Meal Prep · Weekly plan
Budget-Friendly Week
Built on oats, beans, lentils, rice, and ground meat. Cook on Sunday, eat well Monday to Friday.
The week at a glance
Most recipes make 4 to 6 servings. If you're cooking for more people, double the lunch and dinner recipes. Anything past 4 days is best frozen on Sunday and thawed the night before.
Sunday prep, step by step
- Heat the oven to 350°F and bake the oatmeal (about 45 minutes).
- At the same time, start the lentil soup in one pot and the taco soup in another.
- Cook a pot of brown rice for the buffalo bowls.
- Make the buffalo chicken and beans while the soups simmer.
- Toss the chickpea salad last, then portion everything. Soups freeze well if you have extra.
Grocery list
Everything for all 5 recipes, sorted by store section. Check your pantry first; salt, pepper, oil, and spices you already have can be skipped. Toppings are up to you.
Produce
- 1 ripe banana (mashed (½ cup)) (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 1 garlic clove (grated) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- Freshly ground black pepper (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 2 cups mixed yellow and red grape tomatoes (halved) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ½ English cucumber (diced) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ½ cup Pickled Red Onions (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint (plus whole mint leaves for garnish) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ½ large onion (diced) (Taco Soup)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced) (Taco Soup)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (Taco Soup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can canned diced tomatoes (Taco Soup)
- avocado (Taco Soup)
- jalapeno peppers (Taco Soup)
- cilantro (Taco Soup)
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped) (Lentil Soup)
- 4 medium carrots (chopped (2 cups)) (Lentil Soup)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped) (Lentil Soup)
- 6 small or 3 large kale leaves (stems finely diced, leaves chopped (8 cups)) (Lentil Soup)
- Freshly ground black pepper (Lentil Soup)
- 4 garlic cloves (grated) (Lentil Soup)
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (Lentil Soup)
- 12 fresh thyme sprigs (bundled) (Lentil Soup)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish) (Lentil Soup)
- Red pepper flakes (Lentil Soup)
Meat & seafood
- 3 8 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts (diced into 1/2 inch cubes) (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1 pound ground beef (Taco Soup)
Eggs & dairy
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (at room temperature) (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- ¼ cup smooth almond butter (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1/2 cup part-skim cheddar cheese (or dairy-free cheddar) (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- cotija cheese (or other cheese) (Taco Soup)
- sour cream (Taco Soup)
- Grated Parmesan cheese (for serving, optional) (Lentil Soup)
Cans, grains & pantry
- ¼ cup maple syrup (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 2 cups whole rolled oats (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (for topping) (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flakes (for topping) (Blueberry Baked Oatmeal)
- 1 teaspoon olive or canola oil (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1/2 tsp paprika (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1/2 tsp cumin (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1 cup canned low sodium black beans (rinsed and drained) (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (Franks) (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 3 cups cooked brown rice (Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- ½ cup kalamata olives (pitted and halved) (Mediterranean Chickpea Salad)
- 1 recipe taco seasoning (Taco Soup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed) (Taco Soup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (drained and rinsed) (Taco Soup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can canned sweet corn (drained and rinsed) (Taco Soup)
- 1 (4-ounce) can canned diced green chilies (Taco Soup)
- 3 cups water (Taco Soup)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Lentil Soup)
- Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin (Lentil Soup)
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt (Lentil Soup)
- ¾ cup dry green lentils (rinsed) (Lentil Soup)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (Lentil Soup)
- 6 cups vegetable broth (Lentil Soup)
Recipes in this plan
Breakfast
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Soft, sliceable oatmeal with blueberries and pecans. One pan, six breakfasts.
From Love and Lemons
Lunch
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls
Spicy buffalo chicken with black beans, brown rice, and cheddar.
From Skinnytaste
Lunch
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
A no-cook chickpea salad with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and lots of herbs.
From Love and Lemons
Dinner
Taco Soup
A one-pot soup with ground beef, beans, corn, and green chilies. Mostly pantry cans.
From Downshiftology
Dinner
Lentil Soup
A cozy vegetable lentil soup with kale, tomatoes, and thyme.
From Love and Lemons