Need a week of stress-free, healthy dinner recipes? With January coming to a close, it’s important to stay on the wagon! If you have been trying to cook more often at home, keep it healthy and save some money – I have a work week of dinners that you can plan for at your next grocery trip!
In this plan, I walk you through how to make five healthy meals that yield at least four servings. Each recipe serving is under 500 calories, providing an even balance of protein, vegetables and grains. They also take 45 minutes or less to complete.
Here is the plan (click the headings for the hyperlinked recipes!):
Night 1: Honey Glazed Chicken and Farro Bowls
Night 2: Easy Veggie Udon Noodle Soup
Night 3: Chicken Parmesan Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Night 4: Tortellini Soup with Cabbage and White Beans
Night 5: Salmon Tacos with Slaw and Peppers
Each recipe only takes 20 – 45 minutes. You can make these ahead of time – just be sure you have enough Tupperware! I made all of these dinners after a long day at my job and they were quick and painless.
Necessary kitchen equipment includes: a cutting board, sharp knife, a fry pan, large pot, pasta strainer, baking sheet and a few mixing bowls.
For the record, I went to Trader Joe’s in Chicago, which is my most budget friendly option in my area. Obviously your final receipt may differ, but it should still be around one hundred dollars:
Grocery Store List
Produce:
- 10 oz bag of green shredded cabbage
- 1 pound of cherry tomatoes
- 2 small Roma tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow potato
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 bell pepper (orange or red)
- 1 oz fresh rosemary
- 1.5 pounds of baby carrots (1 sack)
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 bag of salad (6 oz)
- 1 bag of chopped kale (around 10 oz)
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 avocados
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1 cucumber
Meat and Dairy:
- 2 32 oz cartons of low sodium chicken broth
- 2 containers of 1.5 pounds of chicken breast
- 1 pound of fresh salmon, such as Atlantic or sockeye
- carton of eggs (only need 6)
- small container of crumbled feta
- grated Parmesan Romano cheese blend
- 1 small container of plain greek yogurt (around 5 oz)
Canned and grains:
- 2 32 oz cartons of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 9 oz package of dry udon noodles
- 1 pound of tortellini dry pasta or short cut pasta of your choice
- a bag of white quinoa
- a bag of farro
- 1 15 oz can of cannellini white kidney beans
- 1 ciabatta baguette or french bread loaf
- Pack of small corn tortillas
Pantry Staples you also need
I also use the following items, so pick these up if you do not currently have them (I factored these into the $100 total):
- apple cider vinegar
- honey
- soy sauce
- dijon mustard
- balsamic vinegar
- mayonnaise
- red chili flakes (optional! – this might take you a couple bucks over)
And that’s it! Good luck and please let me know if you try this plan out! Feel free to subscribe to me on Youtube for more!
