Cheap Diet Plan Weeks 1 and 3
By WLR's Food Information Executive, Laurence Beeken
ShareTo make our cheap diet plans work we have tried to make the most of the food and recipes used. Dieting on a budget means a bit of preparation and planning is needed along the way.
The diet plan below links to any recipes you’ll need. Any advance preparation needed for the plan is detailed for you in separate boxes.
Use this weekly diet meal plan alternately on week 1 and 3 of the month. Complete a month with the plan for week 2 and 4. The plan gives you a total calorie intake of, on average, 1250 calories per day.
The food in our Budget Diet Plan comes in at just £159.30 for one person for one month if bought from Asda (cheapest according to www.mysupermarket.co.uk Jan 2017). That’s £39.83 per week for all your meals! If Asda isn't your favourite supermarket, here is the cost of the same shopping list at some of the other, popular supermarkets:
- Morrisons - £174.42
- Tesco - £181.74
- Sainsbury's - £196.90
- Ocado - £224.06
If you'd like a more personalised weekly diet plan (including shopping list) try our system free for 24hrs
Day 1: Preparation
Roast 1 whole chicken (1 kilo weight) as per packing instructions. Allow to cool then remove the meat from the bones, reserving for use in this week. Take 150g meat for use with today's recipes then refrigerate the remainder.
Day 1 - Total 1062 Calories
Breakfast: Summer Fruits with Yoghurt & Muesli - 209 cals
- 100g Frozen summer fruits (defrosted)
- 1 Pot (125g) low fat yoghurt
- 28g Muesli
Lunch: Chicken Salad on Wholemeal Bread - 260 cals
- 50g Roasted chicken (taken from whole roasted chicken)
- 20g Lettuce
- 20g Cucumber
- 1 tsp Reduced calorie mayonnaise
- 2 Med slices wholemeal bread
Dinner: Roast Chicken Dinner - 718 cals
- 100g Roasted chicken (taken from whole roasted chicken)
- 2 Ready to bake Yorkshire puddings (cooked)
- 70ml Made-up instant gravy
- 180g Boiled potatoes
- 80g Frozen mixed vegetables, (microwaved)
- 1 Pot low fat rice dessert
Day 2 (Total 1114 Calories)
Breakfast: Chocolate Porridge - 264 cals
- 1 Sachet (11g) instant hot chocolate drink
- 35g Instant porridge oats
- 200ml Semi skimmed milk
Mix all ingredients together and microwave for 30 second bursts until cooked
Lunch: Baked Potato with Chicken - 433 cals
- 1 Med Potato (200g), baked at 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4) for 1 ½ hours, or until a skewer can be inserted easily
- 50g Roasted chicken (taken from the reserved whole roasted chicken)
- 30ml Soured cream
- 1 Pot (120g) low fat fruit yoghurt
Dinner: Chicken Salad - 417 cals
- 100g Roasted chicken (taken from the reserved whole roasted chicken)
- 20g Cucumber
- 40g Celery
- 45g Red onion cut into circles
- 85g Hardboiled egg
- 1 tsp Reduced calorie mayonnaise
- 1 Sm piece (60g) French Bread
Notes:
Put the soup & broth mixture (for the Day 3 soup) in water to soak overnight as per packet instructions.
Day 3 (Total 1276 Calories)
Breakfast: Citrus Starter & Toast - 350 cals
- 80g Fresh grapefruit segments
- 80g Fresh orange segments
- 2 tbsp Low fat yoghurt
- 1 Med slice of toasted white bread
- 2 Thin spreads of butter
Lunch: Chicken Breast Salad & Rice - 481 cals
- 100g Roasted chicken (taken from the reserved whole roasted chicken)
- 100g Green salad leaves
- 80g Cherry tomatoes
- ½ Medium avocado
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- 140g Cooked white rice
Dinner: Chicken Soup - 445 cals
- 500ml Chicken stock
- 112g Dry soup & broth mix, soaked and cooked as per packet instructions
- 200g Chopped tomatoes
- 100g leftover roasted chicken (taken from the reserved whole roasted chicken)
- 1 Stalk celery
- 1 Med onion
- 1 Clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 Med carrot
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 tsp Mixed herbs
Notes:
Once cooked, divide the soup into 2 portions, one for use now and reserve one for Day 4 Lunch.
