When you’re on a budget, creating weekly meal plans can make a world of difference to your stress and your savings. Great budget meal planning should help you eat well pay less so you can confidently save money.
This 2 week budget meal plan for a family is for for 3 adults or 2 adults + 2 young children, 3 meals per person per day.
Make good use of your freezer with this two-week budget meal plan. Pop meat for week 2 in the freezer when you get home from the supermarket. Do a little meal prep for your breakfast smoothies too, by freezing all ingredients except milk into individual portions. Then you can simply add milk and blend.
Things to keep in mind:
- We’ve listed everything you need in the shopping list, including ingredients you might already have in your pantry. So if you already have some ingredients, enjoy the extra savings that fortnight! The only things we haven’t included are oil, salt, pepper and water.
- This meal plan is designed to serve three adults at each meal, or two adults and two children. We’ve adjusted the quantities in the shopping list, but you’ll need to adjust the quantities in each recipe for the number of people you’re serving.
- We’ve incorporated “leftovers” into your meal plan to give you time off from cooking, make sure you use up leftover food that might otherwise get thrown away, and ensure you don’t buy fast food or cafeteria food for lunch while at work (which will add to your overall food spend).
- We’ve included baby spinach, almonds and cranberries to create a simple side salad for any dish that isn’t easily multiplied. This helps your meals go further!
Week 1 meal plan
Sunday
Breakfast: Mini brunch frittatas This recipe serves six, so you can whip together a batch on Sunday morning and have leftovers for Monday.
Lunch: Chicken quesadillas (or Leftovers) If you have dinner leftovers, lunch is the best time to eat them! Cooking three times a day can get tedious. Of course, if you don’t have leftovers, we’ve included this tasty quesadilla recipe with a few easy changes: Use the same spices as the Peri Peri chicken (smoked paprika, cumin, chilli flakes). Use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Use creme fraiche instead of sour cream.
Dinner: Roast vege tart Cut this roast vege tart into six slices and serve it with a simple side salad of spinach, almonds and cranberries.
Monday
Breakfast: Mini brunch frittatas Eat your Sunday leftovers cold, or reheat in a sandwich press!
Lunch: Leftover roast vege tart Sunday’s roast vege tart will keep wonderfully in the fridge, or in a lunch box with an ice pack, until lunchtime. Enjoy it cold!
Dinner: Mexican fiesta bowl This recipe serves two, so we’ve multiplied it by three to ensure there’s plenty left over for lunch tomorrow. Use frozen corn instead of canned, and serve with spinach instead of lettuce.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Very berry smoothie Smoothies are an easy breakfast on a work day — no cooking, just throw everything into a blender and go.
Lunch: Leftover Mexican fiesta bowl Be sure to remove the avocado and spinach before microwaving, or just enjoy this dish cold.
Dinner: Prawn and chicken laksa Multiply this recipe by three to ensure it feeds three adults for dinner and lunch.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Perfect microwave porridge We’ve included extra bananas in your shopping list, so you can each have some banana sliced on top of your porridge.
Lunch: Leftover Prawn and chicken laksa Microwave your laksa covered for about two minutes to heat through.
Dinner: Cottage pie The recipe serves four, so we’ve multiplied the ingredients by one and a half to get six servings.
Thursday
Breakfast: Very berry smoothie Alternating between smoothies and porridge, or any breakfast, helps keep your mornings feeling fresh. Of course, you can also sub in any smoothie recipe you enjoy.
Lunch: Leftover Cottage pie Just a few minutes in the microwave will warm this through, or enjoy it cold.
Dinner: Corn and prawn fritters Fritters are a great way to use up any leftover ingredients — try adding anything you have in your fridge. Use onions instead of shallots, and serve with a side salad.
Friday
Breakfast: Perfect microwave porridge For a twist on this microwave porridge, try adding some of your frozen berries!
Lunch: Leftover Corn and prawn fritters Keep your fritters in the fridge, or in a lunchbox with an ice pack, and enjoy them cold.
