This only happens in the weekly ad a few times (maybe twice) a year at my local Albertsons Market. Y'all in other parts of the US with different-name-same-store situations like Safeway should also probably look out for this if you like protein bars. It's a great deal, especially for the bars that are normally $3 a piece! Here's a picture of the price tags if you need proof: https://freeimage.host/i/KJieedg

Me and my wife are trying to eat cheap and healthy and went shopping today. Sitting around we were discussing we should have picked up pizza, corn dogs, nuggets. Just something for those nights when a agency gets thrown in the plans and would like to grab fast food. What's your best go to cheap healthy option for this situation?

I’m working on a prototype to help make meal planning easier, but before I get too far, I’d love to hear from people who actually do it week in and week out. • What’s the most frustrating part of meal planning for you? • Do you usually get stuck on what to cook, how to shop for it, or just finding the time/energy to plan? • If you could magically fix one thing about your meal planning routine, what would it be?

I want to make sure I’m solving the real pain points people deal with, not just guessing. Your feedback would mean a lot 🙏🏻

i eat this so often nowadays it's not even funny man here's the recipe

ingredients: 1 can black beans/mixed beans (~$1) 3 eggs (~$1.20) salt, pepper sour cream, hot sauce if you're fancy

method: drain your beans

spray cooking oil in a small pan and add the can of beans and your preferred seasonings and cook on medium heat until they are soft, continuously stirring

crack in your eggs, break the yolks and stir vigorously to scramble the eggs in the pan, cook until the eggs are scrambled and make sure to stir continuously

then when it's good immediately take it off heat bc it's kinda easy to burn and then boom you can eat it right out the pan. of course add whatever garnishing and sauces and stuff you want but it's good without anything other than salt and pepper

for this sub 5 dollar meal you're getting 600 calories, almost 40 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber, and it's very easy to meal prep as well. plus there's just so much you can add to spice it up like onions, peppers, cheese etc. one problem could be sodium as one can of beans has 500 milligrams and you're adding salt and whatnot. but I still adore this meal and I hope u try it

1. Rice, of any variety, but brown is the most nutrient dense
2. Cheap protein. Chicken or fish (canned or not)
3. Beans
4. Peas, mixed veggies, or brocoli.
5. Potato

Any frozen meals low in sodium that are on the healthier side?

not sure if this is the right place to ask this?

but i got these pesto roasted potato fingerlings the other day at the market, they just looked really good so i grabbed them without thinking as much as i should've about it. i'm not the best with making meals unless it's something i've eaten a thousand times lol

just wondering what would be good to eat with it? i won't have much time to cook when i get back from work tonight, so nothing too extravagant. i plan to have it for dinner. i can quickly stop by the grocery store near my job but i am on a bit of a budget. also trying to maintain eating a low calorie diet.

They don't change the color or flavor much, so a healthy smoothie still looks and tastes like straight fruit.

This is my full recipe:

• Whatever fruit I have laying around

• 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple for acidity

• 1/2 cup of plain whole milk yogurt

• 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower rice

• A handful of frozen strawberries

• A spoonful of almond butter (or almonds if you have a Vitamix)

• 3 maraschino cherries + a bit of the juice

• Enough flavored water to make everything blend properly

Pineapple, strawberry and maraschino cherry are sweet and tart. Cauliflower adds fiber. Almond butter and yogurt add fat and protein. Flavored water adds fruity flavor without any unnecessary sugar.

The finished smoothie is sweet and colorful, but still has decent macros.

I know this sounds incredibly picky and it sort of is. I cook for myself and my grandmother who won't eat rice and can't eat potatoes. I'm a vegetarian for medical reasons and I'm trying to find foods we can both eat without just eating pasta twice a day 7 days a week but it's really hard. If anyone has any ideas please please send them my way

Chicken noodle soup -- chicken meat, chicken broth, vegetables (often carrots, celery, onions, garlic), noodles or Italian-style pasta

Chicken rice soup -- basically the same thing but with rice

Chicken risotto -- basically chicken rice soup but thicker

Chicken pot pie -- basically the same flavor profile in a pie

Chicken and dumplings -- same flavor profile but with lumps of dough instead of rice or pasta or noodles

Matzo ball soup -- similar flavor profile to the chicken and dumplings

The above recipes are highly similar to each other in terms of ingredients used and flavor profile but they differ in the type of starchy food. And the starchy food may be wheat-based or rice-based.