Day 4 (Total 1278 Calories)
Breakfast: Bran Flakes, Fruit & Yoghurt - 345 cals
- 50g Bran flakes
- 100g Sliced apple
- ½ Med Banana
- 1 Pot (125g) Natural yoghurt
Lunch: Chicken Soup - 445 cals
(use the reserved portion from Day 3 Dinner)
Dinner: Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce - 488 cals
- 3 tsp Olive oil
- 1 Med onion, chopped
- 2 Cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 Carrots (approx 150g)
- 2 Sticks Celery (approx 80g)
- 600g chopped (tinned) tomatoes
- 3 tsp Tomato puree
- Salt & pepper
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 100g Dry pasta (twists)
Cook the pasta and serve with the homemade tomato sauce.
Notes:
Once cooked, divide the sauce into 3 portions, one for now, and reserve two portions for use in Day 5 Dinner.
Day 5 (Total 1279 Calories)
Breakfast: Blueberry Porridge - 390 cals
- 80g Frozen blueberries, (defrosted)
- 70g Porridge oats
- 200ml Semi skimmed milk
Lunch: Spinach Omelette - 351 cals
- 10 Sprays 1 cal oil
- 25g Spinach
- 2 Med eggs
- 30g Reduced fat soft cheese
- 1 Piece (60g) French Stick
Dinner: Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce - 563 cals
- 100g Turkey Mince
- 2 Qty reserved Tomato Sauce (reserved from Day 4 Dinner)
- 100g Dry Wholewheat Spaghetti
Notes:
Once cooked, divide the Bolognese sauce into 2 portions, one for now, and one portion for use in Day 6 Lunch.
Day 6 (Total Calories 1216)
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs on Toast - 328 cals
- 1 Med egg
- 1 Med egg white
- 100ml Semi skimmed milk
- 2 Med slices white bread
Lunch: Chilli & Jacket Potato - 544 cals
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 100g red kidney beans
- 1 Med baked potato
- 1 Qty reserved bolognese sauce (reserved from Day 5 dinner)
Use the left over Bolognese sauce from Day 5 Dinner and add to it 1 tsp hot chilli powder and 200g red kidney beans.
Dinner: Baked Salmon with Couscous & Salad - 344 cals
- 1 Salmon fillet, baked at 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4) for 25-30 minutes
- 55g (½ pack approx) Mediterranean cous cous, prepared as per instructions
- 80g Lettuce
- 1 Med (123g) tomato
- 40g Cucumber
Day 7 (Total 1293 Calories)
Breakfast: Full English Breakfast - 384 cals
- 2 Vegetarian sausages
- 1 Med egg, poached
- 100g Baked beans
- 1 Medium Tomato, grilled
- 1 Med slice wholemeal bread, (toasted)
Lunch: Cheese Ploughman’s - 416 cals
- 50g Reduced fat cheese
- 100g French bread
- 2 Pickled onions
- 2 tsp Sweet pickle
- 20g Tomato
- 20g Lettuce
- 20g Celery
- 20g Cucumber
Dinner: Roast Pork - 493 cals
- 120g Boiled potatoes
- 80g Frozen mixed vegetables, (microwaved)
- 2 Ready to heat Yorkshire puddings, (cooked)
- 70ml Made up gravy
- 100g Roasted pork
- 1 Pot (125g) low fat yoghurt
Notes:
Roast a 1.1 kilo pork joint according to the pack instructions and cut off 100g for use now. The remainder of the joint can then be refrigerated when cooled for use in week 2.
How WLR Can Help
Use WLR’s tools to calorie count your diet and create your own cheap diet plans. Add your plans directly to your food diary and create shopping lists. Try it Free for 24 hours.
More Info
The Art of Using Leftovers and Using up Cooked Food Waste
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Government funded initiative with useful info about cutting down on how much food you waste - helping you spend less.