How to Create Healthy Meal Plans on a Budget
Updated January 2024
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Planning is everything, and making specific decisions ahead of time is a crucial aspect of our lives as humans. Anything one intends to be fruitful requires a particular degree of planning; it could be finances, marital life, social life, and the most ‘surprising’ of all — food.
Getting out of bed and throwing anything into your mouth before kick-starting your day is not necessarily the best way to go about it. Setting feasible objectives concerning what you and your family eat would be more ideal. In order to set and make achieving goals for healthy eating realistic, be sure to plan with a set budget. If you have never done such, or you have attempted it but it proved futile, you are in the right place!
A few tips for creating healthy meal plans on a budget include cutting out junk food, making grocery lists, and always having certain staples on hand. Being purposeful with your weekly meals can really make an impact on your health and wallet.
This piece will enlighten you on the guidelines for effectively planning healthy meals that are budget-friendly, and it will also be as practical as possible since you may have several questions while reading. Time to dive in!
Why Should I Meal Prep?
Meal prepping involves preparing your meals ahead of time and storing them. It is a way to ensure that your daily activities do not prevent you from maintaining a healthy diet. Due to the appointments you might have to meet in a day (or your busy schedule), it is customary to eat just ‘anything,’ which could be unhealthy or detrimental to your system. That’s where meal prepping comes in. In addition, you may have personal diet goals to meet; it is difficult to achieve them without meal prepping. So, it can help you meet those goals as well.
Apart from having a healthy and enjoyable diet at your disposal, meal prepping also saves you money due to its cost-effectiveness; homemade meals reduce the unnecessary expenses that could come with eating out. In addition, meal prepping can make you the master of your ingredients. When you plan, you will know the essential items to purchase, including their required quantities; over time, it helps you to avoid waste.
Meal prepping is also a common practice among those who have physical goals they wish to achieve. This could include an attempt to lose weight, gain muscle, and reduce the risk of certain ailments.
Can I Eat Healthy Food on a Budget Meal Plan?
Eating healthy food on a budget may seem difficult initially, but it is possible with proper guidance. What’s the trick? As mentioned earlier, planning is critical, and it is the first step to eating healthy food on a budget.
To start, it would help to plan on cutting down on junk food. Unhealthy food may seem less expensive than homemade meals, but it is unlikely that it will provide you with the desired nutrients. Cooking a healthy meal like roast chicken with vegetables provides vital vitamins and minerals without breaking the bank.
Another way to plan is by creating a shopping list. While meal prepping, you can determine the available ingredients and foodstuff. Calculate when you think they will run out and plan to replace them. Try putting them on a list, as this will help you keep to your set budget while eating healthy.
In addition to creating a shopping list, make sure to always have pantry staples such as olive oil, pasta, rice, and tomatoes so you don’t end up eating out because you have nothing in the house.
9 Affordable Recipes For Your Weekly Meal Planning
1. Bacon and Egg Pasta
Estimated cost per serving: $1.09
Calories: 375 Protein: 16 g Carbs: 43 g Fat:15 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
3 cloves of lightly crushed garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound chopped bacon
½ cup white wine or water
2 large eggs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound linguine or any pasta variety you choose
Crushed hot red pepper flakes (to serve)
Directions
Heat a large pot of water to boiling, and add pasta and salt. Cook pasta to the desired texture.
Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet; add garlic and cook until it starts sizzling. Separate and discard the garlic from the oil. Next, add bacon and cook it to a crisp. Drain the majority of the fat, add water or wine, and cook for around two minutes.
Mix the eggs, parsley, cheese, and black pepper in a large bowl.
Drain the pasta and add the egg mixture to it. Toss it properly until it coats. Add bacon and toss it again. Afterward, you can serve, sprinkling it with red pepper flakes or Parmesan.
