Top 20 Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Ideas For Your Adulting 20s

Do you want to eat healthy but have a tight budget? Is buying fast food for your dinner affecting your health? Then this article might show you how you can eat healthy and within a set budget. In this article, we share 20 budget-friendly meal prep ideas you can easily make for yourself.

You can try these healthy lunch ideas within your budget to start eating healthy from now on. Did you know according to Forbes Health Statistics, 41.9 % of the U.S. population is obese?¹ The data collected from 2017 to 2020, statistics show a record number of 14.7 million people in the U.S. with obesity.

So, you should change your lifestyle and eating habits to become healthy for your well-being. So, here are 20 meal prep ideas for you that are budget-friendly.

Top 20 Meal Prep Ideas Within Your Budget

If you are under a budget but still want to eat healthy, then these 20 meal prep ideas can be helpful for you. Most of us are busy managing our lives and work, so we often forget about the most important things for our bodies.

Keeping our body functioning requires proper nutrition. We know what our body requires the most, yet we overlook it because of other aspects of life. As Dr. Lazarus says, “People have a pretty good idea of what healthy food is, but we tend to eat in an unhealthy way in spite of this.”

So, now you know what to do to have a healthy eating lifestyle! Here are 20 budget-friendly meal prep ideas that will help you eat healthy within your budget. You can easily incorporate these meal prep ideas into your simple living.

Chicken Meal Prep Idea

If you are trying to lose or gain weight, chicken can be a tremendous budget-friendly ingredient to include in your meal prep. Chicken is an important source of protein with meager calories.

You can make different recipes using chicken as your main ingredient. Some of these chicken meal prep ideas for weight loss are listed below.

Chicken Stir Fry

You can make this dinner recipe for under 10 dollars using chicken, and different vegetables. You just need to add oil to your pan and sauté the vegetables and chicken to make a delicious meal. Each serving of this dish will cost you 2 dollars.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

One of the cheap dinner ideas is air fryer chicken breast. You can make this dish easily and within 6 dollars. Marinate your chicken in spices and a tablespoon of oil and put it in the air fryer. Additionally, you can add some boiled beans, corn mush, or mashed potatoes to make the meal healthier.

Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage Dinner

Don’t have an air fryer? However, if you have an oven, try this sheet pan chicken sausage meal prep idea. Take a sheet pan and toss some vegetables and chicken sausage, cutting them into pieces in the pan.

Next, drizzle oil and spices on your choice, and your meal will be ready. Additionally, you must purchase chicken and vegetables costing 10 dollars to make this meal. This is one of the easy dinner ideas you can make at home.

Ranch Chicken Meal Prep

One of the high-protein meal prep ideas is ranch chicken, which will cost you 12 dollars to make. You get more than four servings of this meal from the ingredients, so your meal costs 3 dollars.

You need to prepare a sheet pan and toss some chicken cubes, broccoli, and potatoes. Drizzle some herbs, black pepper, and garlic cubes and serve them with ranch dressing.

Pesto Chicken And Vegetables

Pesto chicken and vegetables is one of the best chicken meal prep ideas if you are looking to lose weight. You need chicken, pesto sauce, and some vegetables, which will cost you 11 dollars.

Boil your chicken and vegetables and mix them with pesto sauce. Additionally, you can get four servings of this dish, costing you less than 3 dollars per meal.

Salsa Chicken Bowls

Another budget-friendly lunch idea for you to prep meals is salsa chicken bowls. You can cut chicken strips and sauté them with onions, salsa sauce, and other vegetables.

Additionally, boil some rice on the side.

Next, take meal prep containers, fill them with boiled rice and chicken salsa, and garnish them with green onions. You need 12 dollars to purchase chicken, salsa, vegetables, and rice. Furthermore, you get three to four servings of this dish, so your meal costs 3 dollars each.

Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls

If you want to try more meal prep container dishes, you might also like these sweet chili chicken stir fry bowls. You just need some sweet chili sauce, boiled rice, chicken, and vegetables.

All these ingredients will cost you 12 dollars and give you four servings. So, your meal costs 3 dollars per serving. Are you wondering how to travel cheaply? Well, our budget-friendly meal prep ideas will help you save money while traveling!

Meal Prep For Vegetarians

If you are a vegetarian, these cheap dinner ideas are great for your diet. You get to enjoy wholesome meals that are within your budget.

Additionally, it has been shown that a vegetarian diet reduces the risks of heart conditions and lowers insulin and some cancers. So, try these vegetarian dishes.

Grilled Vegetables  

Simple grilled vegetables are one of the best meal prep ideas for a quick lunch or dinner. It would help if you had some vegetables and a grill. If you want to enhance the flavor of this vegetarian dish, add some peri-peri mix.

You will spend only 8 dollars to make this dish and get 5 to 6 servings. Additionally, this dish is a great side dish for summer BBQ.

Southwest Lentils And Rice

Your diet requires protein, and this dish is a perfect budget dish with lots of protein. The southwest lentils and rice dish consists of vegetables, lentils, and rice.

You can boil the rice and southwest lentils together and add some chopped vegetables and spices to make the recipe.

