EXTREME BUDGET CHALLENGE | TO FEED A FAMILY 

A couple of ideas: if you have a store that sells rice by weight, you could get exactly the amount for your budget. If you want a touch of cheese, you can get just one slice from the deli. A touch of taco seasoning & you can make this a different tasting dish for a different tasting budget meal on another night. Well done, Michelle!

Lentils seasoned as ground beef would be awesome in this 😋

This is honestly impressive! Usually when people say they’re doing a “2 dollar” or “5 dollar” budget meal it means they’re buying 20 dollars worth of food and saying what the cost is “per person”. You actually show people what they can get if all they have to their name is a few bucks and I appreciate that. This looks really tasty and filling!

As I’m sitting here sad and blue and missing my grandson, he’s gone for basic training with the army, up pops my favorite Sunday upload!!! You’re making my day sweet girl!! I love these videos so much. It gives me great ideas for me and my son!!!❤❤New York?? That’s crazy!! I thought it would be outrageous!!

Michelle, I love coming home from church and lunch and sitting down to watch your latest episode of budget meals. Your voice is so calming and the meals always practical and delicious. You could also add an egg to the top or mixed in for a little protein. Thanks for keeping us inspired. I hope your job is going well. Take care.

My mom made rice with onions, tomatoes and peppers. She called it Spanish rice.

Lol you use as many tomatoes and paprika as I do, also always turmeric in the rice. Normally I have beef mince with mine, like you said you would basically only need a small amount to bulk this out for carnivores! Definitely wouldn't turn my nose up at this. Great work as always Michelle.

Tomatoes aren't a pricey item here, not cheap though! But the real banger is the bell peppers. SO expensive!

I really appreciate your portion control and ingredient adherence while still creating flavorful meals. I am a single person and this is so helpful. I near very near you and it is nice to see you do it in a high cost area.

North Pole Alaska here Roma tomatoes are about $1 each, better to buy a can of tomatoes

Another great video!! Some lentils would taste amazing and add some protein.

Food pantries usually have rice and/or pasta and some veggies available. If you are down to $2.00 with a family to feed. You should pay them a visit. Then you can use your money to purchase something thing that you may need to complete a recipe.

A cup of cooked white rice is 4g of protein. Brown rice cooked is 5g protein. So if you are eating two cups of cooked rice its 8 or 10 grams of protein. Not too shabby! Add another gram or two for the veggies. I would add green or black lentils to the rice when cooking for a lttle more cost. Im too lazy to stuff peppers. I would just chop them into little pieces. I guessed Alaska🎉🏆🥇

I like these very low budget challenges, especially when simple ingredients are turned into tasty meals. It is very hard to find these kinds of ingredients with only two dollars at today's prices. Which is a very good reason for stocking up on basics when times are good. I like to make a Thai inspired singed noodle dish with angel hair pasta and a spicy homemade peanut butter sauce, with onion, garlic, ginger, and carrot. Pasta has protein and peanut butter adds even more more. Any leftover chopped meat wouldn't go amiss in a spicy recipe. Many cuisines around the world are based on inexpensive ingredients with massive amounts of flavor. It's fun to adapt them to my American tastes. Michelle has made it into a video art form... and now I'm getting hungry!

Looks delicious! 🤩😍 I haven’t made stuffed peppers in forever either! 😩

I would add lentils for protein. I make lentil tacos, lentil meatballs and lentil meatloaf. This looks delicious 😋

Thank you for actually sticking to your budget, as you always do. It's frustrating when content creators' headlines say "$2" but they consistently spend more-- $2.67 or even $2.97! The truth matters! BTW, this looks yummy!

Absolutely splendid!! Love the alternatives given, too..Thank you!

