Pre Made Meals For The Week allow you to eat healthy and it CHEAP!
Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In this article we will cover Pre Made Meals for the week that will cost you less than $2.00 per meal! It’s a common misconception that eating healthy has to cost a lot of money. This pre made meal recipe will show you how you can eat healthy for less than the price of that 2000 calorie extra value meal at the arches.
This recipe will yield 10 Pre Made Meals For The Week.
The temptation to eat fast food when you are busy is real. When you make your meals ahead of time and freeze them, you are only about 7 minutes away from a healthy meal that will not take your fat loss goals off the rails.
Step one is to hit the store. Here is your list.
- 1-3 pound package of chicken. (I use skinless chicken thighs. They grill up great) ($6.39)
- 1-15 oz can of organic Black Beans (.99)
- 1-15 oz can of organic Pinto Beans (.99)
- 1-15 oz can of organic Great Northern Beans (.99)
- 1-15 oz can of organic Tri-Bean blend (.99)
- 1-15 oz can of organic Kidney Beans (.99)
- 1-10 oz can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chillies. (.99)
- 1-3 pound bag of your favorite frozen vegetables. (I like Birdsey California Blend – $7.29)
Total cost of shopping trip. $19.62.
Next step is to get your containment vessels. These 3 compartment reusable food storage containers from Amazon work GREAT. You can get 10 of them for about $13 bucks. Use them over and over. And they are dishwasher and microwave safe. Great investment. Get “Em HERE.
Start with the Beans.
These are super easy to make. Add your own spices. I had half an onion in the fridge so I diced it up and through that in too. Beans are a great source of fiber and protein. They keep you full for a long time too. If you have issues with beans, and you know what I mean by issues, you can try some Beano. Or just get used to it.
Directions
- Heat a medium pot and add a swirl of olive oil (if you are using the onion).
- Throw the diced onion in and cook for a few minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, open all of your beans, throw them in a strainer and rinse all of that gooey canned bean sludge off.
- Throw the beans in the pot.
- Then dump the can of tomatoes in, juice and all.
- Add a little more liquid if desired. I add about a cup of water. I also sometimes add half a can of low sodium beef broth instead of the water. Up to you.
- Stir it up and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer.
- I simmer the beans while I am cooking the chicken on the grill. Usually 20-30 minutes stirring occasionaly.
- Add some spices to taste.
- I have used chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- I have also used some taco seasoning.
- Add some heat if you want by dumping in some cayenne pepper. Go easy.
- Check em and add spices as needed.
Now onto the chicken.
Fire up the grill. Season em. And cook em till they are done. Keep it simple. My favorite spice blend to add to the chicken is McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple. I cook the chicken on direct heat untill I get some nice color to it, then move to the other side of the grill and let them finish with indirect heat. Usually takes about 20 minutes. You certainly dont have to use skinless chicken thighs. I just like them because they grill up so well and don’t dry out. But you could use skinless boneless chicken breasts or Ive even used the chicken tenders. But they do tend to dry out on the grill.
Next step is to lay out your 10 containers.
Once your containers are laid out, and the chicken is grillin’ and the beans are simmering, drop a few handfuls of the vegetable mix into the largest of the 3 compartments in your containers. 2 handfuls per container should use up the whole bag. I add a little salt and pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the veggies.
Finish up!
Once your vegetables are in, grab the beans. Get a 1 cup measuring device and add about 1 cup of the beans to each container. That should pretty much use them all up. No waist.
Finally, throw in the chicken. I add one chicken thigh per container, which left one chicken thigh left for a little snack. Perfection on the grill. Once you have everything put together STACK ‘EM and RACK ‘EM. I put 7 of them in the freezer and 3 in the refrigerator.
To heat the frozen meals, I’ve found that 7 minutes in the microwave at 70% power is perfect for my microwave. Obviously microwaves vary.
You now have 10 meals for the week that are ready to go and each meal cost less than $2.00 per meal! Enjoy! 10 Pre Made Meals For The Week DONE!
Do you have any other Pre Made Meals For The Week that you like? If so leave us a comment below and let us know!
Nutrition Information per meal (Estimated using myfitnesspal.com)
- Calories: 475
- Protein: 31 grams (26%)
- Carbs: 42 Grams (35%)
- Fat: 21 Grams(39%)
