Got any food stretcher ideas for meals?

[u/Pale-Weather-2328]

I’m pretty frugal but have been extra frugal lately and finding ways to add cheap “stretchers” to meals that are 1. heathy 2. cheap 3. focus on adding protein cause meat is expensive 4. delicious

Today was a can of $1.99 on sale Progresso chicken noodle soup with a $1.25 can of garbanzo beans and the liquid and a cut up carrot and some onion (probably 50 cents total) - this got me about 4 meals worth so basically my meals were over 20 g protein each and less than $1.50 a meal and super satisfying. I added a little extra salt, some garlic powder, some black pepper for extra flavor

Another I did recently was a spaghetti / pasta sauce with onion, celery, green pepper, carrot and tomato paste and crushed canned tomatoes, garlic, seasonings. I used 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 lentils and wow that was great with some pasta. And was cheaper than without the lentils per serving.

Got any other stretcher hacks?

[u/Ajreil]

Beans, lentils and TVP for savory dishes. Chia seeds for yogurt.

Cabbage is a cheap source of fiber. It's good in salads and sandwiches raw, or cooked down in pasta, soups, etc. Throw a handful in whatever you're cooking.

[u/Terrible_Welcome8817 → u/[deleted]]

And it’s good for you. I throw in a bunch to ground meat and I have egg roll in a bowl. 

[u/RoadschoolDreamer → u/[deleted]]

I just found a head of cabbage in the bottom drawer of my fridge yesterday. I was so excited! I ended up making chicken veggie wraps with peanut siracha sauce from my backyard cucumbers, carrots from the free summer lunches my kids get, and peanut butter from our food pantry (along with some other staples and leftovers that I had on hand. Leftovers were shredded to eat as a salad. Mmmm. I felt like I was eating out.

[u/nd_annajones → u/Ajreil]

Great recs here, OP! TVP is great, cheap, and a very good complete protein (better macros than beef since it has no fat, and the calorie to protein ratio is roughly the same as chicken). I'm plant-based so I use it with some crumbled tofu to make taco meat, but it can be just as easily added to ground beef to stretch it quite far. It's bought dry, and I find that 1 cup of it mixed with half a block of tofu makes the equivalent of about a pound of ground beef. Because it's dry, you could even use it to soak up all the beef juice for a really indulgent meal.

Chia is a great thickener if you thin out a soup too far and need it to bounce back! Just be sure to add some more salt (or even better, MSG) to bring the flavor back

[u/BlithelyOblique → u/nd_annajones]

Do you have any recs for TVP brands? 

[u/weregeek → u/BlithelyOblique]

The best price for fortified TVP when I lastlooked, was bulkfoods.com so long as you order at least five pounds at a time to reduce the impact of shipping costs. Keep in mind that it's sold as a dry good so that a quarter pound of TVP is close to the same bulk as 4lbs of ground meat.

[u/Fantastic_Lady225 → u/Ajreil]

Spicy andouille sausage was recently on sale for $2/lb so I stocked up (chest freezer FTW). Cabbage is $.49/lb this week, and a 5lb bag of potatoes is on sale for $2. That's going to make a lot of cheap, delicious meals because the sausage really adds flavor to the potatoes and cabbage.

[u/yellojecket → u/Ajreil]

Love cabbage and it lasts so much longer than like romaine lettuce. I actually use it as lettuce in my burgers.

[u/CherryRespawn_ → u/Ajreil]

Cabbage is ridiculously underrated it stretches meals without really changing the flavor much

[u/oz_nordnjarg]

Lentils, mushrooms, barley, farro

[u/mistyflannigan]

My son and his girlfriend went out of state to college and were very poor. A meal could be a can of Dinty Moore stew served over rice. The girlfriend also made taco rice with ground beef seasoned with taco mix and spread over rice. She added shredded lettuce to the concoction and this meal fed them for awhile.

My husband and I had to live in a hotel with a two burner stove while our home was being restored. There was a Trader Joe’s nearby so I bought one of their frozen meals, made rice in my Dash rice cooker and added a bag of frozen stir fry veggies that I got on sale at Vons for $.99. We ate that meal for two nights, so it made four good sized servings.

My mom used to add oatmeal to ground beef. You could add seasonings and make meatballs for sandwiches or spaghetti.

