Cheap Healthy Dinner Meal Plan (With Shopping List!)
Having a meal plan can help decrease stress during the week and save money when you go to the grocery store. Meal planning healthy meals for your family doesn’t have to be hard (if you need some advice, check out this post here!). I personally look forward to meal planning and making my shopping list every Sunday evening.
Each of these ideas are fairly quick and easy recipes as well as being very grocery budget friendly! As grocery prices continue to increase, it is so important to be strategic when creating your week’s meal plan and shopping list. I am pretty confident these are meals your whole family will love – at least mine does!
I wanted to share an example of a healthy meal plan for dinners (and shopping list) that I personally use and meals with healthy foods that my family actually enjoys. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or time-consuming! Come along with me as I review some of our family’s favorite meals.
Monday – Chicken Fajitas

Chicken fajitas is one of my family’s go-to meals. It only requires a few ingredients and it’s packed full of protein and fresh vegetables! Click here for a link to a great recipe from Chocolate with Grace. Her recipe calls for taco seasoning but I prefer to use fajita seasoning. You can also make your own fajita seasoning (recipe here!). I like to use both red and green bell peppers. These are so yummy served with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole. These come together so fast so this is a great recipe for those busy evenings. You can also meal prep the chicken and veggies a day or two before.
Tuesday – Pasta with High Protein Pasta Sauce

Pasta is a very affordable and versatile dinner choice. You can find whole wheat pasta for a healthier choice or just choose whatever pasta type your family prefers (spaghetti, bowties, rotini, etc.). My family loves this creamy and delicious high protein pasta sauce made with cottage cheese from Kuch Pak Raha Hai. You can add any protein you have on hand (chicken, ground beef, or sausage all pair well with this pasta sauce) or just enjoy it topped with parmesan cheese. Pasta dishes like this one pair well with breadsticks .or garlic bread. I also love to include veggies on the side like green beans, corn, or broccoli.
Wednesday – Cajun Cauliflower Rice
This quick and easy five ingredient cajun cauliflower rice is not just delicious, it is also keto-friendly and low carb! This recipe from Instrupix has been on my go-to meal rotation for years now! The fresh ingredients make this one of the greatest healthy dinner ideas. You can definitely adjust the cajun seasoning to make it more or less spicy according to your preferences! This is another one of our family’s favorite healthy recipes. You can also make your own cauliflower rice from a head of cauliflower if you don’t want to buy cauliflower rice. I also love that I already have bell peppers and onions on hand from making fajitas on Monday!
Thursday – Chicken burritos

Chicken burritos are a great way to use up the leftover tortillas you have from fajita night! This recipe is also simple and just requires a few ingredients. This particular recipe by A Latte Food calls for gluten free tortillas but I promise they taste just as great with regular tortillas. These can also be served with sour cream and salsa. They only need to bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven so this is another great recipe for those nights you don’t have a much time to make dinner. You could also add some pinto, refried, or black beans to add a little more protein and make these even more filling.
Friday – Air fryer chicken nuggets and french fries
My family is a big fan of Chick-fil-a and, let me tell you, these easy air fryer chicken nuggets from Real Housemoms taste almost exactly like the real thing! The best part is it uses pantry staples you probably already have on hand like flour, milk, pickle juice, and seasonings. I like to make homemade french fries or potato wedges and air fry them but you can also just pick up a bag of frozen french fries (or waffle fries!) to stick in the air fryer. You could also try some frozen sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries. We like to do something “fun” for dinner on Friday nights to celebrate the end of the weekend and this is one of favorite recipes to do so without going out to eat. (We haven’t eaten out at Chick-fil-a for a long time thanks to this recipe!)
Saturday – Sheet pan chicken and veggies
Saturdays I like to do something pretty simple and easy because we usually go out and do something as a family and by the end of the day I don’t feel like making a big fancy meal. Sheet pan meals are so versatile. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. This recipe from Cafe Delites suggests green beans and potatoes, but you can do pretty much whatever you have on hand or sounds good to you. It does take about 25 minutes to cook but you can just sit back and relax while it’s in the oven!
Sunday – Breakfast for dinner

Our family traditionally does breakfast for dinner every Sunday (do you see my pattern of doing very simple, easy meals on the weekends?). Breakfast for dinner is so versatile and has so many carb and protein options. Some carb ideas you can try: pancakes, waffles, French toast, muffins, or hashbrowns. Protein you can include is eggs (try a yummy omelette!), bacon, or sausage. We’ve also done an oatmeal bar in the past with some fresh fruit and other toppings. Add some peanut butter for some healthy fats on your pancakes or waffles. Hard-boiled eggs are another yummy idea that your family probably doesn’t have very often. Some fresh fruit or orange juice is also a yummy addition. Anyway, there are so many fun, yummy, and health ideas for breakfast for dinner!
Grocery list + tips

- Making a grocery list can save your family so much money! When you are just guessing on what you might need, you end up overbuying and perishable items that you don’t end up using just go bad. Being very intentional about the food that you buy and having a plan for each ingredient can reduce food waste.
- Don’t be afraid of generic brands! I have found that in almost every case, the generic brand is just as good (and sometimes better) than the name brand. Intentionally choosing generic is great way to get the best prices and be able to afford more food for your family.
- I personally think the easiest way to save money on groceries is using a pickup service like Walmart pickup so you aren’t wandering around the store and picking up random things that are on your list. I love that I can stay focused on my list while adding things to my cart on the app and I can see how much my grocery bill is going to be before checking out. This helps me make nutritious meals for our family without breaking the bank.
Listen, I’m going to help you out and include an example of a grocery shopping list for this particular meal plan. I know it can be so tedious to sit down and figure out each and every ingredient you need for every one of these healthy dinners. I hope this healthy grocery list takes some stress of your plate and helps you stay focused when you go to the grocery store.
Here’s an example of a grocery list you might use:
Chicken breasts
Olive oil
3 bell peppers
2 small onion
Taco seasoning (or fajita seasoning if you prefer)
Tortillas
Pasta
Pasta sauce
Cottage cheese
2 bags of Cauliflower rice
Cajun style andouille sausage
Avocado
Shredded cheese
Eggs
Lemon or lemon juice
Minced garlic
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Vegetables of choice
Pancake mix
Peanut butter
Bacon or sausage
Fresh fruit
I hope this helps you to be able to create your own meal plans in the future! If you don’t feel like sitting down and meal planning every week is for you, come back to my blog! The good news is I plan to add even more meal plans in the future for you and your family members to use!
And just a reminder: You are doing a great job, however you choose to feed your family.

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