Groceries have gotten wild.

This week I saw ground beef for $12 a pound, a can of black beans for $5, and a small bag of organic rice for $14. Fourteen. At some point, food starts to feel less like a staple and more like a strategic purchase. And yet, we still have to eat — ideally something nourishing, satisfying, and within reach.

Here on the North Shore of Kauaʻi, we’ve always paid a premium. But lately, it feels like everyone I speak with across the country is feeling the same pinch. Families who never used the word budget are now charging their phones at night when electricity is cheaper, clipping coupons, and cutting back on eating out. And even without restaurants in the mix, the grocery bill keeps climbing.

So instead of spiraling, I’ve been experimenting. What actually works? How do we feed a family well — real food, balanced meals — without hemorrhaging money? What I’m discovering is that eating well doesn’t have to mean overspending. It just requires a little strategy and a shift in how we think about meals.

That’s why I’m starting a short series on how I’m keeping my whole family well-fed and sane, one budget-friendly meal at a time. In my best-selling book Heal Endo, I talk all about nutrition and how it supports the healing process from the immune system to the nervous system (and every system in between). And in budgeting, I’ve learned we don’t have to cut out healing for the sake of making ends meet. We simply need to be creative :) Today, let’s talk about actual meals.

The Cheapest Meal You’ve Never Tried: Dosas for the Win

If you’ve never made dosas, I promise you — they’re life-changing.

These crispy, savory (or you could do sweet) pancakes are made from soaked lentils and white rice blended into a smooth batter. You let it sit on the counter to lightly ferment (which also breaks down phytates, making it more digestible), then cook it like pancakes in a drizzle of olive oil.

It’s one of the most budget-friendly breakfast, lunch, or dinner recipes imaginable — packed with fiber, minerals, and complete protein, and naturally gluten-free.

I make a batch of batter on Sunday and use it all week: breakfast dosas with scrambled eggs, lunch wrapped around leftovers, or dinner with sautéed frozen veggies, soy sauce, and sausage.You can add herbs, spices, or even a spoonful of cream cheese for richness. It’s versatile, nourishing, and ridiculously cheap. Use it like a flatbrad, pancake

dosas can be more like pancakes with thick batter, or thin wraps more like crepes with thinner batter

Here's another thing I do for the kiddos: make "pigs in a blanket" out of doses and 100% grass fed hot dogs (they're cheap at Costco, I promise).

Here's how:

Rinse 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of lentils, then soak them in water for 8 hours.
Drain but save soaking water.
Blend the soaked lentils and rice with 1/2 tsp salt and just enough soaking water to make a batter consistency (not too runny, not too thick)
Put on the counter to ferment for 12-24 hours, then cook like a pancake

Cheap Meal Idea That Actually Tastes Good: Tomato Sauce to the Rescue

Forget fancy condiments (super pricey atm)— one secret to delicious, super cheap meals is tomato sauce.

Tomatoes are packed with antioxidants, and cooking them makes those nutrients even stronger. Buying jars of spaghetti sauce or canned tomatoes in bulk (for me, at Costco) saves a fortune and gives you endless options for cheap meal ideas.

It’s my go-to base for everything: Italian night, Mexican rice bowls, Moroccan chickpea stew, or just something to spoon over a fried egg when I can’t be bothered. Seriously, tomatoes are used all around the worse as a base in many dishes, from Indian to Italian. Ugandan to Portugal. So you can really mix up a lot of dishes using cheap tomato sauces as a base.

You can pour tomato sauce over roasted veggies, brown rice, or cooked ground beef, with a dash of hot sauce for a quick stir-fry kinda thing. Add herbs, garlic, and sea salt and you’ve got dinner in minutes.

If you need a budget friendly meal, tomato sauce is your best friend — simple, satisfying, and deeply adaptable.

Homemade Bread, and Maybe a Grilled Cheese

When gluten-free bread hit $14 a loaf on Kauaʻi, I decided to rebel — by baking my own.

homemade bread is cheaper for budget meals — Homemade bread looks like this! Tastier and cheaper and more nutritious - win win win.

