• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Me
  • Breakfast
  • Mains
  • Chicken
  • Sides and Sweets
  • Contact Me

Over the Spoon for logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Me
  • Breakfast
  • Mains
  • Chicken
  • Sides and Sweets
  • Contact Me
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Mains » Easy Low Carb Meals on a Budget

    Published: Jan 22, 2021 · Modified: Feb 26, 2022 by Marissa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Low Carb Meals on a Budget

    Whether you just got home from a vacation, a hospital stay, or are in the midst of a global pandemic making it hard to shop in the grocery store…

    You might be facing a situation where you need to make easy low carb meals on a budget. 

    The best place to start shopping is in your pantry and freezer.

    When you are on a low-carb diet and watching your carb intake, you need simple ingredients to balance carbs with protein and healthy fats.

    a list of pantry staples

    I buy meats from the grocery store when they are on sale to keep my grocery bill down. I like to pick up chicken breast or a whole chicken, ground beef or ground turkey, pork chops, and chicken thighs.

    If expensive cuts of meat are on sale you could buy those and freeze them for when your ready!

    Equipment: if you have a slow cooker or instant pot you can meal prep easy keto recipes to keep on hand for the week.

    OKAY - lets dive into some of my favorite cheap keto meals or low carb meals for when you're on a tight budget.

    Frugal Low Carb Breakfast:

    a glass jar full of berry chia pudding with a vintage spoon

    Breakfast! The most important meal of the day!

    When you are quite literally breaking your fast from a night of sleep, this meal is SO important to balance your blood sugar and kick start your day with a high protein meal.

    Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding
    Chia seeds are great to have on hand for a frugal and filling low carb breakfast.
    Check out this recipe
    Chia seed breakfast pudding
    Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk
    This low carb blueberry smoothie with almond milk is the best meal prep for breakfast.
    Check out this recipe
    2 blueberry smoothies on a pink cloth
    Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche Recipe
    Healthy Quiche recipe filled with veggies, cranberries, and a sweet potato crust
    Check out this recipe
    a slice of sweet potato crusted quiche

    These breakfast recipes are great because they have a balance of protein, fiber, and fat to keep you full.

    They all use items that don't perish quickly and you can grab from your pantry, freezer, and fridge with budget friendly foods.

    Low Carb Lunch Ideas:

    salad bowls with chicken and a pink background

    Lunch time is a great time to sneak in a salad such as this:

    Panera Barbeque Chicken Salad Copycat Recipe
    Save money and make a healthier BBQ Chicken salad at home
    Check out this recipe
    A bowl with chicken and salsa
    Healthy Tuna Salad
    Tuna Salad is a GREAT pantry based meal for a low carb lunch
    Check out this recipe

    Another idea for canned tuna is to make tuna patties! This is such an affordable option.

    Healthy Tuna Patties
    An easy and healthy pantry meal made gluten-free
    Check out this recipe
    tuna patties with lemon slices on a plate
    Greek Chicken Meatballs without breadcrumbs
    These greek chicken meatballs are perfect over a salad or cauliflower rice for a low carb lunch.
    Check out this recipe
    A bowl with spring mix and greek meatballs on a pink napkin

    Another easy recipe to grab and go for lunch is hard boiled eggs in a low carb wrap with cream cheese, it is a delicious recipe that fits into a low carb diet.

    Cheap Keto Dinner Recipes:

    4 pork chops on a white dish with blue napkin

    My go to frugal meal is my air fryer pork chops! Pork chops are such an affordable source of protein.

    Air Fryer BBQ Pork Chops
    A quick and healthy air fryer pork chop recipe
    Check out this recipe
    4 pork chops on a white dish with blue napkin

    Dinner time is the best time to come home to a slow cooker meal. Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is perfect to make a cauliflower rice taco bowl.

    Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
    This is the best 2 ingredient meal to come home to after a long day!
    Check out this recipe

    I LOOOOVVVEEE making a lasagna using vegetables such as zucchini or eggplant instead of noodles.

    Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna
    A low carb lasagna made with zucchini and eggplant for a keto option
    Check out this recipe

    Spaghetti Squash is another great tool for making something low carb by swapping out noodles.

    Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Chicken Caprese
    A low carb casserole made with spaghetti squash and chicken
    Check out this recipe
    casserole dish with basil, tomatoes, and balsamic

    Cooking a whole roast is a GREAAATT frugal low carb meal.

    Frozen Roast in Instant Pot
    This frozen pot roast made in the instant pot is ready in under 2 hours and makes the best easy pot roast.
    Check out this recipe
    chuck roast and pot roast vegetables

    Low Carb Sides:

    Sometimes the hardest decision when meal planning is figuring out what sides to make. There are so many options for easy protein sources but figuring out a side to go with them can be hard.
    Here are some of my favorite low carb sides!

    Air Fryer Radishes
    An easy air fry radish recipe for a low carb side dish.
    Check out this recipe
    Keto Risotto
    This keto risotto recipe is a healthy risotto made from cauliflower rice and mushrooms
    Check out this recipe
    a bowl of risotto with mushrooms on a blue background
    Balsamic Green Bean Side
    Healthy 4 ingredient side dish to add to any meal
    Check out this recipe
    green beans and tomatoes
    Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
    A quick and easy side dish or entree made in the air fryer
    Check out this recipe
    bacon and brussel sprouts on a plate

    If you are still debating what to have for dinner, sometimes the easiest thing to do is build a Buddha Bowl! Check out this guide for more inspiration. Buddha Bowl Recipe (The Ultimate Guide)

    I hope you are Over the Spoon for this recipe!
    It is my goal to inspire you to create healthy and easy meals.
    It would mean the world if you could leave a review or a star rating below!

    If you are looking for more healthy recipes take a look at The Best Meals to Bring Friends After Surgery.

    « Warm Winter Salad (Whole30 Friendly)
    Shredded Buffalo Chicken Salad (Whole30 Friendly) »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! Welcome!

    Winter Soups

    cabbage soup in a bowl with greek yogurt

    Low Carb Cabbage Soup

    dairy free lemon orzo soup in 2 bowls

    Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Instant Pot)

    A blue napkin with 2 bowls of soup in blue bowls with parsley on the side

    Tuscan Kale Soup

    Buffalo Chicken Soup served in a bowl

    Buffalo Chicken Soup (Low Carb)

    Popular Recipes

    za'atar chicken with lemon on a sheet pan

    Za'atar Chicken Recipe

    a bowl of baked ceviche

    Healthy Baked Mahi Mahi (Ceviche Style)

    asian broccoli tossed in sesame seeds

    Asian Broccoli (Roasted from Frozen)

    artichokes dipped in aioli

    Easy Air Fryer Artichokes (with Aioli)

    Soy Chorizo

    Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo Spaghetti Squash

    2 bowls with poke ingredients

    Trader Joe's Poke Bowl Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

     

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

     

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme