20 Family Dinner Recipes that Cut our Grocery Bill (2024)

Jan 14 | Grocery Saving Tips, Menu Planning | 2 comments

Planning a menu each week can be such an annoyance. Some weeks, it would take me hours to come up with enough meals for the week because I’d always try to add variety with new meals. I would scour cookbooks and Pinterest for new recipes and get distracted trying to decide if something sounded good or not. Or whether or not the rest of the family would eat it…

So, one thing that has helped us tocut our grocery budgetwas to create a short, go-to recipe list! I mean, we eat the same basic things for breakfast each day, why not apply the principle to dinner too?

Narrowing our meal ideas to only 20 options has made meal planning a breeze and has saved us so much money. It also reduces food waste, because I know I am making food that we all enjoy. These meals are a mix of quick & easy meals, recipes that are great for leftovers, and some a wee bit more complicated because they’re just so tasty.

So, if you want to finally stop wasting money on groceries, I’d encourage you to grab some inspiration from our go-to recipe list. Here’s what we’re eating, aside from leftover nights and super simple meals (like tomato soup & grilled cheese):

1. Tacos – I find that one package of ground beef is enough for two meals for our family. I’ll often make it stretch further with a can of baked beans.
2. French Toast – We often like breakfast meals for dinner. I especially love to make a big batch of French toast because I can freeze the leftovers for quick breakfasts.
3. Instant Pot Beef Stew – This is so good! Since the recipe doesn’t call for potatoes, I like to serve it over mashed potatoes.
4. Spaghetti – Lately I’ve been browning ground beef, adding it to the slow cooker with a jar of pasta sauce, a bit of water and a sprinkle of beef bouillon powder.
5. Hamburger Soup – This freezes well and is enjoyed every time I make it.
6. Slow Cooker BBQ Sauce Pork Chops – Place pork chops over sliced onions in a slow cooker, then pour your favourite BBQ sauce over top. Cook on low for about 4 – 6 hours. Serve with rice or potatoes and steamed veggies.
7. Sausage and PotatoBake – Cut up potato, carrots, sweet potato, peppers, and farmer’s sausage and place in a big 9×13 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil and a dose of oregano, salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.
8. Roasted chicken – It no secret that a roasted whole chicken can stretch for many meals. I’ll often buy rotisserie chicken for a super fast dinner with veggies and potatoes.
9. Balsamic beef roast – This is another meal that stretches far or is great for feeding a crowd.
10. Quiche– a satisfying meal
11. Instant Pot Honey Sesame chicken – Delicious served with rice and veggies!
12. Creamy chicken soup – This is another delicious soup that freezes well!
13. Chicken pesto stuffed shells – My husband’s favourite meal that actually isn’t that hard to make! Great freezer meal too.
14. Ramen Vegetable stirfry – I buy the healthy ramen noodles from Costco. A great way to use up vegetables that are needing to be used up.
15. Meatballs– These are so versatile and the recipe make a ton so you’ll have plenty for the freezer.
16. Chicken in basil sauce – One of our “fancy” dinners that we enjoy.
17. Fettuccine Alfredo – An indulgence we don’t mind occasionally since we need to fatten up the kids. 😉
18. White Chicken Chili – A good twist on classic chili that again, freezes well.
19. Maid-Rite Loose Meat Sandwiches – Sounds weird but everyone loves this in our family!
20. Oven Baked Chicken Kabobs – Simple and delicious. No grilling skills required.

There you have it! The 20family dinner recipes that have managed to cut our grocery bill!

Does your family have a go-to recipe list? What are your favourite meals?