This one month meal plan of Spring Dinner Recipes for April is just what you need! Feed your family healthy meals while cutting costs and saving money. Eating real food on a budget IS possible and it starts with a solid meal plan!
April is here which means we need a new meal plan! I have a great list of spring dinner recipes ready for you!
I love when Spring arrives and I can start adding more variety to my meals. While I love root vegetables that are easy to find in winter. I love the fresh foods of Spring!
This Spring meal plan has lots fresh veggies that are easy to find in Farmer’s Markets and are lower in price at grocery stores. Use this March Seasonal Produce Guide and this April Seasonal Produce Guide to help you find the best foods for this season!
Why Make a Meal Plan?
Making meal plans is one of the first things I recommend for you to do to eat real food on a budget. It helps you spend your dollars on food that you will eat. In turn it helps you eat the food you already bought!
These healthy dinner ideas can be followed as is or you can use it as inspiration to make your own meal plan!
Two Week Sample
Do you need step-by-step help with meal planning? Frugal Real Food Meal Plans is an all-in-one meal plan with recipes, shopping lists, shopping guides, money saving tips and more! Sign up below for a free sample!
Notes on this monthly meal plan
- This meal plan is based on an average family of 4, costing less than $400 for the month. You may need to tailor the portion sizes to suit the needs of your family size and budget.
- The goal of this meal plan is to feed our family well while wasting as little as possible. You’ll notice that we’re often re-using one part of a meal (like leftover beef ragu) in another part of a meal (like topping baked potatoes) in order to meet both of these goals. Keep this in mind if you rearrange the meals.
- This meal plan is mostly plants, with some meat. Viewing meat as a “side dish” is one way we’re able to afford grass-fed and organic meat every month! You can easily add more meat though, if you have meat and potatoes people at your table. Having all purpose chicken on hand is a great way to please the meat eaters and keep the budget down!
- This meal plan is what I feed my own family, although I might add a few extra vegetables on the side. If you want a detailed “action plan” of what this looks like in real life – what I batch cook, what I double, what I freeze for later, how I get the most out of each meal, and when I get it all done – come join the Clean Eating Club. Each month I share the behind the scenes on how we make real food on a budget work for my family!
Spring Dinner Recipes for April
Week 1
- S – Slow Cooker Beef Ragu (serve over pasta) // Side Salad
- M – Bacon, Avocado, and Blue Cheese Salad // Dinner Biscuits
- T – Cashew Chicken // Instant Pot Brown Rice (freeze extra rice for later)
- W – Beefy Baked Potatoes (use leftover beef ragu) // Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables
- T – Cream of Asparagus Soup // Artisan Bread
- F – Homemade Pizza // Side Salad
- S – Greek Pasta Salad // Sliced Veggies and Hummus
Week 2
- S – Lemon and Herb Sheet Pan Chicken with Broccoli and Potatoes
- M – Kale Caesar Salad // Rosemary Olive Oil Bread 2x
- T – Chicken Alfredo (use leftover sheet pan chicken) // Side Salad
- W – Easy Weeknight Stir-fry (use rice from freezer)
- T – Hearty Minestrone Soup // Rosemary Olive Oil Bread (use extra loaf)
- F – The Best Burgers Ever // Crispy Potato Wedges
- S – Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl
Week 3
- S – Instant Pot Sausage and White Bean Soup with Kale // Sweet Potato Biscuits 2x
- M – Southwest Chicken Salad // Simple Dinner Rolls
- T – Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
- W – Simple Tuna Salad on Sweet Potato Biscuits // Sliced Veggies and Hummus
- T – Kung Fu Panda Soup // Little Bother Oat Bread 2x
- F – Steak and Blue Cheese Salad // serve with extra Oat Bread
- S – Pineapple Black Bean Salad Wraps
Week 4
- S – Almond Crusted Chicken // Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard // Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- M – Cranberry and Apple Spinach Salad // Rosemary Olive Oil Bread 2x
- T – Homemade Hamburger Helper // Side Salad
- W – Mediterranean Grilled Cheese // Sliced Fruit and Cake Batter Hummus
- T – Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup // Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
- F – Black Bean Burgers // Homemade Buns // Oven Roasted Potatoes
- S – Shepherd’s Pie (use leftover mashed potatoes)
I’ve found that most families have their own breakfast and lunch routines already established. But sometimes we need some fresh inspiration. Find some great ideas below. Keep in mind that a batch cooking session is a great way to get ahead for quick breakfasts and lunches!
Breakfast
- Zucchini, Carrot & Apple Muffins
- Strawberry Pancakes
- Chocolate Waffles
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Strawberry Jam on Toast with Scrambled Eggs
Lunch
- Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Homemade Lunchables
- Homemade Hot Pockets
- Chicken Nuggets with Sliced Veggies
Desserts
Two Week Sample
Do you need step-by-step help with meal planning? Frugal Real Food Meal Plans is an all-in-one meal plan with recipes, shopping lists, shopping guides, money saving tips and more! Sign up below for a free sample!
What’s are your favorite Spring dinner recipes for this month?
Continue Reading…Spring Dinner Recipes for April
