your meals with and have it toward the end of your meal. This will minimize any glucose spikes. 

Complex carbohydrates are carbohydrates that have protein and/or fiber. Think beans, potatoes, rice, grains, etc. 

My main carbohydrate for the week was a bag of white rice. It beefs up a meal and when paired the way I recommend helps keep you full.

Notes

Always check the ingredients before purchasing. While we can’t always avoid seed oils, fillers, and added sugars, we can be mindful of how much we are consuming. 

I do recommend purchasing pasture raised eggs, grass fed and finished beef, and sustainable wild caught fish whenever possible. HOWEVER depending on your circumstances, buy what you can afford. It is better to get the nutrients of conventional animal products than to eliminate them completely and replace them with simple carbohydrates or processed meat replacements. 

Pound for pound conventional beef is still more nutritious than plant based meats and proteins. For more info I recommend visiting https://sustainabledish.com/ for more information.