You also tend to get more protein content if you ask for half-and-half, since servers tend to overestimate the amount of the half portion. However, if you're looking to save across all fast food chains, there are several cheap meal deals you should know about. However, there might be an even better deal hiding in plain sight.

Bacon Cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, or a Jr. It comes with your option of a cheeseburger or the 3-piece chicken strips along with French fries, a drink, and an ice cream sundae of your choice. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Suzanne Blake is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on consumer and social trends, spanning from retail to restaurants and beyond. She is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and joined Newsweek in You can get in touch with Suzanne by emailing s.

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Uncommon Knowledge Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. Languages: English Suzanne Blake is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Your daily briefing of everything you need to know. You may unsubscribe at any time. Read more: Are Some Meal Kits Cheaper Than Buying Groceries? I Did the Math. If you're looking for inexpensive vegan meals by mail or an affordable meal kit service that includes steak and seafood in the standard plan, we have picks for those, too.

The takeaway? Being budget-friendly certainly doesn't mean the food has to suck. If you're looking to eliminate a few weekly tasks -- grocery shopping, meal planning, prep, cooking -- without squeezing your budget, we tested more than 10 top wallet-friendly services to find the best cheap meal delivery for The bottom line : EveryPlate's meal kits were all solid and easy to make.

EveryPlate meal kits are easy to prepare and I loved everything I made in multiple rounds of testing. You won't find a lot of foofy, upscale cuisine or complicated recipes, but you will get a lot of satisfying comfort food, such as hoisin meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, umami pork chops and sweet potato quesadillas.

I tested EveryPlate and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the meals. Having tested all of the leading prepared meal delivery service options, Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other. The food is healthy, thoughtfully prepared, tastes fantastic, looks appetizing and is fairly affordable, depending on the plan you select.

Fresh N Lean has five meal plans to help keep folks on track with their specific nutrition goals, including low-carb, vegan, paleo and protein-plus options.

The food I tried was all made exceptionally well, made from simple, whole ingredients. This is the perfect service for families with picky eaters trying to eat well on a budget. Much like EveryPlate, Dinnerly has a lot of comfort foods such as ravioli with spinach and parmesan sauce, carne asada tacos and chicken pad thai.

Dinnerly has an enormous menu of recipes -- typically more than 60 to choose from in a given week. The bottom line: This plant-based meal delivery service had some of the best, healthy prepared meals of any service we tried.

I sampled about nine of Mosaic Food's plant-based prepared meal offerings and the vegetarian prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate. Mosaic uses bold and interesting global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals -- even for this omnivore.

There are some vegan meals, but many of them use dairy products, so vegans must choose their Mosaic meals more carefully. The bottom line: Blue Apron is a classic example of a quality meal delivery service. One of the original providers of this service, it also stands out for eco-friendliness.

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit services and it's also one of the best. In fact, Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price.

It's true, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners with Blue Apron's standard plan, where many services charge extra for those premium proteins. In addition to solid meal kits, Blue Apron is the most eco-friendly service of the major players, according to a recent study.

The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach. You won't need more than a saucepan, toaster or blender to prepare most of the meals, and most can be made in as little as 5 minutes.

When I tried Daily Harvest , I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter. The bottom line : It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh. This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 50 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy.

HelloFresh has as many as 25 dinner meal kits per week, so it is nearly impossible not to find something you'll like. HelloFresh also has five or six plant-based recipes a week, making it the best cheap meal kit service for vegetarians.

Over the past few years, we've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our oven mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services. Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services we've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats.

To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I always choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings.

For instance, if a meal subscription service offers vegan or vegetarian meals I was sure to try at least one. I also mixed up the cuisine types to include pasta, meat dishes, bowls and other various styles offered by the brand. To test the best cheap meal kits, there was another set of standards and protocols to adhere to.

Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET. The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat.

Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services are better than others.

Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options. With almost every service, the more meals or servings are in your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal.

Ideally, you'll want to determine exactly how much food makes sense for your household. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around.

Services like Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon have meals for similar prices but are focused more on grain bowls and smoothies and might be better for breakfast or lunch versus dinner. When it comes to meal kits, your options are many, and most services provide weekly recipes that are low on calories but still filling.

HelloFresh has the most recipes per week of any meal kit service, so that might be your best bet for finding consistent meals that keep your diet goals on track. But all services list the calorie content for each recipe, along with carbs, protein, sugar and sodium.

Depending on your weight loss goals, a healthy prepared meal delivery or meal kit service can help. Fresh N Lean, Pete's Real Food and Daily Harvest all have low-calorie meals to choose from.

