I switched things up by sharing our meal plan for this week ahead of time, so if any of you tried some of the meals along with me, I’d love to hear what you thought! We’ve been working on sticking to a monthly grocery budget that fits our family for the past 6 weeks and all it has done thus far is highlight how much we eat. Still, here some takeaways from this week’s meal plan.
Hit: Breakfast. David enjoyed bagels and coffee for his quick grab-n-go breakfast. The girls switched between veggies and eggs with me, oatmeal packs, and bagels with cream cheese. Some days I had egg and avocado on toast and others I went the veggie route. Delicious!
Miss: Budget. I think, no, I know, we like to eat good food and keep things rotating regularly. We account for this in our monthly food allotment but it still amazes me at how quickly it goes. I spent $75 at the Walmart pick up, $138 at Whole Foods, and stopped by Publix midweek for more avocados and bagels ($10). Weekly total = $223.
Ideally I’d love to keep it below $200 a week. I do remind myself that this is breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all 4 of us and that makes me feel a little better. We so rarely eat out that it keeps our restaurant budget in check too, which is nice at least.
Hit: Greek night! You can see I switched things up a little from the original meal plan. I ditched the veggies and hummus side in favor of a simple Greek salad of cucumber, tomato, red onion, and feta in a red wine vinaigrette, which we stuffed inside the pitas with mini gyro burgers.
I had some potatoes on their last legs from the previous week so I roasted those too. The girls had a deconstructed version.
We all mmm’d our way through the entire meal.
Miss: The BBQ Chicken Quinoa salad. I hate even saying this since a few people tried it and liked it, so if you’re on the fence, try it! It’s super simple. I thought it tasted good, as did David, but he probably would have enjoyed it more with some chips since it didn’t seem hearty enough for him.
Both girls however, no go. Hailey ate some of it but was underwhelmed, and Kaitlyn literally gagged through a couple bites. I want to blame texture here, or maybe too many components mixed together, but I won’t be making it again soon (though I will happily eat the leftovers for lunch today).
Hit: Midweek snack bars. I shared how I make these super simple peanut butter oat bars on my instagram stories. To make it to a 8 am Burn class, I needed a quick breakfast for the girls and only pantry ingredients to use so I made these bars a friend shared with me years ago.
They are super simple: Boil 1/2 cup of honey for 1 minute on the stove. Stir 1/2 c peanut butter and 1/2 tsp salt into the honey and stir. Pour honey and peanut butter mixture over 2 cups of oat, mix quickly, and press into a bread loaf pan with parchment. Freeze for 30 minutes or so then slice. Keep them in the fridge.
Miss: Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup. Not a total miss, as David really liked it. I enjoyed the heartiness of the rice and the addition of enchilada sauce, but think I prefer the veggie heavy alternative. Unfortunately it was too spicy for the girls, but they enjoyed rice, guacamole, and tortilla chips.
We’ll have the carrot soup tonight with grilled cheeses and roasted-whatever-veggie-is-left-in-the-fridge.
I’m switching things up a little bit and going to hit up a wholesale club with Molly tomorrow to see if buying some things in bulk can save me a little bit overall for the month.
Wholesale club members, what do you recommend?
So far on my list I have wine and laundry detergent. If that doesn’t scream mom, I don’t know what does.
Also, any favorite cheap meal ideas to share?
Alexis says
You proabably already kniw it, but the blog budgetbytes.com has a ton of recipes and the few that I’ve tried have been quite good. It lists an estimated price per serving on recipes, which might help out your budget goals.
Brittany Dixon says
I have tried one of her dishes (the ramen and veggie stir fry a few weeks back) and yes, it was good! I’ll go poke around over there some more. Do you have a specific meal you’d recommend?
Alexis says
Off the top of my head, I love her black bean soup – but I think you’ve mentioned you don’t like beans?
Brittany Dixon says
Unfortunately I like them but they don’t make me feel that great. Which sucks because they are such a cheap, healthy food! I know she has a lot of recipes though so I’ll search through them a bit. Thanks for the suggestion!
Erica Sparkenbaugh says
I like her dragon noodles recipe https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles/
but may be too spicy for the girls! YOu could always just serve them the noodles with butter sauce and make the spicy sauce for you and David.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh sounds good! I love spicy sauce like that, especially with shrimp thrown in!
Alex says
Love her breakfast florentine pizza!!
lauren says
Easy oven fajitas are good, I make those monthly. Sheet pan sweet and sour chicken (I cut the vinegar a bit). Vegetable enchilada casserole (you might try lentils or some cooked meat instead of beans?).
