It is possible to eat a low carb diet on a budget! Here are five low carb family dinners for under $50, plus my grocery list.
Back in 2018 I shared this blog post with my weekly menu for a low-carb diet on a budget. It feels like just yesterday but somehow that was almost six years ago! Needless to say, things have changed a good bit since then and sadly grocery prices are definitely higher.
Today I decided it was high time to give this post a much needed update.
In the original post I shared a week’s worth of low carb family meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – on a $50 weekly grocery budget. As you can imagine, you would no longer be able to purchase all of the groceries on my list for that amount.
So instead, I’m updating this post to share five low-carb meals that you can serve your family for right around $50, plus a few breakfast and lunch ideas.
But first things first . . .
Is it even possible eat a low carb diet on a budget?
When you think of eating cheaply, what types of food come to mind? For me it’s pasta, rice, and bread. All carbs!
Thinking about cutting out carbs can feel a bit scary or even impossible if you’re on a tight grocery budget. However, I do think that it’s possible to eat low carb on a budget – it just takes some intentionality and sometimes creativity.
The biggest key is choosing simple meals that don’t require fancy, expensive ingredients. You’ll notice that the five family dinners I’ve shared below are all very simple.
Another tip is to plan multiple meals around one kind of meat. For instance, my meal plan below calls for roasted chicken one day, then chicken soup made from the leftovers the next day.
Now I’ll be super honest, we have NOT been eating very low carb at our house recently. However, when I do make low carb dinners for Pablo and me I often add in some bread or pasta for the kids. It helps to fill them up and if it’s whole grain bread or pasta it’s good for them!
You may also be interested in: Check out 15 ways to save money on groceries here.
Some quick notes to keep in mind:
As with all my grocery lists that I share, I’ve tried to include pretty much everything that you’ll need to buy with the exception of really basic things (for example flour, spices, basic condiments, etc.)
It’s also important to remember that I always include the most recent grocery prices for my area but they are obviously subject to change.
Five Low Carb Dinners on a Budget
1. Roasted chicken and veggies
Roast a whole chicken (or grab a rotisserie chicken from Costco if you have a membership!) You can also opt to cook your chicken in a slow cooker.
Drizzle fresh green beans, carrots, and sliced onions with a bit of olive oil, season well with salt and roast in the oven for a delicious side for your chicken.
2. Chicken soup w/ a side salad
For this meal you’ll use the leftover chicken and carcass from the whole chicken you roasted for the previous meal to make a delicious homemade chicken soup. Serve with a simple side salad.
3. Bunless burgers
Bunless burgers may sound boring but top them with cheese and avocado and you won’t even miss the bun! Serve with some raw veggies on the side.
4. Chicken and veggie stir fry
This is such an easy stir-fry recipe. Yay for easy dinners!
5. Baked salsa chicken w/ roasted broccoli
We love this recipe. Use a mild salsa and a bit less taco seasoning if you don’t like too much spice. I love roasting broccoli in the oven (or tossing some in my air-fryer) for a delicious and healthy side.
By the way, some of the dinners on this low carb meal plan would work with a Keto diet, but it’s definitely not strict enough to be able to call it a full Keto diet. That’s why I’m just sticking with “low carb”.
Need more low carb meal ideas? Check out this post with 3 weeks of easy low carb dinner ideas!
Now for the grocery list!
$50 Low Carb Grocery List
Note: The grocery prices below are current for my area as of January 2024.
Produce
Fresh green beans – $1.68
Lettuce – $1.87
Tomatoes (2) – $0.42
Celery – $0.89
Two onions – $1.72
Broccoli (2 heads) – $2.50
Carrots – $0.98
Avocados (2) – $1.36
Frozen stir-fry veggies – $2.54
Meat
Chicken breasts (4 lbs @ 2.29/lb) – $9.16
Burgers (12 count) – $10.97
Whole chicken (5 lbs @ 1.32/lb) – $6.60
Dairy
Shredded cheese (16 oz.) – $3.98
Dry Goods / Center of the Store
Taco seasoning packet – $0.52
Jar of salsa – $1.77
Total = $46.96 (Can you believe that this came out to less than $50 in 2024? Yay!)
More Low Carb Diet Meal Ideas
Breakfast Ideas
–Eggs
There are sooo many options besides good old sunny-side-up eggs. Think omelets, frittatas, poached eggs, etc.
–Chia seed pudding
This recipe looks yummy!
–Smoothies
Lunch Ideas
–Chili (leave out the beans to make it low-carb!)
–Soup
–Salad
Greek salad, Southwest salad, Chicken Ceasar salad – and a bunch more options!
-Charcuterie plate
-Chicken salad served on lettuce leaves
-Leftovers
If you’re trying to eat a low carb diet on a budget I’d love to hear your favorite tips and recipes in the comments below.
Oh and hey, if you’re not on my email list I’d love for you to sign up below! I promise I won’t spam you! I usually send out emails once a week sharing my family’s meal plan for the week plus more.
Hannah says
Great job!! And man, I miss Aldi!
Rebekah says
Yeah poor you!! 🙁 Aldi helps so much!
Chelsey says
Excellent ideas! I could’ve used this list when I was pregnant—I had to keep it low carb to control my sugar. Now I’m hungry for burgers and asparagus haha
Rebekah says
I should’ve been low-carb when I was pregnant! :p I most definitely wasn’t though, ha! Hopefully I’ll do better if there’s a next time. 😉
Davianna @ mompursuit says
Such a great tips you’ve shared with us… I will definitely will be implementing this into my daily life… I have 4 children and being able to save 50 dollars is essential to saving… Thank you so much !!!
Rebekah says
You’re welcome! 🙂
Meghan says
Looks like a great week of meals!! I know we need to start doing more low carb days/weeks!
Rebekah says
Thanks Meghan!
Alyssa says
This is amazing! I sooo need to be better at my carb intake, so I will definitely be trying this! Thanks for the grocery info as well, budgeting is not my strong point so this will be a great place to start!
Rebekah says
The struggle is real, I definitely love my carbs!
Lindsey says
I so we had an Aldi since it seems like the place to shop! I love all these meal ideas, too. It’s always the simpler meals with less hassle that I forget about when I’m meal planning.
faith Lord says
I really need to try out our Aldi again since the remodel!
Rebekah says
Do it!! 🙂
Jan says
So lucky you have an Aldi’s… everything in Hawaii is double or triple your price, Sigh. But, the ideas are good… I just need to be more creative looking for sales and coupons, Thank you!
Rebekah says
Oh wow that makes it tough! I definitely shouldn’t take the good prices here for granted. I’m lucky to have Aldi for sure!
Billie Hopkin says
My daughter has ALDI near her, but I’m in Central Texas with only an HEB nearby. I take advantage of their “weekly meal deal”. I wanted to chime in about the chia seed pudding though. I get a chia/flax seed combo at CVS. It’s the Gold Emblem brand, zero net carbs and they run it BOGO 1/2 off regularly. When they do, I stock up. Hope that helps! 🙂