I automatically set my timer for 2 hours and didn't check it again. Next time I would make sure to keep a close eye on it because at the 2-hour mark, my chicken was a bit overcooked. Going into this recipe , I was worried that the kids wouldn't like the plain cream cheese.

But to my surprise, these ended up being pretty sweet. Next time I would use less honey because the graham cracker was sweet enough by itself. Despite the snarl, these made the cut.

All three kids liked these, and I was happy to help finish up any leftovers. Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Crackers I Shop the Recipe.

I just wanted to acknowledge this because even with the best meal prep and planning, feeding a household and keeping everything else together is still HARD. As parents, we often need to roll with the punches.

And sometimes I need to remind myself to just breathe and do the best I can. All that was required of me ahead of time was to add a can of adobo chiles, salt, and pepper into my unused chicken from the previous night.

The recipe calls for the chiles to be chopped up before adding them to the chicken. Once I tasted them, I decided to leave them whole so the chicken would pull in the flavor as it marinated — but then I could easily take the chiles out once it came time to cook the chicken.

Shop The Recipe. Once I did, I was really impressed with how close the chicken actually looked to being from one of those restaurants. Then I gave it a taste and gave myself and the recipe author a pat on the back!

The next time I make this, I would add a few more toppings. It wouldn't cost much and would have elevated the meal a little more. I added a side of peaches, and the girls insisted on some Apple Jacks as well.

My youngest ate up the remaining scrambled eggs that were extra from the egg pockets. Recipe: Fruit Parfaits I Shop The Recipe. This recipe appealed to me because it had the BBQ flavors we love in the summer, but with the comfort of a good and flaky crescent roll.

Pre-bake, I wondered if some of the filling would ooze out of the cracks or if the bottom of the ring would be soggy at all, but it wasn't!

My son thought the chicken was a little too sweet, so next time I might try a BBQ sauce that leans a bit more savory. This time, I left out the honey. Like I mentioned before, the graham cracker was sweet enough to balance out the plain cream cheese.

It was also less messy of a cleanup, so I was completely on board. One note for feeding spice-adverse eaters, like I am. The recipe calls for 2 table spoons of chili powder. If I fed my kids anything else spicy this week, they were going to turn into little jalapeños!

Recipe: One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta I Shop the Recipe. After awhile I heard my son yell across the park to his sister that it was time to go so they could eat "cream cheese crackers.

I used a simple white bread for this recipe because I thought it would absorb the moisture of the egg the best. I turned them halfway to make sure each side was golden. I ended up having to make an entire second batch of these because the kids kept coming back for more.

By the time they were done eating, there wasn't anything left for my husband and me. Thankfully, this recipe was fast, so it didn't take long to get us fed too!

This also helped finalize the clear-out of the fridge before we did our grocery haul again over the weekend. Normally on Saturday, I would prepare for the upcoming week, but because we were traveling, I saved it for Sunday.

But despite different needs, I feel that meal planning can help simplify and benefit everyone in some capacity — and I hope that sharing mine here is able to help in some small way.

Food · Posted on Aug 7, by Sydney Martin BuzzFeed Contributor. Sydney Martin. View this photo on Instagram. Prep was simple: quickly chopping and sautéing onions and peppers, and boiling a big pot of water for the shells. Whenever I make something that calls for bacon inside of it, I put the bacon into my food processor to give it a quick chop.

This method makes it easier for my kids to eat without having to try and bite off a large piece with each bite. These were a HIT. The marinade had a Greek yogurt base and only needed a few extra add-ins: yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices.

Once the marinade was mixed together, I added it into a Ziploc bag with chicken thighs and let everything sit in the fridge. I also had my kitchen helper using a more ~abstract~ technique to assemble the crackers. Onward to lunch. For the the kids, it was turkey sandwiches again — this time served with strawberries, cucumbers, and hummus.

For me, leftover stuffed shells. For plating, my husband and I assembled our bowls and added salsa. The kids kept theirs basic with some rice and cheese.

