Meal prep on a budget » under €2 / $2 meals - YouTube

Today we're making some delicious recipes all of which are under two euros each

The pick up line studio is based in the Netherlands

So when we do our grocery shopping everything comes out to be in euros

So every recipe we're making today is just under two euros per serving which is about two US

dollars per

serving and every recipe serves four people in total or four servings in total so you can enjoy with a whole family or you can

meal prep batch-make this stored in some containers to enjoy it for lunch or dinner in the days that follow

We also always try to make sure that our recipes are balanced when it comes to veggies and grains and plant proteins

So we've thought about it so that hopefully you don't have to. We will read a little disclaimer though before we jump in, I fully recognize that

ingredients are gonna cost either more or less depending on which country you live in or which grocery store you shop at

Everything we're sharing today just comes from the local grocery store that we do our shopping at but more than anything

This is just a fun exercise for us to see which delicious meals we can make while keeping our eyes on the price

Now without further due, let's get started on making the recipes for the first recipe

We're making a comforting hearty and protein packed full of macaroni chili first up

We're gonna cook two cups or about 285 grams worth of macaroni until it's al dente here

We're using some whole-wheat macaroni just to make it a bit more wholesome

But feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand while the noodles are cooking

We're gonna dice 1 medium onion almonds 2 cloves of garlic

We're gonna peel and dice 2 medium carrots deseed and dice one red bell pepper

And then we're gonna drain and rinse one can of kidney beans

to a large pot on medium-high heat we're gonna add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and when it's hot

We're gonna add the onions and garlic and saute it until the onions have softened which is gonna take about 3 to 5 minutes

To the pot. We're then gonna add a 400 gram can of diced tomatoes and then we're gonna fill that can up with water

It's gonna be about 400 milliliters worth of water just to rinse out the camera gonna add that to the pot as well

We're gonna spoon in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 1

vegetable bouillon cube and a teaspoon each of hot chilli powder paprika powder salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of

Ground black pepper and give it a stir and once it's bubbling away

We're gonna add one and a half cups or two hundred grams worth of a soy veggie ground

and at this stage

We'll also add in that diced carrot the bell pepper and the kidney beans

We're gonna stir it let this cook until the carrots of softened

We're just gonna take about five to eight minutes or so by now

The pasta should be done cooking

And in fact, you might want to try to stop it just before it's al dente because we're gonna drain it

We're gonna add it to the pot

We're gonna cook it for another minute or two along with three cups or about a hundred grams worth of spinach

We're gonna stir everything together and after a couple minutes when the spinach has

Wilted, we're gonna remove it from the heat and serve it up

This recipe makes 4 large serving sizes or 6 smaller ones depending on your appetite if you'd like

you can add an optional sprinkle of chopped up chives for garnish and here we're adding a little sprinkle of sea salt -

As if pasta and chili weren't already comforting and delicious dishes enough on their own we've gone ahead and made it a lovechild

It's filling warm protein packed with both the soy veggie ground and the kidney beans

Pack away any extras that you have in some airtight containers to enjoy as meal prep in the coming days

the grand total for this recipe is one euro and

Forty cents and if you want to include the optional chives the total comes to one euro and fifty cents

Next up. We're making a tofu Vietnamese sub called Bami

We're gonna begin with a four hundred and fifty gram block of tofu

Gently squeezing it with our hands to remove as much liquid as possible

So we get our tofu from an Asian supermarket

we try to go like twice a month just to stock up on things like soy sauce and edamame and

Coconut milk tofu spices because you tend to be able to get a larger volume for a lesser price

So that's a little tip if you're looking to save some money

Well now Finley slice that press tofu into half centimeter or quarter-inch thick slices into a shallow dish

We're gonna add three cloves of crushed garlic 2 tablespoons of a sodium reduced soy sauce 2 teaspoons of sugar here

We're using raw sugar 2 teaspoons of stretch of hot sauce

Or you can use another hot sauce if you'd like and then we're gonna add a teaspoon of sesame oil

And half of a lime that's been juiced then give it all the whisk and once it's mixed

We're gonna add the tofu slices to it gently coating it in the marinade making sure to coat both sides

And then we're gonna let this sit to the side while we make some pickled carrots

We're first gonna peel two medium carrots, and then we'll cut them into little

julienne strips as

Thin as matchsticks if possible

Then place that cut-up carrot into a jar and we're gonna add to it half of a cup of boiling water

half of a cup of white vinegar

One and a half tablespoons of sugar again ours is raw sugar

But any sugar will do and a teaspoon of salt then you're going to screw on the lid and give it a gentle

Shake until the sugar dissolves and then let this sit to the side while we prepare the rest of the recipe

to a large skillet on medium-high heat we're gonna add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and when it's hot

You can place the tofu slices in a single layer on the pan

you'll want to cook this for about three to five minutes or until the tofu gets nice and

Golden and crispy you can spoon any leftover marinade that you have over the top of the tofu slices

And whenever you're ready give it a flip and then cook it on the other side for another three to five minutes

While this cooks we're gonna create thin little slices out of one large cucumber

Using a potato peeler and next we're gonna get the sandwich ready

So here we're using two whole-wheat baguettes

And if it's not already crispy on the outside

You can pop it in the oven for a few minutes just to toast it up a bit

When it's cooled enough that you can handle it cut it open along the center

Traditionally white baguettes are used to make a balmy sandwich. Which would also make this more affordable

