7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes | Cheap and Tasty

Budget-friendly Meal Prep: When you’re trying to get your life together, saving money is a good way of feeling under control. While you may dream of switching to a minimalistic lifestyle, having a budget-friendly meal routine is a great addition.

It is often presumed that budget-friendly and healthy meals can’t be tasty. But here I am with seven budget-friendly yet delicious meals that will keep you full. Seven meals cover your whole week, so maybe thank me later 😉

ALSO READ: 5 Minimalist Living Tips For Beginners For A Relaxed Lifestyle

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes

So I scrolled through the internet, finding authentic healthy, tasty, and cost-efficient recipes, and found the following seven treats. Let’s get started with the recipes!

1. Spicy Tuna Wrap

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: Here’s the recipe for a Spicy Tuna Wrap that can be made for less than $15!

Ingredients:

• 2 6-ounce cans of chunk light tuna, drained
• ⅓ cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 chopped scallion
• 2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 10-inch whole-grain wraps
• 3 cups watercress leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into 16 slices
• 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce for dipping

Here is how to do it– Mix the tuna, scallion, mayonnaise, and hot sauce in one bowl and rice and vinegar in another bowl. Then, spread one-fourth of the tuna mixture over a wrap. Top with rice, watercress, avocado slices, and carrot matchsticks. Roll up and cut the wrap in quarters or half. Serve with soy sauce for dipping, if desired.

I found this recipe on Eating Well.

2. Teriyaki Chicken

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: This sauce-stirred chicken dish is absolutely delicious and easy to make. Of course, it is not going to make a hole in your pocket, which is why it is here!

Ingredients required

• Chicken Thighs
• Olive Oil
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Honey
• Sesame Oil
• Cornstarch
• Rice
• Broccoli
• White Rice
• Salt Pepper

Here’s How to Make it:

1. Pour half a cup of soy sauce into a bowl. Add rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar, and honey. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil, water, and cornstarch. Mix everything, and your sauce will be ready.
2. Put two tablespoons of light oil in a frying pan; the heat to medium. Slice the chicken thighs into cubes and put them into the heated pan. Cook it for around ten minutes or more to ensure that the cubes are all golden brown and completely cooked.
3. Now, add the prepared sauce over the chicken in your frying pan. Stir the dish until it thickens up and layer over the chicken cubes.
4. Use white sesame seeds and sliced green onions as garnishing items. Here, you’re done with your Teriyaki Chicken.

Prepare the white rice and boil some broccoli to complete the meal and enjoy! You can find the detailed recipe for Teriyaki Chicken on All Nutritious.

3. Spinach Egg Cups

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: When you’re low on budget, eggs become your best friend. While I prefer keeping boiled eggs as a snack, these spinach egg cups or egg muffins make a good breakfast, too.

Ingredients needed:

• Cooking spray
• Frozen spinach
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded cheese optional
• English muffins

Brief Recipe:

1. Cook the spinach: Heat a pan over a medium flame and add the spinach without using any oil. Add salt and pepper to the spinach and cook until the defrosted water is completely gone.
2. Take a bowl and whisk the eggs. Add salt, pepper, and milk to the bowl, along with the cooked spinach. Also, use cheese if you like it.
3. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Prepare 6 muffin wells tin with a lot of cooking spray as eggs tend to stick. Use muffin liners, if you have them at home.
4. Pour the mixture into the muffin tin so that the cups are almost full.
5. Bake the egg cups for 20-25 minutes, until they’re firm to the touch and golden-brownish on top. Enjoy your cups with toast, bagels, wraps, or on their own!

This recipe is coming from Work Week Lunch.

4. Overnight Oats

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: One can’t go wrong with overnight oats. I mean, what is it that it doesn’t offer? Want your meal healthy? Oats. Want it weight loss-friendly? Oats. Want it tasty? Oats. Want it quick? Oats! It was obviously being counted in the budget-friendly meal prep recipes.

Ingredients:

• Rolled oats
• Desiccated coconut
• Semi-skimmed milk
• Dried mixed fruits
• Toasted flaked almonds
• Ground cinnamon

Recipe:

1. In a large container, mix 5 parts oats with dried fruit in a 5:2 ratio, along with coconut and almonds.
2. You can add cinnamon powder or other spices if you prefer.
3. Put the lid on the container and shake it well to mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
4. Seal the lid airtight and store the oats in a cool, dark cupboard. Add milk to a certain amount of mixture, based on how much you want to eat the next day. Stir it; leave it in the fridge overnight and enjoy the meal the next morning.

I found this great recipe on The Crafty Gentleman.

5. Hummus

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: Hummus is one of those fancy dishes that are easy to make and not heavy on the pockets. Here’s a brief recipe for preparing Hummus at home under budget.

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas- 300 g
• Baking soda- 1.5 tsp
• Cumin- 1-2 tsp.
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Olive oil- 4 tbsp
• Salt- 1 tsp.
• Tahini- 3 tbsp.
• Garlic- 3-4 cloves.
• Smoked paprika- 1.5 tsp.

Recipe:

1. 1. Add baking soda to chickpeas, cover with cold water, and refrigerate overnight.
2. After this, rinse it several times, add baking soda again(half the quantity as last time), cover with water, and cook over medium heat until tender. Drain the rest of the water in which the chickpeas were cooked; keep a cup of boiled water in case the hummus turns out thick; it will be used to improve the texture.
3. Add olive oil, salt, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, and lemon juice to the cooked chickpeas. Blend all the ingredients.

This recipe is coming from OBOZ Revatel.

6. Pasta Salad with Lentils, Pesto and Beans

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: This Pasta Salad is yet another great budget-friendly meal prep recipe. It is delicious, healthy, and pocket-friendly.

Ingredients:

• 200g Barilla gluten-free penne
• 250g baby tomato medley
• 200g green beans
• 400g can brown lentils
• 60g basil pesto
• 1/3 cup small fresh basil leaves
• 25g parmesan cheese

Quick Recipe: Find the quick recipe on Taste.

7. Garlic Herb Chicken and Asparagus

7 Budget-friendly Meal Prep Recipes: This tempting meal was found on Le Creme De La Club.

Ingredients Given:

• Butter
• Garlic
• Herbs
• Chicken
• Asparagus

Check the recipe on the website, and do let me know on Instagram if you liked these recipes 🙂