Budget-Friendly Meal Ideas

Trying to eat healthy without overspending? We get it.

Between busy schedules, rising grocery prices and the temptation of takeaway, finding meals that are affordable, nourishing and easy to make can feel impossible.

The good news? Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. With a few simple ingredients and smart meal ideas, you can create delicious dinners that support your goals, save you time and keep your budget in check.

Inside the MWU App, you’ll find thousands of quick, high-protein recipes designed for real life — simple to prep, packed with flavour and made to fuel your week.

To get you started, we’re sharing 5 of our favourite budget-friendly meals below!

Thai Coconut Chicken Broth

Ingredients
(per serve)

• 125g Chicken Mince (Raw)
• 40g White Rice (Raw)
• 20g Red Curry Paste
• 150ml Coconut Cream (Light)
• 70g Broccolini
• 3g Sesame Seeds
• 5g Chilli Oil (optional)
• 3g Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp Tamari
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Ginger, to taste
• Spring Onion, to taste

Directions

1. Prepare ingredients: mince garlic, grate ginger, roughly chop scallions and chop broccolini.
2. Heat a pot over medium heat and add half of garlic and ginger with curry paste. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add coconut cream and 150ml of water. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
3. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add sesame oil with the remaining garlic and ginger. Once hot, add chicken mince and tamari. Cook while breaking apart for 6-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
4. In the meantime, cook rice as per the packet instructions.
5. Remove chicken mince from pan and add broccolini with a dash of water over medium-low heat. Cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
6. Add rice to a bowl with chicken mince and broccolini. Pour broth into bowl and top with scallions, sesame seeds and chilli oil.

*This meal can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. We recommend storing broth separately.

Baked Sweet Potato & Chicken

Ingredients

• 300g Sweet Potato
• 150g Chicken Breast (Raw)
• 5g Honey
• 5g Olive Oil
• 70g Cucumber
• 15g Light Cream Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the sweet potato half to the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt on both sides. Place skin side up and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip to skin side down. Drizzle with honey and return to oven for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, season chicken with paprika, dried oregano and salt.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside and slice.
5. Add sweet potato to a plate and spread cream cheese over the top. Serve with sliced cucumber and chicken

*This meal can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Chicken Fajita Pasta Salad

Ingredients
(serves 4)

• 200g Pasta (Raw)
• 1 sachet Fajita Seasoning
• 540g Chicken Breast (Raw)
• 100g Light Cream Cheese
• 260g Black Beans (Canned) (Drained)
• 220g Corn Kernels
• 60g Cherry Tomatoes
• 1x Red Capsicum
• 1x Green Capsicum
• 1x Yellow Capsicum
• 1x Red Onion

Directions

1. Prepare ingredients: slice red onion and capsicum, cut tomato into quarters, and drain and rinse black beans.
2. Prepare chicken: slice chicken into 1-inch thickness. Season with half of fajita seasoning.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through. Set aside and dice.
4. Add capsicum and red onion to a bowl, season with the remaining fajita. Heat a second pan over medium heat and add capsicum and onion mix. Stir with spatula and cook for 5-6 minutes.
5. Cook pasta as per packet instructions.
6. Assemble salad: add pasta, chicken and capsicum mix to bowl with cream cheese. Mix to combine with tongs until cream cheese is mixed through. Top with corn, black beans and tomato. Mix with tongs until all is combined.

*This meal can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Pesto Pasta Bake

Ingredients
(per serve)

• 50g Risoni Pasta (Raw)
• 135g Chicken Breast (Raw)
• 30g Basil Pesto
• 50g Greek Yoghurt (Plain) (No Fat)
• 60g Broccoli
• 15g Cheddar Cheese (Light) (Tasty)
• 1 tsp Chicken Stock Powder
• 200ml Water
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Roughly chop broccoli into small florets.
3. To an oven safe dish, add risoni, chicken stock powder, pesto, yoghurt, water, chicken and broccoli. Mix well to combine.
4. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes.

*This meal can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Mini Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 90g Banana
• 50g Plain Flour
• 50ml Oat Milk
• 10g Chocolate Chips
• 1 tbsp Sugar Free Maple Syrup
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Add a banana to the bottom of an oven-safe dish container and mash it using a fork.
3. Top with flour, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, baking powder and vanilla essence. Mix to combine.
4. Top with chocolate chips and cover with aluminium foil.
5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, remove foil and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.

*This meal can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Want more easy, budget-friendly meals?

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