The following are similar in the sense that they are chicken-stock-based, but then the ingredients change and the flavor profile also change.

面疙瘩鸡汤 - similar to chicken and dumplings with a different shape to the dumpling, different use of ingredients (often native ingredients found in the country), less thick than the chicken and dumplings because American Southerners (where the chicken and dumplings are known for) like to use dairy products to make a roux as a thickener and dairy products aren't that common in Chinese cuisine to the extent that foreigners may have to get certain cheeses through Hong Kong or through direct imports, but overall, pretty similar (you got the chicken-flavored soup and dough clumps) - the literal translation of the name into English sounds unappetizing though so I'm not going to translate that

sopa de arroz con pollo (https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/chicken-and-rice-soup-sopa-de-arroz-con/) - similar to chicken rice soup: chicken, rice, chicken broth, potatoes, peas and carrots, flavorings

Hi everyone!

Can anyone share with me how you would make your thai beef salad dressing? I roughly know what ingredients are needed but not exact amount. I know everyone has their own recipes. So please share and i will give it a try!

I like to have a yummy easy lunch of: rice, frozen chopped broccoli, lemon pepper tuna packet, minced onion, salt, butter, soy sauce and furikake. It needs, like, one more ingredient to bring it out of salty sour sameness. What else easy would you add?

Hey Reddit, ​I've been a die-hard meat person my whole life, but I'm trying to get a little more serious about my health. That means eating more vegetables, and I'm looking to get into salads. ​But let's be real—most of the salads I've tried are just sad and bland. I'm not looking for something boring and tasteless just because it's "healthy." I'm hoping to find some recipes that are actually delicious, filling, and maybe even a little exciting. I'm willing to put in some effort for the right recipe. ​Do you have any go-to salad recipes that converted you from a veggie skeptic? I'm open to anything—hearty ingredients, amazing dressings, unique flavor combinations. ​Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

Hi - I'd like to reduce my meat consumption since I'm primarily a chicken eater, but I learned recently that meat consumption is associated with poorer health outcomes.

Tessier, AJ., Wang, F., Korat, A.A. et al. Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging. Nat Med 31, 1644–1652 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03570-5

I tried various vegetarian and vegan chicken substitutes and love them, however the substitutes I've found are still heavily processed, hyperpalatable, relatively high calorie density and relatively high in saturated fats.

I thought I better get behind tofu. However, I really dislike the taste. Despite me drinking a lot of soy milk, I don't taste any resemblance. Tofu seems to have a sort of chemical taste like eating a rubber product, rather than the umami chicken taste. I usually cover tofu in pepper and some arbitrary spices, fry them in a table spoon of oil, and mix them with a tomato based sauce and vegetables. Sometimes I'll throw them in a wrap. But still the tofu taste is overpowering. Is there a preparation method that can help?

Hi all, so I eat tons of Greek yogurt and saw online that yogurt should be easy-ish to make at home, so I tried it for the first time last night, and my yogurt came out looking more like cottage cheese, but tasting like a very mild yogurt (no tartness at all, but not cheese tasting). Does anyone know what I did wrong to get it yogurt textured next time I try making it?

Here’s what I did for those wanting to know: 1) heated ~4 cups regular 2% milk up to 180°F on the stove stop, stirring constantly and on low heat (took like an hour total) 2) let the milk cool to 110°F then stirred in the store-bought Greek yogurt (~1/2 cup) 3) poured the milk-gurt into two jars, put the lids on, and turned my toaster oven on the warm setting (110°) and let them sit overnight in there (~9/10 hours total) 4) poured out into strainer this morning.

Also, if anyone knows what the heck to do with a cup and a half of liquid whey please lmk. Thanks all!

