Feed Your Family for $2 a Day: Simple & Nutritious Homemade Meals

Last week, I talked a lot about how to create and stick with a meal plan that is both nutritious and frugal. Today, I want to share a specific meal plan that you can use to feed each member of your family for $2 a day or less. I know that might seem hard, and you might be thinking you'll be starving, but these meals are packed full of nutrients to get your body through the day and ensure everyone in your family is well-nourished throughout the week.

Today, I thought it might be helpful for us to talk about a specific meal plan that can feed your family at little cost, but that will also serve them well nutritionally. It is possible for us to meet the nutritional needs of our family without sacrificing the budget in the process. So, I wanted to share this specific meal plan with you this week to give you an idea of what a nutritious, frugal meal plan looks like and give you some confidence that you can feed your family very good food on a very small budget.

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, adding yeast last. Combine well and knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny.
• Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-3 hours.
• Pour out onto the counter and shape into a large log shape.
• Oil the Pullman loaf pan and add the dough. Place the lid on the pan and allow to rise 1-3 hours. (alternately you can use regular loaf pans and separate them into two or three loaves, depending on size)
• Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown.
• Allow to cool slightly and remove from pan. Cool completely on a baking rack.

French Toast

• 12-16 eggs
• 1/4 C milk
• salt
• pepper
• loaf of HMS bread, sliced thin

Instructions

• Heat griddle or pan to medium heat.
• Scramble eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
• Dip each piece of bread in egg mixture. Place on griddle. Allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side.
• Serve with maple syrup.

I know you know how to make French toast, but it's a good time to talk about why these kinds of meals are good for a frugal meal plan.

In my area, a dozen eggs ends up being about $1.50, which is about 12 cents an egg—very affordable. Then, if you pair it with this homemade bread, which costs the equivalent of two loaves for $1, or $0.50 per loaf, you can really pack a lot of nutrition into your meal plan for very little money.

When I calculated the cost for each of these meals, I did it per serving with costs from my local Walmart. That should give you a ballpark idea of how much these meals are going to cost per serving. Some of these ingredients I have at my home on my homestead, so they were no cost to me, but I included the store-bought cost for each ingredient in this meal plan so it should be a pretty accurate cost analysis.

Salsa Chicken

• 2 Chicken breasts
• 2 C Salsa
• 1 C water

Instructions

• Place chicken in crock pot. Pour salsa on top of chicken.
• Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
• Serve with rice or riced cauliflower. Top with extra salsa, cheese and sour cream.

Now, let’s talk about this really easy and delicious salsa chicken recipe. It’s very simple to put together—all you have to do is put a couple of chicken breasts in the crock pot, cover them with your favorite salsa, add a little bit of water to the bottom of the crock pot, put the lid on, and allow it to cook for about 4 hours on high or maybe 6 hours on low. This is a simple recipe that makes dinner time so easy. It’s also full of nutrition, so this is a really good place for us to start on our meal plan.

Sausage and Kraut

• 2 pkg keilbassa sausage, or equivalent
• 1 32 oz sauerkraut
• 1 TBS olive oil

Instructions

• Heat oil in iron skillet. Slice sausage. Place in hot pan and cook until most sides are browned. Add sauerkraut, juice and all. Cook, uncovered, until most of the moisture is removed.
• Serve with green beans and your choice of fruit.

This next meal might be a bit controversial when it comes to nutrition, but I love a good sausage and kraut dinner, so I’m including it because it’s a good protein source and, if you use the right kind of kraut, it’s very good for your gut health.

I was busy with Chris on an outside project this evening, so Kelsey made dinner, which I really appreciated. You’ll get to see her at work in the kitchen.

For this meal, I used two packages of kielbasa sausage and one large container of sauerkraut. She just sliced them up and cooked them in an iron skillet.

While we were eating, she said she wished she had cooked them a little longer. I really like to cook the sausage until most of it is browned on both sides before I add the kraut—it just adds more flavor and allows the flavors to meld together better.

She did a really good job, and it tasted great. She also cooked up some canned green beans, which are inexpensive but serve as a really good side dish, and she cut up some watermelon, so this was a nice, well-rounded meal. The total cost was right at $1 per serving, which is excellent.

Vegetarian Rice and Bean Bowls

• 2 C Rice, prepared
• 2 C Beans, prepared
• lettuce, chopped
• tomatoes, diced
• cilantro, chopped
• cheese, shredded
• sour cream
• salsa

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve warm.

Next up, let’s talk about these vegetarian rice and bean bowls. I’m going to use my Instant Pot a lot for this meal.

First, I’m going to cook my black beans—I’ll add about 2 cups of beans and 8 cups of water, seal my Instant Pot, and turn it on to cook on the bean setting for 1 hour. After the hour is up, the beans are ready.

I like to put my beans in a sandwich bag, try to get out all the air, and then pack them into the freezer. This is a very easy way to have black beans on hand without having to spend the extra money on canned beans. This ends up being very inexpensive per serving and provides a healthy protein for this meal.

After I finish with the beans, I’m going to clean the Instant Pot and make my rice in there as well—just add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. This is a very simple way to make really good, fluffy rice every time. I usually don’t cook rice well enough or don’t add enough water, but this method makes it foolproof.

Now that I’ve prepped all my ingredients, I’m ready to put my bowl together. My ingredients for this meal are the rice and beans we made in the Instant Pot, some chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and cilantro. I also have some salsa and sour cream.

