7-Day Meal Plan: Easy Budget Family Dinner Ideas

After a lovely long weekend away at the lake, it’s back to reality. With busy schedules and the cost of living increases, I’ve discovered that meal planning is the secret sauce to keeping our family well-fed, on budget, and gathered around the table. I’m excited to share the healthy meals I made in this week’s 7-day meal plan. Of course, I used our best-selling Simple Purposeful Living 52-week meal planner to create a delicious and budget-friendly menu based on my monthly Costco haul.

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Building This Week’s Menu

Last week, I did a big monthly Costco run, which set the foundation for this week’s meal plan. I always like to get pantry staples like olive oil, fresh fruit, ground beef, and roast chicken. I meal prep the meat into freezer bags and freeze it all month long. I have found that it’s the best way to save money on meat. If you want more Costco tips, check out this post.

So, before I made my meal plan, I made and planned dinner ideas around them:

This Week’s Meal Plan

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

I started with Costco’s rotisserie chicken as the base. This is a great way to stretch a pre-cooked chicken into a hearty meal that feeds the whole family. I tweaked this recipe from the Chunky Chef. I omitted the cream base and added in extra chicken stock, corn, beans, green chiles, and spices.

I served it up with chopped avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese. I let it cook on low for 4 hours so the flavors could merry while we were at swimming lessons.

Thai Chicken Wraps

My kids love the Bare Chicken Chunks from Costco, but I have recently started buying the Kirkland brand. I picked up two bags for meals this month. I grabbed our favorite Aldi spinach wraps and a Thai bagged salad kit for fresh and flavorful wraps. They’re quick to assemble, perfect for busy weeknights. Plus, you can omit the salad kit if you have picky eaters like me.

Gussied Up Frozen Pizzas

Costco’s frozen pizzas are a lifesaver, but I like to add our touch. I grab a bunch of frozen cheese pizzas to have on hand. Then, we can add any leftovers — rotisserie chicken, smoked pork, BBQ sauce, red onion, pepperoni, or vegetables. We can make a couple of different kinds and use up the leftovers in the fridge. I planned to pair them with an Aldi bagged Caesar salad kit and Aldi’s garlic cheese bread for a complete meal.

Sandwich Night

It’s simple, customizable, and always a hit. I stocked up on 100% whole wheat bread, meats, and cheeses during my Aldi trip. I also have some lettuce from Costco and my favorite avocado oil mayonnaise from Costco.

Burger of the Week: Italian Grinder Burgers & Fries

You might remember that we try to make a different burger concoction every summer. We’ve been doing this for 3-4 summers now. I was inspired by looking at a menu at a restaurant recently. I planned on using 1.5 lbs of ground beef from Costco and mixing it with a pound of Aldi’s Italian sausage (by the bacon).

We shaped the burgers into ovals to fit into the traditional hoagie bun, topped them with mozzarella cheese, and garnished them with marinara sauce. We served it with the Aldi seasoned fries as a side. This meal proves that you can eat delicious burgers at home, too!

Smoked Pork with Corn on the Cob & Caprese Salad

My husband loves having a free weekend day to smoke some meat. While we girls have dance nationals, the boys will be home, so Scott will smoke this large pork loin I picked up at Aldi. It’s finally corn on the cob season in the Midwest, so I planned to pair it with fresh corn and a simple Caprese salad for a delicious dinner that feels special.

Southwestern Breakfast Skillet Bowls

Eggs provide lean protein in this easy dish. Plus, my pickiest eaters love a bar-style meal where they can add their own twist. I always stock up on eggs at Costco as they’re a great, budget-friendly protein source. We also love Costco’s salsas as toppings and Costco’s queso, and we will fry up some Aldi hash browns as the base. I also have extra cilantro, sour cream, Costco pre-cooked bacon, and shredded cheese to garnish our breakfast skillet bowls.

What about Great Options for Sides?

When it comes to sides, I grabbed a bunch of fresh produce, including peaches, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, carrots, mini cucumbers, and mini peppers. Since every week is a busy week these days, one of my favorite meal prep tricks is to prepare a variety of fresh produce at the beginning of the week.

This saves time during busy weeknights. I wash and chop carrots, mini cucumbers, and mini peppers and store them in airtight containers in the fridge.

While cooking dinner, I can easily pull out these prepped veggies. I used this container for easy storage and serving. To entice the veggies, I serve them with Aldi’s hummus, jazzed up with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning.

This simple addition transforms plain hummus into a flavorful dip that kids and adults love. By consistently offering fresh vegetables as appetizers, we’ve found that our children are more likely to reach for them, gradually becoming more comfortable with incorporating a variety of healthy eating into their diets.

When it comes to fruit, I serve it by perishability – berries first, then grapes, etc. This way, we don’t waste any produce and get variety in our diet each week.

Shopping Smart: The Aldi Haul

After planning our meals around the Costco proteins, I created a detailed grocery list using the tear-off sheets in our Simple Purposeful Living meal planner.

This week’s Aldi trip cost $134. Our family of six has a $1000 monthly food budget. Thanks to careful planning and shopping for what we already had, I am staying on budget. I focused on fresh produce, whole grains, and other ingredients for our planned meals. By having a clear list and sticking to it, I avoided impulse purchases and ensured we had everything needed for the week.

Meal Planning Tips

Effective meal planning simplifies your life, saves money, and ensures your family enjoys nutritious meals together. Here are some quick tips that have worked wonders for me:

Start with what you have—shop your fridge, freezer, and pantry first. Then, roll over meals you don’t eat this week to next week’s meal plan.
Plan simple dinners around the grocery store’s sales flyer and seasonal items.
Don’t forget to plan for leftovers. Even make that one of your planned meals.
Keep some easy plan B meals in the rotation for busy days (Frozen pizza, macaroni and cheese, charcuterie, leftovers, and sandwiches are favorites here)
Involve the whole family in the planning process.

For a more detailed guide on meal planning, check out our comprehensive post: Master Meal Planning here. This post dives deeper into each of these tips and provides additional strategies to make meal planning a breeze.

busy mom meal planning in a white cabinet kitchen to save money on groceries

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The Benefits of Our Meal Planning Approach

Using the Simple Purposeful Living 52-week meal planner has transformed our family’s approach to food. Meal planning and eating at home have significantly reduced our food budget. Studies report that the average family can save between $200 and $400 per month, or approximately 25% to 30% of their food expenses.

These savings stem from reducing food waste, taking advantage of sales and bulk purchases, and avoiding the higher costs of dining out or ordering takeout. While the amount saved varies based on factors like family size, previous eating habits, and local food costs, consistent meal planning and home cooking consistently lead to food savings, which helps with rising food costs.

By implementing these strategies, families can enjoy nutritious, home-cooked meals while keeping more money in their pockets. More importantly, it reduced mealtime stress and allowed us to spend more quality time together at the dinner table. We love to use these Table Talk questions to make mealtime extra meaningful.

Just Remember…

Meal planning doesn’t have to be daunting. With our Simple Purposeful Living planner, we’ve turned dinnertime from a source of stress to a highlight of our day. It’s not just about the food on the table; it’s about creating a rhythm that brings our family together, nourishes our bodies, and simplifies our lives.

Whether you’re just starting your meal-planning journey or looking to refine your approach, remember that each week is an opportunity to learn and improve. With some practice and the right tools, you’ll find a system that works for your family. Here’s to less stress, more savings, and delicious budget-friendly family meals shared with those we love!

7-Day Meal Plan: Easy Budget Family Dinner Ideas

Building This Week’s Menu