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Wanting to try meal planning for one person? It’s actually pretty simple and easy! Today, I’m sharing some tips to help you get started with meal planning and some great weekly dinner options for a meal plan for a single person!
You may think cooking for just one person is tricky and you will always end up with way too much food, but it can actually be very easy to do – especially with a weekly menu to follow.
Try out these simple meal ideas for one and enjoy eating simple, nutritious meals at home and saving a lot of money!
Weekly Meal Plan for a Single Person on a Budget
I hope this weekly meal plan and easy recipes will help you figure out what to cook for dinner every night, so you can spend less time deciding and m0re time doing the things you love.
Look through these meal ideas before you make your grocery list, so you don’t forget anything!
Weekly Menu:
The best part of these meals is that you can customize them based on what you like to eat and buy. And they are very simple and you won’t be leftover with a bunch of extra ingredients.
You can find all the things you need at your local grocery store – without spending a fortune.
Grocery Shopping List:
Look over the meals to make your shopping list to see exactly what you will want, since there are options for each night.
1 large chicken breast
frozen stir fry vegetable kit
stir fry sauce (soy sauce)
rotisserie chicken (or other meat)
rice
black beans
toppings for burrito bowl/tacos: pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese
optional: tortillas or tortilla chips
sweet potato
bakery bun (2)
flatbread
tomato sauce
shredded mozzeralla cheese
pizza toppings
salad kit
salad dressing
One-Week Meal Plan:
Sunday: Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Grab a large chicken breast, stir fry sauce (or soy sauce) and a stir fry frozen vegetable pack. Dice and cook the chicken breasts until done, cook vegetables in a separate pan, and combine with sauce.
Divide this up into at least two dinner portions, so you don’t have to cook tomorrow night!
Monday: Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry (leftover)
Enjoy a night off from cooking and have the leftover chicken stir fry tonight.
You’ll save a lot of money and time by only cooking once for two meals!
Tuesday: Burrito Bowl
Choose your protein to cook: ground beef, ground turkey, chicken breast. You can also grab a rotisserie chicken to use and use it for the next few dinners for the rest of the week as well, so you don’t have to cook the meat.
Then choose what to add to your bowl: rice, black beans, pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, onions, avocado, cilantro, bell pepper, etc.
Cook everything up and top with cheese if desired.
*Make extra cooked protein for tacos or burritos for Thursday.
Wednesday: Pulled Chicken Sandwich + Sweet Potatoes
Bake your sweet potato in the oven. I usually poke holes with a fork, place mine on a cookie sheet with aluminum foil at 425 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery, shred it and place on a bakery bun (buy a single one to avoid waste) with any sauce or toppings you like (BBQ sauce, shredded lettuce). Serve with a sweet potato.
Thursday: Tacos/Burritos/Nachos/Burrito Bowl
Use your extra cooked protein or meat from the rotisserie chicken and your favorite toppings to make your choice of tacos, burritos, nachos, or another burrito bowl.
It’s nice to keep this flexible so you can make a meal that fits your time allowance and cravings.
Friday: Flatbread Pizza + Salad
Make an easy flatbread pizza with naan bread or flatbread from the deli section. Brush it with olive oil, spread tomato sauce and cheese on it, and top with your favorite toppings.
You could add pepperonis, leftover cooked meat (ground beef), or some rotisserie chicken with bbq sauce drizzled.
Grab a salad kit and use about 1/3 for a side salad.
Saturday: Chicken Salad
Use the remaining salad kit and top with leftover rotisserie chicken, or fresh grilled chicken. Add any toppings, cheeses, or dressing you like.
Serve with a bakery roll if desired.
Making a meal plan for a single person can be pretty simple. Find some meals you like, make a list to hang on your fridge, and make yourself a new meal plan each week with any new recipes you want to try, simple dinners you can make quickly and easily, and budget-friendly recipes with just a few ingredients.
You can eat a delicious dinner at home on a budget and avoid fast food!
Start making your own weekly meal plans once you come up with several meals you can make easily and quickly – these will be your go-to meals.
For now, the weekly meal plan above is a great place to start so you don’t have to spend time finding new recipes all the time.
Need some more dinner for one ideas?
- Look at the frozen meal kits and frozen vegetable options.
- Try some sheet pan meals that can make two dinners.
- Don’t be afraid to make a family size recipe and divide it into smaller portions for a few dinners (you can even freeze some).
- Keep pantry staples on hand for quick dinners when you don’t want to come up a with a full meal (ready rice, tortillas, flatbreads, frozen vegetables).
- Use leftovers to your advantage! Make a larger serving for two dinners, or cook enough meat at once for two meals.
Need more help deciding what to make for dinner?
Planning meals and eating at home can help you save so much money, but it’s not always easy to figure out what to cook!
If you need some dinner ideas that are simple, quick, and budget-friendly, you’ll love theFREE 60+ Easy Dinner Ideas List– the handy resource you’ll love to use for quick, easy, and budget-friendly meal ideas to make meal planning simple and effortless!
Grab the FREE Easy Dinner Ideas List right here!
Here are some more cheap meal ideas to help you make your own frugal weekly meal plan:
20 Things to Eat on a Tight Budget
12 Cheap Meals: $2 Meal Ideas
Cheap Dinner Ideas for 2
Easy Two Week Rotating Meal Plan on a Budget
15 Ideas of 10 Minute Meals
10 Pantry Meals: When the Menu Plan Doesn’t Happen
Theme Nights Meal Planning: Easy Dinner Ideas for Every Night of the Week
