Meal Planning. So, I guess this blog post could be the sequel to my earlier post on shopping at
Aldi. In case you didn't get a chance to read it, I basically said that for the past couple years, I've been shopping for 95% of my groceries at Aldi and I do this every 2 weeks with a budget of $175-$200 each trip. I get the other 5% of groceries at Wal-Mart. When we moved to Alabama (almost) two years ago, we were hit with a 9% sales tax on all groceries-ouch! This was really wrecking my budget (and stressing me out because I really don't like grocery shopping and budgets in general, but my husband really likes budgets) and in order to trim all excess off what I was buying, I needed a way to make sure I was solely buying essential items. Thus, the 2 week meal planning menu was born.
Now before you get your hopes up, I have to be honest. We're not a paleo family...or a vegetarian family...or an organic family. I take most of my meal ideas from meals my own Mother and Mother in Law made, which were/are very much meat-and-potatoes type meals. After all, we're from Kansas and farming is in our DNA and ancestry. Don't get me wrong; some of my meal ideas are vegetarian and I could probably tweak some into a paleo diet. But basically, I buy my groceries from Aldi's selection that is priced the cheapest. For example, I buy bagged frozen chicken breasts in the freezer section; I buy a bag of baby carrots, not organic carrots; I buy canned cream of mushroom soup instead of making my own from scratch. So, keep this in mind when reviewing my menu ideas.
Also, I haven't perfected the method to my madness. I've read some blogs or talked to people who have excel documents or binders full of meals, menus, grocery lists, etc. However, mine are just on two laminated (if taping them with packaging tape counts) index cards. I put magnets on the side of the refrigerator so I can easily find it, add to it, and easily take it with me to the store. One of the index cards holds "Meal Ideas" and the other holds the "2 Week Meal Plan". The "Meal Ideas" card has a running list of meals that my family has loved and worked well in the $175-$200 budget. The "2 Week Meal Plan" is really two sided. On one side is just a rough, free-hand-drawn chart where I can fill in the meal ideas for a given 2 week period. Then, I flip the card over and write out my grocery list on the back, taking into account only the items for those meals, snacks, desserts, etc.
When making your "2 Week Meal Plan" chart, keep in mind that yours will probably look different than mine. For example, I only write down meals that we all eat together as a family. For us, that means Monday - Friday, I only have 1 meal (supper) on the list. And on the weekends, I have 2 for both Saturday and Sunday, since most weekends, my husband eats both lunch and supper with us since he's around (we save breakfast for him but he's usually either working or sleeping in). I also don't add a spot for lunches from Monday - Friday since I usually do something like macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, noodles, etc that doesn't necessarily need to be replaced every shopping trip. Also, breakfast is not listed on my chart because it's almost always pancakes and scrambled eggs or oatmeal. The occasional cheerios and yogurt does happen, but it's rare.
Staple Food Items I Buy every 2 Weeks, Regardless of the Menu
5 Dozen Eggs: Yes, I said FIVE DOZEN eggs lasts just long enough for 2 weeks.
Milk: We use 5 gallons in a 2 week period (lots of little ones drinking whole vitamin D milk). I buy 5 gallons and it keeps for 2 weeks! We always drink it up before the expiration date. There has only been 1 time that I had a gallon of milk be sour to the point I took it back to the store and they gave me a complete refund. And get this, I didn't even have the receipt and half of the gallon was gone (I was dumping it down the sink when midway through I realized I should take it back for a refund). There were no questions asked! There are no hormones added to this milk. (The picture is 2%, but it shows in the yellow that there is no hormones added).
3 bags of Frozen Chicken Breasts: Most of my meals have chicken in them and the kids really like it over beef or fish. If I have 1 bag in the freezer when it's time to do the 2 week shopping, I'll only buy 2 bags. But I make sure to have 3 bags by the time I've finished my 2 week shopping.
Apples and Natural (no sugar added) Applesauce: I also make sure I have at least 2 bags of apples (I prefer Honeycrisp after living in the Pacific Northwest and being spoiled by the amazing, fresh picked apples) after the 2 week shopping. They keep for a long time, I'm talking weeks. I will buy other fresh fruit at Aldi like pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes and go through those the first week. The second week we eat more applesauce and apples. My 5 year old also takes applesauce to school with him every day at school.
Peanut Butter.
Honey: My kids prefer PB and H sandwiches over PB and Jelly.
Pancake Mix: as previously stated, I buy 3 boxes and that usually lasts us 2 weeks.
Oatmeal: I like to buy quick oats and old fashioned oats (Aldi has both) and mix them together. My 3 year old daughter LOVES oatmeal for breakfast and so do I, so we go through it pretty fast.
Noodles: My kids love eating spaghetti and just plain noodles so I make sure I have some sort (bowtie, macaroni, tri-color, egg noodle) and Aldi has a pretty good selection.
