Weekly Meal Plans – Sister Hack

What I Ate in a Week and Grocery Haul

Emily here! With the price of groceries the way they are I’ve been trying to cut back on our spending. Here is what my family’s weekly grocery haul and menu looks. We have 2 adults and 2 toddlers and 1 baby to feed!

Grocery Haul – Shopped at Wal-Mart
1 Potato….$0.64
1 Bell Pepper…$0.86
1 Broccoli Crown…$0.86
2 English Cucumbers…$1.96
4 Honeycrisp Apples $4.48
1lb Strawberries…$2.72
14 Bananas…$3.19
2 Avocado…$1.48
Fruit and Veggie Pouches…$5.68
Organic Coconut Flakes…$2.64
Pub Beer 18 Pack…$15.48
String Cheese 12 Count…$4.33
Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Block 8oz…$3.98
Goat Cheese…$2.76
Tamed Jalapeno Peppers…$2.72
Dijon Mustard…$1.34
Raspberry Preserves…$3.98
Garlic Powder…$1.12
Apple Sauce 6 Cups…$2.24
Frozen Lasagna$9.84
Burrito Tortillas…$1.98
Ground Chicken…$4.82
Sourdough Bread…$3.98
Whole Wheat Bread…$2.48
Honey Ham Lunchmeat…$3.47
Honey…$3.94
Men’s Deodorant 2 Pack…$10.97
Formula 30.8oz…$35.98
Formula 12.4oz…$17.94
Pampers Pullups 25 Count…$9.94
Pampers Diapers 92 Count…$28.22
Tampons…$10.47
TOTAL: $209.2

Things To Note: We have a back stock of a few items (cheese in our freezer bought in bulk and random pantry items). We also get our dairy separate and it is not included in our weekly grocery haul. I include all “consumables” (diapers, wipes, haircare etc.) in our grocery budget. I also don’t have the time to meal prep all in one day so I spend it out through the week. My husband eats the same thing for lunch everyday. A PB&J on whole wheat bread and a chicken burrito.

Sunday. Picked up groceries after breakfast.
Lunch: Grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup. Used the Ham and sourdough bread. Had cheese and soup in back stock.
Dinner: Chicken Stromboli and Ham Pizza. Used chicken, red sauce, cheese, flour, and yeast that was in our back stock. Also I hadn’t planned to make a pizza but I ended up not having enough of the stuffing for the Stromboli to make 2. Stay flexible!

Monday. Prepped chewy granola bars from The Toddler Healthnut Cookbook and made a double batch. Prepped quiche. I had a premade pie crust from a few weeks ago. Added Ham, leftover broccoli, and half the potato I bought.
Breakfast: Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich and cereal for boys. Both items we already had in our back stock.
Lunch: Grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup. Scrambled eggs and chewy bar for boys. Husband had his usual.
Dinner: Leftover Stromboli and ham pizza.

Tuesday.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and chewy bar.
Lunch: Grilled ham and cheese and tomato soup.
Dinner: Protein smoothie and cheesy toast for boys. Pho for dinner for me (Takeout). Tacos for husband (Takeout). I had dental work done and my mouth hurt real bad and I wasn’t feeling well.

Wednesday. Prepped homemade bagels.
Breakfast: Quiche and avocado cottage cheese toast. Eggs and strawberry for boys.
Lunch: Egg and bagel for me banana and yogurt for boys.
Dinner: Frozen lasagnas and broccoli.

Thursday. Prepped rice cooker apple oatmeal and hard boiled eggs. Breakfast: Bagels and bananas for boys. Leftover quiche for me and husband.
Lunch: I can’t remember. It was some assortment of leftovers.
Dinner: Chicken tacos. I used foster farms frozen chicken breast strips that I had in back stock and added an onion and bell pepper. Chicken nuggets for the boys that were in back stock.

Friday.
Breakfast: Apple oatmeal.
Lunch: Egg salad for me. Bento cheese and cracker picnic for boys.
Dinner: Enchilada casserole at my moms house and boys had Mac and Cheese.

