For the past month, Clay has been eating a strict ketogenic diet. I’m all for healthy choices and so I was totally on board whenever he wanted to try it.
Normally, my meal plans rely pretty heavily on rice and potatoes as “fillers”. We may have a more expensive protein or veggie, but supplemented with a rice or potato, it makes it much more budget friendly.
Keto doesn’t allow for the rice or any other starchy carb, so I knew that making the meal plan work with the budget would be a challenge, but I was up for it!
The girls and I are not eating keto, but I am always of the notion of eating family meals. I cook one dinner and we all eat it!
I may prepare a side of rice or noodles to help beef up a meal for me and the kids, but the main dish is completely keto-friendly.
There are a few meals that I have found to be not only delicious, but also super budget-friendly.
Eating keto can absolutely break the bank. A lot of the recipes I have looked up require really expensive ingredients. Add in that you can’t offset the cost by using a starchy carb, and it gets pricey really quickly.
Here is a week of super cheap keto meals for when you’re on a tight budget.
To determine the cost of each item, I used the cost per ounce in my area and included only the amount needed in the recipe. The total cost is the cost for a family of 4 sized portion!
Sunday: Taco Cabbage Skillet
Cabbage has never been my thing, but it is so good in this skillet! It really bulks up the meal in the way that you would typically use noodles, rice or potatoes.
My kids ate it up too!
- Salsa: $0.44
- Cabbage: $1.17
- Ground Beef: $2.96
- Shredded Cheese: $1.34
Total: $5.88
Cost per person: $1.47
Monday: Sausage, Spinach and Cheese Egg Muffins
Clay told me that when he first saw these on the meal plan he thought he would have to choke them down. Nothing like good honesty, right??
He was super surprised whenever he loved them and even ate the leftovers the next day!
I make this recipe with sausage and spinach and pour it into muffin tins!
- Sausage: $1.94
- Eggs: $0.84
- Whipping Cream: $0.40
- Cheese: $1.34
- Spinach: $0.25
Total: $4.77
Cost per person: $1.19
Tuesday: Tuna Cakes
When I first put this on my meal plan, I had low expectations. I didn’t think that we would really like it, and I thought the girls would probably not eat it very well.
I was so wrong.
We all loved these. They are SO delicious and SO easy to prepare! They’ll definitely stay on our meal rotation. I served them with a side of steamed broccoli and everybody was happy!
The recipe I use can be found here!
- Tuna: $2.04
- Mayonnaise: $0.15
- Almond Flour: $0.30
- Eggs: $0.22
- Olive Oil: $0.30
Total: $3.01
Cost per person: $0.75
Wednesday: Eggplant Pizza Sliders
I literally sliced an eggplant, and treated the little slices like small pizzas! They were so good and surprisingly filling! I love getting veggies in by using them as a carrier for other food! It helps me to eat more vegetables without realizing it.
These are so good and super affordable.
- Eggplant: $1.78
- Marinara Sauce: $0.64
- Italian Sausage: $2.88
- Mozzarella Cheese: $1.09
Total: $6.39
Cost per person: $1.60
Thursday: Keto Crack Chicken
You can’t look for keto recipes long without running into some sort of crack chicken recipe. This is a super filling recipe and everyone in my house ate it up!
I like to serve it with a green vegetable to help lighten it up a bit!
- Chicken: $2.50
- Cream Cheese: $0.80
- Bacon: $1.56
- Shredded Cheese: $1.34
Total: $6.20
Cost per person: $1.55
Friday: Zucchini Noodles with Andouille Sausage
We have made this for years (ever since Clay bought me a spiralizer for my birthday a while back!). A little bit of olive oil and Tony’s seasoning makes this meal SO good.
- Zucchini (3): $2.28
- Andouille Sausage: $2.00
Total: $4.28
Cost per person: $1.07
Saturday: Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls
Who doesn’t love a good burrito bowl? The cauliflower rice is super low carb, and a yummy vegetable! This meal is super easy to throw together and generally a crowd pleaser at my house.
- Cauliflower Rice: $1.87
- Ground Beef: $2.96
- Avocado: $0.58
- Spinach: $0.20
- Shredded Cheese: $1.34
Total: $6.95
Cost per person: $1.74
It is totally doable to eat keto on a tight budget.
The total for the week of dinners is only $37.48 for a family of 4!
We use the leftovers to eat for lunch the following day, so it really goes even further than you would think!
Are you interested in saving money on your groceries? Check out how I meal plan and grocery shop here!
Download my free meal planning printable by clicking here!
Check out our family keto friendly grocery hauls with meal plans!