Any kind of bean or scrambled eggs would add the protien you were mentioning. Always keep dried beans around

I grew up having stuffed green peppers quite often but never with tomatoes in it. My parents baked it in tomato sauce. They didn't steam the peppers 1st either. I will definitely have to try your way. Sounds delicious.

at winco ive gotten bulk spices, just a teaspoon or so at a time, and i remember it being just pennies. this was almost 5 years ago but an option if people cant afford a whole container of spices!

I think having beans, potatoes, corn, etc later makes a complete protein right? Like they used to think you had to eat them at the same meal but then realized it’s really the same day since our bodies recycle proteins. Still wouldn’t reach the bare minimum for the day, but this looked delicious and a full tummy is all that’s needed ❤

It's amazing how many times i am making or made the same meal that you post 😅. Last nite i made unstuffed peppers with rice , green peppers , onion , small amout of ground beef and the kicker was a friends Italian spice mix she sells. The right seasoning makes all the difference. I appreciate how you season your dishes.

That's a great deal on onions!

Definitely Hawaii. Ridiculous to buy a Roma in Maui!

Roma tomato here in Cleveland Ohio is 21 cents. Great video !! If you had eggs a fried egg would be awesome on that pepper!

Great recipe as usual. Adding some rehydrated tvp would bulk it up and add protein. TVP is quite cheap to buy at the bulk store.

I haven't bought tomatoes in so long, due to my allergy becoming anaphylactic. I wish i could use them still. Its so cheap and in quite a few recipes

Bravo Michelle! This looks absolutely wonderful and filling, not to mention , delicious! The last time I made stuffed peppers, I made a thin gravy/soup which is traditional in my area. I simply thickened the tomato/chicken bouillon that I have seen you use on your channel. It was really good. I hope you know what a wonderful teacher you are and what an inspiration you are to everyone charged with feeding a family.

I think Alaska or Hawaii would be most expensive for the Roma tomato’s.

Looks delicious! Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals. Will be making some soon incorporating some of your suggestions.

I live in Australia and love watching your videos. I guessed Alaska right away. You Roma tomato’s are so cheap in America. They are very pricey here in Australia, I do grow a lot of veges myself. Always lots of tomato’s to make lots of pasta sauce and tomato soup to can. So yummy 😊 those stuffed peppers look really yummy, I like the idea of adding leftover chilli, great idea

In eastern Oregon a Roma tomato is $1.29 a pound or about $.39 each

I love cooking with tomatoes! I only wish I wasn't allergic to them.

Lentils also great protein and fiber.

The red hot original seasonal blend the powder we do not have here in Syracuse New York I have never seen that until it popped up on your screen

Great idea !!! I use rice often , fried rice , rice with cheese and brocolli , i break up spaghetti noodles and make my own rice a roni !! Thanks for all your inspiring videos !!!

Hi, would you do a budget challenge with the vegetarian meatballs from Aldi in the freezer? Please thank you I appreciate if you ever have a time because I would like to see what you make out of it I do like your recipes😊 I also live in California

Brooklyn NYC is huge, the closest Aldi is an hour (with public transportation) from my house. At our local supermarket Roma tomatoes were $3.99 today or .66 for one.

I am going to give your recipe a try. Looks good. I had some leftovers and wanted to use them up. I saw a box of wild rice and made the following... Wild Rice soup 1 box of Rice-A-Roni Wild Rice 4 cup chicken broth or water 1 T butter Left overs (I had sliced Mushrooms, cut up Broccoli, chopped up Rotisserie Chicken) Add chicken broth, butter to pot and bring to boil. Add rice box contents and stir Add left overs and stir If needed, add more water or broth than stir. Put lid on pot and turn burner to low I cooked it for 25 minutes than check rice for doneness but not mushy. If needed, add 3-5 more minutes. It was sooo yummy. Hope that it's okay to share.

I like seeing how prices compare. I can get Roma tomatoes right now for .21 each. I'm in the Southeastern U.S. I make stuffed bell peppers about once a month. A tasty and affordable meal! Thank you, Michelle, as always!

