Dinner Meal Plan On A Budget: 7 Cost-Effective Dinner Recipes!

Saving Money On Food

In today’s world, rising costs affect many aspects of our lives, including our grocery bills. However, with strategic planning, it’s possible to stretch our dollar without sacrificing nutrition or taste. Here are a few tips for saving money on food, along with a seven-day budget-friendly meal plan featuring delicious, versatile and nutritious American sweet potatoes!

Top Tips for Saving Money on Food:

Prioritize whole, plant-based protein sources:

You don’t even have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the cost savings and health benefits of plant-based proteins. Tofu, tempeh, beans, texturized vegetable protein and edamame are all great options.

Use more shelf-stable produce:

Food waste drives costs of groceries up! Centering recipes around more shelf-stable products, like American Sweet Potatoes, helps to minimize food waste. Plus, any leftovers can easily be incorporated into your next meal.

Meal planning:

Don’t wing it! Plan your meals ahead of time to avoid impulse purchases and ensure you use up what you have on hand. Take inventory of your fridge, freezer, and pantry before hitting the grocery store.

Use recipes with overlapping ingredient:

Choose recipes that utilize overlapping ingredients to minimize waste and maximize savings- especially when it comes to perishable foods. This approach not only reduces food waste, but also streamlines your grocery shopping experience.

Use American Sweet Potatoes When Meal Planning

Sweet potatoes are a go-to for meal planning for me, specifically American Sweet Potato. Due to a shorter growing season, there is a very limited supply of sweet potatoes grown in Canada. As a result, American sweet potatoes are more readily available and Canadians can find them year-round in their local grocery store.

I love adding American Sweet Potatoes to my meals due to the nutrient content – they have double the potassium that a banana has and are a great source of vitamin C and A. They are also a great fibre source and have a lower glycemic index compared to a white potato.

American Sweet Potatoes are perfect for meal prep due to their versatility, nutrient-density and shelf stability. There are so many ways to enjoy sweet potatoes. I can cook a sweet potato in my microwave, pair it with a protein (such as the vegan tuna stuffed sweet potato recipe in the meal plan) and eat it for a quick meal. I can also roast them in the oven and add them to a delicious bowl or enjoy them as sweet potato fries. I can also cook them and puree them into a mash and enjoy them in a shepherd pie or form them into gnocchi (all recipes in the meal plan below).

Budget Friendly 7 Day Dinner Meal Plan

Meal Prep Your Dinner Meal Plan

You can choose to make meals in advance, or you can put together these meals as the week goes by – or you can do a mixture of both! Examine your schedule and assess which meal planning strategy may work best for you. I prefer to make my meals in advance as I know I don’t have much time, energy, or interest in making meals in the evening as the week goes by. Below I have a sample approach around how I would create this one-week dinner meal plan!

Step 1: Grocery Shop

I would typically grocery shop on Friday to pick everything up for this plan. I try to have my grocery list ready by Thursday evening so I can stop by the grocery store after work.

Step 2: Big Cook

On Sunday, I would do my biggest cook for four dinners, from Monday – Thursday. To be efficient in the kitchen, get the recipes that require oven cooking done first and while they are cooking, work on recipes that require more chopping/less cooking (like Wednesday’s meal). This save you precious time! You should spend no more than two hours meal prepping on Sunday.

Step 3: Mini Cook

On Thursday night, I would create Fridays meal (who wants to cook on a Friday!) and potentially Saturday and Sunday’s meal. Alternatively, you can cook Saturday and Sundays meals as the day goes by.