So, there are quite a few ingredients for this meal, but it is still very inexpensive per serving. After calculating the cost of each item, the meal ends up being 76 cents per serving. It’s hard to beat that for a dinner packed with vegetables, nutrients, and great taste.

Chicken Salad

• 2 C cooked chicken
• 1 C mayo
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 C grapes, chopped
• 1/2 C walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 C cranberries
• 1/2 C dill pickles, chopped
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve on HMS bread

Next up, I thought I’d talk about making some chicken salad sandwiches, again with the delicious bread. A loaf of bread at the store has gotten so expensive—I think the average cost I see nowadays is about $4 per loaf. I can’t believe they charge that price for a regular loaf of bread.

When I think about making bread at home for about 50 cents or less, for a healthier loaf, it’s amazing. The work time on making your own loaf is maybe 20-25 minutes. You do have to be around to go to the next step, but the active work time is less than 30 minutes, and I think that’s worth it.

This bread pairs well with the chicken salad recipe that I use, which is very simple—just chicken, mayo, mustard, onions, celery, salt, and pepper. I get the chicken breasts when they’re on sale and keep them in the freezer for easy use.

I recently found a 10 lb bag of chicken at Aldi for just $5.74, which was such a great find! I know these bags are available at Walmart, but I hadn't seen them at Aldi in the last two years. This discovery was perfect timing for my budget video, as it made the meals I'm sharing much more affordable.

I cooked all the meat in the Instant Pot for about an hour and a half, and it came out perfectly. Not only did I end up with three meals' worth of chicken, but I also got a gallon of chicken broth that I can use in a variety of recipes. So, this $5.74 really stretched a long way, providing my family with high-protein food at a very low cost.

Now that I’ve stored the broth, it’s time to separate the chicken from the bones. I’ll do that quickly, then prepare some chicken salad for our sandwiches for the next meal. I’m using one-third of the chicken for this chicken salad. I’ll chop up an apple and some grapes using my trusty chopper. I know I’ve mentioned it a million times, but it really is handy—chopping apples and grapes would take forever otherwise. I did try it on nuts, though, and it's definitely not made for that—it just makes a mess, so don’t try it.

I’ll add a bit of lemon juice, about a tablespoon or two of sugar, and a quarter cup of cranberries. I made the mayonnaise myself with avocado oil and eggs—stay tuned for a future video where I’ll share that recipe.

Taco Soup

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 lg cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 pkg frozen corn
• 2 C rice, prepared (optional)
• 2 C black beans, prepared
• 2 TBS cumin
• 2 TBS chili powder
• 1 TBS paprika
• 2 TBS dill weed
• 2 TBS salt
• 1/4 C dry milk powder

Brown ground beef. Remove any excess grease. Add all other ingredients. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Can also be cooked in the crockpot.

Next, let’s talk about taco soup. I know I talk about it a lot, and I’m sorry if it sounds repetitive, but sometimes you just need those go-to meals that are not only inexpensive but also filling and nutritious. Taco soup is one of those meals for me. I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make a pot of taco soup. Even though it's getting warm and isn't exactly soup season anymore, this meal is still a great option, even in the hot summer months.

I start with a pound of ground beef, which costs around $5 in my area. I know that might increase the cost, but the nutritional value and the fact that it makes a lot of servings mean you get a lot out of that $5. I add a lot of seasoning for flavor, and this time I also added corn and rice to stretch the meal further and increase the servings. I throw in some of my black beans too, which boosts the protein content. This makes a really substantial meal for dinner and is also perfect for lunch. This pot of soup makes at least 12, maybe even 15 servings, so you get a lot out of this one meal.

BBQ Baked Potatoes

• 2 C chicken
• 2 C bbq sauce
• Cover chicken with bbq sauce and cook in crock pot for 4-6 hours.
• 1 potato per person
• oil
• salt
• butter
• sour cream
• cheddar cheese, shredded

Wash potatoes. Coat with oil, Pierce with fork. Salt, if desired. Bake in oven at 400F for 60-90 minutes. Serve topped with bbq chicken and desired toppings

Lastly, let's talk about barbecue baked potatoes. I love how simple and easy this meal is to put together. It has all the comfort food elements with zero effort. I just put the chicken in the crock pot with a bit of barbecue sauce and then prepare the potatoes. I like to oil the potato skins, poke holes to prevent them from exploding in the oven, salt the skins, and bake them for about an hour to an hour and a half at 400°F. You can also cook the potatoes in the microwave or Instant Pot if you want to keep your house cooler in the summer.

Ham and Egg Casserole

• 1/2 loaf HMS bread, cubed
• 2 C ham, chopped
• 8 oz shredded cheese
• 6 eggs, scrambled
• 2 C milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper, Oil 9x13 baking dish. Cube bread and place in the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle ham and cheese. Add egg mixture. Bake at 350F for 35 mins, or until eggs are set.

II ran out of time to create this recipe, but if you include it, you’ll have a full seven days' worth of dinners. You can use all the leftovers for lunch, and there were plenty for our family. The breakfasts I showed you at the beginning should carry you through and give you a well-balanced, well-rounded meal plan that will allow you to feed your family for about $2 a day.

I hope you enjoyed today’s video. If you know someone who could benefit from it, please share it with them. Also, I’d love to hear your favorite frugal meal recipes in the comments below—I’m always looking for great ideas. Thank you again for watching today. Have a wonderful week, I love you, and I’ll see you next time!