Saturday.
Breakfast: Waffles (Better Homes and Garden Cookbook recipe). Egg, potato, and spinach scramble.
Lunch: Enchiladas casserole in taco shells and egg scramble in taco shells for me and husband. Cheese, apples, and crackers for boys.
Dinner: Corndogs, cucumbers and cheese for dinner for boys. Sushi out for me and husband.

Sunday.
Breakfast: Leftover Waffles.

We do eat snacks but I forgot/didn’t want to write them down. Our snacks are usually fruit, cheese, pouches, veggie and hummus or whatever baked good I made that week.

It was also very hard to take pictures of what we ate because by the time I remembered to take one I had already eaten. You gotta eat fast when you have 3 young children!

Freezer Meal Prep for Baby

Update: I’m 3 weeks postpartum and we have worked through our freezer stash. I have added my thoughts on each of the recipes below in italics.

Maddie here! I am 36 weeks pregnant with our first baby (hence the lack of posts from me for the past 36 weeks) and I thought it would be fun to document the freezer meal prepping that the hubz and I have completed in advance of the baby’s arrival!

The Strategy: We split the meal prep over two weekends: breakfast items the first weekend and dinners the second weekend. This meal plan was mostly inspired by a Butcher Box that we received (review coming on that service later) that had a sh*t ton of pork in it, including two pounds of ground pork and a six pound pork butt. I used that as a jumping off point for the recipes selected.

We also stocked up on pantry items such as pasta, pasta sauces, microwave rice packs, and frozen veggie mixes from the store to eat with the recipes below.

Total Spent: I’m estimating around $175 for the meat from the Butcher Box that didn’t go towards our regular meals, additional food purchased, and freezer bags/foil casseroles. I think these recipes should last us 2-3 weeks after the baby arrives, which is close to our normal weekly spend.

The Prep:
Homemade Breakfast Sausage– I definitely would not have done this if I didn’t find myself in possession of two pounds of ground pork, but I’m glad that we will have nitrate-free sausage for our breakfasts. I thought the recipe turned out well but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to make it again.

Pork Butt- We placed the pork butt in a slow cooker overnight on low with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. I seasoned the pork with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. I shredded it in the morning and portioned some out to be used for tacos/pulled pork sandwiches for our weekly meals and the freezer meals below.

Veggies: Sautéed green peppers, onions, and potatoes. Roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions.

Chicken Breasts: Diced up five large chicken breasts and portioned into quart sized freezer bags.

The Recipes:
Egg Sandwiches AKA Buddies– I followed this recipe but our eggs really puffed up and didn’t turn out flat like hers. If I did this again I would definitely mix up the eggs and cook them using a sheet pan instead of in the muffin tin. Made 12.
Woof these were rough to choke down. I can’t believe people meal prep these on the regular. The eggs were frozen solid and had to be microwaved separately and the english muffins were soggy. The cheese also did not melt well. 0/10 would never make again.

Breakfast Burritos– scrambled eggs, homemade breakfast sausage, sautéed potatoes, green pepper, onion, shredded cheese, on whole wheat tortilla. Made 10.
While not as bad as the buddies, these were no walk in the park either, mostly due to the eggs again being more frozen than the rest of the food inside. We had to microwave them for a really long time and then let them sit and cool down. 3/10 would not make again.

Apple Cinnamon/Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Cups- I followed this recipe but would caution anybody undertaking these that they turned out v wet so definitely use your best judgement and adjust the measurements so they are not falling apart. Made 18.
These were surprisingly yummy, easy to heat up, and easy to eat one handed with the baby in the other arm. 8/10 would make again.

Turkey Meatballs- Doubled this recipe that we love. Made 16 large meatballs.
What’s not to like here? These froze and unfroze well. We ate them with spaghetti and on hoagies. 9/10 would make again. I would probably do a double batch on a night that we are planning to make them anyway and pop half in the freezer.