Some days my kids like granola in their yogurt and other days not. Rolled oats, whole-wheat bread, bananas, frozen berries. Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Overnight Oatmeal. Everything Bagel Avocado Toast.

Peanut Butter-Banana Cinnamon Toast. We keep lunch extra-easy in my house with snack-style lunches for the kids and salads or rice bowls for the adults. Meal-prepping a few ingredients in advance minimizes cooking during the week and allows everyone to help assemble their own lunch.

I like to have a couple of protein options, a batch of cooked grains, and some washed lettuce and cut vegetables on hand.

Check out our best base recipes for meal prep for inspiration for what to make. Eggs, canned black beans, brown rice, leftover vegetables from dinner. Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps. I rely heavily on a well-planned dinner menu because this is where I spend the bulk of my grocery budget plus it ensures I'm not scrambling to find something to serve come 6 p.

I'll plan on three easy recipes plus a night of repurposing the leftovers. Because our evening schedule can be unpredictable, I'll pick up ingredients for a pantry meal that won't go to waste if I end up not cooking one night. Make your own menu or try one of our budget dinner plans.

Lentils, cabbage, beef stew meat, sweet potatoes, eggs, canned salmon, black beans. Easy Vegetarian Chili. Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale. Sweet Potatoes with Warm Black Bean Salad. Easy Chicken Fried Rice.

American Goulash. I like to plan snacks and treats based on one or two staples or on ingredients that are already part of the meal plan. Smoothies are the perfect way to use up yogurt, bananas and frozen berries, and my kids love them as after-school snacks.

Lately we've been crazy about salted roasted chickpeas, the best one-ingredient snack you'll ever make. And none of us can turn down a square of dark chocolate with a schmear of peanut butter after dinner. Apples or any leftover fruit , peanut butter, canned chickpeas.

Apple-Peanut Butter Smoothie. Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas. A number of our meals this week incorporate a few pantry staples that I often have on hand.

Here's what I'll rely on this week. Note: I did not include these items in my budget, but included approximate cost per serving for reference. With a bit of planning and creativity, you can feed your family a week's worth of nutritious meals for a little more than what you'd spend at a restaurant for one meal.

Use this healthy meal plan on a budget as inspiration to make the most of your grocery budget without sacrificing taste or variety! See all of our other healthy meal plans and healthy dinner plans.

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List of Partners vendors. Healthy Eating Budget Cooking Guide. By Carolyn Hodges, M. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines. Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.

Victoria Seaver is a registered dietitian and Associate Editorial Director for EatingWell. She completed her undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics and food science and her masters degree and dietetic internship at the University of Vermont.

Lentil curry (canned lentils, coconut milk, canned tomatoes) In this seven-day healthy meal plan on a budget, the recipes use cheap, easy-to-find ingredients to create delicious budget-conscious dinners Shake up your meal plan with these anything-but-boring recipes. Serve meals like Sheet Pan Honey-Chipotle Chicken and Sweet Potatoes and Peanut Chicken Power

Video

Budget-conscious meal planning ideas - Salmon rice bowls (canned salmon, rice, frozen edamame, frozen broccoli) Lentil curry (canned lentils, coconut milk, canned tomatoes) In this seven-day healthy meal plan on a budget, the recipes use cheap, easy-to-find ingredients to create delicious budget-conscious dinners Shake up your meal plan with these anything-but-boring recipes. Serve meals like Sheet Pan Honey-Chipotle Chicken and Sweet Potatoes and Peanut Chicken Power

This recipe turned out really well, and I would make this again. However, even though I bought mild enchilada sauce, it was still a bit spicy for the kids. Next time I would try a different sauce or maybe salsa to help make it a little more family-friendly.

My son especially loved these and kept asking for more! He ended up eating two full-size pockets — and we still had leftovers. Keeping it real! Plus, everyone was still pretty full from the big breakfast we had, and the kids were eager to spend time at the neighborhood pool.

One oversight I made was that I didn't have a wooden skewer. I ended up using toothpicks. This strategy worked out OK, although it ended up falling over in the oven thankfully still on the baking sheet!

