Save a whole lot a 12 months with these $4 meal prep lunch recipes, Way of life Information

If you are planning on consuming more healthy in 2026, you are not alone.

When I requested in our fortnightly newsletter-“Are you planning on eating healthier in 2026?”-many of you stated sure IF it is reasonably priced and environment friendly.

But here is the place we hit a snag: in CBD working areas, the “healthy lunch default” is commonly a salad or grain bowl that prices greater than you anticipate. For instance, The Daily Cut’s build-your-own bowls begin at $10.50 and go as much as $17.70, relying on measurement.

So for those who’re attempting to eat more healthy and maintain spending beneath management, lunch turns into one of many best locations to optimise. It’s a repeated day by day expense, which implies small enhancements add up rapidly.

This information shouldn’t be about forcing your self to eat bland salads or chopping out every thing you get pleasure from. It’s about constructing a easy meal prep system that prices round $4 per serving, helps you eat higher, and saves you actual cash over time.

Lunch is a recurring expense, and that is why it issues

Financial recommendation typically focuses on the massive costs-rent, insurance coverage, loans.

But lunch is sneaky as a result of it is frequent. If you purchase lunch 5 days per week, you make about 20 lunch purchases a month, and roughly 240 a 12 months.

That’s why lunch is such a strong finances lever. Even a small discount makes a distinction.

Example: $8 lunch vs $4 meal prep

Let’s say your ordinary lunch is about $8 (which is placing it fairly mildly when you add a drink, post-lunch espresso, or a small snack).

• $8/day x 20 workdays = $160/month
• $4/day x 20 workdays = $80/month
• Savings: ~$80/month
• That’s ~$960/12 months (assuming 48 working weeks)

And in case your lunch is nearer to $10-$15 (assume CBD salad bowls), your financial savings might be far more.

This is the place alternative value is available in. Money not spent on lunch does not disappear. It turns into cash you possibly can redirect elsewhere: an emergency fund, a bank card invoice, insurance coverage, and even investing.

What counts as “healthy” for a meal prep system?

Let’s maintain this easy. A wholesome meal does not must be good. It simply must be satisfying sufficient that you do not find yourself snack-hunting at 3pm.

• A great baseline:
• Protein (retains you full)
• Fibre (veg, legumes, entire grains)
• Not overly processed
• Easy to batch-cook
• Cost ceiling: round $4 per serving

That final level issues. The “system constraint” is what makes meal prep a aware cash behavior. It replaces an costly default (shopping for lunch day by day) with a less expensive default (bringing lunch).

The bonus is that it additionally reduces:

• determination fatigue (“what should I eat?”)
• impulse spending whenever you’re hungry and busy
• meals waste from overbuying components you do not use

4 recipes beneath $4: Your weekly lunch rotation

These should not simply “ideas”. They’re templates you possibly can repeat week after week.

If you need the only technique: prep two recipes per week and alternate. That alone covers most workdays. Costs under are based mostly on present NTUC FairPrice listings. Prices may change however they’re most likely going to be within the approximate vary.

If you are shopping for components from NTUC FairPrice (or any main grocery store), you possibly can stretch your financial savings additional through the use of a bank card that provides cashback on groceries. Think of it as stacking reductions: you save by meal prepping, then save once more whenever you pay in your groceries.

Here are three nice choices proper now:

• UOB One Card – Best for those who’re in step with month-to-month spending, since increased cashback sometimes kicks in whenever you hit particular spend tiers.

• OCBC 365 Credit Card – A strong on a regular basis cashback card that features groceries as one in every of its eligible spend classes.

• Citibank Cash Back Card – An easy cashback possibility for day by day spend classes like groceries, particularly if you’d like a Citi card that is straightforward to know and use.

Now that we have talked about how one can save, let’s get into the recipes.

Recipe A: Egg fried rice with Veg

This is a high-value meal as a result of it is low-cost, filling, and simple to customize.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 2 cups cooked rice (or cook dinner one cup raw rice)
• 4 eggs
• 300g frozen combined greens
• Garlic, soy sauce, pepper (pantry objects)

Steps

• Scramble eggs and put aside.
• Stir-fry frozen greens with garlic.
• Add rice and blend totally.
• Add eggs again in.
• Season calmly with soy sauce and pepper.

Cost per serving (estimated)

• Rice: ~$0.20-$0.30
• Eggs (1 egg): ~ $0.22
• Frozen veg (~75g): ~ $0.36
• Pantry estimate: ~ $0.20
• Total: ~ $1.00-$1.30

This is your “anchor meal”. It retains your weekly common low, so you could have room for meals with increased protein prices.