Cottage Cheese Mac n’ Cheese- I baked off a pan using this recipe and am looking forward to reheating it and having it for lunches.
This is a great recipe that I have made before, but it didn’t freeze and reheat that great. It ended up being a bit dry. 6/10 would make the recipe again, but wouldn’t freeze again.

Pork Enchilada Casserole- I used this recipe as a jumping off point, but used green enchilada sauce, the shredded pork (obvi), and incorporated the roast veggies for some added nutrition. We are most excited about eating this recipe.
Wowowow this was definitely our favorite thing we meal prepped and we really enjoyed eating it. 10/10 would make again.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili- I used this recipe and added in…you guessed it….a bunch of shredded pork! I will reheat this in the crock pot and if we’re feeling ambitious bake off some cornbread (fav recipe here) to go with it because I think that would be very tasty.
By the time we got to eating this, we were really feeling the abundance of pork in this meal prep but other than that I thought it was pretty good. 7/10, not sure if I would make again.

Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade: Portioned diced chicken into two bags. Mixed together the juice of two lemons, olive oil, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
The first time we made this I threw it frozen into the slow cooker and it pretty much disintegrated and didn’t keep a ton of flavor. The second time I made it, I let the meat thaw in the fridge and sautéd it and it was significantly better. 7/10 would make again but not freeze again.

Thai Chicken Satay Marinade: Portioned diced chicken into three bags. Mixed together coconut milk, peanut butter, lime, sriracha, honey, and spices, loosely based off of the sauce in this recipe.
This turned out well! We made it in the instant pot and had it over microwave coconut rice. 8/10 would make again.

Snacks: I made and froze these lactation bites this weekend and they turned out great! We are also planning to make these lactation cookies once I get closer to my due date. I wanted to make this peanut butter frozen yogurt bark but alas there is no room left in our freezer so that will have to wait for another time!

The lactation balls have been my postpartum JAM. I have made them twice more, tripling the recipe and adding in dates. They are really filling for a quick snack and without the the processed ingredients you would find in a protein bar. 10/10 continuing to make!

We also made the lactation cookies and they turned out well! I haven’t made a second batch because I felt like there was a LOT of butter/sugar, but I am planning to make them again substituting applesauce. 8/10 will make again modified.

Avi until!

Current Meal Planning – Dinner

Emily here! Sharing my current meal planning plan. This is focused on dinner planning. Recently my goal has been to make double our dinner portions so that I’m not cooking every night. Here is my rough outline with a few meal ideas and some meal ideas for toddlers.

Sunday – Casserole/Crockpot/Comfort
Meal Ideas: Chicken Tikka Masala, Zuppa Toscana, Shepherd’s Pie, Ham and Noodle Casserole, Potato Soup, Stroganoff, Chili Dog Casserole, Minestrone Soup, Chip Beef on Toast, Pork Loin, Roast Chicken Dinner, Ribs.
Toddler Meal: Snack Plate (Cheese, Cracker, Fruit, Veggie, Hummus, Cottage Cheese).

Monday – Leftovers

Tuesday – Mexican Night
Meal Ideas: Shrimp Sheet Pan Fajitas, Taco Bowl, Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Bowls, Chicken Enchiladas, Chipotle Chicken Tacos (El Snacho Style), Quesadilla, Burrito, Pork Tacos, Fish “Tacos”, BWW Nachos,
Toddler Meal: Quesadilla (cheese, chicken or beans).

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday- Italian
Meal Ideas: Spaghetti, Cheese and Spinach Ravioli with Meat Sauce, Meatball Subs, Alfredo Pasta Bake, Lasagna (frozen for an easier dinner), Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese, Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Rollups.
Toddler Meal: Brown Rice Pasta with whatever sauce is being used or butter.

Friday – Burgers and Fries
Meal Ideas: Beef Burgers, Grilled Chicken, Crispy Chicken (get premade from freezer section), Turkey Burger, Veggie Burgers, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich, Sloppy Joes. Side of fries, tots, or onions rings.
Toddler Meal: Usually Veggie Burger or same as above with no bun.

