Easy Weeknight Dinners Without the Oven (6 Meals for $60) Week #70
Whether you’re trying to beat the heat in these final days of summer or juggling dinner after back-to-school routines, this meal plan is here to make your week a little easier.
We’ve pulled together 6 easy, family-friendly dinners that are filling, budget-conscious, and most importantly oven-free! All of the meals are cooked on the stovetop, in the crockpot, or air fryer, so you can keep your kitchen cool and your evenings stress-free.
Our total came out to just $54.33 at the Super Walmart in King, NC, which means there’s still a little wiggle room to grab extras like fruit, snacks, or dessert. These meals are quick, kid-approved, and perfect for busy nights when you just want something simple and satisfying.
What’s for Dinner?
Grocery List
If you want to see the full shopping list on Walmart in your area, all you have to do is click my Walmart Grocery list and change the zip code to your area. *This is an affiliate link, and I do make a small commission on any purchases, but at no additional cost to you!*
**** Please note, that every once in a while, an item that I pick turns out to be regional. This means that it may be a much higher price in some areas. Always double check the list and if you see an item that is much higher than normal, just adjust as needed.
Meal Prepping Options
If you want to save some time this week, here is a list of things you can make or do ahead of time, in order to need less time to cook!
Easy & Quick Meals this Week
Canadian Bacon Grilled Cheese + Chunky Tomato Soup
I love tomato soup, and I love it even more with extra tomato chunks. I like to add the pre-seasoned Italian diced tomatoes, but you can easily use plain tomatoes and add your favorite seasonings!
If you are not a fan of Canadian Bacon you can easily swap that out for ham, turkey, or chicken lunchmeat!
Chorizo Skillet
This one pot style meal is so yummy and simple but also a great way to use up leftovers. What do I mean? You can easily add more to this dish by throwing in leftover vegetables, beans of any kind, serve with leftover French Bread.
If you are not a fan of chorizo, you can easily swap this out for ground or link sausage, ground turkey, or ground beef!
Turkey & Onion Gravy Skillet over Mashed Potatoes + Broccoli
This is one part hamburger gravy and one part SOS (that’s what my family calls it anyway)! Overall, it is just a quick and tasty dish, that is always a crowd pleaser.
If you already have potatoes on hand, you can easily skip the instant mashed potatoes and make your own. If you have beef broth and a little corn starch, you can easily make your own gravy as well.
Crockpot Ranch Chicken over Stuffing + Green Beans
This is a crockpot version of one of my favorite chicken and stuffing oven dishes. Since we are skipping the oven for another month, we don’t have to skip out on the flavors! We will just make it in a different way using the crockpot.
I swear this tastes like one part chicken pot pie and one part almost Thanksgiving! You can totally serve this with cranberry sauce on the side too!
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken + Mac & Cheese + Sliced Cucumber
I am not sure when Shake & Bake got so expensive, but I love that stuff! So this is my DIY version of Shake & Bake style without the cost. We are going to use a pack of garlic parmesan wing mix, but you can easily use any seasoning blend that you like.
If you don’t want it as seasoned but still want the crispy, you can easily add some seasoning to bread crumbs as well.
This super simple mac and cheese is not quite as rich or as complicated as most recipes, but it is always a hit with my kids. I refer to it as Cheater Mac, for those nights I just want super quick!
Honey Garlic Chicken + Rice + Stir Fry Veggies
I would totally serve this bowl style with the rice at the bottom, topped with veggies and then pour some chicken and sauce on top! But if you have picky eaters like I do, you can easily separate this out on a plate.
I really eyeball this sauce, but if you love lots of sauce, you can easily double the honey and soy sauce.
Low-Cost Fruit Options to Add:
I am a huge fan of adding fruit to dinners. This small, yummy part helps kids know they will love at least something on their plate.
So, whenever I have a little wiggle room in my budget, I try to pick up 2-3 fruits to add to meals. Here are some good options that you can grab this week! (Try mixing fresh fruit and canned fruit together for some added variety)
It’s also been shown that most Americans don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables, so add some to your dinner! (Remember you don’t need a ton of fruit either, just a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup can help fill you up at mealtime.)
*Walmart is not always the cheapest when it comes to fresh fruits. Lots of local stores run better sales and have fruit as loss leaders, so check your local stores for some better deals if needed!*
Please note that I am seeing quite of few of these fruit cups on sale for back to school. This is a great time to stock up. These are also a fabulous way to enjoy fruit with your meals without have prep required with fresh fruit!
Free Printable PDF Version
This prints on standard paper sized 8.5 x 11 inches.
What about next week?
We put out a new meal plan every week! We have 3 ways to be notified of new menus:
*Join our Low Dough Facebook Page where we post new menus every Saturday and new meal ideas every Wednesday!
*Sign up for the weekly email newsletter. We send it out on Fridays, so you actually get early menu access!
Join our Facebook Group- Meal Planning for All (you can ask questions and get help planning your own menus)
Until next week, I hope you have a fabulous week!
