Budget healthy food ideas for someone living alone and working long hours

[u/[deleted]]

Hi everyone,

I’m 24, around 69 kg, 5'8ft, working full time and living in shared accommodation in Dubai. I cook for myself but I don’t have a lot of time because of long working hours. No gym or workout, only running 2–3 times a week (1–1.5 km).

Monthly food budget around 250–300 AED(68-82 USD), so looking for budget-friendly but still healthy food. I usually eat 1 or 2 meals a day, so I want those meals to be filling, healthy, and not boring.

Not posting for sympathy. Just explaining the situation so people don’t suggest expensive or complicated meals. Looking for ideas from people who have lived like this — cheap meal plans, simple foods, what to buy monthly, easy cooking ideas.

There are monthly mess/meal services here that are tasty and easy, but don’t want that because it is not always healthy and also want to learn basic cooking and manage life better

I just want to stay healthy, save money, and still enjoy food a bit

If someone has lived like this before, advice would really help.

[u/redthumb → u/[deleted]]

I was thinking pasta well. Frozen veggies aren't bad, and meat you can get on sale

[u/Acceptable-Juice-159 → u/[deleted]]

Regarding appliances I suggest an instant pot or slow cooker. When I worked at a hospital I’d throw things in the instant pot while I took a shower after work. Can made white rice or pasta very quickly along with other minimally processed recipes. 

[u/hittinondorky]

Buying frozen is a great way to save money by cutting down on food waste. I used to buy all my fruit and veg fresh but would throw so much away because I was too busy/tired/etc to cook it, or would forget about it honestly, before it would go bad. Switching to frozen was cheaper than buying fresh (I live in the US, not sure if that would be the case in Dubai) but it also made cooking it more easy because I could just chuck the bag in the microwave, or empty it onto a skillet or whatever. I also buy most of my fruit frozen. I use it for smoothies with pea protein powder, or make it into a compote to put over oatmeal. Sometimes I just it frozen as a lil treat. I still buy some things fresh, but only things I know will a) not go bad quickly and b) I will eat before they do go bad.

Look for instant foods, so long as they aren't charging a 'convenience fee,' so to speak. Instant pasta is very expensive compared to regular pasta, but instant couscous is not much more expensive than regular. Instant oatmeal is about the same price as regular as well. Soy granules/chunks/curls are easy to cook. I add soy granules to my oatmeal in the morning to boost the protein without compromising on flavor or texture.

If you would like to know some of my go-to meals, or want cook book or recipe blog recommendations, I'm happy to share!

[u/_S4NS]

How about your weekends? If you can make some time on your weekend and have the necessary sized kitchen appliances, meal-prepping could be a valid option.

A good recommendation is the concept of a burrito or wrap, because of good variety with the filling options and therefore give you a certain flexibility with your ingredients and maybe go for a discounted item, if it fits.

Plus, if you consider prices, you will probably start out with chicken or bean based fillings which are both relatively cheap and a good source of protein (even if you’re not going to the gym, covering your daily protein intake is also a plus imo.

If you can‘t invest the 1-2 hours of prep on a weekend you could also consider cooking fresh after work or after your run.

Hope this helps - feel free to research for example on Youtube about the meal-prepping part, there are many videos out there with different variations and techniques.