EASY MEALS to MAKE AT HOME! $2/Day Family Meal Plan

Making a meal plan is important! And learning how to build a frugal plan that is nutritious sometimes seems undoable....but you CAN DO IT! And, today, I am going to share a great go-to meal plan that will feed your family for $2 a day per person!
Think about how much that can save!
I hope you enjoy these recipes! They are filling and healthy, as well as being kid friendly (for the most part).
You can find all the recipes below!
Have a GREAT week!
Here's a useful meal planner/grocery list pad - amzn.to/45vzEfT
Here's a link to the pullman bread pan - amzn.to/45waFsM
If you want a Nutri-Chopper - amzn.to/3RqrIqh
Here's an Instant Pot (but look at the thrift store first!) - amzn.to/4ck8TNl
If you need a crock pot, here's a super affordable one! amzn.to/3UTCjvQ
(Thank you for using my Amazon Associate links! It really helps our family, since we get a small commission for sending you their way)
If you didn't see last week's meal planning guide video, you can find it here - • Feed YOUR Family For C...
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I hope you enjoy all of these recipes!
I love you!!!
Lori
Homemade Simple Sandwich Bread
5 1/2 C AP Flour
1 TBS yeast
2 C very warm (115 F) water
3 tsp salt
1 TBS honey
2 TBS sugar
1/4 C mutter, softened
In large bowl, combine all ingredients, adding yeast last. Combine well and knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny.
Cover and allow to rise in warm place for 1-3 hours.
Pour out ont counter and shape into large log shape.
Oil pullman loaf pan and add dough. Place lid on pan and allow to rise 1-3 hours. (alternately you can use regular loaf pans and separate into two or three loaves, depending on size)
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly and remove from pan. Cool completely on a baking rack.
French Toast
12-16 eggs
1/4 C milk
salt
pepper
loaf of HMS bread, sliced thin
Heat griddle or pan to medium heat.
Scramble eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Dip each piece of bread in egg mixture. Place on griddle. Allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side.
Serve with maple syrup.
Salsa Chicken
2 Chicken breasts
2 C Salsa
1 C water
Place chicken in crock pot. Pour salsa on top of chicken.
Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with rice or riced cauliflower. Top with extra salsa, cheese and sour cream.
Sausage and Kraut
2 pkg keilbassa sausage, or equivalent
1 32 oz sauerkraut
1 TBS olive oil
Heat oil in iron skillet. Slice sausage. Place in hot pan and cook until most sides are browned. Add sauerkraut, juice and all. Cook, uncovered, until most of the moisture is removed.
Serve with green beans and your choice of fruit.
Vegetarian Rice and Bean Bowls
2 C Rice, prepared
2 C Beans, prepared
lettuce, chopped
tomatoes, diced
cilantro, chopped
cheese, shredded
sour cream
salsa
Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve warm.
Chicken Salad
2 C cooked chicken
1 C mayo
1 apple, chopped
1 C grapes, chopped
1/2 C walnuts, chopped
1/2 C cranberries
1/2 C dill pickles, chopped
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients and serve on HMS bread
Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef
2 lg cans crushed tomatoes
1 pkg frozen corn
2 C rice, prepared (optional)
2 C black beans, prepared
2 TBS cumin
2 TBS chili powder
1 TBS paprika
2 TBS dill weed
2 TBS salt
1/4 C dry milk powder
Brown ground beef. Remove any excess grease. Add all other ingredients. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Can also be cooked in crock pot.
BBQ Baked Potatoes
2 C chicken
2 C bbq sauce
Cover chicken with bbq sauce and cook in crock pot for 4-6 hours.
1 potato per person
oil
salt
butter
sour cream
cheddar cheese, shredded
Wash potatoes. Coat with oil, Pierce with fork. Salt, if desired.
Bake in oven at 400F for 60-90 minutes.
Serve topped with bbq chicken and desired toppings
Ham and Egg Casserole
1/2 loaf HMS bread, cubed
2 C ham, chopped
8 oz shredded cheese
6 eggs, scrambled
2 C milk
salt and pepper to taste
Combine milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper,
Oil 9x13 baking dish. Cube bread and place in bottom of casserole dish.Sprinkle ham and cheese. Add egg mixture.Bake at 350F for 35 mins, or until eggs are set

