If you've read my, "How I Feed My Family of 5 of $260 a Month" blog post, you know that grocery shopping/meal planning is something I strive to excel at. But I don't just want to eat cheaply; I also want to eat well.
For me, that equates to cooking from scratch + eating seasonally + shopping from sales. Years back I used to cut coupons, but I found it to be A LOT of work + a lot of foods we don't normally eat anyway.
Currently, it's too early in the year for many farmer's markets, so I'm relying on my tried and true grocery store, Aldi. Before I ventured out, I browsed through their sales flyer and made a lot of my meals around that + what I already have at home and need to use up. This week for produce my Aldi had asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and pears all on sale.
Because my brain can only handle so much, I generally hardcore meal plan for a week, and then the 2nd week is more on the fly, making sure nothing goes to waste. Sometimes I'll go out and purchase just a few odds and ends the 2nd week to help fill in the "cracks" (usually more produce). This trip I spent $120.34 total on everything in the picture up top, and I did one "fill in the cracks" May Aldi produce trip the week before for $16.26. Making my month of May total so far: $136.60!
Here's what we'll be eating this week:
Breakfast:
- Green Smoothies
- Avocado + everything bagels
- Yogurt parfaits (use up that Aldi sale fruit!)
- Eggs + toast
- Spring Celebration Bowl (uses sale asparagus)
- Oatmeal + peanut butter and bananas
- Cereal
Lunch:
- Leftovers from dinner
- Sandwiches
- Lazy guacamole + chips (scroll to the bottom for guac. The main recipe is also delicious too though!)
- Whatevs
Snacks/Baked Goods:
- Honey Roasted Strawberry Muffins (utilizing sale fruit. I make this recipe multiple times every spring.)
- Blueberry Muffins (again, utilizing sale fruit)
- Banana bread
- Baked Honey and Goat Cheese Pears (sale fruit!)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Hummus + veggies
Dinner:
- Spicy Mango Black Bean Avocado Tacos
- Penne with Parsley Pesto & White Beans (I look forward to making this recipe every year. Something about it just screams, "spring" to me, and makes me happy.)
- Asparagus + new potatoes (utilizing sale asparagus. we also really like this spring recipe. Did not want to plan 2 kinds of pasta in the same week!)
- Breakfast night (either waffles from here or French toast from here)
- Leftover night
I might like to cook from scratch, but running a business means I cannot spend all day in my kitchen. This week especially i know I have a few deadlines coming up so I picked seasonal meals that are quick/easy! I usually will make one thing from scratch a day, sometimes twice if I am baking. I don't plan out lunch because typically, everyone else is at school/daycare/work. I planned out 5 dinners because on Sunday evening my husband brings food home from his restaurant and on Saturday our nanny will be home feeding the kids.
I hope you enjoyed reading, and have found some inspiration here! Til next time!
<3, Nicole