BudgetBytes frugal recipes

[Parizade]

https://www.budgetbytes.com/about/

Great recipes, and they are all broken down to cost per ingredient.

[Roe]

Great site!

Two of my favorites from there:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/04/chorizo-chicken-jambalaya/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/08/african-peanut-stew-vegan/

[Parizade]

Two of mine:
Moroccan Lentil Vegetable Stew https://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/11/moroccan-lentil-vegetable-stew/
Baked Chicken with Artichokes https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/12/baked-chicken-artichokes-tomatoes/

I'm also keen to try making my own naan https://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/naan/

[HipGnosis]

I like the site and have found quite a few interesting recipes, but...

I'm disappointed that you can't filter the recipes by cost per serving (and I have told her/them so).

[Parizade]

I like the site and have found quite a few interesting recipes, but...

I'm disappointed that you can't filter the recipes by cost per serving (and I have told her/them so).

Good point, that would be helpful.

[newgirl]

I'll also add that she buys most of her main ingredients (meat, veggies, etc) on sale, so the price per serving reflects the sale price. So you really have to know what's going on sale this week/month at your local store(s) and then match those ingredients up against her recipes, as the cost per serving can be significantly higher if you have to buy full priced beef, for example.

That having been said, just about everything on there is delicious and Budget Bytes is my first stop every week for meal planning. It's good to know that if things are on sale for a recipe I've never tried before, I can go ahead and get them with high confidence that the meal will be tasty.

[LifeHappens]

I love BudgetBytes, but will echo the common criticism that the portion sizes on the recipes are quite small. Many people will eat 2x as much as the listed portion size. The recipes are still quite affordable and delicious, just don't think you'll be feeding the family for $2 or anything.

[newgirl]

I love BudgetBytes, but will echo the common criticism that the portion sizes on the recipes are quite small. Many people will eat 2x as much as the listed portion size. The recipes are still quite affordable and delicious, just don't think you'll be feeding the family for $2 or anything.

Oh wow, that's interesting. I never noticed that. I scale everything in the recipe down to two servings to be shared between me, DH, and our toddler and we usually have at least one portion of leftovers. This one might be a YMMV depending on how much you eat.

[Maenad]

Great site! And I love her white chicken chili - chicken breast, cans of beans, an onion, shredded cheese, and a jar of salsa verde. It's awesome and easy!

[ohsnap]

Great site! And I love her white chicken chili - chicken breast, cans of beans, an onion, shredded cheese, and a jar of salsa verde. It's awesome and easy!

I had some whole chicken breasts that I'd purchased on a great sale, that I wasn't sure what to do with.  After reading your post, I realized I had leftover salsa verde from eating tamales last week. Along with some canned white beans, sauteed onion, and rotel tomatoes...I made up a quick, frugal chicken chili.  Thanks for the idea!

[LostGirl]

I'll also add that she buys most of her main ingredients (meat, veggies, etc) on sale, so the price per serving reflects the sale price. So you really have to know what's going on sale this week/month at your local store(s) and then match those ingredients up against her recipes, as the cost per serving can be significantly higher if you have to buy full priced beef, for example.

That having been said, just about everything on there is delicious and Budget Bytes is my first stop every week for meal planning. It's good to know that if things are on sale for a recipe I've never tried before, I can go ahead and get them with high confidence that the meal will be tasty.

I just started pulling recipes off this website and agree that her prices do not reflect my local store prices. She either buys on sale or in bulk and just charges the incremental cost.  Its still a good resource.

[eliza]

I'll also add that she buys most of her main ingredients (meat, veggies, etc) on sale, so the price per serving reflects the sale price. So you really have to know what's going on sale this week/month at your local store(s) and then match those ingredients up against her recipes, as the cost per serving can be significantly higher if you have to buy full priced beef, for example.

That having been said, just about everything on there is delicious and Budget Bytes is my first stop every week for meal planning. It's good to know that if things are on sale for a recipe I've never tried before, I can go ahead and get them with high confidence that the meal will be tasty.

I just started pulling recipes off this website and agree that her prices do not reflect my local store prices. She either buys on sale or in bulk and just charges the incremental cost.  Its still a good resource.

I think this is really a function of where you live and how you shop.  I live in a HCOL area and generally only buy on sale. I find that the majority of my costs are less than what she reports for the same amount.  I assumed she was reporting the non-sale prices.

I will echo @LifeHappens - I usually get less servings per recipe than she reports.  But I'm kind of a fat-ass, so I probably am eating more than a normal-person serving, so YMMV.

[Imustacheyouaquestion]

I really like this site because I feel like her recipes are a good balance. The meals seem to fall somewhere in between labor-intensive meals with a lot of fancy ingredients or basic meals that are too bland and boring, like just eating plain oats/lentils/rice.

I've never been too concerned with her unit cost per item. Trying to replicate the exact prices seems futile. Just use the prices as a rough benchmark and substitute ingredients where necessary. I aim for a weekly grocery budget target because I'm aiming for a low average cost per calorie of healthy food. If I have oats and a banana for breakfast one week, dinners can be a bit fancier that week.

[cats]

I really like this site because I feel like her recipes are a good balance. The meals seem to fall somewhere in between labor-intensive meals with a lot of fancy ingredients or basic meals that are too bland and boring, like just eating plain oats/lentils/rice.

I've never been too concerned with her unit cost per item. Trying to replicate the exact prices seems futile. Just use the prices as a rough benchmark and substitute ingredients where necessary. I aim for a weekly grocery budget target because I'm aiming for a low average cost per calorie of healthy food. If I have oats and a banana for breakfast one week, dinners can be a bit fancier that week.

I agree with your description! It's interesting food that won't break the bank. We have tried quite a few of her recipes over the past few years and had positive results every time. A recent favorite were the banh mi bowls, I made them a little more budget friendly by mixing mashed black beans in with the ground meat for the meatballs.  I like also that many of her recipes use meat more as a condiment  or at least don't have huge meat portions.  I like to keep the carbon footprint of our diet low but my husband (and to a lesser extent, me) would not be happy with a 100% vegetarian diet. It's nice to have some recipes that still have the flavor of meat without having to serve everyone a half a chicken or something.

I really don't think a search by cost per serving would be that useful as prices of ingredients change over time and depending on area. If you are looking for the cheapest meals I'd say stick with the vegetarian/vegan offerings as meat and cheese are typically the highest cost components.  I typically grocery shop according to what is cheap/on sale and then look for recipes that use what I've bought.