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$5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

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Budget Dinner Recipes for Your Meal Plan: WEEK 18

April 20, 2026 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

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Budget Dinner Recipes for Your Meal Plan Inspiration

In this series, I’ll share the list of ultra budget friendly recipes along with any helpful tips and tricks with you. I will post the recipe links here on the blog, as well as share a short recap video with more details on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. 

The idea here is simple: give you budget recipe ideas for dinners to feed your family…that won’t bust your budget. 

You probably have already figured this out, but I’m HYPERAWARE of how much I spend on groceries and on each meal (it’s a weird brain-numbers thing) and sharing with you helps us both stay accountable to our food budgets and grocery spending. If you’re new here, welcome…take a look around and find a new recipe to try with your family.

As we continue to sludge through higher than we are used to grocery prices, I think we could all use a little help and inspiration. And this is my way of doing that. 

I hope throughout this year, you find some new favorite budget recipes and ideas for your family meal plan. Happy planning and more importantly, happy saving on groceries in 2026!

 

What We Ate This Week - Week 18

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Pepperoni Pizza Bagels

Budget Beef Skillet with Sweet Potatoes and Zucchini

Layered Chicken Enchiladas

VIRAL: Beef Ravioli Bake Recipe

 

What We Ate This Week - Week 17

Greek Chicken Bake

COPYCAT Chick-Fil-A Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich

Instant Pot Cheesy Sausage Grits Recipe

Ham and Potatoes with Baked Eggs

Sheet Pan Carrot Cake

What We Ate This Week - Week 16

Macaroni & Cheeseburger Soup

Copycat Chicken Pineapple Curry

Slow Cooker Baja Shredded Chicken Tacos

Alfredo Tortellini Bake

Colorful Instant Pot Rice Pilaf

Mini Egg Easter Cookie Bars

What We Ate This Week - Week 15

Sloppy Joe Slider Bake

Stovetop Mac n Cheese

Dump & Bake Meatball Casserole

Skillet Italian Chicken with Tortellini

French Dip Slider Bake

What We Ate This Week - Week 14

Burger Quesadillas

Skillet Boursin Chicken

Sloppy Joe Mac n Cheese

Dump & Bake Chicken and Rice

Make Ahead Smoothie Packs

Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

What We Ate This Week - Week 13

Cheesy Beef Garlic Loaf Bread

Slow Cooker Gold BBQ Beef Roast

Sheet Pan Chicken with Apples and Cabbage

Fettuccine with Ham and Peas

Slow Cooker Baja Shredded Chicken Tacos

Photo Credit: www.5dollardinners.com

What We Ate This Week - Week 12

Slow Cooker Taco Hashbrown Bake

Tuscan Chicken Fettuccine

Dump & Bake Meatball Casserole

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

English-Style Pot Roast

What We Ate This Week - Week 10

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Beef Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce

Sheet Pan Greek Chicken

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Loaded Hashbrown Bake

What We Ate This Week - Week 9

Slow Cooker Mustard Beef Roast

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Instant Oatmeal Mix

Tater Tot Egg Bites

Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken

Ground Beef & Rice "Dump Casserole"

What We Ate This Week - Week 8

Valentine's Day: Family Charcuterie Board & Game Night

Sheet Pan Chicken Bites with Veggies

Shepherd's Pie Nachos

Dump and Bake Tuscan Chicken with Pasta

Rice & Beans Yellow Curry

What We Ate This Week - Week 7

Buffalo Ranch Mac n Cheese

Garlic Beef Bites with Baby Potatoes

BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza

Sheet Pan Hawaiian Chicken

Beef Taco Hashbrown Bake

Hawaiian Banana Bread

What We Ate This Week - Week 6

Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken

Overnight Granola

Pumpkin Swirl Breakfast Casserole

Cajun Sloppy Janes

Slow Cooker Black Bean Fajita Bowls

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole

What We Ate This Week - Week 5

Nashville Hot Chicken - Slow Cooker, Instant Pot & Grilled

Gluten Free Sausage Alfredo Pasta Bake

Ranch Mac n Cheese

COPYCAT Chick-Fil-A Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich

Sausage Pancake Muffins

What We Ate This Week - Week 4

Sausage and Zucchini Soup

Baked Mississippi Chicken

Open-Faced Smoky Provolone Sloppy Joes

Beef and Bean Oven Tacos

Tater Tot Egg Bites

What We Ate This Week - Week 3

French Onion Meatloaf

Slow Cooker Beef Ravioli

Breakfast Slider Bake

Eggroll Skillet Dinner

What We Ate This Week - Week 2

Breakfast Lasagna Bake

Sausage Tuscan Pasta Skillet

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Instant Pot Beef Burgundy

Slow Cooker Baja Shredded Chicken Tacos

What We Ate This Week - Week 1

The BEST Egg-Free Chicken Salad

Ground Beef & Rice "Dump Casserole"

Nugget & Fries Nachos

Rosemary Salmon

Beef and Bean Oven Tacos

Eggnog Bread

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