Is it too expensive to eat a Plant-Based Diet? This Meal Plan will show you exactly how cheap a Plant-Based Diet can be.
This isn’t the healthiest Meal Plan I’ve ever created; but it is a nutritious Meal Plan for those lean times when you really have to watch your budget.
I’ll assume you have some spices and other pantry staples. This Meal Plan will feed a family of 4 for less than $55 a week. Food prices vary by area but these meals use ingredients that are generally inexpensive, seasonal (for Fall) and available in most places. If someone in your family has food allergies you may need to make a few substitutions. For example, if you can’t tolerate gluten I recommend you skip the bread, pancakes and oats since the specialty (gluten-free) versions will cost more. I have had good experiences with a gluten-free pancake mix from Walmart called Maple Grove Farms Pancake and Waffle Mix.
The Cheapest Plant-Based Meal Plan
Breakfast
If you have a wheat allergy I recommend you remove the oatmeal and pancakes from the Meal Plan and replace them with Baked Potatoes and Veggie Breakfast Stir-Frys.
- Oatmeal with Apples
- Oatmeal with Peanut Butter and Sliced Bananas
- Overnight Oats
- Breakfast Rice with Diced Apples
- Pancakes
- Pancakes with Peanut Butter and Bananas
- Pancakes with Baked Apples
Lunch
Cook extra for dinner each evening so you have enough leftovers for lunch. Eating out for lunch is a big budget buster.
- Bean and Grain Bowl
- Baked Potatoes with Leftover Chili
- Potato Soup with a side salad
- Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
- Taco Salad
- Bean and Rice Burritos or Bowls
Snacks
Stick with fresh fruit and veggies, processed foods are expensive. If you need a snack that is a little more filling try leftover soup or baked potato.
- Carrot Sticks
- Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
- Orange Slices
- Bake Potatoes
Dinner
These dinners are perfect for cool Fall weather. If you are missing an ingredient just substitute something else.
- Slow Cooker Potato Soup OR Potato and Broccoli Soup
- Veggie Pasta OR Pizza Pasta using available veggies with Salad
- Chili
- Stir Fry using rice carrots, broccoli, squash, onions, peppers and any other veggies on hand
- Mexican Casserole or the slow cooker version
- Rice, Lentil and Veggie Soup using carrots, broccoli, potatoes, squash and onions
Here is the Free Printable Shopping List for The Cheapest Plant-Base Meal Plan Ever (Fall Edition). You may spend less than $55 if you already have some items available. I even included what I consider to be luxury items like tortillas and bread, if you omit them you could spend less than $50. I looked at store advertisements and asked around to determine prices. If something on the list is expensive fresh consider buying the frozen version. I also have some duplicate items like “frozen veggies” just to make sure you have enough available. If your family dislikes something on the list just omit it and work around it. We don’t eat a lot of oranges at our house but they are fairly inexpensive in our area now so I included them.
