21 Meals for $25 | 1 Week of CHEAP and Easy Recipes

I wrote this meal plan for myself while thinking about what I truly wanted to eat for an entire week. My goal was to create delicious recipes that were fast, easy, and cheap, and this is what I came up with! This meal plan was designed to provide inspiration and I encourage you to customize it to work for you. I hope y’all love the recipes too!

Groceries

I shopped at a few different stores for these groceries and I found some great deals. I recommend finding the least expensive grocery store near you to get the best prices. For me, that was ALDI, Dollar Tree, and Vons/Albertsons.

Recipes

These recipes use the ingredients I purchased, along with a few staples from my pantry and refrigerator. I encourage you to make changes that suit your tastes and use whatever you have on hand when possible.

For step-by-step instructions for these recipes, watch the video on YouTube:

For breakfast, I went with one of my favorite grab-and-go options: Overnight Oats! It’s so easy to customize, make substitutions, and create fun flavor combinations. For this meal plan, I made 7 servings for the entire week, but I prepared four the first evening and the remaining three after those first four were gone. The shelf life is up to 5 days in the refrigerator, but I find that the texture is best when consumed within 3-4 days.

I recommend washing and slicing the strawberries when making the overnight oats, and storing them in an airtight container for easy use when ready to assemble.

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats

This recipe makes 1 serving of Overnight Oats for easy grab-and-go prep. Top with your favorite fruit and nuts for the perfect breakfast!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 1 Serving

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup Rolled Oats
• ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup Milk
• 1 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract optional

Method

 

1. In a jar or glass container, add all ingredients and stir until combined.
2. Store in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat, top with any optional ingredients like sliced strawberries, bananas, slivered almonds, chocolate chips, peanut butter, Nutella, etc. Enjoy!

Notes

*Refrigerate for up to 5 days. For best texture, eat within 3 days.

*For this meal plan, I topped each one with 2 sliced strawberries and half a banana, sliced. 

Lunches and Dinners

These recipes can be used for either lunch or dinner, depending on your preferences. I personally like to eat one serving for dinner, one serving for lunch the next day, and then freeze the rest in portions for easy reheating the rest of the week. I do not recommend refrigerating the leftovers for more than 3-4 days, for food safety reasons. Always check your local food safety guidelines for safely keeping leftovers.

One Pot Broccoli Cheese and Chickpea Casserole

Cheesy, delicious, and full of flavor

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 5 Servings

Course: dinner

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Oil
• 1 cup Rice
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1¼ cup Milk
• 1½ cups Water or Vegetable Stock
• 2 cups frozen or fresh Broccoli chopped
• 1 can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Method

 

1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add rice and toast for 2-3 minutes. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Add milk and water, stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is cooked through.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Add broccoli and chickpeas, stir, and cover. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
4. Turn off the heat, add cheese and stir. Cover for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Stir, serve, and enjoy!

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

A one pan meal that tastes better than take-out

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Servings

Course: dinner

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Oil
• 1 lb Chicken Breasts or Thighs cubed
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 3-4 cups cooked Rice chilled
• 1 bag Frozen Vegetables peas and carrots, etc
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Green Onions sliced, optional

Method

 

1. Cook rice in advance and preferably chill overnight. If that’s not possible, try to chill the cooked rice for at least 2 hours before starting the rest of this recipe.
2. In a large pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add cubed chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden, flip, and then continue cooking on the other side until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the pan and then add veggies. Saute until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. In the same pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter until butter is melted. Add the chilled rice and saute, stirring frequently, until rice begins to brown. Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp butter, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until butter is melted.
5. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables back to the rice and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Turn off the heat and serve.
6. Top with sliced green onions, hot sauce, and more soy sauce, if desired.

Chicken and Oat Soup

A delicious spin on chicken noodle soup

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings: 5 Servings

Course: dinner, lunch

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1½ lb Chicken Breasts or Thighs
• 1 cup Oats
• 3-4 Carrots chopped, optional (or substitute your favorite vegetables)
• 4 cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tsp Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

 

1. In a slow cooker, add the chicken, oats, carrots, water, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
2. Remove the chicken and shred. Add shredded chicken back to the slow cooker, stir, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and continue to cook on low for 1 hour.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If you do not have carrots on hand, I recommend adding a bag of frozen vegetables after you’ve added in the shredded cooked chicken. Alternatively, you can add your favorite chopped vegetables instead of the carrots at the start of the recipe.

 

Recipe adapted from Green Lite Bites

I hope you enjoy the recipes and at least get a few ideas for meals to make in your home! Subscribe to my blog to be notified anytime I post a new recipe, meal plan, or budgeting tip!

Happy Cooking!

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