Each week, thousands of families across Australia spend a fortune on weekly grocery shops, last-minute takeaway stops and pricey dinners out.
But one thrifty mother-of-two has revealed how she prepares a month’s worth of dinners for her family for a mere $187.
Here, Rhian Allen, the founder of Australian health and fitness program The Healthy Mummy, shares how she prepares meals for less than $1.55 each and her top tips for meal prepping on a budget.
Rhian Allen, the founder of Australian health and fitness program The Healthy Mummy, shared how she prepares meals for less than $1.55 each
!['So today, I did a little bit of meal prep! I made a month's worth of dinners for a family of four for under $200,' she said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C76E00000578-5801661-image-m-10_1528073807372.jpg)
‘So today, I did a little bit of meal prep! I made a month’s worth of dinners for a family of four for under $200,’ she said
![Using recipes that she created for her 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and The Busy Mum's Guide to Weight Loss, Ms Allen said the meals included all food groups](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C78F00000578-5801661-image-m-15_1528073841796.jpg)
![Using recipes that she created for her 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and The Busy Mum's Guide to Weight Loss, Ms Allen said the meals included all food groups](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C77800000578-5801661-image-a-16_1528073849636.jpg)
Using recipes that she created for her 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and The Busy Mum’s Guide to Weight Loss, Ms Allen said the meals included all food groups
‘One of the big things I like to do and show mums is that healthy eating doesn’t need to be expensive,’ the young entrepreneur said.
‘So today, I did a little bit of meal prep! I made a month’s worth of dinners for a family of four for under $200.’
Using recipes that she created for her 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and The Busy Mum’s Guide to Weight Loss, Ms Allen said the meals included all food groups and were balanced, nutritious and ‘delicious’.
![Pictured is the Brazilian black beans with greens and rice ($1.45 per serve)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C72D00000578-5801661-image-a-17_1528073945615.jpg)
Pictured is the Brazilian black beans with greens and rice ($1.45 per serve)
![The easy fried rice servings came in at an affordable 85 cents per serve](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C72800000578-5801661-image-a-18_1528073954431.jpg)
The easy fried rice servings came in at an affordable 85 cents per serve
![Pictured is the Mexican style Chili Con Carne she created which cost $1.60 per serve](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/02/4CE3C78800000578-5801661-image-a-33_1528074186878.jpg)
Pictured is the Mexican style Chili Con Carne she created which cost $1.60 per serve
‘This took me around eight hours to do but means I don’t have to cook again for a long time and because I am cooking in bulk I am saving so much money – so although it is hard work – it is 100 per cent worth it,’ Ms Allen said.
The doting mother spent $187 on 120 dinners – enough for a family of four for 30 nights – and an extra $40 on 40 serves of healthy snacks.
While many would expect the meals to be plain and simple, Ms Allen took care to make them as exciting and nutritious as possible.
![The doting mother spent $187 on 120 dinners - enough for a family of four for 30 nights - and an extra $40 on 40 serves of healthy snacks](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C71800000578-5801661-image-a-24_1528073988962.jpg)
The doting mother spent $187 on 120 dinners – enough for a family of four for 30 nights – and an extra $40 on 40 serves of healthy snacks
![While many would expect the meals to be plain and simple, Ms Allen took care to make them as exciting and nutritious as possible](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/04/01/4CE3C72200000578-5801661-image-a-23_1528073987128.jpg)
While many would expect the meals to be plain and simple, Ms Allen took care to make them as exciting and nutritious as possible
Meals (there were 14 different recipes in total) included creamy chicken and corn soup, Brazilian black beans with with greens and rice, Spanish rice with Chorizo and easy fried rice.
She also made serves of lentil shepherd’s pie, peanut butter chicken curry, sausage and veggie pasta bake, beef and sweet potato lasagne and tuna pasta bake.
Snacks included things like raspberry muffins, cherry choc slices, Weetbix slices and peppermint choc slices.
‘On average the main meals here work out at under $1.60 per serve, so you can lose weight and save money at the same time,’ Ms Allen said.
The recipes that Ms Allen used to meal prep can be found here