I have
talked multiple times about how important it is to have a meal plan as a way to save tons of money on your
overall food expenses. Sometimes it can
feel overwhelming to sit down and come up with that plan week after week or you
simply run out of time. In that case try
simplifying the process. This idea isn’t
entirely mine as I was inspired by a Youtuber at Simple Food Simple Life and I think it is brilliant!
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| A blueberry muffin with 1/2 a large apple sliced |
Breakfast – keep it super simple with toast or and
English muffin and peanut butter or a toasted bagel with cream cheese plus a
piece of fruit like a banana, pear, nectarine or an apple. Some of us, and I include myself here, may
not be ready to eat early in the day and if that is the case, then skip
it. Instead, opt for a mid morning snack,
brunch or an early lunch when your stomach is ready for food.
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| A cup of split pea soup w/half a tuna salad sandwich & lettuce |
Lunch – a cup of soup and half a sandwich. Done!
With so many soup options and varieties of sandwiches it will take a
good long while before you get tired, if you even do. This combo allows you to hit all of the
nutrition points too. Also of note is
that a serving of bread is one slice, but if you feel a half sandwich isn’t
enough to keep you going, by all means make a whole sandwich. Try it with the half sandwich first though
because I found it surprisingly filling.
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| Beef stroganoff over rice w/broccoli |
Dinner – a starch, a protein and a vegetable (fresh or cooked or a
combination). I try to avoid too many
starches myself, but if you handle them well then select healthy options like
rice or potatoes. To make it easy try
coming up with a simple meal plan for suppers that you can mix and match over a
couple of weeks.
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| Small bananas & mandarins |
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| Yogurt w/diced nectarine |
Snacks – a piece of fruit, nuts, raw veggies with some salad
dressing, a couple slices of cheese, half a apple sliced with a spoonful of
peanut butter, a yogurt cup, etc.
Healthy snacks like these help fill in the nutritional gaps so you are
sure to get all of your daily nutrients.
Stay away from ultra processed foods.
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| Chicken fried rice, egg drop soup & a green salad |
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| Burger with lettuce & tomato plus potato salad for Diner Nite |
Have
themes – maybe Sunday is chicken, Monday is leftovers, Tuesday is Mexican food,
Wednesday is soup and salad, Thursday is pasta, Friday is hamburgers or steaks,
Saturday is pizza. You get the
idea. Tailor it to fit your family’s
particular tastes.
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| Tacos! |
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| Meatloaf, small baked potato w/sour cream & vegetables |
Your
meal plans don’t need to be overly elaborate, but to save money and stay on
budget you do need a plan of some sort.
Get your family involved in the meal planning so it isn’t always on you
to make it happen and make sure they are helping with the cooking and clean up,
especially the kids. Life lessons
they’ll need to learn for later on in life.
Keep it simple in order to keep it successful!
