Here is the plan for this week:
Sunday (visit my daughter at college today - 3 1/2 hour drive each way!)
B: Cold cereal & milk
L: (picnic) Chicken salad sandwiches, cut up fruit, homemade choc.chip - yogurt cookies
D: Pizza ( out )
Monday ( bake bread today)
B: oatmeal, sliced pears
L: turkey - salsa roll ups, applesauce
D: chicken pie ,
Tuesday
B: banana muffins, smoothies
L: tortilla pizza
D: Stuffed baked potatoes ; spinach salad
Wednesday
B: oatmeal, oranges
L: turkey hot dogs, french fries, baked beans
D: Spaghetti w/ spinach, garlic, parmesan, chopped tomatoes ;
homemade whole wheat Italian bread
Thursday
B: whole grain pancakes ( w/ choc chips for kids), sliced strawberries
L: chef salad
D: Meatloaf, baked sweet potatoes, green beans
Friday
B: Muffins, smoothies
L: Yogurt, pb & j sandwiches, apples ( Co-op day )
Saturday
B: French toast ( w/ homemade ww bread ) , orange juice
L: cold pizza, trail mix, apples, carrot sticks, cheese sticks (pack lunch - soccer tournament)
D: Chicken Enchiladas, brown rice w/ salsa, spinach salad
I usually have a dinner menu plan for the week. Every Friday night is homemade pizza night, and Wednesday night is pasta night. But recently, as we've had to tighten our belts a bit more, I've done 2 things that have helped save money on groceries. The first is switch from using my debit card to using cash, and the second is planning not only dinner, but breakfast and lunch each day as well.
I am less likely to throw extra things in the shopping cart when I have a certain number of dollars in my wallet that has to last the whole week. It is too easy to lose track of my spending when I use the debit card. So my goal is to spend no more than $200 a week on groceries/ paper supplies / cleaning products for the five of us at home - which includes an 18-y-o bottomless pit, a 14-y-o, and a 9 -y-o who is apparently going through a growth spurt!
And having a plan for breakfast and lunch helps the older kids, especially, from not emptying the pantry/fridge of items I was planning to use for meals later in the week!
In addition to saving money, it is also very important to me that we eat good, wholesome, healthy foods, so I avoid prepared and processed foods. I cook most things from scratch and bake bread each week. I use butter instead of margarine, whole wheat flour instead of most white flour, and olive oil or canola oil instead of shortening or butter when I can. I limit my use of sugar, include fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible, eat more chicken than beef or pork, and drink water instead of sweetened drinks.
I am less likely to throw extra things in the shopping cart when I have a certain number of dollars in my wallet that has to last the whole week. It is too easy to lose track of my spending when I use the debit card. So my goal is to spend no more than $200 a week on groceries/ paper supplies / cleaning products for the five of us at home - which includes an 18-y-o bottomless pit, a 14-y-o, and a 9 -y-o who is apparently going through a growth spurt!
And having a plan for breakfast and lunch helps the older kids, especially, from not emptying the pantry/fridge of items I was planning to use for meals later in the week!
In addition to saving money, it is also very important to me that we eat good, wholesome, healthy foods, so I avoid prepared and processed foods. I cook most things from scratch and bake bread each week. I use butter instead of margarine, whole wheat flour instead of most white flour, and olive oil or canola oil instead of shortening or butter when I can. I limit my use of sugar, include fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible, eat more chicken than beef or pork, and drink water instead of sweetened drinks.
See more Menu Plan Monday links here.
2 comments:
I need to get better at planning - I'm doing pretty good about dinner but that's a great idea to plan breakfast & lunch, too (esp. now that D is carrying his lunches). BTW, last night I made homemade pizza using your crust recipe that I got from you a year or so ago (and have loved) and all the crew, including non-family raved over the crust. Thanks!!!
You may want to slip some Friday lunch into your Thurs plan for my kids. :) ~Sabrina
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