Saturday – Pizza
Meal Ideas: My pizza dough as the base. Pizza, Calzone/Pizza Pocket, Pizza Rollups, Stromboli, Pizza Pinwheels.
Toddler Meal: Mini Pizza. Cauliflower Pizza Crust Topped with Red Sauce, Cheese and Chicken.

A few things to note.
1. I always try to make a meal that everyone will like. But that doesn’t always happen so the toddler meals are easy meal to make if my main dish won’t work for their taste buds or eating abilities.
2. In addition to the main dish I add a side veggie. Most of the time I cook it but for an easier dinner I will just put something raw on the side. Like carrots, cucumber, celery, or an easy salad.

What We Eat in a Day

Emily here! Sharing what me, Pal (3), and Bud (12months) eat in a day.

We always start the day with coffee and bottles. (Coffee is for me obvi). So upon waking up the boys get 4oz of milk and me a cup of coffee. About 30 min later Bud is hungry so we have breakfast. This day we had banana pancakes. I added Nutella for all. Bud doesn’t like eggs so he got sliced cheese instead (some days I still offer eggs to Bud). Also he doesn’t really like strawberries so he got blueberries instead.

Next Pal and Bud had a mid morning snack of freeze dried apples.

Next was nap time. Both boys got another bottle before their naps. We like to have full bellies before naps in our house. I ate leftover Mac and cheese and broccoli for lunch.

The boys wake up at different times from their naps so we have snacks. Also they don’t like to sit for a meal after their naps for a long time. Here was todays variety. Mango, goldfish, crackers, and fruit pouch. We played outside and then I got everyone inside with another bottle of milk (we have big milk drinkers in this house).

Dinner was leftover orzo pasta with butter, fruit, and cottage cheese. (Bud had more than 7 blueberries but he eats them very fast). I ate enchiladas after they went to bed and forgot to take a picture of it. Bud got another bottle of milk before bed.

No Grocery Shopping Week

Emily here! Last month I tasked myself to use only what I had at home for our meals (and yes I’m just now getting around to writing about it). We have received food from my sister-in-law (she moved and gave us freezer food) and my parents (they did a freezer cleanse). So we have quite a stock of random food. And as you know we are always trying to save that sweet sweet cash $$! She here is what we at.

Sunday
Breakfast – McDonalds (great way to start out saving money…by spending. We are doing McDonalds breakfast once a month because it is fun and means I don’t have to cook)
Lunch – Chicken and Cheese Panini. Dino Nuggets and Yogurt for Pal.
Dinner – Beef Burger and Friend Cauliflower Rice. Fruit and Veggie Smoothie. (Everything for dinner tasted terrible except the smoothie)

Monday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Canned pears. Toast with butter and jam.
Lunch – Dino Nuggets and leftover waffles from Saturday.
Dinner – Spaghetti with cheese bread. Roasted frozen veggies. Fruit and veggie smoothie.

Tuesday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Muffins from a box mix.
Lunch – Peanut butter and jelly for me. Cottage cheese and fruit for Pal. Dinner leftovers for my husband.
Dinner – Chicken Enchiladas. Added refried beans in the enchiladas.
*On this day I did go to the store to get bananas and juice for pal. Spent $8.

Wednesday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Muffins from a box mix. Banana.
Lunch – Dinner leftovers for me and my husband. Fruit and veggie smoothie for Pal.
Dinner – Sesame noodles with chicken and veggies. (my mom brought this over. She has been bringing us dinner since I am in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy and v tired.)

Thursday
Breakfast – Egg spinach scramble. Toast with butter and jelly.
Lunch – Chicken and cheese panini sandwich.
Dinner – Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Friday
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs and toast.
Lunch – Chicken and cheese panini sandwich.
Dinner – Date night! Husband and I got burgers out.

Saturday morning was our usual grocery shopping day. A few things I learned from this week:
1. Smoothie are a great way to use up frozen veggies! I’m not the biggest fan of frozen veggie once they are cook but you don’t notice them in a smoothie.
2. Oven roasting frozen veggies. I felt like the flavor and texture of the frozen veggies were so much better.
3. Not everyone needs to eat the same thing. It for sure makes life easier when we do but causes way less food waste when we eat the random bits of leftovers.
4. I need to grocery shop every week lol. We basically made it a whole week but I really love to serve fresh fruit and veggies every week.