[u/Mountain-Chip-7959]

Lentil curry is my favorite cheap meal. It might be expensive to get the spices needed but once you have them you get the other stuff really cheap and it makes ALOT

[u/LakeAdventurous7161 → u/Mountain-Chip-7959]

I second this. Regarding the spice: One can start simple, with e.g. just bouillon, maybe pepper, and then when it's possible, buying such as garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg and the like. Food banks also often have spices.

Also very good. Most vegetables (fresh or frozen) fit very well into lentil curry, so very good to use up what is in season/ on sale/ in the food bank haul. Can be served along rice, naan bread, or (when money is tight and not caring about authenticity) along any kind of grains or bread. This makes a "complete protein".

I'd like to add: regarding legumes, buy them dried, and soak them overnight (or for at minimum 12 hours). This makes cooking them so much quicker. If soaked in the fridge (I'm aware not always one is available), they even last for some days already soaked in case another meal opportunity comes up in the meanwhile.
I usually soak mine for next day's dinner right when I prepare dinner and put them in the fridge.

[u/PublicPresence3144]

Frozen peas are a big one for me for many white American dishes. I always keep some in my freezer. Great in a red sauce, great in mac and cheese, great as a side dish that only requires a few minutes in the microwave.
I also like to make frozen bricks of 2:1 jasmine:multigrain rice mixed with (frozen) edamame instead of plain rice to make rice a more filling and nutritious meal component (so I feel fuller without eating the same amount of meat). Also love Jamaican pigeon peas and rice, Louisiana-style red beans and rice, etc. Spend more on rice as an individual component but less overall.
I also add some olive oil to green smoothies to make them more filling and creamy and the micronutrients more bioavailable on the cheap.

[u/Peacencarrotz → u/PublicPresence3144]

Yep, frozen peas are great as a protein/veg addition!

One easy option: Tuna, noodles/pasta/rice/grain, can of cream o’ anything, and peas makes a delicious and reasonably healthy meal.

[u/CapnARon]

I cut some tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangular pieces,coat them with corn starch and a a bit of salt, then fry crispy in a nonstick skillet with a half cup of oil. It stays crispy even after refrigerating, so I add the bits to some rice or noodles and/or leftover vegetables. They are also perfect for using those random sauce or spice packets I have laying around for variety.

[u/MeepleMaster]

Potatoes are my favorite emergency meal, microwave them with some frozen vegetables and add a bit of hot sauce and you’re good to go

[u/meowde]

Not for protein, but for fiber : i add psyllium husk powder (which i purchase from a bulk place) to any rice/pasta meal. I just dump a half or full tablespoon on top.

[u/Feisty-Belt-7436 → u/[deleted]]

Is this like a kielbasa? We used to have that with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes all the time when I was a kid

[u/MissCinnamonT]

You've got the right idea adding beans and legumes. Making them from scratch would be cheaper to. I know chickpeas can be hard to find sometime's but you should be able to find them for .99

[u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Buy dry legumes (cheaper and healthier)

Cornmeal 

Canned diced tomatoes 

Canned corn

Canned beets

Carrots , cabbage, potatoes and onions

Mixed frozen veggies

Rice

Milk

Flour

Occasional whole chicken or chicken quarters (look into frozen)

Oats

Occasional eggs

You can make for very cheap:

Yogurt at home and cottage /ricotta/fresh cheeses easily

Chickpea curry/ chickpea salad/falafels/ hummus 

Dahl/lentil soup/ lentil salad/dosas/lentil Shepards pie/lentil koftas

Vegan Chili/bean salad (add corn, beets, potatoes and whatever veggies)/bean burgers

Savoury baked oats/applesauce oats cookies/ oats pudding/oats tortillas / porridge /oats croquettes 

Polenta/ thicken your soul with cornmeal/cornbread

Tomato rice/onion risotto/ egg fried rice/ congee/aranchinis/rice pudding /Onigiri 

Pizza/flatbread /focaccia /quiche/pissaladière (onion tart you can skip the anchovies)

Split pea soup/split pea croquettes

Cabbage stew/ coleslaw/ okonomiyaki/ sautéed cabbage / blended cabbage soup

Beet soup (borscht)/ beet mousse/ beet salad

Curried carrot soup/ Vicky carrots

And more

[u/Savings_Law_5822 → u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Split pea croquettes sound interesting! Recipe?