Related, Iowa Girl Eats has a lazy girl’s enchilada casserole that is also good, but quicker, and can be amped up with whatever veggies you have chopped or in the freezer.
montessoriishmom says
I tried both the bbq chicken bowls and the barley salad from your meal plan – loved the barley salad! I thought the bbq chicken bowls were pretty good too, and will also be enjoying the leftovers for lunch 🙂 My favorite inexpensive meal is “burrito bowls” – just homemade beans with brown rice and all the toppings! (I like avocado, lime, cilantro, red onino, salsa, random veggies…). I’m debating joining Cosco too – I know they have good deals, but I feel like I might just buy all the things….
Brittany Dixon says
Burrito bowls really are the best because you can put anything in them and it’s delicious covered in salsa 🙂
Jeanne says
I made your gyro burger and the BBQ chicken bowl and they were both really good. I need tri those bars!
How do you save recipes that are not on the blog that you love so you can refer back to?
I need to organize my fave recipes better. I have them everywhere on my phone and feel disorganized.
Notes, screenshots, email, favorites etc.
Brittany Dixon says
Most recipes I make on the regular are on my blog in my meal plans. I have some I know by heart or wing some recipes, but other than that I don’t really have a tracking system. My mom prints them out and keeps them in a notebook, which works really well!
Erica says
I have a pinterest board of favorite recipes. I like this because my husband can access it from the ipad for the days he cooks, too.
Jodi says
So random win for us this week was bc I defrosted chicken, but didn’t have any plan. And I was feeling lazy. I looked in the pantry and fridge for motivation/ inspiration. Found leftover quinoa and cans of black beans… And what I did was a hit w me and jayson . Girls would have liked the deconstructed version, so will remember that next time.
2 cans black beans, 1/2- 3/4 large can petite diced tomatoes, left over quinoa ( maybe a cup). half bag frozen corn, fresh garlic, and spices ( cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt) if I wasn’t lazy I would have chopped up peopers and onions too, but it wasn’t happening. Mixed it all up and threw it in the oven for 20 min.
While that scooking I took my chicken breast and pan cooked on the stove w similar spices and olive oil. Then I chopped the. Up into little pieces, spread it over the casserole w some cheddar and threeit back in the oven until the cheddar was melted served w sour cream and avocado. We both loved it! Easy, cheap.
Brittany Dixon says
You are brilliant my friend- cover with cheese and bake. I need to remember that, especially for other quinoa salads that don’t feel as filling as David would like them. Great tip! 🙂
Annie says
I just jumped up to check my pantry for honey, hoping to make those bars right now but we’re all out. Adding it to the grocery list! I truly am envious of your love for meal planning. I try to do it each week, always struggling to figure out a healthy balance for the three of us. My husband loves hearty meals (pasta, meat, cheese and potatoes) where I could live off salads every night. Throw in a picky toddler and oh my gosh I’m lost! But I love and appreciate your inspiration!
Cassie says
I have been struggling with the same grocery budget because, like you, all our breakfasts, lunches, dinners come from the grocery store. From sams: chicken, ground beef (most meat), tp, trash bags, freezer bags, maple syrup, honey, canned diced tomatoes, evoo, almond milk, eggs. The only produce I do are bananas, apples, and spinach/lettuce. The other big thing that helps me is having a regular 2 week meal rotation of all meals with 1 or 2 weekly wild card spots. It helps to know what to stock up on cone sale time. Of course, it took awhile before I found about 12 drool worthy meals but we finally got there. Good luck!
Heather says
One of my favorite easy meals that usually has plenty of leftovers are “Taco” Bowls. Rice, Beans, Chicken, Cheese, Avocado and pretty much whatever anyone feels like dumping in. If we need to go cheap, that’s my go-to. We’re getting ready to “join” a local organic grass-fed farm and I’m looking forward to getting good quality meat and eggs at a great price. It’s a little spendy to start out, but I think the monthly cost ends up working out to our advantage and we not only get to stay local but we can actually feel good about where our food is coming from. Food budgeting is so hard for me, but something I want to get better at.
Brittany Dixon says
We did a cow share for the same reason and it was a really good deal! Of course, we still have some a year later that we are trying to eat, but for the quality, you can’t beat the price. I’d love to hear more about your experience when you start it up!
