Budget-friendly Meals

Passover Braised Lamb with Dried Fruit

This hearty dish is a play on tsimmes, a traditional Jewish casserole. The bold flavors of North Africa and the Middle East are on display in this dish and braising the meat in red wine yields a tender cut of meat without a lot of work. You’ll find many of the ingredients in our Passover-themed weekly sale from March 25th – 31st, making this a budget-friendly meal the whole family will love.

Southern-Style Pinto Beans

Cooking with dried beans is one of our favorite ways to make food dollars stretch a mile while still having a delicious, nutritious, protein-packed meal. These organic dried pinto beans are featured in the Southern Cuisine-themed weekly sale from February 25th – March 3rd, and when paired with a few simple ingredients and very minimal effort, you can transform them into a big, hearty meal that holds its own as a main dish or as a side. Make an extra-large pot and freeze your leftovers for a no-fuss meal on a busier night, or stash into lunch-sized portions for a quick pack-and-go lunch. This is the kind of meal that is almost better on the second and third days. The flavors just seem to get richer and more robust. Enjoy over rice and/or with a fresh wedge of skillet cornbread.

Pork Dumplings

If you find pork dumplings from your favorite take-out spot irresistible, just wait until you taste this home-made version. Pork dumplings, or jiaozi, are the quintessential dish of Lunar New Year celebrations and these have everything you want in a dumpling: plump and nicely chewy, filled with tender pork, flavored with fresh ginger, green onion, and sesame oil.  Because of their resemblance to gold ingots, dumplings represent wishes of prosperity and fortune in the coming year. Making dumplings is also a group effort, so Lunar New Year celebrations are good times to get the whole family involved in making — and eating! — several batches. Whether you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year next week or stocking your freezer for a busy month ahead, these dumplings should definitely be on your list. You’ll find many of the ingredients in our Lunar New Year-themed weekly sale from February 4th – 10th, so it’s a perfect time to give them a try!

Chili

It’s Super Bowl season and regardless of your sports fan status, we think you’ll love this hearty chili recipe. It’s a simple, one-pot meal that features a handful of ingredients from the weekly sale display from January 30th – February 5th, so it’s gentle on the budget. Using dried beans requires a little more advanced preparation (soaking) and a longer cooking time, but dried beans are much more economical and the longer cook time allows much more flavor to develop.  Cook up an extra-large pot and freeze the leftovers for a busier weeknight. You’ll be so glad you did!

Red Curry Lentils

Looking for a hearty, warming one-pot meal? This one is a winner! It’s also quite versatile, so feel free to be creative with the veggies that you add to the pot. Perhaps a big handful of spinach, or some diced sweet potato? Or prepare it exactly as-is and serve over a heap of rice with buttery garlic naan. You’ll find most of the ingredients featured in our Weekly Sale from January 21st – 27th, so it’s a perfect time to give this one a try!

Thai Green Fish Curry

Looking for big, bold flavor on a short timeline? We think you’ll love this super simple one-pot Thai Green Fish Curry recipe which delivers the kind of flavor that usually takes a full day of simmering to achieve. You’ll find most of the ingredients you need in our weekly sale from January 7th – 13th, so it’s a perfect time to give this one a try!

Localvore Beef Stew

As our September Eat Local Challenge winds to a close, we’re excited to share this celebration of local ingredients known as Localvore Beef Stew. It combines many locally-grown items that you’ll find in our weekly sale from September 24th – 30th, making this a perfect budget-friendly one-pot meal. We also think you’ll love the flexibility of this recipe, as it can be a catch-all for the abundance of produce coming out of your late summer/early fall garden. That’s why you’ll find celeriac in this recipe in the place of the more traditional celery since celeriac is more likely available from a local farm this time of year and offers a very similar flavor profile. No celeriac? No problem! Just use celery, instead.

Chili

Planning a gathering for the big game?  Regardless of your sports fan status, we think you’ll love this hearty chili recipe. It’s a simple, one-pot meal that can feed a big crowd and it features a handful of ingredients from the weekly sale display from January 30th – February 5th, so it’s gentle on the budget. Using dried beans requires a little more advanced preparation (soaking) and a longer cooking time, but dried beans are much more economical and the longer cook time allows much more flavor to develop.  Cook up an extra-large pot and freeze the leftovers for a busier weeknight. You’ll be so glad you did!

Pork Dumplings

If you find pork dumplings from your favorite take-out spot irresistible, just wait until you taste this home-made version. Pork dumplings, or jiaozi, are the quintessential dish of Lunar New Year celebrations and these have everything you want in a dumpling: plump and nicely chewy, filled with tender pork, flavored with fresh ginger, green onion, and sesame oil.  Because of their resemblance to gold ingots, dumplings represent wishes of prosperity and fortune in the coming year. Making dumplings is also a group effort, so New Year celebrations are good times to get together to make — and eat! — several batches. Whether you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year with friends this week or stocking your freezer for a busy month ahead, these dumplings should definitely be on your list. You’ll find many of the ingredients in our Lunar New Year-themed weekly sale from January 23rd – 29th, so it’s a perfect time to give them a try!

Localvore Beef Stew

As our Eat Local Challenge rolls on, we’re excited to share this celebration of local ingredients known as Localvore Beef Stew. It combines many locally-grown items that you’ll find in our weekly sale from September 12th – 18th, making this a budget-friendly option. We also think you’ll love the flexibility of this recipe, as it can be a catch-all for the abundance of produce coming out of your late summer garden. That’s why you’ll find celeriac in this recipe in the place of the more traditional celery since celeriac is more likely available from a local farm this time of year and offers a very similar flavor profile. No celeriac? No problem! Just use celery, instead.