To do so, I actually invested in a grain mill. I know, I know, not inexpensive (I bought the $400 mockmill here and don't regret it). Honestly, if you decide to bake a lot to save money, it does pay off. Now I buy organic grains like teff, amaranth, millet, sorghum, and buckwheat (can get atwww.nuts.com)and grind them fresh to make delicious homemade gluten-free bread -- and it saves us money by not buying expensive (and nutrient-poor, tbh) store-bought loaves.

Conversely, you can buy flour and make your own bread too. It's not as hard as you think!

This is my favorite recipe, although I currently sub out the starch and use only grain flours. But you do you.

My kids like my homemade bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, comfort food that actually comforts.

Scrambled Eggs, Corn Tortillas, and Hot Sauce: The $2 Meal That Saves

Sometimes, the cheapest meal is also the best.

When I need something fast and affordable for the fam, I grab a few corn tortillas, a couple of scrambled eggs, and a splash of hot sauce or soy sauce. Add black beans or pinto beans, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and green onions, and it’s a full, complete meal that costs less than a latte.

For extra texture and antioxidants, toss in some sliced raw bell peppers or apples on the side — both stretch the meal without spending much. For veggies, add a side salad.

You can of course add sour cream or tomato sauce, or top it with a fried egg and a sprinkle of diced onion and garlic powder for extra flavor.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s deeply satisfying, healthy, and, well, affordable.

Beans and Rice: The Slow Cooker’s Best Friend

There’s a reason every culture has its version of beans and rice. They’re cheap, nourishing, and form a complete protein (although to be clear, they're not considered high in protein, but the balance still counts), and together they can keep you full for hours.

My problem here on Kaua`i is that organic rice is a million dollars a bag, right up there with canned beans at half a million. What I do now is buy rice in 25# bags instead of 1# portions (which saves a ton of money), and then break it down into large mason jars--I have to do this because we live in the tropics, maybe yours can stay in the bag just fine. Then I buy dried beans in bulk.

I throw everything in the crock pot: dried rice, dried beans, some diced onion, a spoonful of taco seasoning, maybe some ground beef or ground pork, and let the slow cooker do the work.

Sometimes I’ll stir in a little mushroom soup for creaminess or lemon juice and sesame oil for brightness.

By dinner, you have a rich, hearty stew that smells amazing and costs maybe $5 total.
It’s one of those easy meals that feels old-fashioned in the best way.

Pro tip: cook extra and use the leftover rice for a ramen noodle stir fry later in the week.

Crock Pot Magic: Turning Basic Ingredients Into Comfort Food

A crock pot or Instant pot does the work for you by slowly melding flavors.

If there’s one kitchen gadget that saves both my time and sanity, it’s my Instant Pot (you can also use a crock pot or slow cooker — they’re twins). If you’re trying to save money, an Instant Pot or slow cooker is the secret to stretching your food dollars without sacrificing taste. I use mine every week without fail.

I’ll toss in cooked frozen organic vegetables, diced tomatoes, or green cabbage with a splash of olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Moreover, I add the cheaper cuts of meat that are known as the chewier bits (because they have more connective tissue). But, if you braise or slow-cook them, that tissue becomes gelatin-rich stock, adds glycine, and becomes melt in your mouth. Examples include bone-in chuck roast, beef short ribs, pork shoulder, lamb neck, and oxtail. They’re generally priced lower than trimmed tenderloin or ribeye, so a win win.

If you’re looking for something creamy, you can add cream cheese or mushroom soup for richness.

This is how I keep meal prep budget friendly — one pot, pantry staples, and very little effort.

💛 Final Thoughts: Abundance Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

When you slow down and cook simply — soaking lentils, baking bread, simmering soup — you start to remember that nourishment does NOT have to be about $28 almond butter (for realz, how can we afford that anymore?).

Eating healthy can look like cheap recipes, humble beans and rice, or a warm bowl of melt-in-your-mouth soup made from frozen vegetables and rough cuts of meat. You don’t need to chase superfoods when a pot of cooked beef with tomato sauce, black beans, and frozen spinach will feed a hungry family better than any takeout.

In my next post, I will chat all about grocery shopping on a shoestring.