Erica Sparkenbaugh says
I’m impressed by what your girls eat! My (just turned) 5 year old son is not picky per se, but usually eats a VERY deconstructed version of our dinners. I’ve also just simplified our meals a bit so I’m only cooking one thing that I know he’ll eat too.
Our favorite cheap and filling dinner is fried rice. I usually make a big batch of rice early in the week and save half for fried rice night. Then, scramble up some eggs, add the rice, and toss in some peas and soy sauce at the end. For the adults, I usually stir fry some additional veggies and mix them in once I take my son’s portion out (he likes peas, edamame, broccoli and carrots … but onions/peppers/zucchini/cabbages are a battle I can’t seem to win after 3 years of trying so I’m giving up for a bit).
Brittany Dixon says
I always forget about fried rice, but you are right, it’s SO good! Of course, I will need to serve it on a day we can eat outside because somehow when my kids eat rice it ends up everywhere! I don’t know how they do it, but truly, everywhere…
Monica says
It’s nice to hear that other people’s kids gag through the meals they make too. 🙂 I started hashtagging my meals #disgustingdinnersbymom on Instagram because he literally complains about everything I make.
Brittany Dixon says
That hashtag- hilarious!!
Megan says
I dream of meal planning like you do but have trouble sticking to a plan. My number one problem is not necessarily feeling like eating what I had planned for a certain night. I also feel like I can’t plan around my husband’s work schedule which can often throw off the entire week if he works late a lot. Also, I tend to make different meals for my husband and I. He is happy with a salad or a smoothie where I need something a little more substantial than that. I really want to work in more veggies, healthier options, and stick to a budget, but meal planning is so hard for me. I tell myself it’ll get easier when I’m cooking for a family and not just the two of us, but I worry what our budget will become if it’s more than us! Any suggestions?
Brittany Dixon says
Wow that is awesome that your husband is happy with a smoothie or salad; it’s the opposite in my house 🙂 For us, I make one meal but we sometimes eat it differently. For example, I might have a grilled chicken salad, David will turn it into a wrap, and the girls will eat a “dippable” salad and chicken. It keeps it easy on me and everyone just alters it to fit their hunger level.
Elizabeth says
Can you believe my SIL with 5 kids 9 and under sticks to a budget of $150/wk? For 7 people!!! I have no idea how she does it. I think she really shops things that are in sale & stocks up & uses coupons.
I love Costco. Here are some things I buy often: wipes (even though kids don’t wear diapers I use them all the time), organic eggs, sargento cheese/but snack packs, keurig cups, tp, paper towels, bottled water, beer, liquor (if yours has it), gas!!!!!, big box of oranges, raspberries, frozen fruit for smoothies, apple squeezes, vitamins, sunscreen, & lots of other things. Costco = best value (great quality, cheapest prices on those specific items/brands bc buying in bulk)
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I will have to look at the eggs too- good reminder! Wine already is top of my list 😉
Brandy H. says
I have 2 teenage boys and a 9 year old daughter and I wish I could get our grocery budget below $300/wk! But with teenage boys it’s hard! I do not know where they put all of the food they eat! I keep telling myself this too shall pass, haha!
One of the easiest meals I make, probably once a week, is broiled chicken and veggies (whatever we have but usually onion, zucchini, grape tomatoes, broccoli and carrots) over rice. So good and fast! And if I cut up the veggies ahead of time I am high fiving myself for getting dinner in the oven in less than 10 min’s! Score!
Brittany Dixon says
With two teen boys and a daughter, I think it sounds like you are doing pretty amazing at keeping it under $300!! Seriously. Good food just adds up, especially for hungry growing kids!
Taryn says
I am definitely trying those peanut butter bars this week! Sounds so yummy! As for our grocery budget, I totally feel your pain. I try and “justify” how much we spend on food the same way you do – we really enjoy high quality ingredients, we don’t eat out a lot, etc. But I look at what I spend at the grocery store, add in the meat, eggs, and milk we buy at the farm, and it makes me SO fearful for when my kids are teenagers (they are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 right now).
One thing my husband and I talked about last night is just how MUCH they eat. I always hear moms talking about their young kids who don’t eat. We certainly don’t have that problem LOL. The 5 1/2 year old amazes us at dinner each night when he basically eats the same amount as me, then asks for an apple or banana with peanut butter for “dessert.” I guess it’s a good problem to have… 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Yes! H (5 1/2 too) can put away some serious food. She definitely can out eat me somedays. Growing kids are no joke!