Here is a link to the last time I did this 2 years ago on a week when I was solo.

$80 for Two Weeks of Groceries

Maddie here! It has been a minute since I have done a blog post and shout out to Emily for holding it down with her first time gardener series over the summer months!

Two weeks ago I looked at my grocery budget for the month and it only gave me permission to spend $80 for the last two weeks of September. My hubz and I are going into a big savings mode prepping for a potential move so instead of upping the budget we decided to make it work! Here is what we did:

Week 1 Grocery Haul:
Baby Spring Mix…$1.92 (with coupon)
Apple Bag…$.99
Bananas…$1.63 (.42 lbs)
5 Seltzer Bottles….. $1.40 (with discount)
Pita Chips……..$1.35
Protein Bars……..$4.99
Spaghetti……..$1.15
Tortilla Chips…….$.92
Hot Dog Buns…….$.85
Sweet Kernel Corn…..$.36
Diced Tomatoes…….$.99
Cola……$.59
Wheat Bread……$.65
Dried Pinto Beans…….$2.16
Crushed Red Pepper…… $.79
Canned Corn…..$.36
Chicken Broth……$1.15
Soft Pretzel……$.49
Frozen Bone in Chicken Thighs (3lbs)…..$5.49
Beef Franks……$2.89
Eggs…….$1.77
Keifer……$2.78
Whole Milk……3.50
Pumpkin Ice Cream…..$2.89
Pizza…..$2.79
Total: $44.12

Week 1 Strategy:
This week’s meals I heavily planned around what I already had in stock which was quite a bit for this first week. We had frozen tilapia, frozen hamburgers, turkey lunchmeat, cheddar cheese, hummus, leftover vegetables, and rice. I knew that we would need a meat to stretch us for the two weeks and I decided to go with frozen chicken thighs. Breakfast was eggs and toast! For lunches I had bento boxes with pita crackers, cheese, hummus cucumbers, carrots, and apples and the hubz was v happy to eat hot dogs all week.

Week 1 Dinners:
Chicken Taco Soup with Cornbread
Curried Tilapia with Rice and Salad
Spaghetti with Hamburger Meat (literally broke up hamburgers) and Green Beans
Pizza and Salad
Game Day: Hot Dogs and Soft Pretzel

Favorite Meal: Chicken Taco Soup
I pretty much made this one up as I went! I started with making the dried beans in my instant pot. I covered the beans with a good amount of water, added some spices, and cooked on manual for 45 minutes with a natural release. I set aside the beans and cooked three chicken thighs on manual at 36 minutes with a quick release. I covered them with water and added salt and other spices. It created a very yummy chicken broth so I ended up not needing the chicken broth that I purchased. I then de-boned and shredded the chicken (keeping the skin as a treat for my dog throughout the week), added back in the beans, and added the canned corn and tomatoes. It made a ton of soup and I froze half of it for week 2! I also had enough items in my pantry to make my go-to cornbread from Budget Bytes: https://www.budgetbytes.com/everyday-cornbread/

Week 2 Grocery Haul:
Bag of Kale….$2.19
Bananas (3 lbs)…$1.25
Zucchini….$1.57
Tomatoes……$1.49
Sweet Potato…..$.60
Fehttuchini (2 boxes)…..$1
Whole Wheat Bread….$.99
Hamburger Buns…..$.59
Kraft Mac and Cheese….$.98
Chili….$.79
Energy Bars….$4.65
Tortilla Chips….$.92
Salsa….$.95
Peanut Butter….$1.25
3 Seltzers….$1.65
Cola….$.59
Turkey Lunch Meat….$2.45
Turkey Bacon….$2.36
Ice Cream….$1.89
Cheddar Block…..$1.16
Whole Milk…..$3.50
Half and Half……$1.55
Eggs….$1.18
Total (sans bleach)….$35.72
Grand Total for 2 Weeks: $79.84