Dinner: Slow cooked beef stroganoff Prep your stroganoff at the start of the week, by freezing your ingredients together in a large snaplock bag. Then, just throw the stroganoff in the slow cooker on the Friday morning and come home to a delicious dinner. Use creme fraiche instead of sour cream.
Saturday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes Your remaining bananas should be nice and ripe — perfect for pancakes. With no extra sugar, these pancakes are also great for a healthy family.
Lunch: Leftover beef stroganoff Give your stroganoff a few minutes in the microwave at lunch time.
Dinner: Peri Peri roast chicken A roast chicken is a great way to feed a family, and you’ll easily get leftover chicken and veggies for Sunday lunches.
Breakfast: Mini brunch frittatas This recipe serves six, so you can whip together a batch on Sunday morning and have leftovers for Monday.
Lunch: Chicken quesadillas (or Leftovers) If you have dinner leftovers, lunch is the best time to eat them! Cooking three times a day can get tedious. Of course, if you don’t have leftovers, we’ve included this tasty quesadilla recipe with a few easy changes: Use the same spices as the Peri Peri chicken (smoked paprika, cumin, chilli flakes). Use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Use creme fraiche instead of sour cream.
Dinner: Roast vege tart Cut this roast vege tart into six slices and serve it with a simple side salad of spinach, almonds and cranberries.
Monday
Breakfast: Mini brunch frittatas Eat your Sunday leftovers cold, or reheat in a sandwich press!
Lunch: Leftover roast vege tart Sunday’s roast vege tart will keep wonderfully in the fridge, or in a lunch box with an ice pack, until lunchtime. Enjoy it cold!
Dinner: Mexican fiesta bowl This recipe serves two, so we’ve multiplied it by three to ensure there’s plenty left over for lunch tomorrow. Use frozen corn instead of canned, and serve with spinach instead of lettuce.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Very berry smoothie Smoothies are an easy breakfast on a work day — no cooking, just throw everything into a blender and go.
Lunch: Leftover Mexican fiesta bowl Be sure to remove the avocado and spinach before microwaving, or just enjoy this dish cold.
Dinner: Prawn and chicken laksa Multiply this recipe by three to ensure it feeds three adults for dinner and lunch.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Perfect microwave porridge We’ve included extra bananas in your shopping list, so you can each have some banana sliced on top of your porridge.
Lunch: Leftover Prawn and chicken laksa Microwave your laksa covered for about two minutes to heat through.
Dinner: Cottage pie The recipe serves four, so we’ve multiplied the ingredients by one and a half to get six servings.
Thursday
Breakfast: Very berry smoothie Alternating between smoothies and porridge, or any breakfast, helps keep your mornings feeling fresh. Of course, you can also sub in any smoothie recipe you enjoy.
Lunch: Leftover Cottage pie Just a few minutes in the microwave will warm this through, or enjoy it cold.
Dinner: Corn and prawn fritters Fritters are a great way to use up any leftover ingredients — try adding anything you have in your fridge. Use onions instead of shallots, and serve with a side salad.
Friday
Breakfast: Perfect microwave porridge For a twist on this microwave porridge, try adding some of your frozen berries!
Lunch: Leftover Corn and prawn fritters Keep your fritters in the fridge, or in a lunchbox with an ice pack, and enjoy them cold.
Dinner: Slow cooked beef stroganoff Prep your stroganoff at the start of the week, by freezing your ingredients together in a large snaplock bag. Then, just throw the stroganoff in the slow cooker on the Friday morning and come home to a delicious dinner. Use creme fraiche instead of sour cream.
Saturday
Breakfast: Banana pancakes Your remaining bananas should be nice and ripe — perfect for pancakes. With no extra sugar, these pancakes are also great for a healthy family.
Lunch: Leftover beef stroganoff Give your stroganoff a few minutes in the microwave at lunch time.
Dinner: Peri Peri roast chicken A roast chicken is a great way to feed a family, and you’ll easily get leftover chicken and veggies for Sunday lunches.
See week two recipes below or get the shopping list now.
Week 1 recipes
Some of the deliciously simple recipes from our week 1 meal plan.