The recipe says to cook the chicken for 1. I automatically set my timer for 2 hours and didn't check it again. Next time I would make sure to keep a close eye on it because at the 2-hour mark, my chicken was a bit overcooked.

Going into this recipe , I was worried that the kids wouldn't like the plain cream cheese. But to my surprise, these ended up being pretty sweet. Next time I would use less honey because the graham cracker was sweet enough by itself.

Despite the snarl, these made the cut. All three kids liked these, and I was happy to help finish up any leftovers.

Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Crackers I Shop the Recipe. I just wanted to acknowledge this because even with the best meal prep and planning, feeding a household and keeping everything else together is still HARD.

As parents, we often need to roll with the punches. And sometimes I need to remind myself to just breathe and do the best I can. All that was required of me ahead of time was to add a can of adobo chiles, salt, and pepper into my unused chicken from the previous night.

The recipe calls for the chiles to be chopped up before adding them to the chicken. Once I tasted them, I decided to leave them whole so the chicken would pull in the flavor as it marinated — but then I could easily take the chiles out once it came time to cook the chicken.

Shop The Recipe. Once I did, I was really impressed with how close the chicken actually looked to being from one of those restaurants. Then I gave it a taste and gave myself and the recipe author a pat on the back!

The next time I make this, I would add a few more toppings. It wouldn't cost much and would have elevated the meal a little more.

I added a side of peaches, and the girls insisted on some Apple Jacks as well. My youngest ate up the remaining scrambled eggs that were extra from the egg pockets. Recipe: Fruit Parfaits I Shop The Recipe. This recipe appealed to me because it had the BBQ flavors we love in the summer, but with the comfort of a good and flaky crescent roll.

Pre-bake, I wondered if some of the filling would ooze out of the cracks or if the bottom of the ring would be soggy at all, but it wasn't! My son thought the chicken was a little too sweet, so next time I might try a BBQ sauce that leans a bit more savory.

This time, I left out the honey. Like I mentioned before, the graham cracker was sweet enough to balance out the plain cream cheese.

It was also less messy of a cleanup, so I was completely on board. One note for feeding spice-adverse eaters, like I am. The recipe calls for 2 table spoons of chili powder. If I fed my kids anything else spicy this week, they were going to turn into little jalapeños!

Recipe: One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta I Shop the Recipe. After awhile I heard my son yell across the park to his sister that it was time to go so they could eat "cream cheese crackers. I used a simple white bread for this recipe because I thought it would absorb the moisture of the egg the best.

I turned them halfway to make sure each side was golden. I ended up having to make an entire second batch of these because the kids kept coming back for more. By the time they were done eating, there wasn't anything left for my husband and me.

Thankfully, this recipe was fast, so it didn't take long to get us fed too! This also helped finalize the clear-out of the fridge before we did our grocery haul again over the weekend. Normally on Saturday, I would prepare for the upcoming week, but because we were traveling, I saved it for Sunday.

But despite different needs, I feel that meal planning can help simplify and benefit everyone in some capacity — and I hope that sharing mine here is able to help in some small way.

Food · Posted on Aug 7, by Sydney Martin BuzzFeed Contributor. Sydney Martin. View this photo on Instagram. Prep was simple: quickly chopping and sautéing onions and peppers, and boiling a big pot of water for the shells.

Whenever I make something that calls for bacon inside of it, I put the bacon into my food processor to give it a quick chop. Save even more money when you substitute dried herbs you have on hand for the fresh herbs. Start planning your next chili night now.

This low-cost slow cooker chili recipe can be prepped in 25 minutes. Stir everything together in the slow cooker early in the day and come home to a healthy dinner loaded with veggies and 14 grams of protein. Sticking to healthy meals on a budget often means driving past your favorite eatery and straight home.

But with nutritious restaurant remakes like this, you can don't have to miss out on take-out flavor while saving money, sodium, and calories. Not only does this well-balanced pasta recipe clock in at under calories per serving, but it also takes only 20 minutes to prepare.

