Chicken and broccoli stuffed shells is also a really good meal that can go a long way, you can make the filling and portion it into baggies for filling your shells later:
Motzarella, either loaf or pre-grated. As much as you like. When I make a batch I usually use either half a large loaf or a whole little one.
Parmesan cheese, I buy the less expensive Kroger brand.
Tomato sauce/marinara- I buy the Hunts sauce, you get allot of sauce for not allot of money.
Bargain Alfredo sauce- Again I use the Kroger stuff. Itâs inexpensive and tasty.
Chicken breast- I use three, when I make this Iâm making it to stretch. My husband and I usually eat one chicken breast between the two of us. So thatâs approximately three meals worth of protein for two people, also cut with other things which will make it go further.
A baggie of frozen broccoli- I like the kind with florets and ends, since itâs less expensive but you still get nutrition.
Pasta of your choice- I like the large shells but this filling/topping can go with whatever you like.
Cook your chicken breasts in the oven to safe temp, I season them with onion & garlic powder and some pepper. When they are done, let them rest for 5-10 min so you donât burn the crap out of your fingers.
While they do that, you can grate your cheese and mix all the ingredients OTHER than the chicken, Parmesan and the shells. You will need a big bowl or Dutch oven or something of that nature.
When your ingredients are together and your chicken is now safe to handle without burning yourself, cut it up! Small bite-size pieces will integrate better. Toss it in your mix!
Now, here is where you can choose what to do, you can just freeze the chicken mix in portions you like, or you can put it in shells and THEN freeze.
For two people Iâll take the little recyclable loaf-pans from the baking section and sort my uncooked shells into them. If youâre cooking for one, you might be able to find even smaller ones. However, youâd probably be better off buying some Ramekins if you donât have any and just freezing the filling.
Fit as many shells as you can without layering them. Then, fill/cover in sauce. You donât want any pasta exposed. But you also want your filling to stretch, so if you have extra, you can come back and add more on top. When you have them prepped, you can cover them freeze.
When I go to cook them, I pull them out the freezer, put the oven on 400 and bake them for an hour.
If you just froze the filling and want to make -single serve/small portions you can cook a shell or two aldente (after thawing the filling in the fridge) and put it in a oven safe bowl or ramekin. Fill as above and bake on 375 for about 30 min or so.
When your meals are plated, sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy.
PS: always use a food thermometer to make sure your eats are up to safe eating temp! Foodborne illness suuuuucks.
If you can swing it, buy eggs in bulk! They are amazing filler food to have on hand, and are very useful!
I buy five dozen eggs for $9-10 USD about every month/month and a half. They can be eaten alone, such as boiled/poached/fried/scrambled or in combination with so many other things!
Sliced boiled egg in ramen, scramble and egg for homemade fried rice, you can have eggs over toast or IN toast (eggs in a basket/hole in ones). You can make French toast, you can add an egg to tuna salad, you can make scrambled egg grilled cheese. You can make fried potatoes and have an egg for your protein! I like making a sunny side up and putting it over my bowl of âtatoes, so that the yolk will run down.
Omelettes galore! Get a baggie of the cheap frozen vegetables (a Normandy or California mix is what I like) -or an even less expensive can of tinned mixed veggies-when you go to make your omelette and toss them in as filling with some cheese.
Also- donât be afraid to go to your local food bank. If you need help, you need help. Go to bargain grocery stores if you can, like Grocery Outlet. Live near seasonal farm stands/farms that sell their own produce? Donât be afraid to ask if they will sell you the ugly but still edible produce at a discount if they still have it. The worst they can say is âNoâ and you never know if you donât ask.
