This week’s weekly meal plan recommendations are here, and I’m thinking about $10 meals. Because frankly, I’d rather spend less money cooking and more in air conditioned movie theaters right now! So, inspired by Kate’s weekly meal plan of 10 affordable, kid-friendly recipes, I’ve put together even more easy, budget-friendly meals to get your family through the week ahead.
Each one is designed to serve a family of four, so adjust up or down as needed.
In other words, if you are feeding a family of 16, it might cost a little more than $10 unless you’re talking ramen noodles from Costco. A great deal, I might add!
So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up on ingredients before the weekend’s over to make your weeknights that much easier.
Top images:
Lemony Artichoke and Quinoa Salad, Budget Bytes | Asian Chicken Crunch Wraps, a Taste of Home
Make life easier! Sign up for our weekly meal plan emails and have these posts
delivered right to your inbox once a week!
Rashanda Cobbins at Taste of Home has put together some great $10 meals for families, and a favorite are these Asian Chicken Crunch Wraps. Asian chicken salad is a go-to for me in the summer, and making these with baked chicken tenders is a smart shortcut — or hey, go homemade if you don’t mind standing over a stove.
Photo: Maria Siriano
This recipe for Chickpea and Cheddar Quesadillas by Kelli Foster looks like a terrific vegetarian recipe, even for omnivores. Cumin-scented chickpeas, a good melted cheddar, and scallions? Yes! Of course you can leave out the chickpeas for picky kids, making this a great option for families — they can even be made-ahead and packed for lunch the next day. The Kitchn calculates the price at $7.52 for the four. (If you add fancy salsa, that’s up to you.)
Related: 20 creative salad toppings that will make your boring salad pop!
I am always down for pasta, hot or cold, and this Spaghetti Carbonara recipe at Chungha Rhee’s Damn Delicious needs to be in your $10 meal repertoire. It uses just five-ingredients, and gets on the table in 20 minutes flat. Stacie swears by it, calling the flavor “downright luxurious” when she included it in a round-up of favorite $10 meals for families of four. Plus, you know, bacon.
Just $6.74 will get you 4 servings of this Lemony Artichoke and Quinoa Salad from Budget Bytes. My mouth is watering already! I am all about refrigerator salads in the summer! It was designed as a vegan or vegetarian main, though can be a side for heartier eaters. She even offers some additional ingredients or substitutions you might want to use, should they be on sale or you’ve already got them on hand. I always have feta in my fridge, so I’m all over that.
Just note that it will cost a little more if you buy an organic red pepper, and that is one of the fruits/veggies where I do try to go organic when possible.
Pancakes for dinner? Yes, please! I mean come on, it’s summer. Check out Jane’s genius box pancake hacks to make mixes more like homemade and you’ll find plenty of affordable inspiration. Like adding ricotta to get a little protein in there. Serve with berries in season that you can find super cheap right now. And add some greek yogurt on the side, or your favorite sausage or Trader Joe’s new no-sugar uncured dry-rub bacon — just $4.49. I could eat this every night, come to think of it.
Image: Alison Marras on Unsplash