Does anyone know of juice like drinks (obviously besides actual fruit juices) that have similar-fish tastes to drink like gatorade, powerade, bodyarmor, etc.

I don't necessarily want the electrolytes as I'm just looking for more variety in my drink selection, whether that's by already made drinks or getting stuff like mocktail mixes to make drinks.

I want to make a bunch of meals and freeze them for later. What’s the best way to make sure the chicken reheats properly. I’d like to cook/freeze and reheat plain chicken so it can also be versatile. How about pasta? Could I cook, freeze and defrost pasta to eat cold ( yes I know it takes nothing to make, but I’m think of like speciality things that I might not want a lot of at a time)

Hello!

I love cooking, but i don't have the energy to do it every day and I can't afford to cook something amazing or experimental all the time. What are some go to tricks for making cool meals that cost less money and still taste good? any specific favorite recipes?

one of my go to lunches is chicken salad on a slice of wheat bread. I usually use shredded chicken, celery, apples, red onion and light mayo. Well a friend said to add curry powder and that is an absolute game changer! Try it guys

hi! i'm living in a dorm now and all i've got is a rice cooker, kettle, and a microwave that's out in the hall. i don't have a fridge, so im looking for non perishable ingredients that don't require a pan or fridge to be good right now i've got white jasmine rice and a bottle of soy sauce. i was wondering if anyone had any ideas of things i could add to it with these requirements? any ideas help!

Last week I posted about moving into my own place and realizing how bad I was at buying the right amount of food for one person. The response was huge, hundreds of comments with genuinely useful advice. I wanted to share some of the best tips that kept coming up (and a few clever ones I’d never thought of):

1. Make your freezer your best friend

• Cook larger portions (soup, chili, curry, lasagna, etc.) and freeze in single-meal containers.
• Portion things right away like meat, bread, even pasta sauce cubes in ice trays. Future-you will thank you.
• A vacuum sealer or silicone freezer molds (“Supercubes”) make it easier.

2. Plan meals around one ingredient

• If you buy cabbage (or any big veg), plan 2–3 different meals with it that week e.g. gyoza, slaw, stir-fry, soup.
• Herbs and sauces? Try to use them in multiple recipes so they don’t die in the fridge.

3. Shop with purpose

• Make the meal plan first, then shop for just those items.
• Buy smaller quantities when possible (butchers can weigh exact portions, some stores sell single carrots, etc.).
• Shop more often in smaller amounts rather than giant stock-ups.

4. Have a “use it or lose it” shelf

• Keep soon-to-expire food in one visible spot in the fridge so you don’t forget it.

5. Flexible recipes are gold

• Stir-fries, soups, casseroles, fried rice, stews, all are perfect for tossing in whatever you need to use up.

6. Experiment & preserve

• Try homemade kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickling if you’ve got too much cabbage/veg.
• Blanch and freeze produce for later.
• Don’t be afraid to freestyle, curry paste + shredded cabbage = surprisingly good meal.

7. Use helpful tools

• A few folks mentioned that apps like Oh, a potato! or Cooklist can make it easier to spot recipes that use up what you’ve already got.
• Even just keeping a notes app list of what’s in your fridge can help a lot.

8. Accept some waste

• Several people said: you won’t get it perfect, and that’s fine. Even a little less waste makes a big difference.

This thread honestly changed the way I cook. I batch-cook more, freeze more, and I’m way less anxious about stuff going bad. Thanks to everyone who shared ideas, I hope this list helps someone else struggling with the “solo fridge problem.”

I just got notified I have a reward from Panera and to pick one. It was $1 off! What a joke.

Food has always been an afterthought to me and right now financially I’m not doing great. So my diet has been mainly indomie instant noodles or some plain pasta mixed with some cream cheese and butter.

So pretty terrible for my health and I need some inspiration for daily staples that are somewhat nutritious at least. I’m also pretty much an involuntary vegetarian bc meat is out of my budget.

Everybody always suggests beans and rice as the ultimate budget meal but how do you actually prepare it? Would love to hear how you make yours.