Best 10 Cheap Healthy Food Prep Recipes

Cheap Healthy Food Prep is the perfect solution for those who want to eat healthily but not spend too much money.

Many people are dedicated to their fitness and health but want to save some money at the same time.

These recipes are great for those on extreme budgets because they don’t require a lot of expensive ingredients, and they can be made in bulk which saves time during the week

What Is The Healthiest Meal Prep?

Meal prepping is about providing your body with nourishment and fueling it right. Make sure that you’re aiming for around 50-60% carbs, 20-30% protein, and 10-20% fats, while leaving out as many unhealthy items as possible.

Is Meal Prepping Cheap?

There are two ways to DIY food prep: meal prep at home and eating out. The second way is to prep at home but skips letting your stomach speak for you and your budget by going out to get as much food as possible.

Meal prepping at home can save you a lot of money because all the ingredients you need to start meal prep come in cheap packs. What’s more – the longer you can get your meals prepped, the better they will become.

Best 10 Cheap Healthy Food Prep Recipes

1. Mexican Style Chicken Wraps

If there’s one meal that fits the title cheap and healthy, it’s these Mexican Style Chicken Wraps. This is probably one of the most popular recipes you’ll find online; it’s very simple to make, cheap, and incredibly delicious.

The best thing about Mexican food is that it provides you with a lot of protein which is essential for muscle building and recovery, not to mention a little bit of spice can make your metabolism work hard.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts – 4
• Lime juice – 1 tablespoon
• Low-fat mayonnaise – 2 tablespoons
• Salsa – 1 cup
• Onion powder – 1 teaspoon
• Dried oregano and cayenne pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Put chicken in a bowl and season with dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Squeeze lime juice over the meat and mix well. Place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the salsa, combine onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl and stir well. Mix lime juice with whole mayonnaise in another bowl using a hand mixer until smooth.

When ready to assemble the wraps, remove chicken from the refrigerator, take a tortilla, and spread it with generous mayonnaise. Top it with one chicken breast and spoon salsa over it. Roll up the tortilla, cut it in half and enjoy.

2. Red Beans And Rice

Red beans with rice is a popular meal in the south since it’s easy to make, simple to prepare, and incredibly delicious. You can get these ingredients at any supermarket at a very low price, making this dish amazing for those on tight budgets.

Ingredients:

• Cajun seasoning – 1 tablespoon
• Rice – 3 cups
• Red beans – 1 cup
• Chicken broth – 4 cups
• Onion powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper, to taste.

Instructions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook rice according to the instructions on the package. While waiting for the rice, combine beans with chicken broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Reduce heat, and season with Cajun seasoning, onion powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until beans are tender. Add rice to the pan and mix well until combined.

3. Traditional Spanish Rice

This Spanish rice is really popular in the south, you can have it for lunch or dinner, and it will fill your stomach nicely with a lot of protein. This is it if you’re looking for a cheap, healthy, low-carb meal.

Ingredients:

• Onion powder – 2 tablespoons
• Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
• Brown rice – 3 cups
• Chicken broth – 2 cups
• Garlic powder, pepper, salt, and paprika to taste.

Instructions:

Grease an oven-safe pan with olive oil and heat on the stovetop at high heat until hot. Add onion powder and brown rice to the pan and stir until combined.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.

4. No-Bake Cheesecake

This is one of the best recipes you can make without spending any money; it’s extremely simple to prepare yet incredibly tasty. You don’t need any baking pans to prepare this cheesecake; all you need is a pot with water at the bottom, some plain yogurt, cottage cheese, some chocolate chips, and of course, you’ll need some sugar-free jello which you can get very easily in any supermarket.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate chips – 2 tablespoons
• Low-fat cottage cheese – 1 ½ cups
• Sugar-free jello – 8 ounces (clear flavor)

Instructions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips for about 30 seconds and stir well. Add cottage cheese sugar-free jello and stir until the mixture becomes smooth. Transfer the mixture to a pan that you can put in the bottom of your microwave.

Set the microwave on 10% power for about 3 minutes or until the top of the crust feels firm when lightly touched with a finger. Place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to chill.

