In my opinion, meal planning is one of the most important aspects of healthy and budget friendly eating. By planning meals out (breakfast, lunch and dinner) one is able to shop more efficiently and use ingredients already in the fridge, before they go bad. Some people think meal planning is far too time-consuming, but I disagree. I think it is crucial to save time and money.
Each week when I sit down to make my meal plan, I physically look in my fridge, freezer, pantry and fruit basket. I write down the items which will go bad in the next week. I also look into the amount of meal “foundations” I have remaining, like brown rice, pasta, quinoa and beans. I plan my meals around these items first. This significantly cuts down on the amount of food our family buys and wastes.
My meal plan and shopping list for next week:
Breakfasts
Monday: Bacon, Egg and Cheese “McMuffins”.
Tuesday: Kashi Go Lean with Banana and Berries.
Wednesday: Oatmeal with Fruit and Almonds.
Thursday: Healthy Cheesy-Bacon Breakfast Muffins.
Friday: Healthy Cheesy-Bacon Breakfast Muffins.
Saturday: From Scratch Blueberry Pancakes with Chia.
Sunday: Bacon, Egg and Cheese “McMuffins”.
Lunches
Monday: Brown Bag Lunches with Turkey Sandwiches, Berries, Celery and Granola Bars.
Tuesday: Brown Bag Lunches with Salads, Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Celery, Oranges and Healthy Brownies.
Wednesday: Brown Bag Lunches with Roast Beef Wraps, Celery, Berries and Rice Cakes.
Thursday: Brown Bag Lunches with Salads, Ham and Cheese Wraps, Grapefruit and Celery.
Friday: Brown Bag Lunches with Roast Beef Sandwiches, Celery, Oranges and Pretzels.
Saturday: Salads with left over produce.
Sunday: Left Over Pasta.
Dinners
Monday: White Wine Cream Sauce over Whole Wheat Linguini with Asparagus, Mushrooms & Sundried Tomatoes.
Tuesday: Pinto Bean, Pepper Jack & Roasted Corn Tostadas with Fresh Pico De Gallo.
Wednesday: Curry Chicken with Pineapple & Prunes over Brown Rice.
Thursday: Quinoa & Chia Stir Fry with Fresh Garlic, Asparagus, Green Peas, Asiago and Parmesan.
Friday: Dinner Out for Cassandra’s Birthday!
Saturday: Homemade Spicy Amatriciana Pasta Sauce over Whole Wheat Penne.
Sunday: Cheesy Black Bean Taquitos with Cilantro Cream Sauce.
My grocery list for next week: Cilantro, Tomato, Asparagus, Onion, Jalapeno, Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Linguini, Celery, Berries, Bananas, Romaine, Milk and Eggs.
Yes, you counted right. That is fourteen items for a week’s worth of healthy meals (twenty meals for two people; eating one meal out). I can do this simply by keeping basics stocked and strategically meal planning. I predict my total grocery costs for this week will be approximately $35.00. I buy primarily organic. I also try to buy produce on special.
I am looking forward to preparing all of these delicious meals and posting them. Stay tuned!
polenta and plum 