Two of the main things that stand between a person and a healthy diet is money and time. We try to provide you with recipes that are quick and easy to help you with the time issue, and now we are going to help you with the budget side with this healthy eating on a budget, shopping list and meal plan.
When money is tight, it is often healthy food that takes a back seat as bills still need to be paid. I hear so often from people that they can't afford to have a healthy diet because it is so expensive. Whilst that can be true, it doesn't have to be.
There is no doubt that a lot of junk is pretty cheap (frozen chicken nuggets, potato waffles, cookies and stuff like that) but healthy eating doesn't have to be anywhere near as expensive as people think it is. With a few smart swaps and meal planning, healthy eating can be for everyone.
If you are just starting out on trying to save money on your food shopping then take a look at ours Tips For Healthy Eating on a Budget, which has loads of general money saving tips to get you started.
Not all of the meals in the meal plan below are going to suit everyone in terms of taste, dietary requirements and calorific needs, so please adapt it to suit your own needs. This is just a guide to get you started and save you some money on your healthy food shop.
Below we have provided you with a weeks worth of healthy meals and snacks, along with a shopping list of everything you need to buy to make the meals for the week.
Although the word budget is relative, all these meals and snacks are cheap to make so they should save you some money on your healthy shopping bill.
We could have had a healthy diet for the week on less money than we spent, but it would have relied on us eating mostly the same things throughout the week and repetition is what causes us to go off track and order a pizza usually.
If you are on a stricter budget, cut out meat completely and eat more bean based meals and have more pasta dishes - that will bring the cost down.
What constitutes a "budget"?
So, let's speak about the budget. The average family spends £70 a week on food and drink shopping (this doesn't include things like toiletries and pet food etc), so we have tried to keep our budget shop under £55 so it is less than the national average and saving you some money. This is £54 for 2 adults and 2 small children.
I have not included things like spices, herbs, tea, coffee and oil and vinegar, as this is presuming that you already have those things, because they don't need to be bought very often.
Some of our shopping costs less some weeks, and some times more, so it balances itself out. These meals also provide some leftovers, so you will have extra meals to freeze for the next week.
Cheap healthy meal plan
Monday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Tuesday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
(serve with bread)
Dinner:
with frozen vegetables (Make double to have leftovers the next day)
Wednesday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
with frozen vegetables
Dinner:
with salad and pitta bread
Thursday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
with salad
Dinner:
serve with rice
Friday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
serve with homemade potato wedges
Saturday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
(using up any leftover herbs from other recipes from the week)
Dinner:
Sunday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Snacks throughout the week: smoothies, apples, oranges, roasted chick peas, eggs, pears, plums, banana, pineapple slices
Shopping
Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Apples
- 2 packs Bananas
- Lemons x 4
- Oranges
- Plums
- Pineapple
- Bag of Potatoes
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 3 red bell peppers
- 3 yellow bell peppers
- Fresh coriander, basil and parsley
- Broccoli
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- A bag of spinach
- 4 shallots
- 2 courgettes
- Celery
- A large cauliflower
- 2 red onions
- 6 carrots
- 3 large boxes of Mushrooms
- Bag of onions
- 1 leek
Frozen
- 3 x bag of frozen vegetables (to serve on the side of meals or to bulk out meals)
- Bag of frozen fruit
Meat/Meat alternative
- A small pack of bacon
- Turkey Mince
- Chicken breast x 2
- Pack of veggie sausages
Dairy
- 4 pints of milk
- Greek yoghurt
- Eggs (30)
- Feta
- A large block of cheddar
Tinned/Jarred
- Tin Tomatoes x 10
- 2 tins of tuna
- Small pack/jar of olives
Dried goods
- Porridge oats
- Beans - 2kg dried
- Dried chickpeas
- Brown Rice
- Whole wheat pasta
- Wholewheat spaghetti
Bakery
- A pack of pita breads
- A loaf of bread
- Burger buns
It is difficult to make this budget shopping list and meal plan as everyone shops at different places, and people are from different parts of the world, so not everything is going to cost the same. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list, but more a guide to show you what I buy and what I make on the budget I have.
If you’ve tried this easy weekly meal plan or any of the other recipes on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Saimon
Healthy eating is a good habit for our life. I and my family try to maintain healthy food. I am trying to continue the daily meal plan. It's useful to all family. Thanks for the valuable post.
HealthyLife
Good nutrition food is an important part of leading a healthy living lifestyle. Thanks for sharing this post with us. Keep it up
cleverFIT
I Found this information very useful on this blog, thank you. for keeping readers informed.
Newskira
Eating healthy is really important to maintain a good body shape. I too want to lose weight and will try this.
melaniasmith
Today women'S especially conscious about her health, then they should add this special food item, Especially red and blue fruits are rich in cell protection substances and bring power to the immune system. Fresh from the field in summer, dried or frozen in autumn and winter.
handless millionaire
Your site has a lot of useful information for myself. I visit regularly. Hope to have more quality items.
3pfruits
Great article! We follow it!
jane
I find crumpets are a great source of carbohydrate for any meal.
I top them when toasted lightly with a huge variety of goodies.
Things like:
Coleslaw, prawns, gherkins, cheese, marmite, ham, sandwich spreads the list is endless!
All you add will soak into the tiny pockets they have and 2 well packed crumpets makes a great meal.
At 50p for 8 and they are freezeable they are really a great addition to your cupboard if on a budget,
Healthy Lifestyle
What an awesome list you've put together for us! In our economy, the budgets seem to get tighter by the day. We all know the "dollar menu" fast foods are anything but healthy.
I've printed out your list and menu planner, easy to adjust, and watch for sales in the grocery stores!
Great stuff, thanks for sharing!!!
Emily Leary
Mealplanning is so important. Some great insight here.
jane
I make a very tasty dish........Macaroni, onion and bacon. It's lovely with a dollop of ketchup!
Eric Crythanthium
Does the cat food pair nicely with the salmon salad?
Ren
I like the sound of this but i have to take into account my lactose intolerance nad with my autism i cant have gluten. would be able to make up a plan for that? it would be of great help to me. I find it so difficult.
Dannii
Thanks for your comment. However, I can't make tailored plans unfortunately. This is easily adaptable to use lactose and gluten free products though.
Helen at Casa Costello
I love some of these meal suggestions. Our family needs are different, there being 5 of us, but completely agree that with some thought, healthy eating on a budget can definitely be achievable
Dannii
I am glad it helped :)
Sus // roughmeasures.com
I totally agree that it doesn't cost the earth to eat healthily. My partner and I spend around £25-35 a week on food, and I don't feel like we sacrifice things. Meal planning is key and this is a really helpful post, thanks Dannii.
Dannii
That's really good budgeting! Just shows that is can be done!