My husband and I both grew up in large families. We both came from families of eight and were both used to cooking for large groups. When we first got married, I didn’t know how to cook for just the two of us. It took me a while to find recipes with smaller portions that made just enough for the two of us! I am going to share some of those recipes that were our go-to’s in the early days of our marriage to help out any couples out there!
Additionally, when we got married we were both in college so we were on a tight budget! This was back in 2019 so I know grocery prices are way different, but we had a grocery budget of just $40 a week back then. And, I promise, we weren’t eating ramen or beans and rice every night. Looking back, we also didn’t eat the healthiest but we both have a lot more nutrition knowledge nowadays and I’m going to share some of our best on-a-budget dinner ideas for your healthy lifestyle.
Alsoooo…recipes that serve more than two are amazing too! If you are used to cooking for a large family, embrace having leftovers to eat for lunch or to have for dinner on nights when you are too wiped out to make something for dinner. Enjoy your home-cooked meals for the two of you!
Monday: Stuffed bell peppers
Stuffed bell peppers was one of our favorite recipes when we first got married! This is also one of our favorite vegetarian recipes (if you like to do “No Meat Monday” this is a great choice!). You simple cut a bell pepper in half and fill it with rice and beans (and some yummy spices!). Top with cheese and bake in the oven (or your air fryer!). This is such a simple recipe that requires so little effort and is supportive of healthy eating habits.
Tuesday: Slow cooker taco soup
Slow cooker meals are great for busy days. You just throw everything into the crockpot in the morning and come home to dinner ready to go! This taco soup recipe just calls for some ground beef, beans, tomatoes with chiles, corn, beef broth, and taco seasoning. I like to save my slow cooker recipes for the night of the week when I know I am going to be too busy to make dinner. It’s a great way to save time and make sure you have a warm dinner ready for you when you get home at night!
Wednesday: Sheet pan veggies
We often made sheet pan veggies as newlyweds. It is so simple to just throw a bag of frozen veggies on a sheet pan with some kind of protein. You can do chicken, sausage, shrimp, or even steak if you want. Drizzle everything in olive oil, cover in spices, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. This is such an easy meal and one of the yummiest, best ways to get your veggies in.
Thursday: Fried rice
One of our favorite meals when we got married was fried rice! It’s one of our favorite easy recipes. It’s very balanced with vegetables and protein like diced chicken breasts and eggs. It also makes great leftovers. I love making rice in my instant pot. It is the easiest way for me to make rice and really shortens the time it takes for me to make this meal.
Friday: Homemade pizza
Often Friday nights are our date nights so we will just eat out (to have a break from cooking and to do something fun). However, if we decide to stay in and do a date night at home, homemade pizza is a fun and delicious recipe to put together. Making homemade pizza dough is fairly simply or you can use a pre-made crust or pizza dough mix. You have so many options for toppings. You can also do different things than just tomato sauce as the base. You can do a chicken, bacon, ranch pizza or a barbecue chicken pizza. The possibilities are endless. You can also make one big pizza to share or do two different “make-your-own” pizzas.
Saturday: Salad bar
My husband and I LOVE the salad kits from Walmart. And you can make these into a full meal by adding some protein! We love adding cooked chicken breasts, diced ham lunch meat, and hard boiled eggs. I also like adding vegetables like carrots, onions, bell peppers, olives, and pepperoncinis. Don’t forget the shredded cheese! Some crushed crackers, chips, or croutons can also make this a delicious meal. I love doing salad bar for dinner and it doesn’t take much time at all.
Sunday: Breakfast for dinner
My mom always made us a nice Sunday dinner and we would sit down as a family after church to eat together. However, at the end of the week, I don’t usually feel like making a big meal for just the two of us. We started a tradition of always having breakfast for dinner on Sundays. There are so many different options for breakfast for dinner and there are so many options to make this a balanced meal.
Well, I hope these ideas help you plan of week of meals for two and give you some new recipes ideas! Making a week meal plan and a grocery list ahead of time can save you a lot of money. You can read more tips on meal planning here – I have another blog post on how to meal plan! Keep following me for free weekly meal plans and good luck creating healthy meals for you and your spouse!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
