Want to cook this week’s dinners for $70 or less? Check out this week’s meal plan.
This post is going to be short and sweet. I’ve used all my brain cells creating this week’s meal plan document. Not only does the plan contain seven meals that will please kids and adults alike, but it also features a master prep list, a full-length peek at the week and how to mix and match ingredients, and a $70 price tag.
An added bonus is that everything (except yeast) can be purchased at Trader Joe’s. We used that store with the healthier ingredient guarantee as the basis of this plan’s cost analysis. Prices may vary from state to state, but they are generally pretty similar. I also know that you can probably find ingredients for less at lots of other stores or if you shop sales, so I’m feeling pretty confident about the pricing here.
Of course your mileage may vary. Be sure to read all. the. notes. I’ve included lots of little cheats to help you keep costs down as well as have an easy meal plan to work through during the week. The notes are where your cost and time savings will be explained. So read them! You can do a lot of the prep on one day and then simply assemble supper as the week progresses. At times, we veered from the recipe a tad in order to save you some coin.
Keep tabs on leftovers — don’t let your teenage sons steal them — as they will be all used up by the end of the week in different recipes. Waste not, want not.
The plan is formatted as a full-color pdf. If you don’t want to use the colored ink, be sure to change the setting in your print window. Alternatively, save a tree and save the pdf to your iBooks or other pdf library on your tablet or phone. Just be sure to take your device to the store with you.
Recipes in the meal plan:
Check out the meal plan here:
Like it? Be sure to join the Good Cheap Eats Club for more money-saving meal plans and access to our digital meal planning platform.
Kristen
I love this!!!! SO easy to have the shopping list, special instructions, and chronological prep ideas. And I love the recipes you chose – they are flexible to different family preferences, simple enough not to require hours in the kitchen every night, and “regular” food that most people should enjoy – nothing too exotic or “weird” 😉 Thank you so much for this; I’m sure it was a lot of work.
Jessica Fisher
Nope, nothing weird. 🙂
Dennise
forgot to add: I bought a whole chicken on sale(about 5lb) and cooked in crock pot. de-boned and returned bones to crock with broth to make a stronger broth for a healthier soup base. Will use the cooked chicken for the sliders, burritos and soup.
I had a package of boneless chicken breasts in the freezer for the salsa verde (bought on sale awhile back!)
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like some great strategies!
Dennise
going to try most of this plan this week. my oldest son has plans to cook for us on a couple days so his meals will be different from this plan. 😉
jan
I am really glad you did this … with hubby starting back to work and his new job Monday it looks like I will be the head chef again 😉 trust me I am ok with that!! Thanks for all the work you put into Jessica!!
Jessica Fisher
Sounds good! Thank you!
heidi c
I just had to come back and comment on how EASY it was to take this list to Trader Joe’s and be DONE! 🙂 I did buy chicken breasts at Albertsons (because they were on sale), but other than that I just bought from the list (and picked up extra since we are feeding 7). I’m also seeing that these meals can be adapted for my husband who has decided that he wants to go back to the Whole 30 way of eating. At least for this week, I won’t have to make two separate meals!
Thanks again!
Jessica Fisher
I imagine you can buy all this at other grocery stores, but you won’t have the price or quality guarantee. I’d love to hear about your Whole 30 adaptations.
vanessa
YESYESYES. It is so hard to find meal plans that are frugal, and made from healthy ingredients that aren’t too “weird.”
I menu plan 2-4 weeks ahead so I know how much work it is.
The notes are good, detailed and clear.
I’ll be sharing this on FB. Also writing a “Moms Resources” page for my blog & will be linking both life as mom and good cheap eats there.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for sharing the love!
Amy
I love, love, LOVE it! I love that it is 7 meals and they’re simple for the every day family. I can only imagine the time and effort you put in to this and to provide it for free to your readers is beyond sweet. SO THANK YOU!!
Jessica Fisher
Working on #2. Let me know how this goes for you. Survey going up tomorrow. Thanks!
Ilene
This is amazing! Sharing with all of my local friends – what a great solution for a crazy busy time of the year….
Went to Trader Joe’s today and stocked up! Thanks for breaking it down into an easy, well planned and delish adventure! Between this and all of the great recipes in your freezer cooking book, we are good to go for the next three week!
Jessica Fisher
I wish I was good to go for the next three weeks! Yay for you!
Alison
LOVE this menu!! I really needed a good cheap menu for this week- food budget has been spent 😉
Most od the ingredients I have on hand so this is a win! Thanks a bunch.
Blessings,
Alison
Jessica Fisher
I’d love to know how it worked out for you!
Amy
Thank you! We are also a family of 8 and it is so nice to see a menu plan I can just go with without having to double everything! Gonna give it a go next week for sure. 😀
Jessica Fisher
These plans are designed to feed 4 (if you buy the smaller amount of chicken) at the $70 price point. Read all the notes. 🙂 You will need to buy the full five pounds if you plan to feed 8, and depending on your chicken price, may need to spend more than $70 to do that. I stretched these meals for my family with extra sides. So that is possible, too.
Jennifer Hoffman
Thank you so much!!! This is a God send! I feel like I should be helping you out in some way, this is so much work!
Jessica Fisher
Just tell me how it works for you and spread the word if it’s still awesome when you’re done. 🙂
Jamie
This. is. amazeballs! Thank you for what I *know* was a lot of hard work. New to your blog, but enjoying it so much!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for your kind words! I just hope y’all like it.
heidi c
Hooray! Now I’m kind of rejoicing that I was too busy to get my shopping done! 🙂 this is perfect! Thanks so much, my life just got a little easier this morning!
Jessica Fisher
Ha! I’m so glad to hear it!
Lori
No trader joes here in Oklahoma, but I love this concept. My husband eats meat, but I do not,so I’m always looking for something like this to make meals for him a little easier
Jessica Fisher
They are all very normal ingredients. Nothing funky or extremely “Trader Joe’s”. The trick about that store is that there’s so much “fun food”, folks don’t realize that they could eat really economically purchasing regular ingredients.
Krista Sanderson
This is amazing! Great job!
Reynaul
Thank you for this! This looks awesome! I love TJ’s and was just there yesterday!
Claire
Thank you! . Love trader joes!
debbie
Thanks for working so hard on this. Can’t wait to try some of these recipes and plans but I can’t save the leftovers because my husband takes them for lunch!
Jennifer Hoffman
She stretched some of them to make enough for 8 servings so you might be surprised!
Jessica Fisher
Since I was trying to keep costs low, I used the smaller portion of chicken. The kids would have been thrilled if I had used the full five pounds.
Jessica Fisher
Depending on how many you’re feeding at night and if you spring for the bigger portion of chicken, you’ll be fine. Or you’ll have meatless soup and pizza later in the week. 🙂
AmberJane
Wow Jessica so much work went into this and can’t wait to try out new recipes – I now menu plan thanks to you and although we don’t have Trader Joe’s here in Ireland I will see how it works out for us
Jessica Fisher
I’d love to hear how it works internationally. I don’t think there’s anything too crazy, even though it’s a TJ’s shop.
Sheila
These meals all look like something my family would actually eat! Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
It is amazingly simple, but really good.