4 simple low-cost
meal ideas

Eating well and staying on budget is a wonderful feeling! To inspire you, here are four ideas for delicious meals that are simple and affordable.

Chicken tacos

Taco lovers, rejoice! This Mexican dish is one of the easiest to prepare. All you need is corn or flour tortillas, chicken thighs, a packet of taco seasoning, cheese, and a small amount of vegetables of your choice (tomato, avocado, onion). In a pan, cook the chicken with the seasoning while following the instructions on the packet. While the chicken cooks, dice the vegetables. Once they’re cut, heat the tortillas on a pan on medium. Then add the chicken and vegetables in the tortilla and top with cheese or sour cream if you’ve got some in the fridge.

Grandma’s slow cooker blade roast

A blade roast is a delicious, comfort dish that’s steeped in tradition. For this meal, you’ll need: a blade roast, an onion, two potatoes, two carrots, a turnip, seasoning of your choice (salt, pepper, or other spices), Dijon mustard, and a cup of beef broth. Start by seasoning the meat to your liking. In a pan, sear the roast on both sides before transferring to your slow cooker. Cover the meat in Dijon mustard, pour the beef broth in the slow cooker, and you’re all set! Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender. Add the roughly chopped vegetables 2 hours before the end of cook time. Bon appétit!

Asian tofu stir-fry

If you love Asian cuisine, you’ll love this dish! You’ll need tamari sauce, canola oil (two tablespoons), scallions, rice vermicelli, a bell pepper, mushrooms, and tofu. You can also make this dish with chicken but tofu is very inexpensive.

Begin by cutting the tofu into large cubes and marinating it in tamari sauce for 10 minutes. Then, heat the oil in a pan or a wok and brown the tofu cubes. Add the roughly chopped vegetables (except the scallions) and cook on medium for about 10 minutes. The vegetables must still be crispy when they’re done cooking. In a pot, boil one litre of water (for each 100 g of rice vermicelli) with a pinch of salt. Once the water starts to boil, add the vermicelli and cook without a lid for about four minutes. Drain the pasta and divide between the plates. Add the vegetables and tofu on the vermicelli and top with the chopped scallions.

Quick and delicious: Mexican rice

If you want a simple dish, Mexican cuisine is a good option. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 1/3 cup of rice, 1 1/3 cup of vegetable broth, red or black beans, chicken, tomatoes, a clove of garlic, corn kernels, a bell pepper, a can (540 mL) of stewed tomatoes, one onion, and one cup of tomato juice. In a pot, cook the chicken with the seasoning of your choice (salt, pepper). Add the uncooked rice and bell pepper. Mix and make sure all the ingredients are coated. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, vegetable broth, and beans. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium low. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Add the corn two or three minutes before the end of cook time. Once serve, top with cheese if you’ve got some. It’s that simple!

All these recipe ideas can be prepared in different ways. Try different combinations of veggies in line with your taste and leftovers!

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