But feel free to choose whatever bread you'd like for this once you've got it cut open

We're gonna spread along the inside about two tablespoons worth of vegan mayonnaise and two teaspoons of Sriracha hot sauce

You're gonna divide that over the two baguettes and then we're gonna layer on the cooked tofu slices on top of that goes the sliced

Cucumber followed by my absolute favorite the pickled carrots and for the greens

We're adding about half of a cups worth of cilantro or coriander over the two baguettes

Plus one whole chili pepper that we're gonna thinly slice and sprinkle on the sandwiches as well

The baguettes are pretty huge once they've been filled up. So we considered a whole baguette to be two servings

Feel free to have as much or as little as you'd like these Bami sandwiches are delicious

As is with a cherry on top that makes this also delicious is serving it with a side of hoisin sauce

It is optional, but I highly highly recommend it

So for the grand total four servings of this tofu Bami sandwich

it comes up to one euro and

83 cents per serving if you choose to add the hoisin on the side that's gonna be one euro and

Eighty-seven cents each if you're looking to meal prep, by the way

you can always make the tofu ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days and

The pickled carrots can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to two weeks

That way you can make a grab-and-go sandwich whenever you need it for the final recipe

We're making a nourishing and creamy golden chana dal

I loved all recipes because they're really filling affordable easy to make for this recipe

We're gonna be using one and a half cups of channa dal, which is also known as split chickpeas

So it's this larger sized legume and because it is bigger

You're gonna want to make sure you soak this the night before that way

it speeds up the cooking time the next day when you're ready to enjoy it if you don't have this on hand or if you

You know don't want your cooking time to be longer. You could also opt for just lentils

There's yellow lentils or red lentils

They will need a little bit less water to cook in but you don't need to soak them ahead of time

The only thing is the consistency when you use lentils like these ones it's a little bit more mushy the dal which is still delicious

But I want my dal to have a bit of chew. So that's why today we're gonna be using the chana dal

We'll get started by dicing 2 medium onions will mince 4 cloves of garlic and then peel and chop a chunk of ginger

To make about 1 tablespoon worth once it's been minced and finally we're gonna mince one full red chili pepper

Reserving a few slices just for garnishing at the end a to a large pot on medium-high heat

We're gonna add a tablespoon of vegetable oil

and once it's hot

We're gonna add the onions to it and let this saute until it gets nice and lightly golden which will take about five minutes

Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan and then all at once we're gonna add the garlic ginger and chili

saute this for another two to three minutes or so until it becomes nice and

Fragrant and then we're going to drop the heat to medium at this point

We're gonna add to the pan one tablespoon of curry powder two teaspoons of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of garam masala plus half a teaspoon of salt

We're gonna cook this for about 30 seconds to a minute to allow the spices to bloom and then add to the pot 2 cups

Or 500 milliliters of boiling water one vegetable bouillon cube

And then the chana dal that was soaked overnight is make sure to drain it first rinse it before adding it to the pot

Then give this all a stir bring it to a boil and reduce it to a simmer with the lid partially covered for about 25

To 30 minutes. You want to check on it at least once or twice throughout that time just to give it a stir

So the dal doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Meanwhile, we're gonna cook some rice here

We're using one and a half cups of brown rice that we first left soak overnight

We're gonna drain it add it to a pot with two cups of water

Bring it to a boil reduce it to a simmer and partially cover it with a lid while everything is cooking

We're going to cut one cup for about 18 cherry tomatoes in half and then we're gonna dice one red as well as one yellow

Bell pepper. This is a super versatile recipe when it comes to veggies though

So add whatever you have in the fridge that you need to use up like zucchini or cauliflower broccoli spinach

Anything works with this dish going back to the legumes once they've been cooking for about 25 to 30 minutes

We're gonna add 1 can of coconut milk along with the bell peppers. Give it a mix

You're gonna cook this for 10 minutes longer with a pot

Uncovered and at this point you're gonna start to see the dal soak up more of that liquid

It's going to become a little bit thicker and at this point we can add the cherry tomatoes cook it for 5 minutes more

Before removing it from the heat to serve

Scoop some of the brown rice into a bowl and serve it alongside a generous few scoops of the dal

this hearty and filling meal comes to only one euro and

73 cents per one of four servings if you'd like

You can add some optional garnish which in our case is a drizzle of reserved coconut milk a bit of fresh

Cilantro leaves some reserved chili slices from earlier in the recipe and half of a lemon sliced and served on the side

With these optional garnishes the total for the dish comes to one euro and 99 cents

You can enjoy this meal with your whole family or if you're making it just for one pack up any extras and some airtight containers

To enjoy as lunch or dinner in the coming days. It's an easy affordable and delicious meal prep

I hope you guys enjoy this video

it's a little bit different than what we've done before with pricing things out if you did like this video if you'd like to see

More like it or if you have any requests for videos

You'd like to see feel free to share that in the comments below the full breakdown to all of the recipes as always is on

The blog those links are in the description box below

Hopefully we were able to share with you today that making a wholesome delicious meal

Doesn't have to break the bank if you did enjoyed today's video as well

It always means a lot when you take a second to give it a thumbs up. Thanks a lot for watching Pick Up Limes and signing up

We'll see you in the next video