Plant-Based Recipes, Budget-Friendly Meals Monique Plant-Based Recipes, Budget-Friendly Meals Monique

5 Easy Plant-Based Meals from a $50 Grocery Haul

I’ve been trying to eat more meals at home lately, mainly because DoorDash had me in a chokehold for way too long. It was convenient, sure, but expensive and honestly not making me feel my best. So I decided to start fresh by going back to the basics: cooking more, budgeting better, and keeping things mostly plant-based without making it complicated.

In this video, I take you with me to Aldi to do a real grocery haul on a $50 budget. I’m sharing five meals I made with the ingredients I bought, and I kept them super beginner-friendly. No wild ingredients, no two-hour cooking sessions, and nothing bland or boring.

These are meals that actually fill you up without draining your energy or your wallet. That’s what I care about most these days.

Here's what I made:

  • A berry banana smoothie that takes 2 minutes

  • Lentil curry with rice that gets better the next day

  • My favorite chickpea salad wrap, perfect for lunch

  • Crispy tofu with creamy peanut noodles

  • And a fresh juice made from carrots, celery, apple, lemon, and ginger

Everything is included in the video, but if you want the grocery list and all five recipes in one printable, I've created a guide that you can download.

It’s $5, and it’ll save you from pausing the video every five seconds to take notes.

[Grab the $5 PDF here: Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes]

This is the same shopping list I used, plus full instructions for each meal and a few extra tips for making plant-based eating less stressful. You don’t have to go 100% vegan to eat better, save money, and feel good about what’s on your plate.

If you enjoy this video and the PDF helps you, let me know. I’d love to keep making more realistic meal content like this.

Thanks for being here.

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Snacks Monique Snacks Monique

Queso Recipe | Plant-Based Dairy Free

Like most people, I'm always looking for ways to save time and money when it comes to meal planning and cooking....especially time. 

I made macaroni & cheese the other night and decided to double the cheese sauce to save for nachos.

I placed the leftover cheese in a container and warmed it on the stove the next day with cumin, chili powder and a little more salt & garlic.

Since the original cheese sauce called for a lot more ingredients than what I wanted to use next time, I spent the last couple of days modifying it.

The result: A simple & delicious queso that your family will not question. Guaranteed!

Ingredients (Serves 6)

  • 1 1/4 cups of water

  • 1 medium yellow or red potato, peeled & chopped

  • 1 medium carrot, chopped

  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours in water

  • 1/2 cup salsa

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring water, potato, carrot and onion to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to medium, cooking until vegetables are soft (about 10-12 mins).

Transfer the potato mixture (including the remaining liquid) to a blender and add in all the remaining ingredients.

Blend together until smooth.

Season to taste.

Serve with chips or raw veggies.

What's on the nachos? I used Alton Brown's guacamole recipe, canned black beans, tomato, green onion & cilantro

Let me know what you think once you try this recipe!

How do you eat your nachos?

 

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