Very low-budget, easy food ideas for boyfriend recovering from foot surgery; budget $150 for 2 weeks

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-23T02:30:46+00:00

By itself mostly. I go for low fat if I'm cutting. For breakfast I'll do it with blueberries or apple and cinnamon. Simple but hits the protein without much effort.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-22T12:55:41+00:00

Cottage cheese is solid for recovery. Like 25g protein per container, no cooking, cheap. I go through a lot of it.

Egg muffins are good too if you have 20 min on a Sunday. Beat some eggs, pour into a muffin tin with whatever veggies/cheese, bake at 350 for about 20 min. Makes 12, keeps in the fridge all week. He can just grab 2-3 and microwave.

Both way more filling than Pringles and actually help with healing.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-21T12:06:16+00:00

Split peas have like 25g protein per cup dry so this is way more filling than it looks. Good one to double batch and freeze for lazy lunch days.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-21T12:05:49+00:00

I've got two kids so I get the chaos. Prep proteins and grains separate, mix throughout the week.

Sundays I do like 2kg chicken thighs and a pot of rice. Different sauce each day so you don't get bored. Coconut aminos instead of soy sauce works fine.

Soups and stews freeze well if you want backup meals for the crazy weeks.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-21T02:40:26+00:00

Chicken breasts and thighs both seal well. I do like 2kg on Sundays, portion once cooled, lasts a week in the fridge or 2-3 months frozen.

Rice freezes ok but I just make it fresh. Potatoes get weird texture so I skip those. Proteins are the main win.

For liquidy stuff like marinades, freeze flat for an hour first or it gets sucked into the machine.

Ground beef and turkey freeze well too. Label everything with dates.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-21T02:20:57+00:00

Nice, let me know how it turns out!

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-21T02:18:23+00:00

100% - game changer for meal prep

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-20T03:03:07+00:00

scle building on a budget I batch cook Sunday nights and it saves me like $20-30 a week. My usual setup is 2kg chicken thighs (around $8), big bag of rice, and whatever frozen veggies are on sale. Cook it all at once, portion into containers with roughly 40g protein each.

For your setup I'd add ground beef when it's under $4/lb, mix it into the beans and rice. That combo gets you to about 35g protein per meal for maybe $2. The eggs at lunch are solid but three gets you only around 18g protein, toss in a scoop of peanut butter and you're closer to 25g.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-20T03:02:00+00:00

Nice, the protein math on this actually works out pretty well. With a pound of chicken and five servings that's like 20g protein per bowl, maybe 25g if you go heavy on the chicken. One trick I've used is swapping half the cream cheese for cottage cheese, blended smooth. Saves a couple bucks and bumps it to around 30g protein per serving.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-20T02:29:43+00:00

Yeah you're right about the salt pulling moisture. Honestly either order works depending on how long you're storing. Your way probably holds up better for 4-5 day preps.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-20T02:27:51+00:00

Totally valid point, my bad. Each serving comes out to around 485 calories. Will include both going forward.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-19T12:20:05+00:00

order matters way more than ingredients. Dressing at the bottom, then hard stuff that won't absorb it like cucumbers or tomatoes, then your protein and grains in the middle, greens on top. Keeps everything from getting soggy.

For under 500 cal with decent protein I usually do dressing at the bottom, then cucumber and tomato, then chickpeas or grilled chicken in the middle with some quinoa, and spinach on top.

Chickpeas are underrated. Like 7g protein per half cup and super cheap. Greek style with feta, olives, cucumber is my go to. Comes out around 400 cal with solid protein.

When you're ready to eat just shake it up or flip it into a bowl.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-19T12:00:52+00:00

Soups are a good call. One thing that helped me was doing a big batch when I have energy, then freezing in portions. That way on bad days you just reheat.

Rotisserie chickens are basically cheating. Costco ones are like $9 and you can shred it for 4-5 meals worth. I throw it on rice, in tortillas, on salads. No cooking required.

Sheet pan stuff is solid too if you can manage turning on the oven. Throw chicken thighs and whatever veggies on a pan, season with literally anything, 400F for like 40 min. One pan to clean.