Lindsey says
Do you have a Sprouts? They have so many wonderful organic options but AMAZING sales. It’s like a Whole Foods mixed with an Aldi and I love it. I buy their meat in bulk when they put it on sale–amazing quality chicken breasts sometimes for $1.67/pound. Grass-fed ground beef for $3.99/pound. It helps our grocery budget so much.
Here’s what we get at Costco: milk, eggs (worth a membership alone. We go through at least 3, often 5-6, eggs a day.), jars of applesauce, toilet paper, oatmeal, cans of organic tomato sauce and diced tomatoes for homemade spaghetti sauce, laundry detergent, produce, applesauce packs (I guess we eat a lot of applesauce), hummus, La Croix (ours will frequently run a deal for $5.99 for 24.)
Also, one thing that strangely helped us was simplifying breakfast. Our 4-year-old gets a choice of eggs or oatmeal for breakfast and if she choose oatmeal, she just gets regular oatmeal (not packs) mixed with brown sugar and peanut butter and whole milk. My husband eats an egg sandwich for breakfast every day and I eat oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter (however, I need a carb-heavy breakfast with a good amount of fat, I’ve found.) Since we buy oatmeal and eggs for cheap at Costco, this has helped a lot AND it gets us out the door so much faster. Buuuuut none of us minds eating the same thing over and over haha.
Brittany Dixon says
We don’t have a Sprouts, but visited one when I was in Atlanta and they had some great finds for sure! I can’t believe the prices you get of chicken and beef- incredible! You are right, I probably should simplify breakfast a bit. Definitely something for me to consider. Thanks for the input!
Laura says
It all looks tasty to me! Have you ever jumped on the “overnight oats” bandwagon? I’ve added it to my breakfast rotation. My favorite mix currently is oats, chia seeds, plain yogurt, milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon, honey, and strawberries. I make a big batch, minus the fruit, that lasts a few days. And pretty much all of those ingredients came from Costco. Is it weird that I’m excited for you to hit up a bulk store?! I just love what they offer! I would look for: oils (olive, coconut, avocado, etc), nuts and seeds like chia and hemp (right now my family is indulging in a bulk bag of de-shelled pistachios… I know, I scoffed at the idea at first, but now I just love being able to grab a handful!), fancy cheeses at affordable prices, frozen shellfish, peanut/ almond butter, coffee, and lots of produce! Have fun!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m excited to hit up a bulk store too, especially if I can find SHELLED pistachios! Amazing and perfect for magic green sauce!
I’ve tried the overnight oats but I’m just a sucker for eggs for breakfast. mmm… 🙂
Christine says
I love Iowa girl eats recipe for Lazy Girls Lasagna! Just frozen raviolis, jarred tomato sauce, ground meat and mozzarella layered and baked – so good! And a great freezer meal. I’ve made it for a few expectant Moms and they rave about it!
I wish I could stick to a food budget but I swear I’m always running into the store to grab this or that even though I do a big grocery trip each week. Like yesterday I had to get more milk and then I saw avocados were on sale (.99 each!) and then I got more fruit, haha. Like you’re family, we love good, natural foods so I kind of justify my food spending on the fact that we are eating, whole, healthy meals.
Jasmine T says
I like your meal plans, but I wonder if the planning may be hurting the cost-saving concept? A lot of grocery stores have significant mark downs/sales that I see for the first time when I’m at the store (especially for veggies when sale means they also have to look good). Does your meal plan take in-store deals into account?
Brittany Dixon says
Such a great point, as I see the same sales as I’m walking down aisles sometimes too. Overall though, we have no food waste (something really important to me) and I just can’t see how I’d do it without having a plan. I’ma list addict! 😉 I do check sales and coupons at certain stores, but I could certainly be more diligent about it. Great advice!
Jerrica says
I think your budget is great! We are a family of 4 with a 5 and 7 (boy!!!) year old and A very active husband I can’t seem to get out under 250-300. It’s so frustrating but I’m not willing to store hop to find deals so I just suck it up and deal and make my meal plans to help keep it in check. My husband reminds me constantly that it’s only going to get worse 😭 I have a love hate relationship with Costco. I buy our laundry, paper goods and almond milk there. I’m not big on their meat as it’s hard to find natural grass fed organic options (which are important to us). They have great deals on organic tortilla chips though 😉 Beer and wine is always a hit and I snag a few other canned things like broth and tomatoes. I have tried getting coffee there but I am the only one who drinks it and I couldn’t get through the bag without t going bad-it’s mind blowing!! We pass on the dog/cat food as it doesn’t sit well with my animals. Pledge is always a great deal too! And canned tuna-usually $3 at WF and I get 5 cans for $10 at Costco! And those are my random monthly purchases at Costco 😂
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I’m definitely going to check out the tuna too- thank you!! I love when I can find the good stuff for cheaper. Beer and wine are definitely on my list too 🙂 Thanks for all your input!
Liz T says
$23 bucks over isn’t bad. Good job!
Erica says
Thanks for showing how you deconstructed the greek pitas for your kids! That sort of thing is so helpful to me as I struggle finding more “fun” foods for my toddler! We shop at Sam’s Club which is the closest and most convenient for us. We have a business membership (all you need is a business card and they will give you one) so their early hours start at 7 a.m. most days of the week which is so much more convenient for us than the BJ’s or Costco which don’t open until 10. We are pretty happy with the produce at Sams, but they are hit and miss for organic. I can get organic eggs, milk, ground beef, baby spinach, carrots, and green beans there but that is about it. Great prices on nuts and I like their ECO’s brand laundry detergent. I’ll go to Trader Joes about once per month for tofu, organic apple sauce, organic peanut butter, and organic cheese and Super Target or Harris Teeter also once per month just for organic plain greek yogurt for my son – because they just don’t have the organic greek plain at Trader Joes or Sams Club and the regular organic plain yogurt is too liquidy for my toddler’s spoon!
Julia @ Drops Of Jules says
Thank you thank you thank you for all of these posts! They are so helpful right now in this time of transition!!
jodi says
Costco- avocados!!! As I can see you like them – much better price! Stoplight bell peppers – we eat a lot of peppers around here! Almond butter and organic peanut butter. They also have a delicious kale superfoods premade salad mix. Organic string cheese, Brussel sprouts and strawberries also regular buys. Have fun!! Hope they have some good samples when ya go!
Emily S says
I made the carrot soup on Sunday! At first I thought I may not like it because I don’t love carrots, but both my husband and I really liked it (maybe him a little more so than me 😊)!
Molly says
Girl, I CAN’T WAIT for our shopping trip tomorrow! 💁🏻
Nicole says
I have a few meals that are my go to meals, chicken marsala, chicken parm and lasagna soup, all served with roasted vegetables. I love trying new recipes, and once a week is going to be new recipe night. Hopefully it turns out well and backups aren’t necessary! 🙂
I love Costco, they have great deals on oatmeal, milk, eggs, paper goods, spices, meat, chicken. They have the best baby wipes, i use them all the time. I would buy my girls fleece pjs there. They were cheaper than if I went to carters, also socks. Movies are a great buy too. Oh and Christmas cards $14.99 for a pack of 50! I priced it out same # of cards and it was well over $50 for shutterfly. I could go on and on lol.
Kiki says
My boys love Pbrunner olive oil & Greek yougurt lemon chia muffins! I make a double batch and freeze them. Usually make a smoothie to go with and they eat it up! On our weekly dinner rotation is chicken burritos that I make with ground chicken meat, add in rice and black beans, veggie side. All three love it and so easy & quick to prepare.
Kate @ Kate Lives Healthy says
I am a huge Costco fan. I do most of my weekly grocery shopping there and then go to WF or Trader Joe’s for the extras. Costco produce is spot on and you can’t beat the price on the greens. Frozen fruits and veggies are the best. The number one best buy is gasoline. They only take Visa, Debit, or Cash. Also, they will take ANYTHING back at ANYTIME! Awesome return policy on food or goods. Enjoy your trip there. Saturdays can be hectic so don’t be turned off by the crowds. Happy Shopping 🙂
Heather says
Brittany, I think your budget is awesome for the amount of (healthy, unprocessed) meals you make at home! Especially since ours is so much more 🙁 One of our kids has celiac/dairy allergy and another has a ton of food allergies, so sadly our food budget is just through the roof. Seriously, it’s insane. Costco doesn’t carry most of our staples unfortunately, BUT we do get gas, wholly guacamole, organic frozen blueberries, and wild planet tuna there. Oh and coconut oil and my hubby buys his coffee there. The savings in wild planet tuna vs grocery store/Amazon pays for our membership alone. Also, they have a sheet cake for only $19 that tastes amazing. It’s my go to “having a party and have to feed a large crowd’ cake (that my family cant eat, ha!) Have fun and watch, you’ll get hooked, Costco has something for everyone 😉