Life gets crazy. Heck, I am a stay-at home wife right now (no kids, just a golden retriever), and I feel like my life gets crazy. We all have things that get in the way of eating well and being frugal. I know how tempting it is to just pick up a pizza, or to go out to eat. We still do that occasionally. It's okay, for us, once in a while, but we can't do that often because of our budget. I do know that while I was single, I blew a large portion of my money every month on eating out. Cooking at home is one of the easiest ways to save money, trim a budget, encourage family togetherness and conversation, and to make sure you know exactly what you are eating. Restaurant portions are massive-way more than we need to eat. They are loaded with fats and oils, and you really never know what is going into your food. I don't like that to happen to me very often. So I have made it my mission to cook at home. You can see my earlier post on budgeting and eating well on a budget here. Today, I want to focus on meal-planning.
I don't do this perfectly all the time. But most of the time, I choose a day of the week (usually a Saturday, but because of being sick this week and Easter this weekend, I am doing it today) and plan our meals out. I am not a super-stickler. Sometimes I change the order of meals around, and sometimes I pitch an idea the day of and end up eating pizza. It happens. When I do take the time to plan meals, make a grocery list, match up any possible coupons I might have, and set a budget, I am able to eat healthier, be less stressed, and enjoy the fact that I am not scrambling to figure out what to make for dinner every night.
So I am sharing my meal plan for the next week here. I will post up the recipe the day after, and I promise they will be yummy and pretty darned good for you! This week, I am using a lot of recipes inspired by my "Eat This, Not That" cookbook. It is a great resource, and most meals come in at well-under 500 calories per serving. They are packed with fresh, whole foods, and easy to make. All of these meals lined up well with what I had on hand in my pantry and refrigerator, and with what is on sale at the stores this week. A quick note-unless there is a KILLER sale on something like meat, I do not go to five different grocery stores to get the best deal. I look at what is on sale at one store, and based on quality and price, aim to do almost all of my shopping there. With high gas prices, driving around is simply not worth it. Use your sale fliers! It is worth flipping through to compare prices. If you are just going to the store without a list and not planning meals out, you will be amazed at the savings in terms of time and money if you do this simple step. You won't impulse-buy, and you will not have to run out and drop $25/$30 multiple times a week to pick up things for dinner.
Here is my dinner menu. My husband eats leftovers for lunch the next day, or one of the freezer meals I have made in advance and packed, like frozen soups or chili. I usually eat salads or leftovers, and we snack on fruit, veggies, yogurt and homemade snacks. Breakfasts are simple, green smoothies, eggs, fruit, oatmeal, quinoa. This is my plan for next week, just for dinners.
Monday: Sliders (mini Angus burgers), Two Ways-Bacon and Chipotle Adobo and Jalapeno Cheddar with baked sweet potato fries and salad
Tuesday: Chipotle Honey Chicken Nuggets (baked, with Panko breadcrumbs), broccoli and salad
Wednesday: Sundried Tomato Caesar Salad with Chicken Breast
Thursday: Apple Chicken Salad (made with Greek Yogurt) on Rustic Whole Wheat Bread and salad
Friday: Quinoa Pineapple Burgers on Whole Wheat with salad
Saturday: Tortilla Soup with Green Salad and Homemade Tortillas
So there you go, a whole week of real food-no preservatives, low-calorie, quick assembly, whole food that is good for you and for your family. I'll put the recipes up this week! Happy meal-planning.
No comments:
Post a Comment