Challenge: Feed a family of four for under $150 a week

This post was written by Lauren Killion, RDN, LD, Parkview Heart Institute.

Feeding your family healthy and nutritious meals while also staying on a budget can be difficult and overwhelming. With weekly meal planning and strategic shopping, it can be done! Here, I have created a menu for one week, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, for a family of four under $150.

These recipes focus on heart-healthy ingredients. You will notice that some are used in multiple recipes and leftovers are utilized throughout the week. Of course, all meals can be paired with staples you may already have at home. Various items such as clementines, berries, bananas, peanut butter and baked chips can also be paired with meals or as a snack! Prices* can vary by store and brand.
 

Pantry staples

This menu assumes you have some items on-hand, including these pantry staples: 

• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Cooking oil
• Mustard
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Cooking spray
   

Items used for more than one recipe:

• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Bread
• Honey
• Broccoli heads
• Bell peppers
• Carrots
• Rice
• Soft tortillas
• Salsa
• Cheeses
   

Recipes not included:

• Greek yogurt with berries (simply pair together)
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Pasta with ground turkey and sauce (boil pasta, cook meat, combine with sauce)
• Eggs, toast and fruit (prepare eggs and toast as desired)

 

Grocery list

• Whole wheat tortillas (2 pack)
• 2 packs low-sodium taco seasoning
• 25 ounces steel cut oats
• Frozen blueberries
• English muffins
• Natural creamy peanut butter
• 6 bananas
• 12 eggs
• 100% whole wheat bread
• Strawberry preserves
• 3-pound bag mandarin oranges
• 1-pound granny smith apples
• 1 box pancake mix
• 1 gallon skim or 1% milk
• 2 cans tuna in water
• 32 ounces nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
• 12 ounces honey
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 premade pizza crust
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• 3 heads broccoli
• 2 pounds carrots
• 3 pack bell peppers
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pack fettuccine noodles
• 1 bundle green onions/scallions
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 zucchini
• 2 pounds white onions
• 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 24-ounce jar salsa
• 3 bags brown rice
• Low-sodium chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 packs 93% lean ground turkey
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 bundle celery
• 3 packs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 cans low-sodium black beans
• 2 cans corn
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 pack low-sodium chili mix
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 16-ounce box whole wheat pasta
• 24-ounce jar pasta sauce
• 1 pound strawberries
• 3 avocadoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 10.5-ounce can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
• 1 8-ounce block low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 bag baked potato chips

Total: $149.28*

 

Menus

Monday

• Breakfast: Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats with Frozen Blueberries
• Lunch: Apple Tuna Sandwiches
• Dinner: Sheet Pan Quesadillas

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Leftover slow cooker steel cut oats
• Lunch: Spunky Vegetable Pizza
• Dinner: Slow Cooker Taco Chicken served over brown rice (option to add cheese or avocado)

Wednesday

• Breakfast: English muffin with natural peanut butter, sliced banana and drizzle of honey
• Lunch: Italian Broccoli Pasta
• Dinner: Leftover slow cooker taco chicken served on soft shells (option to add cheese or avocado)

Thursday

• Breakfast: Apple Slice Pancakes
• Lunch: Veggie Quesadillas
• Dinner: Chicken Chili with Sweet Potato (if you have cornbread mix, could add cornbread muffin on the side)

Friday

• Breakfast: Leftover apple slice pancakes
• Lunch: Meatball Soup
• Dinner: Leftover chicken chili with sweet potato

Saturday

• Breakfast: Greek yogurt with strawberries (can add honey and cinnamon)
• Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (whole wheat bread, peanut butter, fruit preserves, sliced banana) with baked chips
• Dinner: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bake

Sunday

• Breakfast: Eggs, toast or English muffin with preserves, fresh fruit
• Lunch: Leftover cheesy chicken and broccoli rice bake
• Dinner: Pasta with ground turkey, sauce and cheese

 

Recipes

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

1 ½ cups steel cut oats
6 cups water
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
Frozen blueberries

1. Coat inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pour oats, water, melted butter and salt in crockpot. Stir.
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Give oats a good stir and serve warm.
5. Add frozen blueberries (optional: also add honey and cinnamon).

 

Apple Tuna Sandwiches

1 ½ cans drained tuna
1 apple
1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 ¼ teaspoons mustard
1 ¼ teaspoons honey
8 slices whole wheat bread
4 lettuce leaves

1. Wash and peel the apple. Chop into small pieces.
2. Drain water from the tuna.
3. Put the tuna, apple, yogurt, mustard and honey in a medium bowl. Stir well.
4. Spread ½ cup of the tuna mix onto each of 4 slices of bread.
5. Top each sandwich with a washed lettuce leaf and other slice of bread.