Week 2 Strategy:
Going into week 2 week had used up a lot of the odds and ends vegetables that we had lying around, so I knew that I was going to need to plan around something nutritionally dense and versatile that would last the whole week. I decided on using kale which could be added into dishes and used as a side salad with homemade dressing! I planned around items that we had in stock including quinoa, rice, frozen burgers, frozen fries, and a bell pepper. I made the remainder of the chicken in the instant pot and used that throughout the week as well. Breakfast was toast and eggs with banana. For lunches I had a yummy kale, tomato, feta, and black bean salad or the leftover soup from week 1 and the hubz had turkey sandwiches with tortilla chips.

Week 2 Dinners:
Fettuccini with Cream Sauce and Kale Salad
Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Rice Bowl
Chicken, Quinoa, and Squash Topped with Egg
Burgers and Fries (not pictured)
Bfast for Dinner- Waffles, Veggie Scramble, and Turkey Bacon
Game Day: Chili Mac (not pictured)
Also pictured are the bfast tacos that the hubz made because they are a good use of using what we had at the end of the week.

Favorite Meal: Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Rice Bowl
This was something we had not done before, but we loved it! I started by making the frozen chicken thighs in the instant pot (36 mins, quick release) and canned the broth. I had a half a bag of dried black beans that have been sitting in my pantry for months so I made those in the instant pot (45 minutes, slow release) using some of the broth from the chicken thighs. I made brown rice that I had on hand in my rice maker, also using some fo the broth. I then cooked the sweet potato in the microwave (rinse with water, poke a few times with a fork, cook 5 minutes), cooked the kale with an onion I had on hand and then added in the chopped up sweet potato and some of the shredded chicken. I added feta cheese to mine and the hubz added salsa.

Overall Thoughts:
Overall, we really enjoyed scaling it back with this $80 for two week challenge. I have recently been in the habit of purchasing more than we can eat in a week and needing to throw food out that goes bad at the end of the week. It is also always a good reminder that we don’t NEED that much food! If you plan strategically you can have food that is healthy, tasty, and still good portion sizes. I also lost 2 pounds over the two weeks so no complaints there! After this challenge, we have actually decided to do $50 grocery budget for the month of October. I will do a quick check in at the end of the month to let all of our adoring blog readers know how it goes! 😉

Easy Crockpot Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Masala

Emily here! I wanted to share a favorite recipe in my house. Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala. This is easy and so flavorful. I hope you enjoy!

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic (I purchase precut garlic for a shortcut)
1 tbsp ginger (I purchase this in a tub for a shortcut too)
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp salt
1 can coconut milk

Combine all ingredients, except coconut milk, in crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
After 6 hours remove chicken. Using an immersion blender (or put sauce into a regular blender) blend sauce until smooth.
Shred chicken and add back into crockpot.
Add coconut milk and stir. Serve with white rice and naan. I like to use this recipe for making homemade naan.

$85 Grocery Challenge

Maddie here back to share another week of groceries. Our grocery budget varies week to week, but we stick to a $400/month total including household items. I shared a $50 challenge a few weeks ago and this is what an $85 week looks for us…with a $4.79 impulse buy of apple fritters (no regrets) and $4.99 impulse buy of a cookie mix (regrets).

Here’s what we got for $85.82:

Produce
Grapes (2.36 lbs)…..$4.46
Bag of Yellow Onions…..$1.95
Vanilla Ice Cream…..$2.29
Romaine Hearts…..$2.29
Bananas (1.36 lbs)…..$.60
Baby Spinach…..$1.79
Bag of Carrots….. $1.39

Dairy
1/2 Gallon 1% Milk…..$2.11
Gallon 2% Milk…..$3.49
Shredded Parm…..$1.99
Whipping Cream…..$1.79
Half and Half…..$1.79
Eggs…..$2.77

