Budget Bytes: Over 100 Easy, Delicious Recipes to Slash Your Grocery Bill in Half

by Beth Moncel

The debut cookbook from the Saveur blog award-winning Internet expert on making eating cheap dependably delicious   As a college grad during the recent great recession, Beth Moncel found herself, like so many others, broke. Unwilling to sacrifice eating healthy and well—and armed with a degree in nutritional science—Beth began tracking her costs with obsessive precision, and soon cut her grocery bill in half. Eager to share her tips and recipes, she launched her blog, Budget Bytes. Soon the blog received millions of readers clamoring for more.   Beth's eagerly awaited cookbook proves cutting back on cost does not mean cutting back on taste. Budget Bytes has more than 100 simple, healthy, and delicious recipes, including Greek Steak Tacos, Coconut Chicken Curry, Chorizo Sweet Potato Enchilada, and Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Mayonnaise, to name a few. It also contains expert principles for saving in the kitchen—including how to combine inexpensive ingredients with expensive to ensure that you can still have that steak you’re craving, and information to help anyone get acquainted with his or her kitchen and get maximum use out of the freezer. Whether you’re urban or rural, vegan or paleo, Budget Bytes is guaranteed to delight both the palate and the pocketbook.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Culinary, Nutrition

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2014

About the author

Beth Moncel has a B.S. in nutritional science and dietetics and a B.S. in clinical laboratory science from Louisiana State University. Her blog, Budget Bytes, won the 2016 Best How-To Food Blog Award from Saveur magazine. She lives in New Orleans.

Reviews

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*]

DNF

I do not have a rating for this book. Sadly, I was NOT able to read this book or any part of it in any significant way.

This entire book is printed in a pale-ish green color - a shade not too far from [US]money green.

And it killed my eyes - I'm not as young as I used to be and my eyes could not take the strain at all. I have to say that the ink color choice astounded me - obviously I think it was a terrible idea. Cookbooks are reference materials and I don't understand the need to try to gussy it up with extra fancy fonts and strange colors.

I am an ardent follower of Beth Moncel's blog Budget Bytes. IMO, this book does not capture the spirit of the blog nor is it as helpful as the blog (the book contains no step by step photos, for example).

Welp.

[Ashleigh Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made about a dozen of the recipes in Budget Bytes, and they ranged from AMAZING to pretty good. I was pretty certain I was going to enjoy Beth Moncel's cookbook because I've been following her blog for years. Almost all of the recipes in the book are exclusive, and she has continued to post great recipes on her website.

In the cookbook, I miss her blog's step-by-step photos (she explained on her blog that it was too expensive to print that many photos), but her clear directions make up for that. The book and the blog are all about saving money, but because Beth is from New Orleans, certain ingredients are cheaper for her, while others are cheaper for me, so I've never really paid attention to her cost analyses.

All I know is Beth concocts and adapts delicious recipes, with clear instructions and great cooking tips! I recommend this book if you like food -- part of her shtick is that she wants to teach people how to cook, so you don't even need to like being in the kitchen to appreciate these recipes.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Without the step-by-step instructions with photos (like its blog has), this book is pretty weak. But I do LOVE the blog!

[Asilef · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of budgetbytes.com. It's been my primary source of recipes since 2010, so I was beyond excited when Beth announced she was having a cookbook published.
Now that I've had a chance to make meals from the book, all I can really say is...meh. Nothing special.

I made a grocery list the day I picked up this book based off of every recipe I wanted to try. Today I made the last recipe on my list, and I am just completely underwhelmed.
Some recipes list an ingredient, then nowhere in the directions is that ingredient mentioned again.
Most recipes are severely lacking flavor, which is weird, because Beth's recipes usually pack a punch of deliciousness, but this stuff was just bland when sticking strictly to the book.
One of the recipes I made was flat out disgusting. (Dijon Potato & Green Bean Salad)
The only recipes that lived up to my expectations of Budget Bytes were the ones that are already on budgetbytes.com.

I probably shouldn't even give this 3 stars, because I am SORELY disappointed, but I love the site so much...I'd feel like a traitor if I went any lower.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her blog and love this simple, quick and easy cookbook. Recipes are quick and easy to make without all the hard work of special ingredients that you'll probably purchase and use only once. Checked it out from the library, but I will definitely purchase it for myself.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and her website have helped me learn a tremendous amount about cooking well and doing it on a budget. I've made over a dozen of the recipes in this book and they've all be delicious.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this cookbook! Easy-to-make recipes with affordable ingredients. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made the baked banana oatmeal and the cheddar beer bread! It has been a favorite since I bought it several years ago after discovering it at my library.

