Eating Healthy on a Budget, Part Three: Meal Plan

For the final installment of our series of Eating Healthy on a Budget, NTI grad Kate Sheets is making our penny-pinching delicious. This meal plan and shopping list make it possible for a family of four to eat for $215 in a week using whole foods – assuming you have a pantry stocked with typical spices and oils. In order to maximize cooking time, this meal plan suggests cooking on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Tuesday and Wednesday are set aside for leftovers. Based on the demands of your schedule, you can change any day to be the cooking or leftover day. If you have too many leftovers and don’t anticipate finishing them within the week, make sure to freeze them for future use.

Meal Plan

Sunday

Breakfast– Frozen berries, oatmeal with grass-fed collagen powder or veggie protein (walnuts or seeds)

Lunch– Burrito bowl with cod

Dinner– Hamburgers with lettuce wrap/bun, frozen broccoli, Oven potato fries

Monday

Breakfast– Veggie Egg Muffin

Lunch– Cobb salad with lettuce, avocado, tomato, grilled chicken, olive oil

Dinner– 4oz. meat, fish or veggie protein (tempeh), Cauliflower (steamed or baked), Baked sweet potato

Tuesday

Breakfast– Smoothie (1 cup frozen berries, 2 cups spinach, 4 cups coconut milk, 4 scoops collagen or veggie protein)

Lunch– Vegetable soup, Simple Mills crackers, hummus

Dinner– Tuna, chicken salad, or Chickpea salad in lettuce wraps

Wednesday – eat Monday’s leftovers

Thursday – eat Tuesday’s leftovers

Friday

Breakfast– Chia pudding with berries

Lunch– Charcuterie board (olives, cheese, crackers, carrots, hummus, hard-boiled egg)

Dinner– Tacos with chicken fish, shrimp, meat, or veggie in lettuce wraps or tortilla

Saturday

Breakfast– Scrambled eggs, leftover vegetables

Lunch– Taco leftovers

Dinner– Vegetable Stir Fry, heated frozen cauliflower rice

This shopping list encompasses the ingredients necessary for the above meal plan. To optimize every dollar when choosing to buy organic, consider checking unit prices and brands, as well as the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists for pesticide levels in certain produce. This video gives some great tips on how to shop well on a budget.

Shopping list:

• 1 dozen Pasture-raised Eggs
• 2 gallons organic almond/coconut milk
• 5 b.Chicken (8 4oz. servings)
• Tempeh (organic)
• Cod (wild caught)
• 1lb grass-fed ground beef (for hamburgers)
• Grass-fed collagen powder
• Veggie broth (organic)
• 2 Simple mills Crackers
• Hummus (organic)
• Chia seeds (organic)
• Can coconut milk (organic)
• Can tomato (organic)
• Can green beans (organic)
• 2 cans black beans (organic)
• Can corn (organic)
• Can tuna (pole/line caught)
• Salsa (organic)
• Big bag frozen berries (organic)
• Frozen broccoli (organic)
• Small Greek yogurt
• Butter (organic)
• Frozen cauliflower rice (organic)
• Steel cuts oats (organic)

Produce (organic):

• Garlic (can substitute garlic powder)
• 1 bag carrots
• Lettuce (for wraps)
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• 1 bag kale
• Lime
• 2 avocados
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• 5 Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes
• Red onion
• Spinach
• 2 Red peppers
• Yellow pepper
• 1 container Mushrooms

For more tips and tricks to eating healthy on a budget be sure to read Part One: a Chef’s View, and Part Two: From the Alum of this series. You can also learn how to stretch your food budget by properly storing produce to prevent food waste.

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About the author: Lisa Driscoll is a student at NTI’s Nutrition Therapist Master Program. Having studied journalism and vocal performance in undergrad, she enjoys using her voice to share the benefits of living a holistic, integrated lifestyle in writing. You can find more of her writing in the Baltimore Sun, Classical Singer Magazine, Capital News Service, and FOCUS blog.

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Images:

Flat Lay Photography of Three Tray of Foods by Ella Olsson from Pexels

Stainless Steel Spoon Beside Clear Glass Jar by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

Mexican Tacos with Salsa by ROMAN ODINTSOV from Pexels

Vegetables Stall by PhotoMIX Company from Pexels