[@jillgott6567]

Understanding nutrition is an important part of being frugal. Mixing inexpensive food ingredients with a more expensive one can help you save money while having an enjoyable meal.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

This is such a good comment and is so helpful! I’m gonna pin it up too so everyone can see it! Thanks! ❤️❤️

[@FIRE_DrNinjaTurtle]

I ate for $1.00 per week when I was headed for homelessness. After homelessness, I ate for $2.00 a week. I am now financially free and retired early. Frugality works.

[@ArkansasSquaw]

Truth!

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Good for you!!!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Wow! What a great story to tell! You need to be the one making the videos!

[@KathyBarnett-mv5vg]

A week or a day?

[@EmeryShae]

I’d love to know what you ate for $1/week.

[@crystaljordan7318]

We eat soup all year long! My husband says we eat a hot meal most nights anyway. Why not soup? It really helps stretch the budget! I keep the kids interested by serving for lunch the next day with grilled cheese. 😋

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

You are so right! Soup is a budget saver!

[@Buff19]

This is my kinda content. Frugal AND homemade. Thank you!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!!

[@teresahunt5521]

I found bone-in pork chops for $1.49/lb this week so I paid $40 for 8 family packs and gave half to my daughter. (I work in a city 20 miles away and the deals are much better there.) I'm a nurse so I do all of my cooking on Saturdays when I actually have time. Discount porkchops and after New Year's special discounted blackeyed peas are on the menu for this weeks dinner. Blueberries and cream oatmeal is done. Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and apples are already packed in the work fridge for lunches.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yay! Great menu tips!

[@JessicaGarcia-hu9uu]

Thanks for this content, Lori! I totally agree about the homemade bread. One of my new years goals was to stop buying sandwich bread and make it myself. With 4 kids, we eat a lot of sandwiches (plus French toast!!) I had been given a handmedown breadmaker from an auntie. I primarily use it for just kneading and making the dough. I like to bake it in the oven in a sandwich pan, easier for cutting later. My family loves this bread more than store bought. I use a very similar simple recipe to yours, just honey instead of sugar. It has saved me so much money and we aren’t consuming the preservatives and such from store bread. :) I since have convinced my friends of this method and I’ve purchased several bread makers at thrift stores for friends for $15-20. They’re surprisingly easy to find. It was an easy, delicious, money saver!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I have seriously thought about picking up a bread maker just to see how it compares. I found a really high end one a long time ago but decided to resell it because it was worth so much money 😂. Now I have been regretting that…..😝

[@JessicaGarcia-hu9uu]

@@homemadesimplewithlori I’ve loved that bread making with the machine is as easy of dumping all the ingredients in, and pushing a button. I have enough things to do(!), the ease of the bread-maker is an amazing kitchen servant:). But I hear ya, there are so many brands out there and they aren’t all made the same.

[@veggielovinaccountant]

Next time you cook the beans, flavor them while in the instant pot. I often use taco seasoning, onion and garlic. I leave the onion and garlic very big chunks so that I can just pull them out. For other beans, I use onion, garlic, maybe a bay leaf. Beans are like pasta. When you cook them with seasoning it flavors the beans all the way through. To me, you can season them afterwards, but it is just not the same. It’s like cooking pasta without salt. You can salt the pasta afterwards but it’s just never tastes right. Just try seasoning your beans and see if your family likes them better.

[@atlanticalilly]

Great tip. I also add a little Cumin to ours. It's true they taste better if u flavor while cooking. I would say the same for rice. I usually add little bullion to the rice. It just makes it a little more dynamic

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I’ll do that next time!! Thanks

[@user-gm1kl6xy4m]

Porridge peanut butter sandwiches fruit vegies rice beans

[@susans9491]

Not sure if I missed it, but I was looking for the bread recipe? Great video! I appreciate all the ideas. I proposed a low cost frugal meal plan to my husband. He nixed the idea. Little does he know that I’ve started it anyway! He hasn’t even noticed and has loved the black bean soup, taco salad, cottage pie and baked oatmeal. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?❤😂

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I meant to put it in the description. Check and see and if it isn’t there I’ll add. Sorry for the delay in answering (crazy has been living here for a minute 😂)

[@susans9491]

@@homemadesimplewithlori Don’t be sorry! I am familiar with Crazy, we’ve hosted the whole Crazy crew many times. Even though I ordered and received the Pullman pan (weeks ago) I haven’t christened it yet. I’ll look for the recipe, I’m sure it was a matter of operator error on my part! Hope y’all are well!❤️

[@atlanticalilly]

The BEST investments I have ever made for my kitchen are in order: Rice Cooker (cooks perfect rice every time, almost no effort), pressure cooker, onion chopper. I buy bags of onions, chop and freeze them in sandwich size ziploc bags. I hate chopping onions

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Good to know! Thanks!

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

I like to add pinto beans and black beans to our taco soup which adds more nutrients and stretches it farther. Great ideas!!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Great point!

[@juliephelps7616]

I eat soup every week. It is my lunch every day at work. Chicken leg quarters are a staole in my home too. I do make bread but in the sumner and it is 100 degrees, i am not turning on my oven, i will go to a discount bakery or do without first. We do use a lot of wraps too. With the taco soup i would want a fried cornbread fritter.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yum. I don’t know how to do a cornbread fritter but it sounds amazing

[@shelbylynnwilliams8520]

Lori, great video!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you!!!

[@brendadonovan5952]

Thank you for sharing this amazing meal plan. Everything looks delicious

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

❤️❤️❤️

[@bc101ful]

Lori, excellent video!!!. I really love how you try to make really nutritious meals and very frugal. You actually talk about what is healthy and nutritious. I love your other videos. You should have over a million followers. Thank you!!!!!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks you 💗💗

[@muwgrad1987]

We have to have those go-to recipes! I love Taco Soup and could eat it all year long! Plus it freezes so well! Thanks for another great video!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!!

[@beckysonnier6369]

Thank you for sharing. Great meal ideas. And thank you for the bread recipe.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks for watching!!

[@paulabowie8325]

I am a new subscriber to your channel, I am so enjoying watching and learning how to make some frugal nutritious meals, I run out of ideas and you have some wonderful recipes, also thank you for putting the recipes in the description box for easy reference. God bless you and your family always. 🙂

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you so much!!! Welcome!

[@hello-vs4me]

Aldi has bread 1.29 whole wheat 1.75 grocery outlet white bread 1.39 Southern California

[@crystaljordan7318]

Yes aldi has low priced bread here too. However, the ingredients are not the best. To get a quality loaf of bread that would be similar to homemade ingredients would be much closer to $4 per loaf. ❤

[@annethompson2212]

great video, very helpful 😊

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!! ❤️❤️

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Yum. That’s a lot of soup. I’m going to cut that recipe down and try it. Almost all of my recipes are frugal. I like bean and cheese enchiladas, vegetable lasagne using cottage cheese instead of ricotta, today I had a baked potato with baked beans and cheese. Tuna casserole is another old time favourite. I love the taste of cabbage rolls but not the fuss so I make a “deconstructed” cabbage roll skillet when cabbage is in season. Stuffed peppers is a good way to use up leftovers. That’s all I can think of for now.

[@tracieschrock9519]

when you're saying 2.00 a day i expected per day not per serving...LOL but it all looks yummy..i especially liked the rice bean bowl 😋

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Well, I calculated breakfast, lunch and dinner and it came out to $2.03

[@tracieschrock9519]

@@homemadesimplewithlori is that per serving or 3 meals for the entire day for that amount..confused 🤔 title says per day.

[@sheliapeters2082]

Absolutely love this video. Such good meals . I'm gonna get me a longer loaf pan you let your bread rise in it then bake it right ? My chickens hatched out five new baby chicks this week so my eggs slowed down but what a great idea for breakfast .

