Looking for cheap dinner ideas that won’t break the bank? Food prices continue to climb, but there are still a lot of ways to shave off pennies, dimes and dollars from your food costs.

Grocery shopping can be a real challenge, especially if you are on a limited budget. But because food is a controllable expense, it can be a target for reduced spending when money is tight. By planning ahead and managing your money wisely, you can still serve meals that are appetizing, easily prepared, and nutritious.

To help lessen the pressure on your wallet, here are 7 suggestions for lunch or dinner entrees you can make on the cheap.

Egg Entrees

If your supermarket is having a sale, you can sometimes get a dozen eggs for as little as $1! That’s an awesome deal, considering that eggs are a great protein source. Each egg white contains 6 grams of protein. If you blend six whole eggs with six egg whites, you can make a lower-fat egg-based dish serving four people. Each serving will contain 18 grams of quality protein — comparable to the amount in a serving of T-bone steak.

Frittata is one flexible and quick cheap meal option. A dozen eggs will make about four servings (if you use four large eggs and eight egg whites), and you can keep the cost down by using whatever cheese, veggies, and herbs you have handy in your refrigerator.

Canned Tuna Entrees

Buying tuna on sale and making sure you get the water-packed kind is the key for a healthy entree. You can sometimes find 6-ounce cans of solid white tuna canned in water for 88 cents on sale. With each can, you can make a tuna casserole for four, or you can make two servings of quick tuna patties.

Read more about to eat a healthy dinner on the cheap at BlackDoctor.Org.

BET Health News - We go beyond the music and entertainment world to bring you important medical information and health-related tips of special relevance to Blacks in the U.S. and around the world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

(Photo: GettyImages)