Isn’t it frustrating when you don’t have a lot of time or money and you’re STARVING? I promise you can satisfy your growling belly with something other than a burger and fries from the dollar menu.
Skip the drive thru and avoid that guilty feeling you get every time you turn to fast food. Go home and create one of these super easy inexpensive meals that are really going to satisfy you. Enjoying wholesome ingredients you prepare yourself is so much more satisfying and cost effective than fast food that just leaves you feeling gross!
My most vulnerable time is when I’ve had a long busy day at work and/or in school and have deprived myself of enough food throughout the day. By the time I’m on my way home I’m starving and would settle for just about anything. Here’s how you avoid stopping at one of the dozens of fast food places you pass on your way home.
Keys To Success:
- Buy the right stuff – keep your kitchen stocked with healthy wholesome ingredients
- Don’t deprive yourself – We’re all guilty of letting ourselves get a little HANGRY sometimes, but to avoid bingeing or making poor food choices it’s important to maintain a certain level of satiety.
- Plan ahead – When making dinner always make a little extra that you can keep in the fridge or freezer to take to work for the next few days
Here are some of my favorite go to meals to either make ahead of time for school or work the next day or to make right when I get home after a long day. I chose these meals because there’s no set recipe to them you can tailer them based off preference or simply what you have on hand.
Rice or Quinoa Bowl
All you need is a bag of frozen quinoa or brown rice and your favorite veggies and you have yourself a quick wholesome meal in minutes. You can also throw in some chicken and mix in an avocado to bulk it up a bit.
Stir-fry
Stir fry’s are one of my favorite meals to make because they’re so easy and I LOVE the taste of sautéed peppers and onions. It’s great to add in a little protein I usually do chicken or shrimp over a plate of brown rice.
Power Salad
Grab a bag of baby kale or mixed greens as your base and then go crazy. Add whatever fruits, veggies, nuts or seeds you’d like and top it with a light oil and vinegar dressing. Some of my personal favorite salad add ons are: edamame, avocado, cubed apple, and feta cheese.
Chilli
When you’re thinking of convenience food your mind might not automatically jump to Chili because it’s usually best slow cooked, however if you make a big pot of it you could freeze it and literally eat it for weeks. Chili is delicious and also has the added bonus of being insanely affordable (I once bought every ingredient for a Chili recipe for under $10). All it takes is a few cans of beans, some diced tomatoes, some seasoning, and a little variety of peppers. It’s easy because all you have to do is dump all the ingredients in a pot or slow cooker and let them come together.
Best Food For Your Budget 