Cheap Meal Plans: Week 7
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Do you need to create a menu for your family for this week? I’ve already got you covered! Here’s a simple meal plan with clean foods that you can buy and make for your family of 4 for less than $150.
Below you will find the shopping list, estimated prices (from Walmart, using generic ingredients when available), the meal plan for the week, and the recipes you will need to make. Prices are based on pricing at my closest Walmart store in Wyoming.
To make this meal plan for a family of 2, you can cut everything in half. For a family of 6, add 50% of the ingredients. For a family of 8, double all the ingredients.
You will need extras for sides and snacks this week. This week’s total is a little higher than normal but there should be plenty of extras left at the end of the week. You can bring the total down a little by using canned or dried produce and herbs.
🛒 Shopping List
Protein
- Eggs ~ $16.00 (2x 36ct)
- Ground Beef (3lbs) ~ $17.44
- Frozen Chicken Breast (3lbs) ~ $8.94
- Uncured Pepperoni ~ $4.96
- Uncured Ham (8oz) ~ $4.97
- Uncured Bacon (12oz) ~ $6.97
- Canned Tuna (2) ~ $1.92
- Mixed Nuts ~ $5.68
🍞 Grains & Breads
- Bread (2 loaves) ~ $2.84 (make breadcrumbs with leftovers)
- Tortillas (1 pack) ~ $1.98
- Spaghetti Noodles (16oz) ~ $0.98
- Old Fashioned Oats ~ $2.66
- Wild Rice Blend ~ $2.42
- White Rice (32oz) ~ $1.77
🥕 Produce
- Onions (3lbs) ~ $2.64
- Celery ~ $1.97
- Carrots ~ $1.32
- Potatoes (10lb) ~ $4.24
- Garlic Cloves ~ $1.48
- Tomatoes (4lbs) ~ $7.92
- Fresh Basil ~ $1.78
- Bananas (8) ~ $2.24
- Frozen Berries (16oz) ~ $3.52
- Romaine Lettuce Hearts (3pk) ~ $3.04
- Cucumber ~ $0.67
- Frozen Broccoli ~ $1.16
- Chives ~ $1.78
🥛 Dairy & Condiments
- Milk (half gallon) ~ $2.08
- Colby Cheese (16oz) ~ $3.78
- Mozzarella Cheese (16oz)~ $3.78
- Sour Cream (16oz) ~ $1.88
🥫 Canned & Packaged
- Mayo ~ $2.12
- Chicken Broth ~ $1.50
- Pizza Sauce ~ $1.88
- Brown Sugar ~ $2.22
- Mustard ~ $0.68
- Ketchup ~ $1.94
- Maple Syrup ~ $5.48
- Vanilla Extract ~ $1.68
- Canned Corn ~ $0.50
🌿 Seasonings & Spices
- Cinnamon, seasonings, taco seasoning, and various other spices and baking supplies (sugar, flour) ~ $5.00
Estimated Total ≈ $147.81
📅 Cheap Meal Plan #7
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Overnight Oats with Fruit and Nuts | Egg Salad in a Wrap | Spaghetti with Meat Sauce |
| Tue | Banana Pancakes | Chef Salads | Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes |
| Wed | French Toast | Baked Potato Bar | Chicken and Rice Soup |
| Thu | Overnight Oats with Fruit and Nuts | Leftover Soup | Taco Bowls |
| Fri | Banana Pancakes | Tuna Melt | Cheesy Chicken Breasts |
| Sat | French Toast | Quesadillas | Homemade Pizza |
| Sun | German Pancake | Use up remaining leftovers (leftover buffet) | Use up remaining leftovers (leftover buffet) |
Print a PDF file with the menu plan HERE.
🥪Recipes and Instructions
Breakfast Recipes
Overnight Oats with Fruit and Nuts
In a jar or bowl, combine 2 cups old-fashioned oats, 2 cups milk (or milk alternative), 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in 1 cup chopped fruit (like apples or berries) and ½ cup chopped nuts. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir before serving.
Be sure and make this the night before! You will have this recipe twice this week.
Banana Oat Pancakes
Mash 4 ripe bananas in a bowl. Add 4 eggs, 2 cup oats (blended into flour or left whole), ½ teaspoon baking powder, and a splash of milk. Mix well and cook spoonfuls on a greased skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides.
French Toast
Whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Dip 8 slices of bread into the mixture and cook on a greased skillet until golden brown on both sides. Serve with butter, syrup, or fruit.
German Pancake
You can find my recipe for this here: German Pancake Recipe.
Lunch Recipes
Egg Salad in a Wrap
Boil 8 eggs, peel, and chop them. Mix with ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into 4 large tortillas, add lettuce or spinach, and roll up into wraps.
Chef Salads
Layer chopped lettuce, diced ham or turkey, shredded cheese, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and chopped veggies (like cucumber, tomato, and carrots) on plates. Serve with your favorite dressing or a homemade vinaigrette.
Baked Potato Bar
Scrub 4 large russet potatoes and bake at 400°F for about 1 hour or until soft. Split open and serve with toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, butter, steamed broccoli, crumbled bacon, and chives so everyone can make their own.
Tuna Melt
Mix 2 cans of tuna with ¼ cup mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Spread on 4 slices of bread, top with cheese, and place another slice on top. Butter the outside and cook on a skillet until golden and the cheese is melted.
Quesadillas
Place shredded cheese and cooked meat or veggies between two tortillas. Cook on a greased skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides and cheese is melted. Slice into wedges and serve with salsa or sour cream. You can add in leftover meat if you have any from this week.
Supper Recipes
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Make spaghetti and serve with my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.
Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes
I have a few choices for a homemade meatloaf recipe, but my favorite is this Amish Meatloaf. Serve with Roasted Potatoes. Only make half the meatloaf recipe, as one loaf will be enough meatloaf for a family of 4.
Chicken and Rice Soup
This is a great recipe that you can make in the crockpot if you’d like. Follow my Chicken and Rice Soup recipe here.
Taco Bowls
Brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet and season with taco seasoning. Serve over bowls of cooked rice or lettuce with toppings such as beans, corn, shredded cheese, diced tomato, and salsa.
Cheesy Chicken Breasts
Follow my recipe to make Cheesy Chicken Breasts here.
Homemade Pizza
This is our favorite Pizza Dough recipe. I’ve included the ingredients to make a pepperoni pizza in this week’s shopping list.
Helpful Tips on Meal Planning
You can, of course, get these prices down even further if you already have some of these items on hand such as the pantry staples. My menu assumes you at least have flour, sugar, salt, and pepper on hand.
There will be items leftover from this menu that you can use next week if you need to or you can add into some of these meals to bulk them up.
You could also make some of these items from scratch to save even more! If you have flour and yeast you can make your own bread for less. You could also make things like dinner rolls to add to these recipes to bulk them up. Here are some tips on making frugal meals stretch and more filling.
Keep all the recipes in a Meal Planning Binder.
Happy Meal Planning!