Recipe B: Chicken rice bowl with greens

This is the hawker-style system: protein + carb + veg + sauce. It’s additionally the simplest to repeat with out becoming bored, as a result of sauces change every thing. Another versatile dish imo, primarily as a result of the protein may very well be switched out and the fee might nonetheless be saved pretty low (effectively, relying on the protein you decide).

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 600g hen breast (~150g/serving)
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 300g frozen greens
• Pantry sauce: soy sauce + sesame oil OR chilli + lime OR sambal

Steps

• Pan-sear or air-fry hen breast. Slice.
• Bulk-cook rice.
• Heat frozen greens.
• Assemble: rice + veg + hen + sauce.
• Store in containers for 3 to 4 days.

Cost per serving (estimated)

• Chicken (~150g): ~ $2.90
• Rice: ~ $0.25
• Veg (~75g): ~ $0.36
• Pantry estimate: ~ $0.30
• Total: ~ $3.80-$4.00

Recipe C: High-protein stir-fry noodles

This is the “eat-out replacement” for individuals who crave noodles. It additionally works effectively as a freezer-friendly meal for those who portion correctly.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 600g hen breast or tofu
• 300g frozen greens
• Noodles of selection (mee hoon, soba, egg noodles)
• Pantry sauce: oyster sauce + soy sauce + garlic

Steps

• Cook noodles and put aside.
• Stir-fry hen/tofu till cooked.
• Add greens.
• Add noodles and sauce, toss effectively.
• Portion into containers.

Cost per serving (estimated)

• Protein: ~ $2.50-$3.00
• Veg: ~ $0.36
• Noodles: ~ $0.50-$0.80
• Pantry estimate: ~ $0.30
• Total: ~ $3.70-$4.20

If this lands barely above $4 typically, it nonetheless works inside the system as a result of the cheaper meals stability the typical.

Recipe D: Tofu bibimbap-style rice bowl (the “CBD healthy bowl replacement”)

If your ordinary “healthy lunch” is a $12 salad or grain bowl within the CBD, that is the house model. It’s filling, meal-prep pleasant, and nonetheless sits comfortably inside the $4 system.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 2 packs agency tofu (600g whole)
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 300g frozen combined greens
• Gochujang + soy sauce + sesame oil (for sauce)

Steps

• Cube tofu and pan-fry (or air-fry) till golden.
• Heat greens (stir-fry or microwave).
• Assemble bowls: rice + veg + tofu.
• Mix gochujang with soy sauce and sesame oil, then drizzle over.

Cost per serving (estimated)

• Tofu: ~$0.48 per serving (Fortune Chinese tofu 300g is $0.95, so two packs is $1.90 ÷ 4)
• Rice: ~$0.25
• Veg: ~$0.36
• Gochujang (10-15g): ~$0.12-$0.18 (CJ Haechandle 500g is $6.01)
• Pantry estimate: ~$0.20
• Total: ~ $1.40-$1.50 per serving

How to make use of the system so it saves you cash

Meal prep solely works financially for those who maintain it easy.

1) Prep two recipes per week, not 4

Pick:

• 1 low-cost anchor meal (egg fried rice)
• 1 increased protein meal (hen bowl or noodles)

Alternate them. Done.

2) Use frozen greens to cut back waste

Frozen greens are normally cheaper than contemporary ones in the long term, and you will not throw them away as a result of they spoil. Yeah certain, you are compromising on style just a little, however we’re speaking about value effectivity right here.

3) Keep your ingredient listing small

You do not want 12 totally different sauces. You want:

• 1 protein
• 1 carb
• frozen veg
• 2-3 seasonings you really get pleasure from or 1 nice sauce

This makes it simpler to stay to, which is the entire level.

What your lunch financial savings can do in your funds

If you save about $4 per lunch with this meal prep plan, you are saving roughly $80 a month, or about $960 a 12 months. That’s cash you possibly can redirect in the direction of issues that truly transfer the needle-building an emergency buffer, lowering bank card reliance, overlaying your journey insurance coverage premiums, or offsetting rising family prices.

And let’s be actual: $4 a day is a conservative estimate. If your CBD lunches typically value $12 or extra, switching to a ~$4 lunch means saving about $160-$180 a month (based mostly on 20 workdays). Over a 12 months, that may add as much as effectively over $1,000.

The better part is that you just’re not simply consuming more healthy in 2026 — you are constructing a repeatable behavior that retains each your power and your spending in a greater place.

Disclaimer: This shouldn’t be dietary recommendation. Everyone has totally different necessities as regards to what they devour and may finally eat what matches them the very best.

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This article was first revealed in MoneyGood.