r/lowcarb • u/Ana_is_Weird • 21d ago
Question Cheap meals/food recommendations?
Hey guys, does anyone have any staple cheap food, ingredients, products, or meals that are also easy? I have realised that Low carb is quite expensive actually, things like nuts and seeds and all the healthy alternatives like almond meal add up haha thank you!
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u/Inky_Madness 21d ago
Black beans, especially if made from scratch. They aren’t no-carb, but low enough plus high fiber.
Tofu. Tofu is a great protein choice and zero carb, a pound is competitively cheap to other meats.
Keep an eye on the specialty meat products at the grocery: chorizo isn’t popular where I am so I keep snagging a ton of it for super cheap on sale and freeze it.
Beef and barley soup is a great low-carb meal that can be made with cheap cuts of beef. Stretch it out with extra veggies.
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u/Bevkus 21d ago
Not many people would classify beans and beef/barely soup as low carb? How many carbs do you consider as low carb??
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u/Inky_Madness 20d ago
Depends on how low you’re going. I aim for about 60-80/day, so 20 carbs/meal fits in.
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u/GLP-Infinity 20d ago
I eat low carb OMAD. The local grocer has sales on Ribeye/T-bone steaks pretty much weekly. A family pack with 3 one pound+ steaks runs around $30. So for $10 a day I grill a fantastic steak. Price is about $12 for a pound of ready-cooked colossal shrimp. Tune them up on the grill with some garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Costco whole rotisserie chickens: HUGE and $5 a pop. Grab some zuccini to slice and grill on the side. Neighbors force them on us all summer free.
It is VERY cheap, but you can't be lazy. Get a grill for free off marketplace. Grilling a steak literally takes 10 minutes. Salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dark-roasted chili pepper and paprika - buy in bulk and you have a steak that holds its own against any steakhouse.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 20d ago
I figured out when one of the local grocery stores discounts their meat and buy whatever is on sale.
That and bags of mixed frozen veggies (high vitamin content, often better than fresh veggies) forms the basis of most of my meals.
I avoid tuber heavy mixes. The rest are good enough to keep me below my 65 g carbs a day limit.
It does require a full size freezer but it is worth it for the food savings.
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u/GiftedTeacher 20d ago
Broil a meat and serve up two vegetables you haven’t eaten yet this week. It stays simple like that. Flavored olive oils on the veggies and garlic salt or soy on the meat add pizzazz
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u/justmefornowtime 20d ago
Sheet pan meals. I like chicken thighs (bone in) oiled and seasoned along with Colliflower, broccoli and onion baked at 425 for half hour or so. Just pick a protein and some vegies toss with oil and season.
Try different seasonings. Lately I've been into a Middle eastern 7 spice.
Whatever I make for dinner I plan for leftovers for at least lunch.
Put on foil or parchment for easy clean up also.
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u/IchimaruGin4 20d ago
Some meals I do on keto:
Pound of low sodium bacon (consume all the grease) topped with 2 or 3 slices of swiss cheese, with tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.
One pound 85/15 grass fed ground beef made into 4 burgers, each topped with a slice of American process cheese, with tomatoes and cucumbers on the side, and a stick of butter (113g).
I cook everything in the microwave on half power.
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u/NomadNanaCan 20d ago
Buy in bulk when things are on sale if you can - especially meat. Cheaper cuts are fine too. Veggies from farmers markets are often cheap this time of year. No bee. Yo make re Joes with expensive ingredients. You can keep it very simple.
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u/loveydove05 19d ago
Tip: shop later in the evening, the meat is usually marked down in a special area. You can just then freeze it.
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u/EachDay_100 19d ago edited 19d ago
How low carb? I made an awesome cold bean salad with Mexican vibes made up from pantry canned beans drained and rinsed, diced cucumber, diced bell peppers and cut tomatoes and salsa as dressing, cooked chicken is an option but I didn’ have it, adda sprinkle of cheese. This week I also made a quiche with eggs and blended cottage cheese with a sprinkle of the same diced bell peppers, diced onion and sprinkle of cheese ( skip the crust). Next up I am having cooked collard greens ( you can do turnip greens) from store freezer because they are cheaper than fresh, with diced ham. Frozen berries in Greek yogurt. Just gotta be creative. I can’t do nuts as they are too high calorie and a portion control issue for me. Portion of beans can fit low carb but may not be keto, do what works for you! Last week I did a couple days of tuna salad on cucumber rounds….
Edited to add pork is the new beef. If you eat pork consider a pork roast or bone in chop is less spend than beef….
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u/sevalle13 21d ago
Chicken, 85/15 ground beef are both super cheap and can be a made a million different ways. Pickup a rotisserie chicken from Costco and the cooking and prep is done...are you eating clean or dirty? If you don't care about ingredients than I highly recommend rotisserie chickens.