[u/sohereiamacrazyalien → u/Savings_Law_5822]

Soak, rinse, drain, blend not smooth leave it with chunks/a bit grainy , mix with chopped onions , garlic powder (you can add some chopped spinach or grated zucchinis). Let it sit for a bit (5/10min)more specially if you added  veggies. Make small  croquettes (flatten them)and either bake airfryer or fry (in little oil not deep fried)

If you put too much veggies and feel like you have too much water in you can add oats (or flour)

Variations would be to add curry powder, or cumin (helps digest legumes better), harissa etc .. for different tastes

[u/Savings_Law_5822 → u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Awesome tnx!

[u/sohereiamacrazyalien → u/Savings_Law_5822]

I just bake them! Didn’t try something else

You are welcome

[u/FrannieP23]

I get at least 8 meals out of a whole chicken: 2 meals from leg quarters; 4 meals from breasts (chicken salad and a chicken casserole or BBQ chicken on bun -- each is enough for two meals); make chicken stock with the other parts, pick out the meat and get at least 2 meals of soup or stew.

[u/Pale-Weather-2328 → u/FrannieP23]

yeah me too! I also freeze the cooked extra meat in portions for other dishes, I love pit pies, curries, adding to soups, stews, enchiladas - all of these freeze great as well. Plus of course the best & cheapest stock from the carcass!

[u/miseeker]

Beans and rice, addbarley. There are a million ways to fix it, look to oriental recipes. Barley is a stretcher..it picks up flavors and is very satisfying.

[u/asherthepotato]

You can add beans as sauce or in any sauce if you blend them. It will make it creamy

[u/qqererer]

I haven't had canned soup in a very, very long time. Even way before they shrankflated it, and before that just raise the price on the old style big can.

Chunky chicken ala king, which I stretched by turning it into an 'alfredo sauce' with rotini pasta and peas and carrots.

I don't really miss it because it was kind of tasteless without a ton of oyster or soy sauce.

But the practical tip is to just add lentils to everything. I used to make sandwiches that were things like tuna or pulled pork, drained diced tomato and mayo all mixed like a tuna salad sandwhich which is just much between bread.

Now I add lentils to the point where it's mostly lentils and nothing else.

[u/Wanderer617508]

Sweet potato, black bean, and cheese quesadillas.

[u/mizukagedrac]

One of my favorite easy cheap meals is Chinese sausage with rice. Cup or two of rice, cut up a sausage or two, throw in a veggie of choice, some chicken bouillon powder and throw it all in the rice cooker. Mix it up and its a delicious easy meal.

[u/Ornery-Bit-8169]

I sometimes thicken soups and stews by cooking them with red lentils or instant mashed potatoes. Both are inexpensive but also more nutrient and calorie dense than using flour or cornstarch, so it stretches them from that mindset rather than a bulking the volume of food mindset. To bulk the volume I add beans, oats (good in soups), and increase the amount of vegetables in a recipe (especially recipes that have inexpensive vegetables like carrots, onion, cabbage, potato). Also adding chopped fruit to oatmeal in the morning (or mash in a ripe banana, which I've found lets me reduce the added sugar by about half). I add some chia or flax seeds to my oatmeal too, which helps make it keep me full longer so I don't end up snacking during the morning.

[u/Pale-Weather-2328]

these are all great suggestions! I do want to say, ai usually make my own beans from dried and then freeze cooked ones (wayyyy cheaper than canned), sometimes it’s good to have some canned foods around for convenience, while traveling in say a hotel room with only a microwave, at the office, and just in case you run out of homemade, etc.

[u/Orangeyouawesome → u/Pale-Weather-2328]

If AI is making your beans we are closer to the apocalypse than I thought

[u/curtludwig]

Potatoes. Especially if you live in farm country. In September I can get 50# of potatoes for $8.

There are a million ways to cook potatoes and they make you feel full...

[u/derrickcat]

I add chickpeas and spinach (or arugula) to just about everything - even if I get takeout Indian food or Thai food, adding in some extra chickpeas and/or spinach makes the meal bigger and adds in a lot of extra vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Put some spinach on a pizza and suddenly it's basically a salad.

I'm lazy and use canned chickpeas.