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yes! You let it rise once in a bowl and then another time in the pan then bake it!

[@sheliapeters2082]

@@homemadesimplewithlori awesome I need one of them pans lol

[@gensguineas]

Thanks so much for the great recipes at an inexpensive price, very helpful.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Glad you like them!

[@ganstagranny312]

Love the meals.. Only the two of us but I can freeze them👍

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!!

[@nancykaufman1645]

Great job!

[@beckyblevins9095]

I like great value instant oatmeal le!mon cream single pack. They are box of 8 for $1.66.

[@gaynellparker3505]

Awesome recipes! Thanks!!!!

[@amandamurray8224]

I just made the same sausage and kraut yesterday

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

It’s one of my favorites!

[@rhondamorgan9457]

Great ideas as always!❤

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you ❤️❤️

[@sharonbonaguro7908]

Just found your channel and sunscribed! I like your recipes because they are healthy and easy.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@LifeAdventureswithMichelle]

2:43 ok i luv how you have the camera in the cart, but now i need to know how you did it

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I got a box and set the camera up in the buggy inside of the box so it wouldn’t fall through the holes 😂

[@kellyp.3264]

Great video! Thanks for the bread recipe & Amazon link to the Pullman pan!! Just ordered and anxious to try!

[@crystaljordan7318]

I love the idea of an easy homemade bread! I want to give this a try. I need to thrift a big glass bowl. 😉 I noticed some dough escaped the pan before baking. Can you still bake that as a roll or something? I would hate to waste it. Thanks!❤

[@bettyir4302]

Yes

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yes! I did make a few rolls out of it 😂

[@NancyLila]

Thanks for the great recipes. Have a wonderful weekend. ❤

[@maryburt3114]

Girl you MUST wash that rice every time.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Whoops. I know that but I forget!

[@angelafleming3328]

Great job Lori these are all great recipes. Loved this video take care and atay safe.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you! You too!

[@debbiegoble786]

Thank you for all the recipes!! Definitely making the bread this week!!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Hope you enjoy

[@FIRE_DrNinjaTurtle]

My wife does the black beans in a bag for me as I am going vegan to lower my cholesterol.

[@Mrsmetamorphosis2012]

More videos like this 🙏🏾

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks for the feedback!!

[@hello-vs4me]

Thanks for bread recipe

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Most welcome 😊

[@jadedgirl37]

They all looked delicious. Can you share what those silver round things are on the side of your refrigerator?

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Sure! They are magnetic herb/spice holders. I found them at the thrift store but…..have yet to put something inside them 🤪 Sort of like these, but I think they came from ikea amzn.to/4elFAvR

[@yvettegerry9862]

Hey Lori good video. Did you mean 2 dollars per serving? Because it depends on how many servings you have to make. A dollar per person ( serving) would be 4 dollars for each meal or 12 dollars per day. At 2 dollars per day that would only allow you 50 cents per person per meal . I think lol 😂 they are very frugal and inexpensive meals but I don’t think it’s 2 dollars a day? I always rinse my sauerkraut and my rice .

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Oh I see the confusion. I calculated one serving per meal per person. The least expensive meals (bfast, lunch and dinner) came up to $2.03 per person per day.

[@yvettegerry9862]

@@homemadesimplewithlori yes so you could only eat one meal a day if it was 2 dollars a day.

[@user-gm1kl6xy4m]

Will try sausage saukraut beans

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Hope you enjoy

[@user-gm1kl6xy4m]

Will try taco soup

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

You should!

[@madelineeverritt8874]

Oh my goodness, i kove sauerkraut. I can eat it from the jars. Lol I craved pickle juice when i was pregnant with my last baby, Beth. I would tell people that I gave birth to a sourpuss. Lol I made something good last Sunday. I cut up some beef sausage, you can use any meat. I had cooked some frozen mixed veggies, and some frozen broccoli. I cooked the veggies together. I added some garlic powder and powdered chicken bouillon. After that was cooked, i then put the veggies in a pan. Then i added cream of anything soup in with the veggies. I mixed that up the best of my ability. The soup was easier to stir in with the hot veggies. Then I added the meat and cheese to it. I forgot to mention that I also added onions to the veggies. Put it in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. This isnt my recipe, it sure was delicious. It could have been yours. Man, it was so good. And so easy to make. ❤ I appreciate you so much. I do have a dumb question. How do you figure the cost per serving?