Crackers: My kids love snacking on crackers. Our Aldi favorites are: animal crackers, square cheese crackers, cheese/peanut butter sandwich crackers, vanilla wafers, and graham crackers.
Flour, Sugar, Powdered Sugar
Fruit: (besides the apples) I like to buy Aldi grapes, pineapple (especially when it's on sale for < $1.00), blueberries and strawberries. The ONLY fresh fruit I have ever had problems with from Aldi is the strawberries. Once (and only once in the few years I've shopped loyally there) I found some slug holes in the strawberries). But remember that you can take back anything you are not satisfied with for your complete money back.
Spaghetti Sauce (Traditional flavor): This is what I use for my pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce and it's also good for dunking cheese quesadillas in! It's amazing. So sweet and tangy. I prefer it over Ragu which I was raised on!
Potatoes: My husband says, "Potatoes are God's gift to the poor" and I'll admit, I love buying the 10 lb bag of potatoes for a few bucks. You can also get sweet potatoes for dirt cheap! I like to use them as potatoe fries (slice in French fry size pieces, toss with olive oil and bake for 425* for 45 minutes or so, season with garlic salt). I also like to use them with soups or as mashed potatoes.
Croissants: I try to make sure I have at least 1 tube.
Hamburger: I've tried the packed meat (like in the picture below) and I usually buy the 90%, 10% (out of laziness so I don't have to drain the grease, and I guess because it's healthier). When I do this, I separate it immediately when I get home into 4 pieces of hamburger and put them individually into 4 sandwich bags. This stretches the hamburger out and my kids don't really like hamburger enough to have it all for 1 meal.
Bread: I prefer the whole wheat bread from Aldi that ranges in price from .89 a loaf to maybe $1.18 or so. I usually buy 2 loafs to get us through 2 weeks.
Sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese: I usually buy 2 bags of each. Many of my recipes use cheddar cheese and I love the way both mozzarella and cheddar taste. Plus, the price can't be beat.
Canned Beans: Green beans, Northern White Beans, Black Beans, and Pork and Beans. All are awesome and I use them all regularly!
Frozen Vegetables: I like to have a bag of frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, and frozen broccoli in the freezer at all times. (I like the steam able broccoli the most that steams in the bag in the microwave)
Brownies: Lastly, I like to keep a box of their plain brownie box mix in the pantry for if an event or party comes up. They are so good and make a huge pan (13 X 9, as compared to most 9 X 9). They also have a killer cream cheese addition on the back that I always get compliments for every time I make them!
Light Sour cream
Vanilla Yogurt. They have lots of flavors and even have greek yogurt that is pretty tasty. My kids prefer yogurt that doesn't have fruit in it.
As far as prices go, Aldi is considerably cheaper on the majority of items sold. I have a copy of one of my last receipts so you can get an idea of what things cost, at least for the Birmingham, Alabama area.
Cream Cheese for $1.29, Kraft American Cheese (with no preservatives) for $2.79.
Whole milk for $3.39 is at least $.0.60 cheaper than Wal-Mart prices.
I love their maple syrup for $3.99, the 40 oz Peanut Butter for $3.49, 4 butter quarters for $2.49, 1 dozen eggs for $1.89.
I even got some "extras" that I normally do not buy, like the cinnamon rolls for $2.99 and still stayed < $200.
I love how the bananas are always $0.44/lb. The cheapest I've seen anywhere.
"2 Week Meal Plan" Card and "Meal Idea" Card
I know it's not the clearest picture, but this gives you an idea of what my "2 Week Meal Plan" chart looks like. Note that the weekends start with Sunday first on the left and Saturday is last on the right (for both rows). I use my "Meal Idea" list to get ideas of things that have worked in the past and also stayed in our budget.
This is what the flip side of the "2 Week Meal Plan" card. It is the essentials of what I need to make the meals on the chart, plus the staples (like 5 gallons of milk, 5 dozen eggs, a few boxes of crackers, etc.).
Again, not the clearest picture, but you get a general idea of how I keep track of my good "Meal Ideas". It's not anything fancy, by any means.
Our Favorite Lunch and Supper Meal Ideas
Home made Pizza: we love supreme, sausage, pepperoni, banana peppers, green peppers, onions, black olives, mushrooms and the occasional plain cheese pizza. I get the yeast packets at Wal-Mart and it looks like
this. It is really simple; it advertises as "30 Minute" pizza crust and it is true to it's name! You don't have to wait for it to rise, which I love.
Meat Roll: It's sort of a calzone type roll with hamburger, canned diced tomatoes, cheese and whatever else you want to add. This one is from my Mother in Law and my husband's entire family eats this with honey either drizzled over top or to dunk each bite into. I have to admit, it's pretty good. I wouldn't make it if it wasn't good and my kids didn't eat it. I've made the dough from the yeast packets and I've also used croissants in a roll-up tube before. Both are good!