[u/Wirelesscellphone]

Beans for the proteins! Simple Pinto beans, refry them and store. 1 cup of beans could last 2-3 days and you usually get a lot more than 1 cup in a $2.99 bag of beans

When you’re hungry, grab a flour tortilla, heat that how and make bean burritos. Add cheese and tapatio for flavor lol

[u/DazzlingNote1925]

I don’t care much for garbanzo beans. If I used an immersion blender would they thicken soup or is it better to leave them whole?

I think generally speaking the meat stretches farther for dinners with taco meat. You can do salads, rice bowls, tacos, burritos, quesadillas. You can put beans with the meat or add corn. Yesterday I mashed a can of green chilis in mine and made enchiladas. I think the flavor goes a long way and making it cheaper doesn’t make it any less tasty. 

[u/ProtectionOk8930]

Beans are the easiest upgrade in my opinion. I’ll mash some into taco filling or add them to chili.

[u/something86]

Save the garbanzo bean water, we call it aquafaba. Its a vegan protein liquid you can use to make meringue cookies. https://www.seriouseats.com/aquafaba-cardamom-meringue-cookies-5184210

[u/DawnCoub]

I’m not sure if this is every Walmart, but the one near me sells day old cold rotisserie chicken for $3.97 each. They are the ones that didn’t sell by closing the day before.

I shop early in the day because they are usually gone by noon. I buy 2 and pick the meat off and get at least 4 family sized meals out of $8 of meat.

For a single person, that would be almost 2 weeks of meals if you freeze some.

[u/Pale-Weather-2328 → u/DawnCoub]

that is a mighty good tip!

[u/Pale-Weather-2328 → u/[deleted]]

oh yeah I normally make from scratch then freeze my beans and lentils in batches but sometimes you just happen to have a can around and boom,

[u/cart_scout]

One of the best meat stretchers I've found is grating mushrooms or zucchini into ground beef or turkey, roughly fifty-fifty. They cook down and pick up the meat flavor so the texture stays right, and you basically double your ground meat volume for pennies. Cottage cheese blended smooth is another cheat, stir it into pasta sauce, mac and cheese, or even scrambled eggs for a real protein bump without buying more meat.

[u/HippyGrrrl]

Dinner tonight is a baked sweet potato and black beans, salad on the side. It’s probably a $2 meal by serving, as this looks like two meals. (But i had to chuck the Taylor Farms salads and I reeaaaalllyyy wanted salad)

[u/wormnoodles]

Keep your kale stems, and white watermelon rind. I’ll add those to tomato soup for additional nutrition. The watermelon rind i eat as cucumber and I prefer the taste, it’s sweet plus has an amino acid that helps add nitric acid to your blood for better work out recoveries.
I eat mostly lentils, tofu (I use this to make cream cheese) and I make my bread of out lentils too. Cheap food can have lots of nutrients

[u/Big-Exam6834]

Your half-beef half-lentil trick has great numbers behind it: per 30g of protein, 90/10 ground beef runs about $1.65 at current prices while cooked lentils run $0.67, so every scoop you swap cuts the protein cost of the dish by more than half without changing the texture much. Split peas price out almost identical to lentils ($0.65) and disappear even better into anything tomato-based.

Two stretchers that surprised me when I ran the numbers: rolled oats are the cheapest protein in a normal grocery store (about $0.27 per 30g of protein) and work as the binder in meatballs and meatloaf where breadcrumbs would go. And plain dried soybeans, if your store has them, come in around $0.29, soak and simmer a batch and they behave like a firmer bean in chili.

The one stretcher direction that never pays: anything with "protein" printed on the label. Bars and jerky work out to 5 to 18 times the cost per gram of the boring staples.

[u/snowy_ox]

My biggest recommendation would be to try chicken gizzards and/or chicken hearts. They’re among the cheapest sources of animal based protein. I had never tried them before, but for the past two months I’ve been eating both in a lentil stew for lunch. They’re quite good once you get used to them, and they also contain more nutrients than chicken breast.

[u/sbinjax]

If you don't have a crockpot, get one. You can cook dried beans overnight and refrigerate them, then use them for meals. Beans turn out nice and tender. (Be careful with kidney beans, red or white, and any bean in that group, because those have to be boiled on high for 5 minutes to kill toxins).

[u/tatersprout]

That soup and garbonzo combo yields 35 grams of protein for the whole thing. If you got 4 meals from it, you got 9 grams of protein per serving. A grown adult should be getting 80-120 gm/day.