$30 Weekly Shopping and Menu 9-10-18

It’s Go Week, friends!

My half marathon is this Saturday, which means this week will be full of severely lowered mileage, a small amount of taper tantrums, and a bunch of carb-loading. That’s why all of our dinners are pretty much carb central this week! And thanks to an overage from last week, I was able to buy a bunch of food to chow down on to get me ready. I’m super pumped!

Summer fruit season is starting to end, unfortunately. I was able to buy strawberries for $1.29, but that hasn’t happened in awhile. And Allison loves strawberries again, so I’m not sure what I’ll do for fruit! She did try raspberries at school last week and loved them, so that might be a possibility. If only I could get her to like bananas, grapes, or apples. Although…

I did make banana ice cream the other night and Allison devoured it! I just put frozen bananas in my food processor with a bit of peanut butter powder and water, and processed it until it all became a soft-serve consistency. I topped it with a little chocolate sauce and sprinkles, and Allison had herself some healthy ice cream! Anything I can do to get nutrition in her, right?

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

Green bell peppers: $1.69
2 packages strawberries: $1.29 each
Deli ham: $2.99
Spinach: $1.19
Zucchini: $1.49
Grapes, 2.37 pounds: $2.11
Romaine hearts: $1.99
Carrots, 2-pound bag: $1.09
Cauliflower: $1.99
Dried black beans, 2-pound bag: $2.49
Sweet potatoes, 3-pound bag: $1.99
Cumin: $.99
Parmesan cheese: $2.29
2 cans crushed tomatoes: $.79 each
Tomato paste: $.39
3 boxes yogurt tubes: $1.55 each, for Allison’s preschool snack
Milk: $1.45
Sliced cheddar: $1.79

Total: $34.74
Weekly Total: $38.01, I bought bananas and more grapes earlier in the week. I still have a $4.00 overage.

Weekly Menu

Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.

Dinner
Taco casserole from freezer*, fruit
Spaghetti* with homemade sauce and shredded chicken*, toast*
Corn chowder from freezer*
Carrot Pancakes
Tuna melts* (Tuna and bread in freezer), roasted potatoes* (Leftover from last week)
Rice* and black bean bowls with lettuce, salsa*, sour cream*, cheese*, bell peppers
Leftovers

Breakfast
Cereal*
Carrot Pancakes
Oatmeal

Allison’s Lunch
Ham sandwich, cheese cubes*, strawberries, carrot sticks, Goldfish*

What’s on your menu this week? Share in the comments below!

Jaime Bacon

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.

See full bio here