A 7-Day Budget Meal Plan That Doesn't Taste Cheap
A full week of breakfasts, lunches and dinners built on batch cooking and shared ingredients, with approximate costs in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD and AUD.
Quick answer: The cheapest healthy week is built on 3 batch-cooked bases (a lentil stew, a tray of roast vegetables and a pot of rice or beans) that turn into different meals. For one adult, the shopping list below costs roughly $35–45 USD / €32–40 EUR / £28–35 GBP / CA$48–60 CAD / A$55–70 AUD, depending on where you shop.
Budget meal plans often fail because they are either joyless (rice and beans, seven nights running) or secretly expensive (a different specialty ingredient every day). This week uses one shopping trip, about 25 ingredients, and leftovers planned on purpose.
The rules that keep it cheap
- Every ingredient appears at least twice. A bag of spinach goes into stew, eggs and pasta.
- Cook once, eat twice. Three dinners are doubled and become lunches.
- Cheap protein first: eggs, lentils, beans, canned fish, chicken thighs.
- Frozen vegetables count. They are nutritionally comparable to fresh and don't go off.
The NHS Eatwell Guide is a good sense-check: about a third of each plate vegetables and fruit, a third starchy carbs, plus protein and some dairy.
The 7-day plan
Day 1
- Breakfast: Porridge with banana and peanut butter
- Lunch: Egg fried rice with frozen peas
- Dinner: Big-batch lentil, carrot and spinach stew with bread (make 4 portions)
Day 2
- Breakfast: Toast with scrambled eggs
- Lunch: Leftover lentil stew
- Dinner: Sheet-pan chicken thighs with roast potatoes and carrots (roast a double tray of vegetables)
Day 3
- Breakfast: Porridge with grated apple and cinnamon
- Lunch: Roast vegetable and chicken wrap
- Dinner: Black bean chilli with rice (make 4 portions)
Day 4
- Breakfast: Yogurt with oats and banana
- Lunch: Leftover chilli in a baked potato
- Dinner: Pasta with tuna, tomato and spinach
Day 5
- Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter and banana
- Lunch: Leftover lentil stew, blended into soup
- Dinner: Spanish-style potato and onion omelette with salad
Day 6
- Breakfast: Porridge with frozen berries
- Lunch: Leftover omelette in a sandwich
- Dinner: Leftover chilli as loaded nachos or quesadillas
Day 7
- Breakfast: Shakshuka with canned tomatoes and eggs
- Lunch: "Clear-the-fridge" fried rice with any leftover vegetables
- Dinner: Vegetable and bean soup with cheese toasties
Shopping list and approximate cost
| Section | Items |
|---|---|
| Produce | 2 kg (4.4 lb) potatoes, 1 kg (2.2 lb) carrots, 1 kg (2.2 lb) onions, garlic, 1 bag spinach, bananas, apples, lemon |
| Protein | 12 eggs, 1 kg (2.2 lb) chicken thighs, 2 cans tuna |
| Pulses and grains | 500 g (1.1 lb) dried red or brown lentils, 2 cans black beans, 1 kg (2.2 lb) rice, 1 kg (2.2 lb) oats, 500 g (1.1 lb) pasta, bread, wraps |
| Dairy | 500 g (1.1 lb) plain yogurt, milk, cheddar |
| Frozen | peas, mixed vegetables, berries |
| Pantry | 3 cans chopped tomatoes, peanut butter, stock cubes, cumin, paprika, chilli, oil |
Many items (oats, rice, spices, oil) last well beyond one week, so week two costs less. Print it with our free weekly grocery list.
Batch cooking and storage
Cool batch-cooked food quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Stews and chilli keep 3–4 days in the fridge at 5°C (41°F) or below, and 2–3 months frozen at -18°C (0°F). Reheat until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). The food storage chart has timings for other foods.
Swaps to make it yours
- Vegetarian: replace chicken with a second can of beans or a block of tofu.
- More protein: add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese at breakfast — see the high-protein meal plan.
- Cooking for a family: scale the recipes with the portion scaler.