Hamburger pockets: Basically, it's ground hamburger with cheddar cheese that I stuff into the triangular roll-up croissants. I try to make them look as circular as I can by using a square (2 triangular croissants in the shape of a square, not separated). It sort of resembles and tastes like bierocks, which we both also grew up with, minus the sauerkraut (which I love by the way).
Hamburger Gravy over Noodles or Mashed Potatoes: Pretty self explanatory. I make the gravy by adding diced mushrooms, some minced garlic (1 T?), and chopped onions to ground hamburger. Then I add probably 1/3 cup of light sour cream, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and milk to desired consistency. The kids LOVE this one, actually!
Tacos
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Pot Pie: I buy the pie crusts where you can just unthaw the dough and bake it in the oven, then add the diced chicken breasts, 1 can of cream of chicken/cream of mushroom and bag of frozen vegetables.
BBQ Pork in the Crockpot: A summer favorite. I've done pork loins and pork chops with this. You can also do BBQ chicken this way. Just put the meat in with the BBQ sauce (like half a bottle) and the crockpot do the cooking.
Spaghetti
Breakfast Casserole: I don't have one in particular I use; I look up different ones on Pinterest, usually. But it usually involves hash browns, sour cream, cheese, and bacon.
Hamburgers and/or Hotdogs: Another summer favorite. We also like hot dog pockets (hot dog wrapped in croissants with cheddar cheese.
Meatloaf
Grilled Chicken Salad: We went on a salad kick last fall when I was training for my half-marathon and I haven't done them in awhile because I honestly got burned out on them! But I loved adding banana peppers, green peppers, avacados, tomatoes, cheese, and even the occasional bacon.
Sloppy Joes or Sloppy Joe Bake: The Sloppy Joe Bake is basically the croissants on the bottom of a pan with the sloppy joe mix, topped with cheddar cheese, topped with another layer of croissants.
Chicken Quesadillas: One of our all time favorites. I like to shred the chicken by boiling it for about an hour. Then I like to sate the onions, green peppers (and mushrooms if you like them) and mix it with the chicken. You can add whatever else you want. Some of our favorite add-ins are of course cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, black beans and salsa. The kids are still not crazy about this, but they do love some cheese quesadillas dunked in ranch!
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup: Canned tomato soup and I like to add a can of diced tomatoes to make it taste more like Tomato Bisque. I also like adding parsley and basil to the soup.
Chicken Tortilla Soup: I like to make the chicken shredded, so boil a few chicken breasts for at least an hour. Then, add to the broth some chicken bullion cubes, 2 cans of white northern beans, 2 cans of black beans, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes or rotel. Top with light sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese and eat with tortilla chips. This is another all time favorite, even for the kids! I got the recipe from one of my 6 sisters and love it.
Hamburger Vegetable Soup: This recipe uses the crock pot and is one of Gabriel's favorite. Basically it is (however much you want to use. I've used 1/4 lb and 1 lb before) ground hamburger, 46 oz v-8 tomato juice, 1 can tomato soup, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and a couple bags of frozen vegetables. I like to add diced potatoes and minced garlic, too.
Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup: I like to use shredded chicken. Add bullion cubes to the water used for boiling the chicken breasts. Add chopped carrots and celery and the egg noodles of your choice. My family loves to eat this over mashed potatoes and I have my husband hooked on this strange but yummy tradition. It makes the broth sort of creamy. And we also use either seasoning salt or celery salt on the top in our bowls.
Tuna patties: This is from my Mother-in-Law and is so good. Mix 1 can tuna (with oil, not water) with about a half stack of crushed saltines and maybe a half diced onion. Make into patties and fry in a skillet with some oil. Awesome with ketchup, although my kids still turn up their noses.
These are not the sole meals I cook, but they are ones that go over well and that I can plan for on the budget to buy the said ingredients. Many nights we eat baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable or something similar. The above meals are ones that usually require specific ingredients other than what I may already have in the freezer or refrigerator. Also, this isn't taking into account fruit, snacks, etc.
I will say that I think in general, soups are a huge money saver but also very under-rated. Don't forget about soup, even in the summer! Whenever I make any of the 3 soups listed, they last us AT LEAST 3 nights of meals and usually my lunches for the following days. Plus, soup is just so filling that it doesn't take as much to make a warm, happy tummy. Try adding in some soup to your meal plan to stretch your dollar a little more.
Also, casseroles are another way to save money AND time. Do a double batch and toss the extra in the freezer for one of next week's meals.
I know my method isn't the neatest or prettiest or necessarily the healthiest, but it works for us. I hope in the upcoming years, I am able to buy more organic food, use home-grown food from my garden, and add more healthy options in our menu. But for the time being, it works. Hopefully you can draw some inspiration from my method and maybe even draw some cute little 2 week meal plan charts, too.
Happy Monday-Money Saving!
