Description
Let's be honest here, we're in a recession, and it's hitting all of us hard. Inflation, shrinkflation, stagflation, whatever you want to call it; everything is shrinking our wallets. So today I'm meal prepping 8 meal for under $1 each.
It combines some of the cheapest and most nutritious ingredients I can think of. Dried beans for fiber, protein, carbs, iron, and folate. Cabbage for fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K. And peanut butter for healthy fats, protein, and manganese.
It combines some of the cheapest and most nutritious ingredients I can think of. Dried beans for fiber, protein, carbs, iron, and folate. Cabbage for fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K. And peanut butter for healthy fats, protein, and manganese.
Time
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Rest Time:
8 hours
Cook Time:
16 hours
Total Time:
24 hours
15 minutes
Cost
Total Cost:
Cost per Serving:
$0.98
Ingredients
Serving(s)
Beans
- 1 batch Slow Cooker Dried Beans
Cabbage
- 4 lb Cabbage
Rest
- 28 oz can Crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup Natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup Chili powder
- 2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Onion powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin, ground
End
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
Cook Mode Off: Prevents screen dimming
- 2 pm
Add your 1 lb (454 g) dried beans to a large bowl with 5 cup (1,200 g) water and 1 tbsp (18 g) salt. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
Cut your cabbage into a medium dice. Refrigerate so it's ready for the morning (step 3). - 10 pm
Drain the soaking liquid. Add the beans to your slow cooker with 3 cups (720 g) water and 1 tsp (6 g) salt. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- 6 am
Add your cabbage, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, and spices (chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin) to the slow cooker. Mix to fully combine everything. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- 2 pm
Remove from the heat, and finish with lemon juice. Divide into 8 servings, about 500 g each.
Notes
- I have a 7 qt slow cooker, and it was an extremely tight squeeze to fit all 4 lb of raw cabbage into the pot. I found it easiest to mix it in using a combination of my hands wearing kitchen gloves and a silicone spatula. Slowly mix for about 10 minutes, and you'll eventually have everything all combined.
While it seems like an excess amount of cabbage when raw, the cabbage will cook down; see the before and after pictures in step 3. Cooking will also release a ton of water from the cabbage, turning this into a creamy stew instead of the drier cabbage salad it looks like when raw. - You can also use canned beans instead of dried, but that takes the cost up to $10.44 total, or $1.30 per serving. Just combine together 4 15.5 oz cans of beans (not drained or rinsed) with all the raw ingredients, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.
| Nutrient | Dried | Canned |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 503 | 510 |
| Protein | 26.0 g | 27.0 g |
| Fat | 18.1 g | 17.9 g |
| Net Carbs | 47.9 g | 42.6 g |
| Fiber | 21.2 g | 27.6 g |
| Cost (Serving) |
$0.98 | $1.30 |
| Cost (Total) |
$7.86 | $10.44 |
Nutrition Facts
------------------------------------------
Total Fat: 18.1g (23%
23 % of Daily Value (78 g)
)
Saturated Fat: 2.9g (15%
15 % of Daily Value (20 g)
)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 8.8g
Sodium: 1064mg (46%
46 % of Daily Value (2300 mg)
)
Total Carbohydrate: 69.1g (25%
25 % of Daily Value (275 g)
)
Fiber: 21.2g (76%
76 % of Daily Value (28 g)
)
Net Carbs: 47.9g
Total Sugar: 15.0g
Protein: 26.0g (52%
52 % of Daily Value (50 g)
)
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Vitamin B12: 0.0mcg (0%
0 % of Daily Value (2.4 mcg)
)
Vitamin D: 0.0mcg (0%
0 % of Daily Value (20 mcg)
)
------------------------------------------
Calcium: 257mg (20%
20 % of Daily Value (1300 mg)
)
Iron: 7.36mg (41%
41 % of Daily Value (18 mg)
)
Magnesium: 218mg (52%
52 % of Daily Value (420 mg)
)
Potassium: 1877mg (40%
40 % of Daily Value (4700 mg)
)
:
:
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:
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33.6
:
22.5
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:
9.5
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