These days everyone needs to think about being frugal in the kitchen.
A great way to be frugal when cooking for your family is to spend time finding creative ways to bulk up your family’s meals with inexpensive additions.
9 Cheap Ways to Bulk Up Family Meals
1. Bulk up on vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables in the summertime can be fairly cheap and even available in your own backyard if you have a garden.
Opting to bulk up on produce at meals can make them go further while helping to keep your family healthy which can lower your overall health costs.
2. Serve bread with meals for a filling side.
Dinner rolls, breadsticks, and biscuits are popular in restaurants and with major family meals because they are satisfying and filling.
Serving bread with your family’s meals will help fill your family up faster, so they eat less of the main dish.
3. Use rice to make meals more filling.
Rice is a great base for bulking up stews, chilli, and even soups for feeding your family, ensuring that the meal goes further and saving you money.
4. Stretch out your mince with oats.
Another great way to bulk up mince and make it more filling without adding more meat is to toss in a couple of handfuls of plain quick oats as you brown the meat.
They will soak up the grease and take on the flavour without being visible, so no one needs to know.
Related post: 85 Cheap Mince Recipes The Whole Family Will Love
5. Add eggs to meals for a protein boost.
Eggs are a cheap protein, making meals more filling and keeping you full longer than lower-protein meals.
This is a great way to bulk all meals and even snacks using hard-boiled eggs.
6. Make pancakes and quick bread more filling by adding oatmeal to the recipe.
Even a few handfuls when mixing up a ready-made batter is a great way to make frugal pancakes a more filling staple.
7. Potatoes make a cheap side that fills you up quickly.
There are so many ways to make potatoes, from classic creamy mashed potatoes to twice-baked potatoes. You are bound to find an option that will make a great addition to most lunches and dinners for your family.
8. Try serving soup as the main dish or a side.
Soups stay in the stomach longer than other liquid and have a tendency to leave you feeling fuller with less food.
Soups can be frugal and easy to make with everyday ingredients in your home.
9. Give pasta a try for making cheap filling meals.
Serving pasta as either the main dish or as a side is a great way to make a meal more filling.
Dry pasta can last for years in the pantry and can be found in gluten-free varieties, making it a great choice for families that need a safe yet frugal way to bulk up meals for less.
Related: 7 Ways to Save Money On Meat