2. Vegetable Egg-Fried Rice
Estimated cost per serving: $0.68
Calories: 286 Protein:17 g Carbs: 31 g Fat: 8 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
1 teaspoon of rapeseed oil
5 thinly sliced spring onions
1 thinly sliced and seedless red pepper
2 well-chopped garlic cloves
1 head of broccoli
300g of freshly cooked basmati rice
175g of frozen peas
3 lightly beaten eggs
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
Directions
Heat your wok and add oil to it. When it gets hot, add red pepper and spring onions; stir-fry until it becomes soft, for two minutes at most. Next, stir it in garlic and add the broccoli (including four tablespoons of water). Then, boil and simmer for two minutes. Alternatively, you can simmer until the broccoli gets tender.
Add the basmati rice and stir-fry for three minutes at most. After, stir the peas and cook for a minute.
Using a fork, beat the eggs and soy sauce together. Add the mixture to the rice and stir-fry them for a maximum of three minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
3. Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Estimated cost per serving: $0.69
Calories: 546 Protein: 40.5 g Carbs: 29 g Fat: 29 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
3 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika
2 oranges (juice)
½ teaspoon of salt
4 pork shoulder steaks
Freshly ground black pepper
4 soft half-split bread rolls
5 ounces of coleslaw (ready-made)
4 tablespoons of soured cream
Salad leaves
Directions
Put the paprika, orange juice, tomato puree, ground pepper, and salt into a slow cooker. Also, add four tablespoons of cold water and stir.
Add the pork to your slow cooker and ensure it coats by turning it in the sauce—cover and cook using high heat for five hours at most. If you decide to use low heat, let it run for eight hours.
With two forks, separate the pork and put it into your buns with your preferred toppings.
4. Easy Veggie Chili
Estimated cost per serving: $0.93
Calories: 509 Protein: 42 g Carbs: 45 g Fat: 15 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil
1 finely chopped large onion
1 finely chopped red chili
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
250g vegetarian mince
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoon tomato puree
300ml vegetable stock
1 cubed green pepper (remove the seeds)
1 cubed yellow pepper (remove the seeds)
1 grated carrot
14.1 ounce drained tin kidney beans
Finely chopped fresh coriander
2 wholemeal pitta bread (ensure they are halved)
4 tablespoons sour cream
50g grated cheddar
Directions
Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic, then cook until soft.
Add the red chili, paprika, cumin, and chili powder, and cook for a minute. After, add the soy mince, and cook for three minutes.
Add the tomato puree, vegetable stock, carrot, and chopped tomato, reducing the heat to medium-low. Simmer for ten minutes with periodic stirring.
Add and cook the kidney beans for five minutes. Then, combine one tablespoon of water with cornflour and add it to the pan. Cook the mixture for five minutes and stir in the coriander.
You can serve the chili with pitta halves, grated cheese, and sour cream.
5. Carrot and Coriander Soup
Estimated cost per serving: $1.38
Calories: 87 Protein: 2.2 g Carbs: 11.7 g Fat: 3.4 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 sliced onion
450g peeled and sliced carrot
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1.2 liters of vegetable stock
Large bunch of chopped fresh coriander
Freshly ground black pepper and salt
Directions
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the carrots and onions. Cook for four minutes at most until it gets soft.
Stir the coriander and season with vegetables and salt, and cook for a minute.
Add the vegetable stock and boil it. Simmer for 15 minutes at most until the vegetables are tender.
Add the mixture into a blender and mix until smooth. Reheat in a saucepan, then stir in fresh coriander. You can serve immediately.
6. Veggie Mulligatawny Soup
Estimated cost per serving: $1.25
Calories: 466 Protein:14 g Carbs:43 g Fat: 24 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
Olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 finely chopped red pepper
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon curry powder
30g tomato puree
400g tin coconut milk
½ swede (finely chopped and peeled)
2 carrots (finely chopped and peeled)
2 parsnips (finely chopped and peeled)
100g red lentils
1 vegetable stock cube
Salt and black pepper
200ml natural yogurt
Directions
Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the pepper, onion, and garlic until they get soft.