Some of the services listed here are healthy prepared meal delivery services , sending fully cooked meals -- often frozen or partially frozen -- and ready to eat when you receive them. Others include health-focused meal kits with premeasured ingredients all boxed up and ready for easy weeknight cooking.

A super-straightforward weeknight dinner that you can serve with grilled chicken if you want some added protein. Recipe: Orzo With Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers.

Introducing your new favorite pasta sauce, made with nothing more than egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and fresh lemon. Recipe: Pappardelle Al Limone. This recipe calls for tofu, broccoli, and sweet potato, but you can always swap in whatever protein and veggies you like best. Recipe: 5-Ingredient Thai Green Curry.

Orzo, sliced sausage, bell pepper, heavy cream, and a handful of spices are all there is to this Cajun-inspired skillet. Recipe: Sausage and Creamy Cajun Orzo Skillet. Grab some chicken broth, rotisserie chicken, canned diced tomatoes, ranch dressing, and canned fiesta corn mix to make this heartwarming chicken soup with a Mexican flair.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Chicken Tortilla Soup. Have toast for dinner, but make it fancy with this mixture of artichoke hearts, spinach white beans, and basil mashed into a creamy and savory spread.

Recipe: White Bean and Artichoke Basil Toasts. Don't let the ingredient list overwhelm you. All you really need to make these fajitas are portobello mushrooms, peppers, onion, and tortillas. Swap the avocado sauce for store-bought guacamole or diced avocado and you've got a delicious meal.

Recipe: Portobello and Poblano Fajitas. Recipe: Spicy Lentil Nachos With 3-Cheese Sauce. Black beans in chocolate muffins might sound odd, but they get super creamy and batterlike — and it absolutely works. Recipe: Flourless Black Bean Brownie Muffins.

You can also use coconut curry as a marinade for your meats. Here, the chicken marinates for two hours in a mixture of coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and fish sauce.

Recipe: Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce. Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato, Kale, and White Bean Skillet. Recipe: Grilled Cheese and Cream of Tomato Soup. Recipe: Baked Eggs in Marinara Sauce. And fair warning that you'll want to put the latter on just about everything. Recipe: Mujadarra.

Recipe: Simple Black Bean Soup. Recipe: Big-Batch Minestrone. This article contains content previously curated by Hannah Loewentheil, Jesse Szewczyk, Marie Telling, Melissa Jameson, and Ailbhe Malone. It was compiled by Lavanya Narayanan. Easy recipes and cooking hacks right to your inbox.

Opens in a new window Opens an external site in a new window Opens an external site. Share via facebook Share via pinterest Share via email Share via sms. Vegan 3-Bean Chili. Feel free to use store-bought pizza dough to make this recipe a cinch to throw together.

Taco Pizza. White Cheddar Mac 'n' Cheese With Chicken and Broccoli. Grilled cheese meets tuna salad. Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken. Top it off with your favorite hot sauce and you're good to go.

Southwest Turkey, Vegetable, and Rice Skillet. One-pan creamy goodness. Healthy, tasty, and cheap! Ready in 25 minutes, these quesadillas are a perfect spring dinner.

You had me at pizza. Guaranteed to be just as good as your local salad bar, for half the price. Ready in 35 minutes for the perfect weeknight dinner.

Deliciously creamy, and without any meat or dairy. Greek Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. A protein-packed vegetarian dinner. Pretend your mac 'n' cheese is actually healthy by adding some broccoli to the mix. Spicy Chipotle Buddha Bowl With Cauliflower Rice. Fast, budget-friendly, and healthy: What more do you need?

A super-fast summertime salad for your weeknight dinners. The perfect option for your meatless Monday. A healthy-ish, delicious, and vegetarian take on the classic chicken Parmesan. If you want to add some meat, you can always brown some chicken and add it to the mix.

Burst Tomato and Zucchini Spaghetti With Avocado Sauce. If you're looking for inspiration for your next Taco Tuesday, search no more. A great copycat recipe for the perfect night in.

Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services ; EveryPlate · $+, $ ; HelloFresh · $+, $ ; Dinnerly · $+, $ ; Daily 21 Cheap Foods to Buy if You're Broke or on a Budget · 1. Apples · 2. Bananas · 3. Beans · 4. Brown Rice · 5. Chicken · 6. Corn Tortillas · 7

Low-cost cuisine deals - 1. Popeyes: $12 Two Can Dine Meal · 2. Wendy's: Free Dave's Single Burger · 3. Taco Bell: $6 Build Your Own Cravings Box · 4. McDonald's: Free Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services ; EveryPlate · $+, $ ; HelloFresh · $+, $ ; Dinnerly · $+, $ ; Daily 21 Cheap Foods to Buy if You're Broke or on a Budget · 1. Apples · 2. Bananas · 3. Beans · 4. Brown Rice · 5. Chicken · 6. Corn Tortillas · 7

Before you pile in the car or call your favorite pizza place, check out these money saving menu items. You can get a cheap meal for two people right now at Popeyes. And if you get there before Feb. Wendy's has all kinds of freebies and coupons in the Offers section of its mobile app this month, including a free Dave's Single burger with any purchase.

Check out more Wendy's deals for this month , including Rewards and delivery specials. Choose a specialty like a Crunchwrap, plus a taco or Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a side, and a drink.

Related: Live Más and Stretch Your Dollar With These Taco Bell Value Menu Items. McDonald's has brought back its best deal for Free Fries Friday. Related: How To Get Free Fast Food.

Burger King is continuing its free fries promotion in You can get one free any size fry each week with purchase when you use the mobile app. For more great fast-food tips, please sign up for our free newsletters.

Buckets of KFC chicken make for an easy meal on busy weeknights or a stress-free Super Bowl party. Little Caesars does cheap pizza well, but the prices have recently increased — the second time since the pandemic started.

We still recommend paying a dollar more to get Extra Most Bestest pies for more cheese and more pepperoni, making the chain noticeably better than cheaper pizza chains.

The upgrade is worth the extra change. Family meals at Panda Express are a crowd pleaser. Who doesn't like orange chicken and fried rice?

If that code doesn't work, give FLBOGO for buy-one-get-one-free-footlongs a try, because Subway tends to cycle between those two codes. For once, Pizza Hut's deals recently got better.

Options include medium one-topping pizzas, Melts, boneless wings, cheese sticks, breadsticks, pastas, and desserts. The Boneless Meal Deal comes with 20 boneless wings tossed in up to four sauce or rub flavors, plus a large fries and two dips.

Plus, you can get boneless wings for 70 cents each on Mondays and Tuesdays. Trying to decide which flavors to order? We ranked the best Wingstop flavors to help you make the call.

Domino's has a unique, free "emergency" pizza deal going on right now to promote its new rewards program launch. Plus, you can get bread, chicken, sandwiches, pasta, salads, and dessert for the same price.

The best Arby's deal in years decades? has ended, but another has appeared. You can mix and match from Classic Roast Beef, Crispy Fish, and Fish 'n Cheddar sandwiches.

Like Domino's and Pizza Hut, Papa Johns has a buy-two-or-more deal. That's a lot of variety to satisfy everyone. Most people know about Sonic's happy hour, but you can actually get the same deals all the time.

All you have to do is order online or in the app. You can also get half-price cheeseburgers every Tuesday after 5 p. when you order online or through the app. Some crust types, toppings, sauces, and premium items may come with an additional charge.

Within 24 hours of ordering, check your Rewards account under the My Deals and Rewards tab to claim your offer. Note that you must claim your offer within 7 days and use it within 30 or it will expire. If your offer expires before you use it, you can still earn another. Through February 20th, The Cheesecake Factory is running a promotion that rewards guests with every online purchase of eGift cards!

Note that this offer is valid on eGift cards purchased online. The dining credit received from this promotion may be used beginning February 21st, , and it expires at the end of the business day on March 31st, No promo code is required — simply order through the offer in the app!

That means you can get your daily coffee fix for a lot less for a whole month with this Rewards Member exclusive offer! Note this offer excludes Nitro Cold Brew, Cold Brew, and Espresso coffee beverages. Limit 1 per reward member per day. These nachos are topped with refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned beef, sour cream, and diced tomatoes.

Sound good? All you need to do is sign up and your reward will be posted to your account within 24 hours! Note that prices may vary in AK and HI. This offer is valid through February 16th and can only be redeemed on orders placed online. Your offer will be valid for two weeks. Note that offers must be redeemed in the app or through the website for pickup orders, and redeemed in-store through the app for dine-in orders at participating locations.

They are not valid for delivery and can vary by account. To score the deal, place your order online or through the app and use promo code 99CRAZY at checkout. Keep in mind that there is a limit of 5 Take Homes per entrée when dining restaurant, and a limit of 1 per entrée with To Go online orders.

Remember, Take Home entrées do not include soup, salad, or breadsticks. You can pick from three yummy options, including Fettuccine Alfredo, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.

These entrées are prepared, packaged, and chilled, making them ready to take home — perfect for dinner that night or lunch the next day!

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