This meal plan is designed to feed 2 adults with little time for cooking and prep work. I designed this with the intent to provide a healthier meal plan, however it is quite repetitive due to the price restriction. This meal plan can be made exclusively on a stove top. This is just a starting point for planning meals. If you are looking for a cheaper meal plan, check out my post on two weeks of cheap meals for $50 or my whole30 meal plan.
Related: Fried Rice
Groceries
All items are from Walmart. The items are great value unless they are noted otherwise. Some of these items will probably last longer than 1 week.
Lentils- $2.28
Black beans – $2.12
Tomato – $1.92 (canned diced)
Onion – $1.02
Garlic – $.80
Apples – $4.96 (Fuji 3 lb bag)
Oats – $4.38 (42 oz)
Broccoli – $3.43 (32 oz frozen)
Cauliflower – $1.44 (12 oz frozen) x2
Margarine – $1.73 (imperial)
Carrots – $1.23 (1 lb) x2
Chicken – $11.18 (boneless skinless chicken thighs)
Total: $38.36
Meals
Breakfasts- oatmeal with diced apples, shredded apples, or apple slices
Snacks- carrots and/or apples
Lunch & dinners- Buddha bowls
Prep
Lentils- rinse them and pick out bad looking ones. Sauté 2-4 cloves of garlic and half of the diced onion add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and add 1 cup of lentils. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Drain and serve.
Black beans- rinse and pick out the bad looking ones. Soak overnight or at least 1 hour. Boil with 4 cups of water and 1 cup of beans for up to 2.5 hours or until throughly cooked. Alternatively you can cook them in an instant pot at a 1 to 1 ratio for 22 minutes then slow release for 6 minutes
Sauté the cauliflower and broccoli with margarine or steam them. You can also roast them at 425 for about 15 minutes.
Chop the carrots and roast in the oven at 430 for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively you can steam or boil them
Chicken- Heat a skillet to medium high heat with 2 tbsp of margarine. Add chicken thighs and cook 4-5 minutes and then flip. If you have salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder add it. Cook another 2-4 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from heat and slice. If any part isn’t cooked, add it back into the pan and cook. If you can sous vide the chicken then sear it right before serving, it will be perfect for every meal.
Add any combination of ingredients to a bowl and enjoy! Store ingredients separately in reusable containers or plastic bags. If you have additional seasonings you can spice up your bowl. If you have the ingredients to make a sauce it can also add flavor. A garlic aioli is great and simple.
If you’ve got a little extra
If you have a little more money for more variety:
Eggs- $7.47 (18 pack)
Green beans- $1.23 (frozen)
Sweet potatoes- $4.48
Bananas- $.43 each
Tortillas- $3.98 (10 mission tortillas)
Prep for if you have a little extra
Fry, hard, or soft boil some or all eggs and either eat plain or add to the Buddha bowl
Sauté the green beans and sweet potatoes
Add the bananas to the oatmeal or eat as a snack
Use the tortillas for tacos with all the ingredients. If you have taco seasoning you can sprinkle some on your lentils to imitate a taco.
Tips
If you don’t like lentils, you can get rice instead, but it won’t be as healthy. Lentils have more fiber and protein.
Try to make a soup for the last 2 days of dinners with any and all ingredients you have.
