NB Meal Plan: Feed Your Family for $2.71/Serving

Key Facts

• This week's New Brunswick meal plan can feed a family of four for approximately $11.45 per person, per day (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• The most budget-friendly dinner in the plan is the Mini Cheeseburger Pies, costing only $2.71 per serving (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• By shopping for the lowest prices at stores like Independent, IGA, and Costco, your total grocery bill for this plan is $320.62 (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• Lean Ground Beef is featured in several recipes, with a key price point found at Coop IGA Tracadie-Sheila for $11.49 (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• The Bean Burrito Bowl offers a low-cost, vegan meal option for your week at just $4.56 per serving (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• The total ingredient cost for the Big Salad recipe is $93.04, but it provides 12 servings, making it a versatile option for multiple meals (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).
• The make-ahead Breakfast To Go Bars cost $5.13 per serving and can simplify your morning routine (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, July 2026).

This comprehensive plan goes beyond simple recipes. It includes a full, itemized grocery list with the lowest current prices at local stores, a detailed cost breakdown per recipe and per serving, and a shopping strategy to help you secure these prices. By following this plan, you can expect a total grocery cost of approximately $320.62 for a week of dinners, make-ahead breakfasts, and plentiful leftovers for lunch. This breaks down to an average of just $11.45 per person, per day, demonstrating that a thoughtful approach to grocery shopping can lead to significant savings without sacrificing flavour or variety.

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This Week's Meal Plan: A Seven-Day Guide for New Brunswick Families

This meal plan is designed to provide variety, balance, and value for a family of four. The total cost for all the ingredients listed is $320.62, based on the lowest available prices across New Brunswick grocery banners like Atlantic Superstore, Sobeys, IGA, Independent, and Walmart. The plan centers on seven distinct dinner recipes, with the assumption that leftovers will be used for the following day's lunch, maximizing your food budget. We have also included a make-ahead breakfast recipe to streamline your mornings.

Monday: Start the week with a healthy and affordable Bean Burrito Bowl. At just $4.56 per serving, this vegan-friendly meal is packed with flavour and comes together in about 20 minutes. It's a perfect, low-stress start to the work week.

Tuesday: Tonight features the most budget-friendly meal of the week: Mini Cheeseburger Pies. Costing only $2.71 per serving, this recipe makes a large batch of 12 pies. This means you'll have more than enough for dinner for a family of four, with plenty of leftovers for lunches or even another quick dinner later in the week.

Wednesday: Keep the burger theme going with a flavourful twist. The Asian Burgers recipe costs $4.61 per serving and introduces a different taste profile with ingredients like hoisin sauce and Chinese five-spice. It's a simple way to break out of a food rut.

Thursday: Move from burgers to a delicious stir-fry with Pad Beef Basil. This is one of the more premium meals of the week at $7.98 per serving, but it delivers a restaurant-quality experience at home with fresh basil, Thai hot peppers, and lean ground beef.

Friday: Kick off the weekend with a classic summer meal: Bunless Burgers. Perfect for a July evening, this recipe focuses on high-quality beef and toppings, served with a fresh salad instead of a bun. The cost per serving is $7.12.

Saturday: Continue the weekend BBQ theme with a different take on homemade Beef Burgers. This recipe, which costs $7.41 per serving, incorporates parmesan cheese and parsley into the patties for a rich, savoury flavour. It's a great meal for a relaxed Saturday evening.

Sunday: Prepare for the week ahead with a massive Big Salad. While the total ingredient cost of $93.04 seems high, this recipe yields 12 large servings at $7.75 each. You can serve it as a main course for Sunday dinner, perhaps with some leftover burger patties, and use the remaining portions for lunches throughout the start of the next week.

Meal Plan Cost Summary

The following table breaks down the cost for each dinner in this week's plan. The "Cost Per Serving" is a critical metric for understanding the value of each meal you prepare.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of July 2026

Complete Grocery List with Prices

To execute this meal plan for a total cost of $320.62, you will need to purchase the following items. This list is compiled from the ingredient lists of all eight recipes (seven dinners and one breakfast). The prices shown are the lowest available prices identified by eezly's AI-powered grocery price intelligence platform across New Brunswick stores. To achieve this total, you may need to visit more than one store.

This list demonstrates the power of price comparison. For example, while many items are cheapest at Independent, produce like Kumato Tomatoes and Green Onions are priced best at Costco, and specific cuts of meat or sauces may be on sale at an IGA or Foodland. Planning your shopping trip around these deals is the key to unlocking maximum savings.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of July 2026. Note: Multiple units of some ingredients (e.g., Lean Ground Beef) are required for the full week's plan.

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Where to Shop in New Brunswick for the Best Prices

Achieving the $320.62 grocery total for this meal plan requires a strategic approach to shopping. Based on the real-time data from eezly, no single store offers the lowest price on every item. To maximize your savings, a multi-store shopping trip is the most effective strategy. Your primary stops for this specific list would be Independent, IGA and its affiliates, and Costco.

A detailed analysis of the grocery list shows that Independent is the champion for the largest number of items on this week's plan. You will find the best prices on many pantry staples like spices, sauces, bread crumbs, and canned goods, as well as specific meats and produce. If you only have time to visit one store, an Independent banner (including Your Independent Grocer) would likely offer a competitive, though not the absolute lowest, total basket price.

However, to get the absolute best deals, you will need to visit other stores for specific items. For instance, IGA and its local affiliates like Coop IGA Tracadie-Sheila offer the lowest prices on key ingredients like some produce, pancake mix, and a specific cut of Lean Ground Beef. Similarly, if you have a membership, Costco is unbeatable for bulk produce items like the Kumato Tomatoes and Green Onions on this list. The higher upfront cost of these bulk items is often offset by a much lower per-unit price.

Other banners like Foodland and Co-op Beaubear also appear on the list with top deals for specific items like Radicchio and Baxter Butter at Foodland, or parmesan cheese at Co-op Beaubear. While it may not be practical to visit five different stores, this data empowers you to make informed decisions. You can use a price comparison tool like eezly's platform to see if a store closer to you has a comparable price, or decide which one or two "deal-hunting" trips are worth the extra time. The key takeaway is that loyalty to a single grocery banner can be costly; flexibility and data are your best allies in reducing your food bill.

Prep Tips & Time Savers

A successful and low-stress week of meals often comes down to preparation. With a little planning, you can make this meal plan work efficiently for your busy schedule. The recipes included have prep times ranging from a quick 15 minutes to a more involved 2 hours, but smart prep can level out the effort.

Your Weekend Prep Session

• Make the Breakfasts: The Breakfast To Go Bars (20 min prep) are designed for this. Bake a full batch, let them cool, and store them in the refrigerator for a grab-and-go breakfast for most of the week.
• Wash and Chop Vegetables: Wash your lettuce, chop onions, celery, and peppers. Store them in airtight containers. This will turn 20-minute prep times into 5-minute assembly jobs on weeknights. For the Big Salad, you can prepare all the non-lettuce components and mix them in just before serving.
• Mix the Burger Patties: The Beef Burgers recipe has the longest prep time (120 minutes, likely including resting time). You can prepare the mixture on the weekend, form the patties, and separate them with wax paper in an airtight container. They'll be ready to go straight on the grill for Saturday's dinner.

Mid-Week Strategies

By using these strategies, you are not just following a meal plan; you are building a more efficient and cost-effective system for feeding your family. More meal plans and recipes can be explored on the eezly recipes page.

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