For protein, you can add one egg to it

I know it’s not a state, but in my local Walmart in Ontario Canada, one Roma tomato is estimated at 67 cents, so even more expensive than Alaska!

I use the steamer basket on the rice cooker for red potatoes. Cut them in 2" pieces and steam. Delicious!!

It's 50 cents in Seattle Washington

Not much to add.. I just like how you plated your pepper and rice mixture. It gives appearance of volume. Just a stuffed pepper on a plate doesnt have same effect of "feeding the eye". This is something I will adopt as well as steaming the pepper in the rice cooker. It saves a step over boiling them, something I dont want to do come summer. Anything to reduce heating up the house! Also just quick. I have a couple of peppers to use up, and this is going to be made today. How fun! As you mentioned, depending on budget (or what one may have already in house), there are creative ways to add extra protein. Little bit of beef and tvp crumbles, or beef and lentils, or just lentils or beans (ooh garbanzo beans!), or stir in an egg, etc. Beef bouillon amps up that meaty vibe if one needs it. As always, thanks!

Im in Florida, Roma tomatoes at Walmart are 21 cents.

Good morning Michelle, one of my favorite things to eat is stuffed peppers, I don't think I could ever get tired of eating them. Last weeks Cincinnati chili was so good, I made the recipe the day after your video. I had heard of it but never bothered to see what was in it. It was so good, my husband and I both were crazy about it. I had hotdogs and put it over that as a viewer suggested but since there was a lot left over my husband wanted it again the next day and I opted to put it over rice for myself. I was in heaven, crazy that I liked it so much, anyway I will be making that again in the near future. Now you put it in my head about over stuffed peppers. 💃💃💃💃 Thank you!! Charlotte

I just b😊ought Roma tomatoes at Aldi in Ohio .29 a pound yesterday..love them. I really enjoyed the video❤also I brown up a handful of bacon bits if I don’t want to add Gr. Beef..delicious and it cost pennies.

fresh produce is expensive in Alaska because shipping is so expensive.

New York prices are insane. Green peppers are 2.99 a pound at my supermarket. Can't recall the romas and most small onions are about a buck.

Good Video!! You mention you have another channel. How do we find that?

Chick peas would be great ❤

Roma tomatoes are 21 cents each near us right now.

Looks delicious!! Yes, go look in your couch cushions for some change and get a quarter of pound of ground turkey to add!😂

Your plated dish looks amazing!

The rate for a suburb of Flint MI for a Roma tomato is .30 today at Kroger.

Looks very tasty and budget friendly 😊🇦🇺

And just think, if they go EV, the trucks won't be able to deliver produce to Alaska most of the year.

California

Alaska is very expensive food wise

Roma Tomato in Cincinnati is about 21 cents each at Wal-Mart.

You can also add a little butter or oil into the rice pot and garlic salt to make it extra yummy.

I am not surprised about NYC not being expensive,, upstate NY is full of farms (I grew up on a farm or one close by my whole life). The state of NY has tons of farm land and country side,, so many forget NYC is just a dot on the State map. Upstate provides the city with lots of home grown items I am sure, especially in spring, summer and fall

So... not the US, but I recently found roma tomatoes at my supermarket in Newfoundland, Canada for $4.99 CAD a pound. Needless to say, I did NOT buy them...

$0.40 for one roma tomato in Santa Rosa, CA

Aldi chicken drum sticks 60 cents tomatoes 45 cents a pound cucumbers 29 cents limit 2 jalapeños package 25 cents limit. 2

I think Alaska is going to be the state where the produce or Roma tomatoes are the most expensive. Overdo the hot paprika?? Is that possible? I guess I’m not normal. I have loved spicy food from the time I was a small child (like 3 years old small) but I think hot paprika in this would be outstanding . I hope things are still going well with the new job. So I know you have the new job and your 2 channels and you’re very very busy, but have you thought about writing a cookbook? As I was watching this, I was thinking of a way that you could make a free tomato sauce to go with your stuffed peppers. If you have ketchup packets from a fast food restaurant, you could use a few of those thin them down with water and “presto” you have stuffed peppers in tomato sauce.

