This past weekend was a one-stop shop!
We went to Cedar Point over the weekend so I did a quick shopping trip on Friday. Vacations tend to throw me off big time- I usually do a lot of my meal prep/breakfast batch cooking on Sunday afternoons; but since we got back later in the day, I did a little last night and a little today. Luckily there wasn't much to do!
This week I did a combination of big casseroles and smaller dinners. Casseroles are cheap and make a lot, but I'm trying to find a balance between not enough leftovers and LEFTOVERS FOR DAYS. There's only 3 of us (Well, really 2, because Allison never eats my dinners), so food tends to last us awhile. I'm cooking the bag of kidney beans I bought last week to use for two dinners, which really helps cut down the cost!
As usual, here's a disclaimer about my $30 weekly menus:
- I've lowered our grocery budget by choice. We've chosen not to pursue food assistance from the government.
- My pantry contains essentials such as rice, pasta, peanut butter, and baking items, as well as a little meat in the freezer. You may not be able to recreate this menu for $30 as I'm not exactly starting from scratch every week.
- I'm buying whole foods as much as possible- I won't be perfect, but I'll do what I can with the money we have.
- My menu may have more vegetarian meals, or just less meat in general- But I still aim to keep my diet high-protein due to my workouts, which is why you'll see lots of Greek yogurt, eggs, and cottage cheese.
Aldi
Bananas, 4.28 pounds: $1.67
Grapes, 2.77 pounds: $2.74
Spinach: $1.19
Butter: $2.63
Olive oil: $2.49
Mushrooms: $1.29
Strawberries: $.99
Cooking spray: $1.49
Baby wipes: $1.39
2 cans tomato sauce: $.25 each
Greek yogurt: $3.49
Crackers: $1.39
Diced tomatoes: $.45
Breakfast biscuits: $1.89
Pretzel sticks: $.79
Chocolate bar (Not pictured): $1.49
Total: $25.98
Weekly Total: $25.98
Menu
Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.
Dinner
Chicken rice casserole* (Ended up not making it last week), fruit
Red beans and rice
Tuna* noodle casserole
English muffin* sandwiches with scrambled eggs*
Beans and cornbread skillet*- modified. I'm not baking it in the oven and instead serving it with these homemade cornbread muffins
Pancakes
Breakfast
Cereal*
Ham* and egg* breakfast cups, omitting the veggies
Miscellaneous
Allison's lunch: Peanut butter* crackers, string cheese*, strawberries
Granola bars- these things are so good!
What's on your menu this week? Share in the comments below!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
I am working on next weeks menu. I did a Walmart pickup after coming back into town from visiting family. Last night, we had 4 of our children’s friends over for an end of summer bbq. Tonight will be leftovers.
8/16:hosted cookout with friends :
burgers, hot dogs on grill
Cut up veggies with homemade ranch dip
Cut up watermelon
Chips
Make your own sundaes. (Most ingredients great value brand from Walmart. I pretty much use GV when I can)
8/17: leftovers
8/18: tater tot casserole
Salad
Rolls
8/19: leftovers
8/20: pork loin
Potatoes
Asparagus
8/21: spaghetti with homemade meatballs
Garlic bread
8/22: lemon and butter baked tilapia
Rice
Broccoli
This is all I have so far. Looking to do some freezer meals next weekend in prep for back to school. We are also providing and serving a meal to the homeless on 9/2, along with my parents we will make food. I’m thinking baked spaghetti for this.
I love your meal plans!!
That is so awesome, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing this! =) How do you like the Wal Mart Pickup? I hear good things about it!
I LOVE it! First of all, I can budget better because I can literally see the tally in the corner of the app as I add my items. So if I have $50, then I stop my adding before that. Plus, I can check my pantry and freezer/fridge as I do the order since I’m home to see what I have already on hand. It also eliminates the mindless or impulse spending I sometimes have trouble with when I’m in the store. It’s also a timesaver. I can get my groceries and be back home in 20/25 min. I definetly recommend it. There’s an Aldi in the next town over from us which I love but it’s more of a drive for me. But Walmart is our cheapest local grocery store.