- I go shopping in my fridge and pantry FIRST to see what needs to be eaten. Based on that, I pick my three meals to make.
- I shop for the remaining ingredients for those three meals. Normally this means whipping out my phone and ordering from the Wal Mart grocery app, so I can pick my order up on the way home from church. This is also a great way to stay on budget as it adds up the total as you go!
- I bake things so I can grab goodies on the way to work to eat for breakfast. I will also prepare 5 boiled eggs in the instant pot, so I have one each morning to go with my treat.
- I make ahead all of my son's school lunches for the week.
The goal is to stay on budget and have ZERO THINKING OR PREPPING during the workweek when I'm too overwhelmed to do either.
- Instant Pot Ramen
- I have made it without the whole raw chicken, reduced the cook time, and just added a shredded rotisserie chicken at the end.
- Miso with salmon and rice
- I often wrap the salmon and rice in seaweed with carrots to make sushi wraps!
- Peanut Zoodles with chicken
- I skip the chili sauce and use paprika; and I don't like bell pepper so I skip that as well.
- Enchiladas
- I never have enchilada sauce or cream cheese. Tastes great with just salsa and shredded cheese. Publix has awesome GF wraps.
- Salmon cakes with biscuits, eggs, and cooked greens.
- Sometimes I do boxed cornbread instead.
- Sloppy Joes with green beans
- I don't add any sugar or jalapenos. I use 1 tsp of onion powder because I hate chopping onions.
- Split Pea Ham Soup
- You can use carrots instead of sweet potatoes; I never add bay leaves.
- Spinach feta quiche
- Amazing GF crust recipe! I have substituted sour cream and cottage cheese for the cream cheese.
- Salmon Quiche
- I use the GF crust option from the recipe above. I have substituted sour cream and cottage cheese for the cream.
- Paleo Pancakes with bacon
- I like to pour them on a cookie sheet and bake them. I hate standing there flipping pancakes.
- Sometimes we make homemade pizza as a special treat. I make GF flatbread for myself when we do.
The leftovers from each meal are also what I take to work for lunch.
I pick one of these gluten-free baked goods to make every weekend:
- Easiest peanut butter cookies EVER!
- Peanut butter muffins (no sugar)
- Banana Oat Bites (no sugar)
- Ginger cookies (I make them with almond and coconut flour for more protein/fat)
For my 8-year-old:
Each day at school he eats:
- A peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread
- A Larabar or a pack of whole-wheat cheese crackers
- A small serving of cheese popcorn, corn chips, or cheese puffs
I also always keep whole milk and Cheerios around. Because that is the greatest meal of all time and my ultimate comfort food. I eat low FODMAP, so I buy lactose-free milk for myself.
Roundup:
We spend $100 per week on groceries, plus $25 per week on eating out. So that's $500/month total on food. I buy $50 worth to make my meals, and my husband buys $50 worth to make his meals.
That budget includes other consumables too, like vitamins, shampoo, conditioner, soap, trash bags, and dishwashing detergent. Though sometimes we go over budget to get those things, we try to go without them or use them sparingly. For example, my dish soap lasts forever because I water it down in a spray bottle. We reduce our waste so we don't fill up too many trash bags. We don't use paper towels unless we're cleaning up super gross things (pee or poop).
Sometimes we eat only pantry and freezer food for few days, so we can stock up on those non-food items that we need, without going over budget.
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