Comforting chili flavors, pasta, and cheese make this meal a family favorite. Oh yes, and it all comes together in one pan. Grilling vegetables brings out their natural sweetness; in this recipe, they're spiced and seasoned to give the fajitas extra flavor.

Bonus: If you grill no matter the season , this dish belongs in your regular rotation of budget-friendly healthy dinner recipes because you can find these veggies any time of year.

Burger night just earned itself a healthy vegetarian upgrade. Here we blend fiber- and protein-rich chickpeas with warm spices, sear them to crisp perfection, then serve with crunchy, good-for-you veggies. Whole wheat noodles, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, and shrimp make this delicious meal surprisingly low-cal and nutritious.

Use frozen shrimp instead of fresh to cut the cost of the seafood. Just don't skip the pinch of crushed red pepper flakes—they give this healthy meal on a budget just enough kick. How many cheap, healthy meals can you make without chopping anything?

This is one of the rare few. It's a no-knife-needed, "dump and done" slow cooker recipe for when you have no more than 10 minutes of hands-on prep time to spare. This slow cooker dump dinner might be the easiest of all: It requires no chopping or measuring.

How easy is that? Six ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and great flavor combine to make this a cheap, healthy dinner idea for any night of the week. Since they're often loaded with affordable rice, canned veggies, and ground meat, stuffed peppers are one of the best dinner ideas to keep your wallet stuffed too.

Thanks to Cuban elements like briny olives, earthy almonds, and sweet raisins, this recipe is wildly flavorful. We know that combo might sound different from what you'd usually pair with beef and brown rice, but we bet you and your dinner companions will be blown away.

Easy, cheap, healthy meals don't get fresher or more flavorful than this. The minute recipe features favorites from the Mediterranean diet, including chicken , feta cheese, olives , and tomatoes, for a meal bursting with flavor that still feels light. We'll never say no to pasta dinners , but sometimes, we're more in the mood for potatoes.

On those nights, we turn to gnocchi, a traditional potato-based Italian dumpling. This healthy dinner brings together sweet corn , arugula, and a plethora of seasonings to make one delicious dinner that you'd never guess is budget-friendly. The veggies amp up the nutrients, too.

It's a great choice when you're looking for low-sodium recipes too. Turn a classic pork chop into a tangy, tropical meal. Orange marmalade creates a simple yet mouthwatering glaze and becomes a refreshing topping when mixed with yogurt.

Grilled pineapple slices on the side lend their bold sweetness to this new grill-season favorite. When you need a cheap, easy, healthy meal, it's time for a stir-fry. The pre-chopped packaged frozen vegetables save time in the kitchen and keep you below your grocery budget without sacrificing nutrition.

Lighten the meal more by opting for low-cal bottled plum sauce and low-sodium soy sauce. No matter how wiped out you are at the end of a busy day, you can still cook an egg. Here we scramble only the whites for a cheap, healthy breakfast-for-dinner option that's salad-y but packed with protein to help you feel satisfied.

Mac and cheese probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of nutritious dinner ideas. You probably associate it more with an indulgent childhood lunch. But when you use whole-grain pasta, broccoli, carrots , and reduced-fat cheese, it transforms into a healthy dinner recipe on a budget.

Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors.

By Food, wine, and travel writer Wini Moranville is the author of "Everyday French Cooking: Modern French Cuisine Made Simple. Wini Moranville. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process.

and Karla Walsh began her career at FITNESS magazine in Karla Walsh. Fact checked by Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker.

Fact checked by Marcus Reeves. Learn about BHG's Fact Checking Process. Trending Videos. for Speedy Meals. View Recipe. The 7 Best Small Slow Cookers for Entertaining, Meal Prep, and More, According to Testing.

Tip Look for the dough in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or ask your local pizza shop if you can purchase an extra pound of their secret recipe!

The 9 Best Nonstick Pans of One Pot Pasta Recipes Make a Delicious Dinner with Minimal Cleanup. The Best Indoor Grills to Buy When It's Just Too Hot to Grill Outdoors. These Cuban Recipes Amp Up the Flavor at Your Dinner Table. Was this page helpful?