[@bettyir4302]

Drain and rinse regular sauerkraut, cut up the larger pieces and dump it into a dark chocolate cake batter. Add a cup or two of pickle juice to a pork roast with onion and black pepper. Go easy on the salt because the pickle juice is already salty.

[@bettyir4302]

Calculate each ingredient added using the nutrition label on the back of packages. For spices and other little items, just guess the price, i.e. 25 cents for all the spices. Divide the total cost by how many it served. That's your cost per serving.

[@madelineeverritt8874]

​@@bettyir4302 Thank you so much for that. ❤

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yum!!

[@hello-vs4me]

Never seen 10 pound bag of chicken at aldi

[@hello-vs4me]

Walmart white bread 1.45

[@RevBTB]

the intro audio is silent, love

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I checked and think it’s back now. Thanks ❤️

[@hello-vs4me]

Walmart has pound of turkey in freezer for 2.54

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Good to know!!

[@BrycenStone]

Where do you get a dozen eggs for 1.50? Here in Fort Lauderdale they are between 4.50 and 9.00 a dozen.

[@kaybee6534]

I can get a dozen eggs for $1.65 at ALDI and $1.50 at Walmart in Jacksonville. At Publix, they are double the cost.

[@cinnee73]

In Michigan, at aldis today, a dozen eggs was 1.50

[@bettyir4302]

@@kaybee6534 TX Walmart has them for $2.68 dozen.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Wow. Prices fluctuate but the regular eggs are under $2 always

[@user-gm1kl6xy4m]

Porridge

[@hello-vs4me]

I has tried to make bread over and over never rises

[@n.a.garciafamily]

New yeast? What type of flour?

[@bettyir4302]

It is probably bad or expired yeast. To make sure the yeast is good, add it to your warm water and the sugar if it is required for your recipe. Hot water will kill the yeast so it must be warm water like when you're testing baby bottles. Let it sit 5-10 minutes. It should have a bit of foam on top. If it does, you're good to go. If not, then it won't rise so you need new yeast. You can add more yeast and cross your fingers it gets the little layer of foam. Store yeast in the freezer so it lasts longer.

[@bettyir4302]

@@n.a.garciafamily She shows it to be AP flour. That means All Purpose Flour. If a recipe doesn't state what type flour, then it is 99% probably all purpose flour. Regular every day flour. Some recipes will use Bread Flour but they should definitely state Bread Flour. If you don't have expensive bread flour, you can add 1 Tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to 2 cups AP flour. I can't be bothered with bread flour or gluten as most anything will turn out fine with AP flour. If you're using wheat flour, you're probably going to need some gluten. Dough should rise nicely in a sunny window but keep an eye on it or it may rise out of the bowl and you have a mess to clean up.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Maybe it will work for you!!

[@hello-vs4me]

Why sugar in chicken salad

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

No good reason. It’s just how I’ve always made it 🤣🤣🤣

[@LifeAdventureswithMichelle]

Is the loaf of bread on tour counter ho e.ade? I really want to start making Mikes bread but am scared he wont like the twxture taste of the homemade bread

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I can’t recall if it is or not but it is really easy to make and the texture turns out nice!

[@veggielovinaccountant]

Next time you cook the beans, flavor them while in the instant pot. I often use taco seasoning, onion and garlic. I leave the onion and garlic very big chunks so that I can just pull them out. For other beans, I use onion, garlic, maybe a bay leaf. Beans are like pasta. When you cook them with seasoning it flavors the beans all the way through. To me, you can season them afterwards, but it is just not the same. It’s like cooking pasta without salt. You can salt the pasta afterwards but it’s just never tastes right. Just try seasoning your beans and see if your family likes them better.