Easy Meals and Recipes For Under $10

One of our major monthly expenses may be Food. Whether we choose to eat out, order in, or cook at home, food and groceries can be a major monthly expense for many people.  I for one spend a lot of money on food eat month, mostly because I am a terrible cook and often eat out. I would love to learn to cook easy recipes and save money on my food budget. Today we are going to offer great tips and recipes to help cut down your food budget and save you money on your grocery bill.

I don’t mind paying for any meal under $10, but some DINKS feel that $10 is an outrageous price to pay for food.  I think it’s important for me to learn to cook to make sure I am eating healthy and getting all the right nutrients.  However, it is also important for me to learn to cook and save money in my monthly food budget.

Use Inexpensive Ingredients to Fill Up

Melissa d’Arabian is the winner of the reality show The Next Food Network Star; she currently hosts a show on The Food Network called Ten Dollar Dinners.  Melissa is a stay at home mother of 4 whose husband is from France.  This means that Melissa d’Arabian has to feed her family on a budget while respecting her husband’s French flair and love of great tasting food.  Melissa cooks meals that can feel a family of four on a $10 budget.  The key to cooking a big hearty meal on a little $10 budget is to use inexpensive filler foods such as zucchini.  Filler foods are not a main ingredient or flavour; they are used to make a meal heartier and heavier.

Ham is another inexpensive ingredient and it’s not just for sandwiches. Melissa d’Arabian uses Ham in pastas and salads.  She always keeps ham in her house because it’s versatile and inexpensive. Bread is another inexpensive ingredient that Melissa recommends for $10 cooking.  Bread can be used as an ingredient such as stuffing, a topping such as croutons, or an appetizer to accompany any meal such as garlic bread or bruschetta.

Melissa d’Arabian cooks everything from Chicken Dinners to Tossed Angel Hair Pasta and Fish Piccata for her $10 Dinners.  Visit The Food Network for great $10 dinner recipes from Melissa d’Arabian.

Eat Healthy and Cook for Several Days to Keep Costs Down

Rachael Ray is a household name for many people.  I absolutely adore Rachael Ray and I watch The Rachael Ray Show as often as I can.  Rachael Ray offers Budget Meals, Means for $10 and under, as well as a Week in a Day which allows us to cook food for the whole week while cooking for just one day.

Rachael Ray’s $10 and under meals can be found on her website. We can also sign up to have recipes delivered directly to our inbox.  Rachel Ray’s $10 and under meals will feed a family of 4.  As DINKS this means that we can eat for 2 days for only $10.

Rachael Ray’s $10 and under meals include Baby Spinach Salad with Mandarin Orange and Red Onions, Sicilian Eggplant Marinara Over Penne, as well as Root Vegetable Chowder.  $10 and under meals are both healthy and cost efficient.

Do you have a favorite inexpensive meal under $10?

Photo by Good n Crazy

Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.