Just hit a full week of dinners for under $30 total

I tracked my grocery spending for the first time last week and the number blew my mind. I spent $28.47 on ingredients and made five different dinners for my family of three. The key was a big bag of dried lentils, a whole chicken I roasted myself, and a giant bunch of kale. I made lentil soup, chicken and rice, chicken tacos with the leftover meat, a kale and white bean stew, and finished with a big frittata using the last bits of everything. I used to think eating cheap meant just pasta, but this felt way more balanced. Has anyone else done a weekly challenge like this and found a new favorite cheap ingredient?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronrivera16d ago

My kale always ends up tasting like I'm punishing myself for spending too much. The trick is to cook it way longer than you think, like until it almost gives up. It goes from bitter leaf to actually edible that way.

patel.daniel17d ago

How do you get your kale to not taste bitter in the stew? I tried that once and it kinda ruined the pot for me. I mean, your whole plan is basically how I got through my last year of college, that big bag of lentils is a lifesaver. Idk why more people don't buy whole chickens, you get so many meals out of it. Maybe it's just me but finding those cheap, tough veggies and making them taste good feels like a real win.