One of the first questions I usually get when I tell people I eat one meal a day (OMAD) is: What do you eat? The real answer is “Whatever I want.” But I understand that’s not very specific or helpful. Today’s video and post will hopefully shed some light on what I mean. Here’s a list of 5 OMADs I have on regular rotation in my house that cost less than $4 for 1500 calories.
Note that all prices are current as of August 2023 at my local Wal-Mart. Note: I based the price based on whatever size I would normally buy, and if the entire package was not needed, it was not included in the cost. For example, if the recipe calls for a cup of flour, I’d look at the cost of a 10-pound sack of Great Value flour, divide it by 36 (that’s about how many cups are in a 10-pound sack), and then use that as the cost.
I would figure out the calorie count of the entire meal, and then divide 1500 by the total calorie count. This gave me the percentage that would need to be eaten. Whatever the total cost of the entire dish was, I would multiply by the percentage that needed to be eaten to find the cost of 1500 calories.
Example: if you add up the calories for the entire batch of pasta (1 lb of meat + 1 lb of noodles + 1 jar of sauce) you get 3,350 calories for $7.28. 1500/3350=.44. Thus, you only need 44% of the pot of pasta to get your 1,500 calories. Therefore, your cost for the 1,500 calories is 44% of $7.28, or $3.25.
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: $3.25 for 1500 Calories
| Ingredient | Calories | Cost |
| 1 Pound Noodles | 1600 | .98 |
| 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce | 350 | 1.62 |
| 1 Pound Beef (73% lean) | 1400 | 4.68 |
Recipe
Boil noodles in salted water according to package instructions. Brown ground beef. Add jar of sauce to beef and heat through. Drain noodles and then add to meat sauce. Stir well to combine and serve.
Portion Notes:
You’d need to eat about 44% of the pot to get 1500 calories.
Black Beans and Rice: $1.12 for 1500 Calories
| Ingredient | Calories | Cost |
| Beans (2 lb) | 2600 | 2.74 |
| Rice (5 lb) | 8000 | 3.34 |
| Mayo (2 Tablespoons) | 180 | .15 |
Recipe
Cook black beans in Instant Pot for 55 minutes with an inch of water covering beans. (Exact ratios will vary depending on how many beans you’re cooking.)
Cook rice with a 1:1 ratio of water to rice with some salt in Instant Pot on Rice setting.
Add mayo or ranch dressing to taste.
Portion Notes
Each cup of cooked rice has approximately 200 calories. Each cup of cooked beans has approximately 230 calories. Each tablespoon of mayo is 90 calories. To have less volume, use more fat in the form of mayo, ranch dressing, etc.
Chicken and Broccoli: $1.68 for 1500 Calories
| Ingredient | Calories | Cost |
| Chicken (10 lbs) | 8700 | 5.72 |
| Broccoli (32 oz) | 275 | 2.74 |
| Olive Oil ¼ cup | 480 | .59 |
| Garlic powder (1T) | 0 | .06 |
| Paprika (1T) | 0 | .12 |
| Salt (1 T) | 0* | .01 |
Recipe
Generously season thawed (if frozen) chicken with salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
In a separate pan, toss frozen broccoli florets with 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt.
Roast both pans at 400 for 45 minutes (or until chicken is at 180 degrees). Keep an eye on broccoli and remove early if necessary. Times vary based on how big florets are. Cooking time will be shorter if using fresh instead of frozen.
Portion notes:
You’d need to eat 1.25 pounds of chicken, plus two cups of broccoli to get your 1500 calories.
Quiche: $2.51 for 1500 Calories
| Ingredients | Calories | Cost |
| Eggs (6) | 420 | .60 |
| Butter (12 T) | 1200 | 2.60 |
| Shortening (1/3 C) | 660 | .28 |
| Flour (3 C) | 1320 | .35 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8 oz) | 640 | 2.22 |
| Sausage (1 lb) | 850 | 2.54 |
| Salt (1t) | 0 | .01 |
| Pepper (1/2 t) | 0 | .05 |
| Milk (1 Cup) | 160 | .19 |
| Sugar (1 T) | 48 | .02 |
Recipe
Homemade Pie Dough
1/2 cup ice water
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold
unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix in 1/2 cup ice cold water. (I do this all in my KitchenAid stand mixer to make quick work of it. Don’t overmix. Stop mixer as soon as it starts to come together.) Roll out on lightly floured surface to slightly larger than 9×13, and then transfer the rolled out dough into your 9×13. Work your dough halfway up the sides. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be pretty to be delicious! Sprinkle 4 oz of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 lb of cooked sausage on top of the crust. Then make the egg filling.
Filling
1 lb sausage, cooked
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 eggs, beaten
½ t salt
½ t pepper
1 C milk
In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Beat well. Pour egg mixture over sausage and cheese inside of pie crust.
Top with an additional 4 oz of cheese and 1/2 pound of sausage.
Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until set.
Portion notes:
You’d need to eat about 28% (about one fourth) of this 9×13 in order to get 1500 calories.
Tuna Casserole: $2.95 for 1500 Calories
| Ingredients | Calories | Cost |
| Tuna (2 cans) | 160 | 1.92 |
| Rotini | 1600 | .98 |
| Cream of mushroom soup (2 cans) | 450 | 1.36 |
| Mayonnaise (½ C) | 720 | .44 |
| Milk ⅔ cup | 107 | .13 |
| Dry mustard (1 tsp) | 0 | .06 |
| 12 oz mozzarella cheese | 960 | 2.99 |
Recipe
1 lb rotini or penne
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
⅔ C milk
½ C mayo
1 t dry mustard
12 oz of cheese (mozzarella preferred, but any cheese will work)
2 cans tuna, drained.
Cook pasta and drain.
Mix soup, milk, mayo, and mustard. Stir in cooked pasta. Add in cheese and gently fold in tuna. Pour into a greased 9×13 dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Portion Notes:
You’d need to eat approximately 38% of this casserole to get 1500 calories.