[Jackie Zamow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only cook out of this cookbook, and off of Beth's website.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently started cooking, and a friend of mine introduced me to her favorite recipe blog, budgetbytes.com. I LOVE this blog, and within a month, I had made about 10 of her easy to follow, full color photo recipes. Imagine my surprise when I was perusing the cookbook aisle at my local library, and stumbled upon this book which Beth had published some years ago!

I tried about 6 recipes from this book so far, and I can't wait to try more. As I mentioned before, I borrowed this book from my local library, but it is one I would definitely consider purchasing to add to my collection. The recipes are super simple and easy to follow (for a new cook such as myself), but they do not offer the step-by-step photos that are on her blog. However, there are a few nice photos of select recipes in this book.

Beth Moncel is truly the queen of cooking amazing, flavorful food with minimal stress on the wallet. Each recipe is ranked with a $-$$$ sign, so you can select them based on price point. She also offers time saving tips, such as subbing frozen vegetables for cooked, etc. - and tells you the necessary cooking time adjustment. Additionally, sometimes she offers some substitutions such as vegetarian, etc. It is also worth noting that most of the recipes in this book are not offered on the blog, which was one of the reasons I was eager to check it out. I love Beth's recipes, and I hope that she publishes another cookbook in the near future!

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, let me say none of the recipes in this cookbook were original to the author. I don't know if she had identified that in the intro and I missed it, but I have seen these recipes all over the internet. Next, for a cookbook titled "Budget Bytes" I would expect a cost per serving, etc. something to identify the cost savings on the recipe. There was none.

On that note, this was a great collection of recipes gathered in one spot...so it went into my Amazon cart for later purchase or to search out for a cheaper cost because I think the $14 price tag is a bit steep.

[Trace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book.. we've tried several recipes from it and they were successes. I thought I knew all there was to slashing grocery bills... but I still managed to learn some new tips from this book. One ingenious tip is cross-cut bacon IN the package in 3 to 4 small pieces and then freezing the new smaller packages so that you can grab what you need for recipes that call for small amounts of bacon (which offers huge flavor punches)... smart!!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a devotee of budgetbytes.com for over a year and was very excited to buy her book! This woman has taught me to cook more than the salads & scrambled eggs I used to live on. The recipes are approachable, affordable and always delicious!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Budget Bytes is pretty much my saving grace. I absolutely love the blog and my partner cooks from it almost exclusively. That said, my favorite part of the blog is the step by step photos! Which the paper book lacks, logistically (it would be like 600 pages long if they were included).

[Perri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book for ideas on how to stretch my food dollar and picked up a few tips, but I like the look of the recipes enough that I think I'll spring for my own copy!

[Jennifer Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas but very few photos and I prefer the recipes on her website Budget Bytes, I find they are more inventive than these.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like that this is a cookbook of real food and does not rely on cheap, canned, processed shortcuts to be “budget friendly.”

I appreciate her categories (bread n’ butter, frugal foodies, and sensible splurges) and her affirmation that you CAN eat well and eat real food and do so without spending a ton of money. I love that. Her tone is engaging, helpful, and imparts confidence to even the most novice cook.

The recipes are accessible with easy to find and yet often overlooked ingredients, flavors, and profiles. They’re easy to make (my 9 and 11 yo kids can confidently make almost any recipe in the book) and add easy, flavorful meals to our everyday repertoire.

My only complaints are the layout and design which are a little blah. Instead of photographs accompanying each recipe, or even printed alongside the ones that include a photo, there are instead two sections midway through of full color photographs of only a sampling of the recipes I know this definitely impacts the cost of printing and thus makes total sense considering the cookbook’s overall purpose, but I do prefer cookbooks to have lovely photos of each recipe printed alongside it. It helps so much as you’re cooking to know how a dish should look in its final stage (not that it always comes out that way - and maybe that’s deliberate as well? To take away the trepidation of making it look like the photos?) In any case, small complaint, and it is super helpful overall.

[Cary Lenore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come for Beth or her recipes and I will cut you. Seriously though, Beth's website and palate are both awesome, and the cookbook has some wonderful practical advice in addition to the recipes. If you're looking for a lot of fancy photos visit the website, the cookbook doesn't have a ton. The website is what I primarily use TBH, but I bought the book because Beth doesn't have a button on her website I could push to send her money straight into her account. (Beth, add this. Or start a Patreon or something.)

I'd love to see more vegan food from her in the future, and perhaps a look at food storage methods to reduce waste and ways to reduce single-use plastics -- but these are just my current manias and I'd like to see her take on those ideas. Anyway, buy this book! Use the website! It's all good!