Meat
Boneless Chicken Breasts (4.5 lbs)…..$8.47

Pantry
Bread…..$1.25
Spinach Wraps…$2.49
Salsa…$.95
Tortilla Chips…..$.89
Cola…..$.59
Chicken Broth…..$1.19
Bagged Popcorn….$1.59
Jasmine Rice…..$4.95
Coconut Milk…..$1.65
Old Fashioned Oats…..$2.29
Powdered Sugar…..$1.29
Protein Bar……$1.75
English Muffins…..$.99
Garlic Naan……$2.49
Decaf Coffee……$2.79
OJ (not Simpson)…..$2.09
Regretful Cookie Mix…..$4.99
Yummy Fritters (6)…..$4.79
Sparkling Water…..$2.69
Lentils (not shown on receipt)…..$1.59

Frozen
Ice Cream Sandwiches…..$1.99
Frozen Vegetable Mix…..$.95
Frozen Peaches…..$2.39
Mixed Peas, Carrots, Corn…..$.75
Frozen Pizza…..$2.75

Here’s what I had on hand for dinners:
1/2 pack of egg noodles, 2 russet potatoes, Caesar dressing fixings (olive oil, anchovy paste, garlic, red wine vinegar, mustard).

Here’s our meal plan:
Creamy Curry Coconut Lentils, Curried Carrots, Naan
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts with Gravy, Potatoes, and Frozen Vegetables
Chicken Pot Pie Noodle Skillet with Salad
Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Wraps with Homemade Caesar Dressing
Pizza and Salad

Breakfast/Lunches/Snacks:
For breakfast we had buddy’s (egg mcmuffins), fritters, or cereal with banana. For lunches we had PB&J sandwiches with fruit and tortilla chips. For snacks I made smoothies with frozen fruit and previously purchased Greek yogurt and the bagged popcorn that I bought this week. My husband had the protein bars for a snack. We also had ice cream and made the cookie mix (which was just straight butter) for treats.

Top Tips:
Center your meals around one kind of meat! I was able to stretch the 4.5 pounds of chicken breasts for the instant pot chicken, chicken pot pie noodle skillet, and the crock pot chicken caesar wraps and STILL had a few chicken breasts in my freezer for later.

Eat Leftovers for Dinner: This has been a huge game changer for savings. Instead of planning 7 different dinners, plan to have leftovers and eat lunch food for lunch. Simple concept but it works! The lentil dish, chicken pot pie skillet, and caesar wraps each lasted 2 additional nights.

$50 Grocery Challenge

After getting settled into our new home, my husband and I have recommitted to finishing the year strong with our financial goals! Throughout the pandemic our grocery budget was more relaxed because for a while the pickings were very slim at our store and we would pretty much grab anything we could. As things returned to semi-normal, we continued that same mindset which led to going above our grocery budget. This month we are determined to stay in budget and set a $50 grocery challenge for ourselves! We literally added up everything on our phone calculator in the store and ended at $52.81- pretty good! We are #BlessebyLidl. Lidl is an amazing grocery store similar to Aldi that keeps their prices low by limiting options. Their slogan is high quality grocery at low prices and IT’S TRUE.

Here’s what we got for $52.81:

Produce
Pineapple…..$1.99
Peaches…..$2.99
Bananas…..$.87
Romaine Hearts…..$2.29
Cucumber…..$1.29
Zucchini…..$.86
Green Onions…..$.99
Russet Potatoes (3lb bag)…..$3.49
Frozen Mixed Vegetables…..$.75
Frozen Green Beans…..$.75

Dairy
Cheddar Block…..$1.01 (with discount)
½ Gallon 1% Milk…..$2.12
Gallon 2% Milk…..$3.58
4 Quart Pail of Ice Cream…..$3.99
Butter…..$2.25
18 Eggs…..$2.77

Meat
Whole Chicken 5.02 lbs…..$3.26 (with discount)
Ground Turkey…..$2.89

Pantry
Chunky Salsa…..$.89
Tortilla Chips (x2)…..$1.78
Brown Rice…..$1.29
Applesauce…..$1.99
Diced Tomatoes…..$.36
Nut Thin Chips…..$2.48
White Bread…..$.79
Popcorn Bag…..$1.59
2 Liter Cola…..$.59
12 Pack Sparkling Water…..$2.59

Here’s what we already had:

Note: This above was only for dinners. We had other misc. foods for bfast/lunch.