It’s simple, filling, and a protein-rich diet you can make with 6 dollars and get quite a few servings. Additionally, you can make this dish in one pan, so it is less dished to wash.

Noodle Soup Jars

Try this budget-friendly jar meal prep idea to make an easy dish. Noodle soup jars require five ingredients: veggies of your choice, noodles, and vegetable stock. You can make this dish for 8 dollars and get more than four servings.

Additionally, if you are in a rush and have a noodle jar prepped in your fridge, grab one and go. You can heat it when you want to eat it.

White Bean And Kale Bowls

You need to add some protein to your vegetarian meal prep recipes, and white beans are a good source of protein. At the same time, leafy greens like kale add texture and fiber to your dish. Hence, white bean and kale bowls with rice make a wholesome meal for you.

Additionally, you require only 6 dollars to make this dish, giving you four servings. So, the cost comes to 1.5 dollars per bowl. Toss in your beans and rice in the pan and boil them.

Once these ingredients boil, drain the water and toss in some kale. Furthermore, you can add some dressing to enjoy the dish.

Sweet Potato And Autumn Kale Salad

Do you want something quick and warm for your dinner? Then try this budget-friendly sweet potato and kale salad. You can make this recipe within 7 dollars and require three to four ingredients, including kale and sweet potato.

Additionally, you can make a dressing to go with your salad, like ranch, oil, and vinegar sauce. Furthermore, you can make this salad using other leafy greens of your liking.

The Bagel Lunch-Box

Want something easy to pack for your lunch but within a budget? Then try this bagel lunch box idea costing just 6 dollars. You need five ingredients to ready your lunch box. These five ingredients are bagel, eggs, bagel spread, and any vegetables you choose to go with the bagel.

Roasted Cauliflower Taco

Try this roasted cauliflower taco recipe if you want easy and budget-friendly meal prep ideas for vegetarians. You can make this recipe with 10 dollars and get five servings.

You will require cauliflower, taco, tomatoes, green onions, red beans, and any vegetable you choose. Additionally, this dish has a lot of texture and flavor when you combine all the ingredients.

Related: Are You Living In A Budget-Friendly Ingredient Household?

Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas

We are always in a hurry in the morning, and thus, meal prep is essential for a quick, healthy morning breakfast. So, here are breakfast meal prep ideas for a hassle-free breakfast in the morning.

Additionally, if you are running late, you can eat these breakfast items on the go. Furthermore, you can make these breakfast items easily and within a budget.

Sheet Pancakes

A freezer-friendly meal prep dish is sheet pancakes, which you can make for 5 dollars or less. Mix some pancake mix, fruits, and milk in a bowl, put the mixture in a sheet pan, and bake it.

Cut these pancakes into bars and freeze them. Before eating it, microwave it once, and you are ready to eat. You can put some maple syrup, homemade jam, and grape jelly on your pancakes to enhance the flavor.

Egg Muffin

A super easy and budget-friendly meal prep idea is an egg muffin containing eggs and vegetables of your choice. You can make this dish in 5 minutes, costing you three to four dollars.

Overnight Chocolate Oats

Take a jar and fill it with oats, milk fruit of your choice, and chocolate powder or coco chips. Your overnight chocolate oats are ready; you can pick a jar on your way to the office. The total cost to make this recipe is 5 dollars, giving you a week’s worth of chocolate oats.

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Try this apple pie overnight oats if you want more such overnight breakfast recipes. You need milk, oats, apples, or apple pie fillings, which will cost you 6 dollars or less. Additionally, you get six servings of this dish, so it costs you one dollar.

Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

You will love these freezer-friendly breakfast burritos once you know how much they cost. Ingredients like burritos, eggs, cheese, and sausages will cost you 15 dollars. However, you can make seven burritos or more out of it that will last you a week.

So, each burrito cost less than 2 dollars.

Make Ahead Country Breakfast Bowls

You can make this country breakfast bowl over the weekend and microwave it before eating. Additionally, you need simple breakfast ingredients to make this recipe, like scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, salsa, and cheese.

You can make this dish within 10 dollars and get five servings. Just heat everything in a bowl when you want to eat. Have you seen the latest phenomenon online where netizens share their viewpoints on household ingredients? If not, you can read this article on ingredient household.

Wrapping Up

So, here are 20 budget-friendly meal prep ideas for you to get the right nutrients in your body. Your body needs the right nutrients to function and develop properly, but you cannot always make food from scratch.

From work to home, every aspect of your life needs proper attention. Therefore, meal prep is a great way to minimize the hassle of cooking. So, even if you are in a hurry, you can eat something healthy and not compromise your health.

Additionally, we always don’t have the budget to eat healthy, but if you try these recipes, you will realize that eating healthy is much more cost-effective. You don’t have to pay huge hospital bills for your bad health in the long run. Furthermore, these 20 meal prep ideas suit households with minimal food budgets.

Read Also:

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• What Time Does McDonalds Serve Lunch? – Read Here
• 3 Ways In Which School Canteens Can Promote Food Safety And Health

References

1. Forbes Health is a global platform that offers medical expertise, collects data related to health, and offers fresh insights about health problems. ↩︎