Week 2 meal plan
Sunday
Breakfast: Blueberry bran muffins
One batch of muffins should make breakfast for three adults on Sunday and Monday. If you’re feeding little ones, put some of the batter into smaller muffin trays for a perfect kid-sized serving. Use honey instead of golden syrup.
Lunch: Leftover Peri Peri roast chicken
The roast chicken at the end of our one-week meal plan should give you enough leftovers for a delicious lunch.
Dinner: Vegetable curry cauliflower and pumpkin
These will both last really well in the fridge for a week, so there’s no need to worry about them going off before Sunday.
Breakfast: Blueberry bran muffins
One batch of muffins should make breakfast for three adults on Sunday and Monday. If you’re feeding little ones, put some of the batter into smaller muffin trays for a perfect kid-sized serving. Use honey instead of golden syrup.
Lunch: Leftover Peri Peri roast chicken
The roast chicken at the end of our one-week meal plan should give you enough leftovers for a delicious lunch.
Dinner: Vegetable curry cauliflower and pumpkin
These will both last really well in the fridge for a week, so there’s no need to worry about them going off before Sunday.
Monday
Breakfast: Blueberry bran muffins
One batch of muffins should make breakfast for three adults on Sunday and Monday. If you’re feeding little ones, put some of the batter into smaller muffin trays for a perfect kid-sized serving. Use honey instead of golden syrup.
Lunch: Leftover Vegetable curry
Sunday’s roast vege tart will keep wonderfully in the fridge, or in a lunch box with an ice pack, until lunchtime. Enjoy it cold!
Dinner: Crispy chicken deluxe burger
Freeze your burger buns when you get home from the store, and defrost them on the kitchen counter on Sunday night. Just give the buns a light toasting before serving. Simply adjust this recipe to use six buns, patties and rashers of bacon for six servings. Use baby spinach instead of lettuce.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Breakfast: Banoffee smoothie
Simply add the frozen ingredients to your blender with your milk and hit blend.
Lunch: Leftover Crispy chicken deluxe burger
Package the ingredients separately and assemble your burger fresh at lunchtime. You can heat up your bacon and chicken patty in a sandwich press.
Dinner: Pizza omelette
Eggs are full of protein and healthy fat, and they last really well on the kitchen counter (not the fridge). Use your favourite frozen veggies and plenty of cheese.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Oaty chia seed breakfast pots
Adjust the recipe to feed three as needed. Use honey instead of maple syrup, and leave the cocoa powder off if you don’t have any.
Lunch: Leftover Pizza omelette
A few minutes in a sandwich press will crisp up your omelette’s edges again and warm it through.
Dinner: Super simple nachos
Heat your tinned ingredients up with onion and garlic, and you’ve got the easiest nachos ever.
Thursday
Breakfast: Banoffee smoothie
If you don’t like the banoffee smoothie, you can easily adjust your shopping list to have the Very Berry Smoothies in both weeks..
Lunch: Leftover Super simple nachos
Pack the corn chips and bean mix separately, then reheat the beans at lunch time and serve on top of the corn chips
Dinner: Best mince pie
This pie is a very easy way to use up the leftover frozen pastry from the vege tart in week one.
Friday
Breakfast: Oaty chia seed breakfast pots
If you like, mix up your flavours with frozen mango instead of blueberries, and top it with flaked almonds
Lunch: Leftover Best mince pie
Simply heat and eat!
Dinner: Tuna mac'n'cheese
If you’ve got bread crumbs lying around, try sprinkling them on top with some extra cheese before baking. Serve with Steam Fresh veggies.
Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast burrito
This breakfast burrito is easily loved by all. Swap in your favourite burrito or breakfast ingredients as you like — maybe some hash browns?
Lunch: Leftover Tuna mac'n'cheese
If you don’t get any leftovers from the tuna mac’n’cheese, the breakfast burritos make more than enough, so just have a big brunch!
Dinner: Chicken quesadillas
We’ve included these quesadillas as an optional extra in our one-week meal plan, but also added them here because most of the ingredients will easily last two weeks. If you’ve already opened your tortillas, just freeze them until you need them again.