A large portion of my groceries for the week also included 4th of July items. Cookies, snacks, and three sides for a cookout. Because I knew about half my budget this week would be for just this weekend, I planned my meals next week to be some of my lower cost items that I can stretch a dollar, as well as really utilizing pantry items!!
Tip: On the Meal List you keep for meal planning, note which ones are on the lower end of the budget and which one always provide leftovers. This helps to stretch your money and food.
Meals for Friday - Thursday
Saturday - Cookout (Taking homemade pasta salad, corn and avocado salsa, watermelon, and "cheesecake" filled strawberries.
Sunday - Pasta with "burst" tomatoes and basil. Garlic knots & salad on the side.
Lunch prep: I will eat hard boiled eggs, almonds, lunchmeat, cheese cubes and yogurt for lunches. Will prep on Sunday.
Monday - Portabella Mushroom pizzas (Henry hot dog & mac and cheese) and salad
Tuesday - Stuffed baked potatoes (make extra for lunches for Terry)
Wednesday - Breakfast (veggie omelet)
Thursday - Grilled Cheese and Soup (most items from pantry - easy night)
The meals that I choose this week are very low cost. Again, I am utilizing my pantry to help from buying more at the store and by planning meals without meat, I have saved additional money.
Tip: If you need to save money on food for the week, make it a meat free (or nearly meat free) week! Eggs or tuna in place are a great source of protein and a fraction of the cost.
Now, I am dieting and when on a diet it is not always good to turn to the more cost effect meals like potatoes and pasta. However, I make plain baked potatoes to eat instead of the stuffed ones and add my own toppings separately so I can control them. And the pasta just has roasted tomatoes with basil and a little olive oil. It is light and when you eat a small amount with a salad it works out greta!
I try to eat real foods, just try to find ways to incorporate them into my calorie count and daily life.
Example on meal prep.
This was last weeks meal prep. I got all my vegetables ready, I packaged and seasoned fajita mixture for dinner that night, prepped kabobs for later that week, and made soup for my lunches for the week. All done on Sunday by 11am!!
Ready to prep!!
Shrimp kabobs, prepped for one meal during the week.
Look at the Shrimp kabobs later in the week.
Had over a little bit of leftover rice pilaf from earlier in the week.
Henry wanted to help...though help turned to eating!!!
When you have extra, use it!! I had a bag of extra snacking green peppers in the fridge
that a cut up and used in the soup.
Soup for the lunches, done on sunday!
Rice for soup (if wanted) and burrito bowls. Done!
Fajitas...prepped and seasoned!
Example: Easy pantry meal one night
Used left over asparagus from earlier night and made an omelet. Toast, 2 slices 100 calories, asparagus 30 calories, 2 egg & 2 egg white omelet 182 calories = awesome and filing dinner 312 calories!! Cost, no idea because it is so low...a couple bucks, maybe?!
So what did you eat this week?! Did you try any meal planning? Please share!!
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