I’m so excited to be back this week with a new edition of my Budget Grocery Series!! For the 13th edition of the series I took a $60 grocery list and turned it into your week of easy, seasonal, plant and protein-packed dinners. How did I manage this in 2025? By focusing on plant-forward recipes, pantry staples, and low-cost items to keep the meals satisfying (and creative of course!!).
Balancing affordability with nourishing and delicious meals is my bread & butter and it’s exactly what this series is all about. The budget grocery series has resonated with so many of you and brought so many new faces into the eat goood community because each one makes dinner a little easier, a little cheaper, and a more doable🤝
This week’s plan includes five dinners that each make four servings (20 meals total!). The recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free too! This post includes the grocery list for the week and all five recipes and this week’s Youtube video gives you the low-down. We go over the entire grocery list, pantry staples, grocery shopping, the recipes, substitutions and swaps, and more!
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Recipe 1: One-Pan Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice
The main ingredients in our first recipe are mushrooms, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and coconut milk. Love a one pan situation for a budget friendly option!
get the full recipe here
this is the sauté pan I use for these one-pan meals
Recipe 2: Butternut Squash Pasta with Crispy Kale and Chickpeas
Butternut squash, brown rice penne, chickpeas, and cashews are the star of recipe 2! This is where we get creative with our cashews and make some creamy dairy-free magic. This one is 100% vegetarian with plant-based proteins.
get the full recipe here
my blender that always makes the creamiest sauce (it’s a splurge item!)
Recipe 3: Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Veggies with Cashew Sauce
It wouldn’t be a JEG grocery series without a simple sheet pan meal! The prep time is low for the sheet pan, and the cashew sauce is easy to whip up with it’s roasting in the oven. Efficiency to the max.
get the full recipe here
the green sheet pan I used!
Recipe 4: Maple Turkey Skillet with Sesame Ginger Rice
File this one under not boring ways to eat rice! I love to turn a simple pot of rice into something truly special and mouthwatering by leaning on simple herbs and pantry staples like sesame oil.
get the full recipe here
the nonstick skillet I used to make this
Recipe 5: Coconut Ginger Tofu and Rice Soup
Soup is the perfect end of week meal when you’re looking to use up some halves and leftovers. The rest of the onions, kale, rice, broth, and coconut milk get used up in this one, plus it’s our second vegetarian recipe of the week!
get the full recipe here
the green dutch oven you always ask about
1 garlic bulb
1 large yellow onion
6 ounces green onions
one 3-inch ginger root piece
1 pound carrots
16 ounces celery (2 hearts)
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium butternut squash or 20 ounces precut butternut squash
10 ounces baby bella mushrooms
16 ounces brussels sprouts
10 ounces tuscan or curly shredded kale
two 32-ounce cartons low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
13.5 ounces full-fat canned coconut milk
jasmine or basmati rice (2 1/2 cups needed)
12 to 16 ounces brown rice penne (or pasta of choice)
16 ounces raw cashews (1 1/2 cups needed)
3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 pound ground turkey
12 ounces precooked chicken sausage
14-ounce firm tofu block
15-ounce can chickpeas
Pantry Staples & Spices
olive oil
toasted sesame oil
coconut aminos (or reduced-sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce)
rice vinegar
sriracha (optional)
tapioca flour (or arrowroot starch or cornstarch)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
smoked paprika
chili powder
cumin
dried oregano
dried rosemary
what I’m prepping
Sweet Potato, Maple, and Sage High-Protein Breakfast Biscuits — Since dinners are covered this week with the grocery series, I’m leaning on the November prep plan for breakfast this week starting with a batch of high protein breakfast biscuits.
Spicy Edamame Peanut Noodles — Lunch from the November prep plan this week is my favorite cold noodle salad!
what I’m loving
Meat mashing tool — This has been one of my most used kitchen utensils, it works so well to break up ground meat into the perfect size with little effort. Highly recommend picking one up if you like to cook with ground meat on a weekly basis.
Chocolate brown long sleeve — I wore this in today’s Youtube video: it’s the ideal late fall long sleeve and so soft. Chocolate brown colors are having such a moment right now I feel a little ahead of the game having this for over a year now!! Could also be a fun gift for the athleisure-lover in the group!
what I’m recommending
A really good saute pan — The key to the best one-pan meals of your life are a good quality saute pan! The sides are higher than a regular skillet and it’s oven-save so there’s no spillage and everything cooks up quickly. Something fun to add to your holiday wishlist!
Cashews — I love cashews so much I named my dog after them, they’re truly so versatile and make the creamiest dairy-free recipes. This week’s grocery series leans on them throughout the week so every penny spent is well worth it. Trader Joe’s has a great deal for a one pound bag!
I hope you all have a lovely week and try out this plan! Be sure to stay tuned over on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see what I have for y’all this upcoming week!
Made the Chicken Mushroom Rice dinner last night. Didn’t follow the recipe exactly but we loved it. Will go on our rotation. 💕
okay i am obsessed with the image in this article lol. & also THANK YOU— have been living by your recipes lately and my whole fam (including my 3 y/o boys) are loving them 🥹 i’m not a great cook and prepping is stressful for me so these recipes are really life savers!!