As of today 5/5/24 here in Indiana at my local Walmart, one Roma tomato is 21 cents each, down from 27 cents it 98cents per LB. I like the way you season your dishes, you have inspired me to spice it up more. Looks delicious, I can’t wait to make this. TY❤

Sadly, prices of bell pepper is pretty high over here. Regular price is like $2-$3 a pound for non-green (yellow/orange/red bell peppers). Now that it's on sale for $1.29, I bought a few to make stuffed bell peppers. Cinco de Mayo had quite a few items on sale too, so I have been making a taco-based filling for the stuffed bell peppers.

Idaho food is expensive.

Yum! Will do this soon, both tofu and beans sounds delicious. But peppers here (in Sweden) are very expensive until the end of summer, so I might wait til then. 😊

I was thinking you could have used lentils as a cheap protein.

Good commentary on the Roma tomatoes! Per pound, they are .98 (.21 per tomato) here in Indiana. The slicing tomatoes are $1.78 per pound. The Roma tomatoes have such better texture and flavor than the typical tomato, and they also stay fresher longer. I use them for everything, and if I want slices of tomato for a sandwich, I just slice up the Roma! It takes a few more slices, but no big deal. Also, it’s easy to want to pick up some cherry or grape tomatoes for convenience and taste, but I’ve stopped doing that because they are so darned expensive, and again, the Romas taste just as good!

I live in Syracuse New York the cheapest way to get a tomato here a roma tomato is to grow it

instead of adding beef to rice, you can also add cooked bacon crumbled or diced ham steak or diced Kielbasa sausage (would only need about 1/3 of a sausage)...dts/usa

Hi Michelle, I like to share your channel with ladies in the grocery store who look like they are trying to save some money. We get into a conversation and they’re so glad that I’ve shared it. So I shared it with the lady today on the Central Coast of California, so I hope she tunes in for Sunday or sooner! We were saying how nice it is to have something to wait for like when we used to wait for our favorite TV shows. I don’t watch TV anymore, but I do love to watch your show.❤

I would guess Alaska

I always enjoy your comforting voice with your comforting food recipes, but did pause to wonder if you had a video for extreme budget manicures as it looked like you spent much more on your lovely nails than that meal for a family of four.

Alaska

Another great video! You read my mind on the black beans and cumin but when you added the leftover chili it made me think you would probably have the best ideas for a no buy meal challenge using what’s left in your fridge and pantry. Sometimes there are days I have to get to the supermarket but I don’t and I would love to be creative enough to use what’s left in my house and I think you will have the best recipe for something like that and even if I don’t have what you have in your fridge you will inspire me❤

You can also put the Roma tomato in with the rice in the rice cooker and you can get great flavor. Also in NYC you can get great prices on produce in the smaller ethic markets

Looks like a nice side dish to me! Beats starving...one could top with a poached egg to boost the protein a bit and make it more satisfying for a tad more $.

Alaska or canada

Looks great!

That meal looks very good! For protein, maybe I would add lentils or egg.

Hawaii

I’ve been cooking lentils into my rice mix and putting those into the toaster oven

Tomatoes here for romas are about 99 cents a pound.

Great idea as usual. Would taco seasoned lentils taste good in here or do you think the texture would compete with the rice?

The extra fifteen cents could have been a scrambled egg on top.

You could add a handful of lentils in there to add some bulk and protein.

Rice mixed bean bag

Alaska.

Roma tomatoes at TJ’s in Connecticut cost 29 cents each.

looks great, thanks again for sharing Michelle

The state with the most expensive tomato is Alaska!

Thanks friend I another great one friend ❤

Great job,like usual!! 👊🏽👊🏽

a fried egg on top would be awesome.