 

Sheet Pan Quesadillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 cup chopped tomato
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning mix
8 whole wheat tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 400. Mix 1 ½ cups cheese, corn, beans, chicken, tomato and seasoning until well blended.
2. Place 4 of the tortillas on 2 large sheet pans. Spread ¼ of the chicken mixture evenly on each tortilla. Top with remaining tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.
3. Bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly browned. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with avocado or other toppings as desired.
   
    

Spunky Vegetable Pizza

¾ cup pizza sauce
1 large pizza crust
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup sliced bell pepper
5 ounces low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Spoon pizza sauce onto pizza crust.
3. Put pizza on a baking sheet. Arrange vegetables over sauce. Sprinkle on the cheese.
4. Bake for 10 minutes
5. Cool pizza before slicing. Cut into 8 wedges.

 

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning mix
3/4 jar salsa
1 can low-sodium black beans-drained
1 can corn-drained
½ cup water

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Pour water to cover chicken.
2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
3. Once cooked, shred chicken.
4. Serve over brown rice or in taco shells.
5. Top with avocado and cheese as desired.
    

English Muffin

1 English muffin
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
½ banana
Drizzle of honey
Cinnamon

1. Toast English muffin.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter on each side of muffin.
3. Slice banana and place on top of peanut butter.
4. Drizzle with honey and cinnamon as desired.

 

Italian Broccoli and Pasta

2 cups whole grain fettuccine noodles, uncooked
3 tablespoons chopped green onion (scallions)
2 cups broccoli florets
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook noodles according to package instructions and drain.
2. Spray a medium skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Stir fry onion and broccoli for 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add seasonings (not the cheese) and tomatoes; simmer until heated through.
4. Spoon vegetable mixture over noodles and top with parmesan cheese.

 

Apple Slice Pancakes
(Make 12 pancakes for leftovers)

2 apples
2 ½ cups pancake mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
4 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups low-fat milk

1. Lightly coat a griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
2. Peel, core and thinly slice apple into rings.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients for pancake batter. Stir until ingredients are evenly moist (small lumps are OK! Overmixing pancakes can make them tough).
4. For each pancake, place apple ring on griddle and pour about ¼ cup batter over each apple ring, starting in the center and covering the apple.
5. Cook until bubbles appear. Turn and cook other side until lightly brown.

 

Veggie Quesadillas

5 cups water
Cooking spray
1 small zucchini
½ broccoli head, washed and chopped
1 bell pepper, washed, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, scrubbed and shredded
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
½ cup salsa

1. Spray pan with cooking oil spray.
2. Cook vegetables on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan.
3. Spray pan with cooking spray. Place tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle with half the vegetables and half of the cheese.
4. Place the other tortilla on top. Cook on medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla starts to brown on the bottom.
5. Flip quesadilla. Cook 4 minutes or until tortilla starts to brown.
6. Repeat steps 3-5
7. Cut each quesadilla in half. Serve with salsa

 

Chicken Chili with Sweet Potato

2 tablespoons oil
1 large sweet potato, cut into ½-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 packet low-sodium chili seasoning mix
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add potato, onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Stir in seasoning mix, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the cooked chicken. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally or until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with desired toppings (avocado, cheese, etc.).

 

Meatball Soup

6 cups water
1/3 cup brown rice
3 low-sodium bouillon cubes or 1 tablespoon low-sodium bouillon powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
8 ounces lean ground turkey
1 tomato, finely chopped
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large egg
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped vegetable mix (leftover carrots, broccoli and celery)

1. In a large pot, combine water, rice, bouillon cubes and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir to dissolve bouillon. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ground meat, tomato, onion, egg and salt. Form into 12 large meatballs.
3. Add meatballs to broth mixture and simmer 30 minutes
4. Add vegetables. Cook 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked and rice and vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

 

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Bake

5 cups water
2 ½ cups rice
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup skim milk
1 10.75-ounce can fat-free cream of mushroom soup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 cups broccoli pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice, onion and garlic. Cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is soft.
2. While rice is cooking, combine milk, soup, salt and pepper, mix well. When rice is done, combine with milk mixture, chicken and broccoli, mix well.
3. Serve immediately.

 

*Prices were estimated based on Aldi. Prices will vary by stores and brands.

 

For more cooking inspiration, visit our Nutrition & Recipes section on the Parkview Dashboard.