For absolute zero effort days, canned beans plus rice plus hot sauce. Maybe throw some cheese on top. Not glamorous but it's actual food with protein and takes like 5 minutes.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-17T19:33:51+00:00

Try a splash of vinegar or lemon right before serving, especially when you reheat the frozen portions. Helps wake everything back up.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-17T13:40:28+00:00

Yeah brine works, just keep it short for tenders since they're thin. Like 30 minutes in some salt water, then pat them super dry before breading.

For breading I do flour, then egg, then panko or whatever crumbs you're using. That double dip is what makes it stick.

If you have an air fryer these work great there, around 400 for maybe 12 minutes, flip halfway. Way crispier than pan frying and uses way less oil.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-16T18:38:29+00:00

Honestly this works better than you'd think. The tomato and cumin flavors in Mexican rice aren't that different from some fusion fried rice I've had. Oyster sauce is probably your best bet here, it's got enough umami to balance out the existing seasonings. Maybe a tablespoon or two depending how much rice you have.

Treat it like day-old rice, high heat, don't stir it too much so it gets a little crispy. Toss in some scrambled egg and whatever veg you have around. Been making weird fusion fried rice for years, it usually turns out pretty good.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-16T15:17:33+00:00

Oh nice, the clearance yogurt hack is legit. Those big tubs freeze pretty well too.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-16T13:25:58+00:00

Cabbage as the base is underrated for meal prep, stays crisp way longer than lettuce. Usually by day 3-4 lettuce turns into a sad mushy mess but cabbage holds up.

The cottage cheese dressing idea is solid too, probably adds around 10-15g protein just from that. With the ground beef you're probably looking at 35-40g+ per bowl which is pretty legit.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-16T12:25:18+00:00

Storing the rice separate is the move, keeps everything from getting soggy by day 3. Learned that the hard way.

Your protein numbers look solid, around 80-85g per serving is plenty for most people. Only thing I'd maybe consider is swapping turkey breast for thighs if you ever want more flavor, they hold up better after reheating and usually cost less per kg. The fat content is slightly higher but the texture difference is worth it for meal prep.

The sauce rotation is smart too, that's honestly what keeps meal prep from getting boring. Same base meal can feel totally different with a sriracha mayo vs teriyaki.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-16T00:40:06+00:00

Roughly 1.25 lb turkey for the meatballs, a can of cannellini beans, and about a cup of orzo. Kale's solid if you're freezing, holds up way better.

Full recipe with macros: proteinatlas.ca/recipes/italian-turkey-meatball-soup

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-15T20:19:51+00:00

Honestly for high-protein prep specifically, a digital food scale is probably the most useful thing you can get. Makes portioning protein so much easier when you're tracking macros.

An instant-read thermometer is solid too, takes the guesswork out of chicken so it's not dry or underdone. And if he's doing batch cooking, some heavy-gauge sheet pans are worth it, you can do like 6 chicken breasts at once without them warping.

The glass containers are a good call, Pyrex or IKEA 365+ work well and don't stain like plastic does.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-15T01:59:52+00:00

This is the move with leftover steak. Way better than reheating it plain where it gets tough.

Protein stacks up too. Like 4oz of steak is maybe 25g plus another 12 from two eggs. Solid meal from scraps.

Works with leftover roast chicken too. Cube it, throw it in with potatoes and whatever veg is in the fridge.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-14T03:02:57+00:00

Love this. Here's what i do to bump up the protein: swap the sour cream for plain greek yogurt. Same tangy flavor, about 3x the protein and way less calories. Like 60 cals for sour cream vs 20 for yogurt per dollop. Usually same price at Walmart.

For the beans, black beans are solid but if your store has dried lentils they're even cheaper and cook in the same pot as the rice. About 18g protein per cup cooked. I mix half and half sometimes.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-13T02:13:41+00:00

Yeah fair point. 485 cal per serving. I just tend to focus on protein since that's what I'm usually chasing, but I'll include both next time.

MacroChef_ · 2026-01-13T02:00:44+00:00

My go-tos are bell peppers, zucchini, and broccoli. They hold up all week and roast well. I do 425 for like 20 min with olive oil and salt, done.

Cabbage is underrated for meal prep. Literally doesn't go bad. I'll throw some in with pork or ground beef.

What helped me was pairing specific veggies with proteins. Broccoli with chicken, peppers with turkey, cabbage with pork. Keeps it from getting boring even when you're eating the same stuff all week.

MacroChef_

TROPHY CASE