A couple months ago, I decided to plan the entire month of dinners in advance. It was so good, I did it again for January and I am sharing it to take a little work out of your life! Here are some rules I try to follow:
1. Be flexible. Meals should be able to shift a night or two if the schedule changes.
2. Minimal meat. We are cutting back for health reasons, so there are a lot of meals where we substitute beans for meat. We also cut beef back to once a month.
3. Freezer friendly. I try to use freezer vegetables or beans so the food can be used at any time.
I shop twice a month. We do not have enough storage for once monthly shopping and the vegetables and fruits don't last that long anyways. Kroger Clicklist is my jam and a huge time saver.
I do not plan breakfast or lunch but here is what is typical.
Breakfast: homemade pancakes, freezer eggos, eggs and fruit, oatmeal, yogurt and granola, cereal and milk, smoothies
Lunch: pasta salad with beans or chickens, salad with beans or chicken, soup, leftovers (wow, that was complicated...) I don't like sandwiches and we try to limit deli meat so these choices are healthier anyways!
Our budget is $600 for our family of four. We keep costs down by using "easy meals" a few times a month (grilled cheese, pasta with marina, cheese quesadillas, chicken tenders for the kids). We assume once a week will be out and once a week will be leftovers to clean out the fridge. You could easily substitute this with breakfast for dinner as well to save some money. Eating beans for meat saves a ton as well and is a healthier protein with no saturated fat (the fat you get from meat, dairy, and cheese).
I actually only spent $170 for the first two weeks, so we are on track to be substantially under budget for groceries this month.
For Recipes, visit my Pinterest Board.
7. Beef Tacos 20. Pork Tenderloin w/ Frozen Veg
8. Pizza with Baked Root Vegetables 21. Veggie Pho (sub frozen soybean)
9. Veggie Mac 22. Pizza and baked Vegetable
10. Instant Pot Baked Chicken with Green Beans 23. Margherita Fish Tacos
11. Leftovers 24. Chicken Enchiladas
12. Out for Dinner 25. Out for Dinner
13. Bankok Chicken and noodles 26. Leftovers
14. Zucchini Noodle Cacio e Pepe with Roasted Potatoes 27. Baked Potato Bar
15. Chicken Caesar Wraps with Baby Carrots 28. Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
16. Frozen Dinner Option 29. Easy Meal (Grilled Cheese)
17. White Bean Broccoli Pasta (Sub chicken for beans) 30. Ranch Fish w/ Baked Vegetable
18. Leftovers 31. Breakfast for Dinner
19. Out to Dinner
