Welcome back to my budget grocery series!
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If you’re new here, I give you the grocery list and weeknight dinner recipes; you get your ingredients and follow along! By the end, you’ll use up every single item on the list with no waste and have delicious meals at just $3 a serving all week.
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This time around, we’re giving the week a back-to-school theme. This season brings a big change in schedule, and dinner might be stressing you out. That’s where this week’s budget meal plan comes in.
The list is $60 total (not including pantry staples, like oil and spices) and each of the five recipes is designed to make four hearty servings, giving you 20 meals total. While I did shop at Trader Joe’s for this, you can shop anywhere! Just know the price may vary.
I know $60 for all of these meals feels crazy. In 2026?! Unheard of really, but I was determined to make a $60 budget work because I know it seems like eating well, and enough, on a budget isn’t possible these days, but it’s a puzzle I love to solve.
How do we get it all done?
Leaning on simple pantry staples so you don’t have to buy any crazy one-off ingredients! Nearly all the pantry staples and spices are used in at least two recipes this week.
Switching up the proteins, using cheaper cuts, like bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and incorporating alternative sources of protein.
Overlapping ingredients so everything gets used up and gets put to work. This week you’ll see yogurt, broth, marinara sauce, spinach, kale, herbs, and more used across multiple recipes to bring down the cost per serving and keep the list short.
How to follow this week’s plan:
Shop the list: Copy and paste the grocery list or download the color-coded PDF on your way out to the store.
Make the recipes: All five recipes are included below, just click the recipe title. By the end of the week, every drop of broth, grain of rice, and ounce of baby spinach will be used up—it’s the ultimate low-waste week.
Cooking for a family of four? Your dinners for the week are done! If you’re a household of one or two, follow the full week and use leftovers for lunch or bulk up your freezer stash. You can also choose 2-3 meals to make this week instead of all 5. Check out the color-coded grocery list to help you shop for only what you need.
Every kitchen tool you need to make the recipes this week is included in today’s post too!
Speaking of kitchen tools, Material Kitchen is currently running a 20% off sale! Their best-selling MK Free Board—one of my kitchen favorites for easy prep and cleanup—is 20% off! This cutting board is a true do-it-all prep tool made of easy-to-clean, plant-based material (forever chemical & microplastic-free!). I especially love that I can throw the board in the dishwasher after cutting raw meat on it and it comes out looking brand new. Also on sale: the smaller MK midi board, colorful steak knives, & 8-inch chefs knife.
✨ Use code SUMMERSALE through 8/23 for 20% off, and my new code JENNEATSGOOOD after 8/23 for 20% off sitewide for back-to-school season!
teacher and educator discount!!
This year for back-to-school season, educators can get 50% off(!!) a paid subscription—that’s $30 for a year of monthly breakfast & lunch prep plans, bonus recipes, and three new dinner plans each month, complete with color-coded grocery lists, prep day guides + more!
Here are all five meals for the week! Keep scrolling for the grocery list.
Each recipe includes storage and reheating instructions, as well as swaps and subs. If you have a question, leave a comment! Or, let me know if you try out one (or all five) recipes!!
Dinner 1: Turkey and Black Bean Taco Skillet
Dinner 2: Pesto and White Bean Protein Pizza
Dinner 3: Saucy Lemon Chicken with Kale and Chickpeas
Dinner 4: Dump-and-Bake Hidden Protein Pasta (from DTAD!)
Dinner 5: Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Veggies with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
If you love this format, paid subscribers receive three weeknight dinner plans each month just like this, and a breakfast and lunch plan every single month with the same resources. Consider upgrading your subscription so you don’t have to think it!
Produce
1 garlic bulb
1 large yellow onion
1 medium red onion
2 large Yukon gold potatoes
1 pound carrots
1 green bell pepper
10 ounces shredded curly or tuscan kale
6 ounces baby spinach
2 lemons
2 limes
1 cilantro bunch
Canned/Packaged
13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
24-ounce jar marinara sauce
6 ounces jarred pesto
32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth
jasmine rice (1 cup needed)
12 ounce brown rice penne
Proteins
1 pound ground turkey (93%)
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
12 ounces precooked chicken sausage
15-ounce can chickpeas
15-ounce can black beans
15-ounce can white beans (cannellini, navy, or great northern)
Dairy & Substitutes
16 ounces 4% milk-fat small curd cottage cheese
16 ounces shredded mozzarella
16 ounces whole milk or low-fat Greek yogurt
Spices
1-ounce taco seasoning packet
kosher salt
ground black pepper
dried basil
chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
dried oregano
smoked paprika
red pepper flakes (optional)
ground cumin*
cayenne pepper*
Pantry Staples
olive oil
gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (or all-purpose)
baking powder
*make your taco seasoning at home instead of buying the packet. If you’re making it at home, you will need cumin and cayenne pepper. If you are buying it premade, you will not need either!
cutting board — 20% off the MK Free Board with code SUMMERSALE
chefs knife — 20% off the 8-inch knife with code SUMMERSALE
food processor (or blender)
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I can’t wait for you to dive into this meal plan. It’s my favorite thing to put together, and this week’s meals are especially delicious and easy!
Leave any questions or substitution needs in the comments and share pics of everything you make in our chat!!
Thank you Jenn!! I’m getting my hair done this week so truly appreciate this !
The pasta bake calls for cottage cheese. The brand I wanted was out of stock and the brand they had I've never gotten it home, had it in the fridge a few days and before the expiration date it's still moldy. So I didn't have cottage cheese and got some silken tofu instead. It worked out great! I also was able to use fresh basil and oregano from the garden. Both my 4 and 2 year old ate it well. I think it will become a future family staple.