5. Skillet Macaroni And Cheese

Macaroni and cheese are probably one of the easiest recipes in the world to make. It’s incredibly cheap yet incredibly tasty. You can easily find macaroni in any supermarket, so there’s really no reason not to make this meal every week or month.

Ingredients:

• Cheese sauce – 1 cup
• Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup
• Pasta – ½ pound (cooked)

Instructions:

Combine chees sauce with pasta and mix until combined. Top with parsley if desired. Enjoy.

6. White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili is probably the easiest recipe in the world to prepare. It’s extremely simple and yet very tasty. White chili has a lot of protein, making it very appealing to most people on a budget but also delicious. You can easily find white beans in any supermarket at a very low price.

Ingredients:

• White beans – 1 cup
• Black beans – 1 cup
• Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Sour cream – ½ cup
• Corn tortillas for serving (optional)

Instructions:

Combine white and black beans with chili powder and sour cream until combined. Serve corn tortillas if desired and enjoy.  

7. Chicken Stir-Fry With Egg Noodles

Stir fry dishes are a very healthy way to eat since they have a lot of vegetables in them. A stir fry meal is also incredibly filling and loaded with proteins. You can easily find egg noodles at any supermarket, which are very cheap.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts – 4
• Green onion – 1 bunch
• Low-fat cream cheese – 2 tablespoons
• Spinach leaves – 2 cups
• Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon
• Fresh chives and parsley, to taste.

Instructions:

Cut chicken into strips and season with garlic powder, pepper, and chives. Grease a large skillet with olive oil and cook chicken along the sides until cooked through.

Add egg noodles to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes along the side or until noodles are cooked through.

Remove from heat, mix together cream cheese, basil, and green onions and serve on top of noodles. Add spinach leaves to the rice as well if desired. Enjoy!

8. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are a very popular low-carb meal in the south, I have my grandma’s recipe, and it’s definitely a family favorite. You can easily find cabbage at any supermarket of any size; you’ll only need about 12 leaves for this meal.

Ingredients:

• Rice – 2 cups
• Soy sauce – 1 ½ tablespoon
• Egg replacer – 3 tablespoons (for each roll)
• Ground beef – 2 pounds (or whatever meat you prefer)
• Onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper to taste.

Instructions: 

In a large saucepan, add rice and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add soy sauce and egg replacer, and mix until combined in an electric mixer. Add ground beef, onion powder, and garlic powder and mix well.

Lay the leaves out on a clean table or cutting board, and cut along the seam of the leaves to create a pocket for your stuffing. Add a small amount of stuffing inside each leaf, then fold over the sides of the leaves.

9. Stuffed Turkey Breast

Turkey breast is one of the best low-carb meats to munch on because it has a lot of protein in it. You can easily prepare this meal with very little cost; all you need is a whole turkey or any other cut of meat and some ready-made stuffing.

Ingredients:

• Stuffing – 1 cup (ready-made)
• Turkey breast – 2 pounds (thighs and drumsticks)
• Pepper and salt to taste. 

Instructions: 

Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Trim excess fat from the turkey breast, season with salt and pepper, then place the turkey in a large pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake the turkey breast at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until cooked through. 

Remove the skin from the turkey, slice in half, and serve with stuffing.

10. Chicken Chowder

Chowder is a very popular dish in New England, you can easily find many recipes on how to make it, and they’re all incredibly tasty. A great thing about chowder is that it’s extremely simple to prepare yet extremely tasty, a perfect meal for anyone who’s short on time but strong on cravings.  

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts – 2
• Celery – 1 diced
• Onion – 1 diced
• Parsley – ¼ cup (chopped)
• Pepper and salt- to taste. 

Instructions: 

In a large saucepan, cook chicken breast, celery, and onion until cooked through. Remove from heat, drain the grease and add parsley. Add celery leaves as well if you have them. Serve immediately.

How Do You Eat On Extreme Budget?

A healthy diet on an extremely low budget should be based on a few main ingredients. To start, you must decide how much money you want to spend on food each week.

If you want to save money, go to eat cheaper and more easily found foods. Reduce the amount of meat and produce you eat and swap them for chicken and fresh vegetables.

The Bottom Line

I hope that the information given in this article will help those who want to do meal prepping cheaply but want to choose the best recipes for their recipes. Make sure to use the tips above to save you some money and stay healthy during your meal-prepping adventure!