When meal planning, it is important to make meals based on what you already have! This seems like a fairly obvious tip, but I am constantly seeing it on other posts so there it is again. We then reviewed what was on sale (whole chicken!) using our Lidl app and filled out the meal plan. Here is what I already had and how it will be used:

Pizza…..Pizza/Salad Night
Burgers and Fries
Spaghetti, Sauce, and Parmesan Cheese…….Spaghetti Night
Onion, Heavy Whipping Cream, Turkey Bacon, Chicken Broth…….Potato Soup Night
Bell Pepper…..Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice
Frozen Mixed Veggies…..Side for Whole Chicken (Not Pictured)

Here’s The Meal Plan:

Potato Soup with Turkey Bacon
Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy with Frozen Mixed Veggies
Spaghetti with Ground Turkey, Frozen Green Beans , and Salad
Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice (rice, leftovers from whole chicken, scrambled eggs, frozen and fresh veggies with a splash of soy sauce)
Pizza and Salad
Burgers and Fries

This meal plan was very satisfying and generated a ton of leftovers!

Breakfasts/Lunches/Snacks:

For breakfast we had cereal with banana or eggs with toast. For lunches I either had a plate of hummus, almonds, and turkey (previously purchased) with the nut thins and fruit or I had the Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice. My husband had turkey sandwiches with tortilla chips. For snacks I made smoothies with frozen fruit that I had previously purchased and the bagged popcorn that I bought this week. I always make a batch of these protein cookies for my husband to take to work for a snack. We of course enjoyed the ice cream we purchased as a nightly treat!

Meal Plans Week of 1/27

Maddie’s Meal Plan

Chicken Sausage Pasta from Sister Hack
This always turns out and makes enough for a few days of leftovers.

Kale, Black Bean & Corn Tacos from Sister Hack
Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday rolled into one.

Couldn’t Be Easier Instant Pot Salmon and Brussels Sprouts from Sister Hack
Healthy and quick.

Spanish Chickpea Rice from Budget Byte$
A tasty vegetarian recipe made completely in your rice cooker.

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet from Primavera Kitchen
Super healthy and filling.

Potato Soup from Sam the Cooking Guy
Very cost effective. We sub the cayenne pepper for cajun seasoning.

One Pan Garlic Ranch Chicken and Veggies from Damn Delicious
I omit the brown sugar on this one and it still tastes greatB

Breakfast Options: Toast & Hard Boiled Egg (our go-to), Steel Cut Oats, Avocado Toast

Lunch Options: We eat leftovers from the night before if possible, but I usually supplement with cottage cheese, rice crackers, and a piece of fruit.

Snack Options: Yogurt, Kashi Bars, Almonds, Fruit

Emily’s Meal Plan

Monday Dinner: Ended up being date night!

Tuesday Dinner: Chicken Rice Soup from The Pioneer Woman.
Another new recipe but seems easy enough and I ❤ soup!

Wednesday Dinner: Mexican Rice Bowl from The Kitchn.
A favorite recipe of me and my Husband. This uses the instapot and is so easy and yummy!

Thursday Dinner: Falafel Sandwiches from Sister Hack
Vegetarian Recipe! I use Trader Joe’s Mix to make it super easy.

Friday Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner from Sister Hack
We make gluten free dairy free pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

Saturday Dinner: Leftovers. Fridge clean out to not waste food.

Sunday Dinner (Super Bowl!): Pulled Pork Sandwiches and 7 Layer Dip from Sister Hack.

Breakfast Options: Crockpot Apple Oatmeal from Sister Hack. Buddy from Sister Hack. Chocolate Shake from Sister Hack.

Lunch Options: All lunches are leftovers from the night before.

Snack Options: Boiled Eggs. Garden Meatballs from Sister Hack. Fruit. Veggies and Hummus. Roasted Sweet Potatoes.