Add the curry powder, and stir in the tomato puree. Next, pour in the coconut milk and add the remaining stock, lentils, and vegetables. Let it simmer, then cook it for 25 to 30 minutes. You should allow it to soften, then season it.
You can serve the chunky soup or blend it to smoothness using a blender.
Scoop the soup into warm bowls and top with a swirl of yogurt and a pinch of curry powder.
7. Sardinesca
Estimated cost per serving: $2.39
Calories: 504 Protein: 23 g Carbs: 50 g Fat: 22.5 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
4 ¼ ounces tinned sardines in oil
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
200ml fish or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped olives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
280g dried spaghetti
Black pepper and salt
Directions
Empty the sardines into a saucepan, and remove any protruding bone. Mash lightly using a fork. Add tomatoes, olives, and stock. Also, add the lemon juice and plenty of black pepper, then boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
When the sauce becomes cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.
You can cook the pasta in a pan that has a large amount of boiling salted water. After, drain and add to the sauce, then warm it before serving.
8. Smoky Vegetable Jambalaya
Estimated cost per serving: $1.10
Calories: 351 Protein: 10 g Carbs: 54 g Fat: 9 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
120g dried kidney beans
1 finely chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
150g brown basmati rice
1 bay leaf
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 crumbled vegetable stock cubes
750 ml boiling water
500g mixed frozen vegetables
Directions
If you opt for dried kidney beans, you should drain the soaked beans in a colander and thoroughly rinse them. You can tip it into a saucepan and cover (add cold water to it). Then, boil for ten minutes and reduce the heat. Simmer it for one to two hours until it gets soft, then separate it to cool down.
Heat a splash of oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. After, fry the garlic and onion until they get soft. Add the smoked paprika, fennel seeds, and herbs, fry for 30 seconds, and stir in the rice.
Add the bay leaf, tinned beans, chopped tomatoes, stock cubes, and boiling water, then simmer-cook for 25 minutes.
Stir in the frozen vegetables (having covered them), then remove them from the heat. Let it stand for five minutes.
9. Chipotle Pinto Bean Stew
Estimated cost per serving: $0.63
Calories: 404 Protein: 18 g Carbs: 51 g Fat:13 g
Ingredients (for four servings)
250g dried pinto beans
Olive oil
2 finely chopped onions
2 finely chopped celery sticks
3 garlic cloves (grated or crushed)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chipotle paste
30g tomato puree
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
200g frozen sweetcorn
Salt and fresh black pepper
50g pickled jalapeno chilies
150ml soured cream
Directions
If you use dried pinto beans, tip them into a saucepan and cover with cold water (let them soak overnight). After, drain the beans in a colander, rinse, and tip into a pan ( cover with cold water). Set it over high heat and boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour. Drain it and let it cool.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a casserole and fry the onion, garlic, and celery for five minutes.
Add the cinnamon and cumin. Fry for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato puree and chipotle paste. Fry for another minute, then add the pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, and stock cube.
Pour in 200ml water; boil it, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. After, stir in the sweetcorn and cook for some minutes. Then, you can season it for taste.
Spoon the stew into warmed bowls and top with jalapenos, a pinch of smoked paprika, and sour cream. Serve with homemade tortilla chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the healthiest, cheapest meal?
It is subjective since several of them exist. A few include the ones mentioned above.
What should I eat a week on a budget?
It really boils down to you, but the following would be an example:
Tomato bun tuna melt on Sunday; vegetarian spaghetti squash lasagna on Monday; easy chicken fried rice on Tuesday; roasted buffalo chickpea wraps on Wednesday; bean and veggie taco bowl on Thursday; creamy chicken, brussels sprouts, and mushrooms one-pot pasta on Friday, and slow cooker beef stew on Saturday.
How do you feed a family of 4 on $100 a week?
As mentioned in the early paragraphs, where you shop matters. You should seek an affordable and healthy grocery store to get your food. It can help you save money!
What are the main principles of good meal planning?
In no particular order, adequacy, balance, moderation, variety, and nourishment are the principles of good meal planning!
