Grocery shopping can be both an exciting and intimidating experience. People whirling around with their shopping carts. Tons of labels flashing with discounts. Not to mention the failed attempts of sticking to a shopping list and then ending up with a higher grocery bill each time. But, that’s why I’ve curated a mini list of food items that are delicious and can give you the most bang for your buck!
Black Beans (dried)
Any kind of dried beans or lentils are lifesavers. You can get roughly 3 cups of black beans out of one bag of dried black beans. That should only cost you approximately $1.75. I prefer dried because they will be cheaper than the cans. Although dried beans will take a little extra time and effort to cook. But, if you make them in bulk, it provides for an excellent filling topping for any meal. You can make anything with black beans. Just to name a few:
- Black Bean quesadilla
- Black bean Enchiladas
- Black bean burgers
- Black bean bowls
- Black beans on salads
Canned Chickpeas
Another bean that is honestly very cheap and versatile about .75 cents a can. You can use these in a lot of things as well. Also the chickpea water, aquafaba, can also be used within cooking.
Here are some items you can make with chickpeas:
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Hummus
- Chickpea topped salad
- Chickpea “meatballs”
- Stews
- Chickpea curry
- Chickpea patty
- Chickpea brownies (wild right?)
Things to make with aquafaba:
- Simple meringues
- Chocolate Mousse
- Mayo
- Pizza Crust
Tortillas
You can buy a pack of these for like $2.50. They are great for group dinners too.
You can make a lot with tortillas, plus they pair well with the black beans you just got.
- Enchiladas
- Burritos
- Quesadillas
- Breakfast burritos
- Tortilla chips
- Taquitos
- Tortilla lasagna
Pita bread
This is a new discovery for me. Pita bread is super filling and is very cheap. It’s about $1.99. Some things you can make with it:
- Pita Chips
- Gyros/ Wraps
- Pita Pizza
- Dip it in a soup
- Use it as a crouton in salad
Green peppers
I know what you’re thinking. FINALLY some fresh produce! Yes. Green bell peppers are the way to go! The cost of these sometimes depends on weight, but I would estimate .75 cents. They can be added to anything and provide some green to your plate. Here are some simple things you can make with bell peppers:
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Fajita
- Add them to omelets
- Roasted bell peppers
Limes
This will forever and always be the cheapest thing on your list. Only about .50 cents each. You can also buy them in bulk in a bag and that may also decrease the cost per lime. Although limes aren’t necessarily a substantial food, they do add flavor! Things you can add lime to just because, why not?
- Lime water
- Key lime pie (yum!)
- Add lime juice to Mexican food
- Add lime juice for acidity to soups/ foods
Eggs
I had to add one item with protein to this list. One dozen of eggs should cost about $1.17. It is hard for me to express how many things you can do with eggs. It’s a basic ingredient and can be cooked in so many ways. The coolest part about eggs is that depending on how you denature the proteins within eggs, they will taste completely different and have a different texture. I find that super cool. So, here are some basic things to do with eggs.
- Scrambled eggs
- Omelets
- Boiled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs
- Poached eggs
- Bake a pastry
- Shakshuka
- Quiche