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the introduction, Moncel explained her process of researching her own grocery shopping and meal preparation to ensure she was finding the perfect intersection of nutrition and economy. I accept that my nerdy side is coming out here, but I wanted to see those spreadsheets! I take her point about prices being variable by location, season, etc. Still, I think it would have provided a useful frame of reference.

As for the book itself, the publisher apparently decided that a book about eating on a reasonable budget was one where they could cheap out on the printing a bit. There were a handful of full color photographs of the finished results of the recipes, but most of the book was a monochrome. That said, there are several recipes I would like to try.

[Kit Feral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this blog. I liked this book. I'm so on board with the concept of it and everything being fairly simple appeals to both my picky palate and skills. I thought the layout was very concise and... gentle? it's weird to say a cookbook felt gentle and friendly and like it really wanted me to succeed and be well fed, but that's the truth! I saved far more recipes than I generally do (my last cookbook read I would have only saved one- had it not already been a staple haha. and it was three ingredient peanut butter bars. so this says something.)

[Sora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I followed the blog version of this book. I recently bought this book because I've been cooking a lot during the Covid-19 quarantine (when everyone is sheltering in this year to avoid getting exposed to Covid).

I love how the recipes are easy and you don't need outlandish ingredients to cook. The food is pretty straight forward and tastes great! I hope she publishes another book.

Side note, I like how the book is in spiral bound so that it is easy to fold over pages rather than having to worry whether or not the book will lay flat.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoy Budget Bytes. I've used multiple recipes from their website and they are all outstanding in price and taste. I wanted to see if the cookbook would be worth perusing - and I am conflicted. Maybe they are earlier recipes, maybe it was once a cheaper book, maybe they were extending budget to the production of the cookbook, but the feeling of it does not match the website. I was less excited to see the recipes, some of which were fine at most, and the lack of photos just never helps. So yes, good recipes, but if you have access to the website, go there, first.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have finished looking through the entire book and copying out recipes to try in the future. I will update the review after I have tried some!

This was an enjoyable cookbook to browse through. I liked the conversational tone and the easy-to-follow steps. None of the ingredients are anything wild that you would only buy for one recipe, which is very nice.

From a design perspective, the font could have been a bit bigger - it's easy to mistake 1/2 for 1/8 at a quick glance!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of cheap, easy recipes. A good cookbook for someone like me: cooking for one or two people, wanting to save money, wanting to learn how to make tasty things more simply. I've only tried the lentil and sausage stew, but it's one of my favorite recipes now: super cheap, super tasty, super filling, freezes well. I've been taking it for lunch almost every day.

If you don't want to get the book check out her website: www.budgetbytes.com

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've made 3 or 4 of the recipes so far and have really liked them all. Not only are they yummy, but they're actually cheap to make as promised! That shouldn't be surprising, but of the several budget-friendly cook books I checked out this one actually lived up to its claims of affordable cooking. It also includes a lot of helpful stuff about how to stretch your budget by freezing leftovers etc.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am absolutely obsessed with the BUDGET BYTES website and I use it frequently. I would like to thank Beth Moncel for her hard work so I bought her book. But the book only has SOME photos, so buyer beware. It's kind of interesting how her whole thing is saving money - yes she saved money because the publisher didn't include many photos, but now the readers who bought her book feel deprived.

[Jenevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

These recipes are easy to make with readily available ingredients, yet the results taste delicious and different enough from humdrum to bring some excitement to your palate. Perfect during pandemic lockdown, when one must not shop all around for ingredients, but also great for busy working people and novice cooks. Most of these recipes support a healthy diet.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I STILL go back to this book and it's been 10 years.

Beth's recipes helped me when I was poor and they continue to help me until this day when I'm happy to splurge on her "expensive" ingredients. This is a solid book that is perfect as a gift for college students, the newly married, or that friend who can't really cook but who is eager to learn. 10/10 Beth.

[Emma White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious, fresh, easy, recipes from common household pantry staples. The simplicity of the recipes doesn't not overpower the refinement of taste.

There are lots of helpful tips for food preparation, storage, and purchasing! I would recommend this book to anyone who is eating on a budget.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some excellent ideas for good tasting budget foods that I would not have conceived on my own. It is a great help if you are stretched for money for food. There is also a blog that continues ideas if you need more than the book and it can be found at https://www.budgetbytes.com/

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a insightful read. I learned a bunch about cooking and cutting down the budget. I feel like there could have been more on the cutting down the grocery budget aspects of this book. But there are some recipes that I am looking forward to trying.