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Summer is in full swing! CSA boxes are being delivered, Fridays are spent at the beach with free concerts and we’re cooking on the grill as much as possible. That is, if dinner even requires cooking in the first place!
As I mentioned in June’s meal plan post, I’m still working on a fun little something for you guys that isn’t letting me eat exactly what you see below, but this menu really isn’t too far off. Some of our menu changes depending on what comes in the CSA box and it’s hard to plan what we’ll eat in three weeks when I have no idea what veggies we’ll get in just three days. In addition (and believe it or not), we’re STILL eating out the crevices of the freezer, although we’re making significant progress (and saving quite a bit at the same time).
However, one thing hasn’t changed: This menu can still be accomplished on just $330. There are plenty of new delicious recipes and lots of options to include fresh produce from your garden, the CSA box or a great deal found at the market or store. Play your cards right and a good portion of this month can be cooked without the stove too!
The goal for this month is to enjoy the taste of summer – in salads, on sandwiches and mingled among whole grains. Don’t feel confined to eating exactly what we have written. These are just ideas to get your own creative cooking juices flowing.
Remember, re-arrange the days according to your own schedule and to the summer celebrations you have planned. Just to clue you in on my methodology, in our house, Mondays are “quick and easy,” Tuesdays are “salad,” Wednesdays are “pasta,” Thursdays are “soup” and Fridays are “pizza” or a variation thereof (stromboli, calzone, etc).
Whole Food Eating Plan: July 2014
Notes on this Whole Food Eating Plan:
- This meal plan is for the average family of four, costing approximately $330. You might need to change portion sizes according to your own family size and budget.
- Meals are based around 2 whole chickens, 2 lb of beef roast and 2 lb of bacon. You’re welcome.
Whole Food Eating Plan: Week 1
(S) Whole Roasted Chicken
(M) Baja Chicken Tacos
(T) Southwestern Salad and Dinner Biscuits
(W) Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole
(T) Hearty Minestrone Soup with Barley
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) Loaded Grilled Cheese & Veggie Sandwiches
Whole Food Eating Plan: Week 2
(S) Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
(M) Loaded Veggie Quesadillas
(T) BLT Chopped Salad and Dinner Biscuits
(W) Roasted Tomato Caprese Pasta Salad
(T) Garlic White Bean Soup with Kale
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Whole Food Eating Plan: Week 3
(S) Salmon Sliders
(M) Black Bean & Mango Tostadas
(T) Blue Cheese Wedge Salad and Dinner Biscuits
(W) Lentil Macaroni
(T) Corn Chowder
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) Sweet & Sour Chicken
Whole Food Eating Plan: Week 4
(S) Grilled BBQ Chicken
(M) Sour Cream Waffles
(T) BBQ Chicken Salad
(W) Fancy Spaghetti Night
(T) Garlic White Bean and Kale Soup
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Whole Food Eating Plan: Breakfast
Breakfasts and lunches are pretty “standard” around our house. These are a few basic ideas, and can be made with what we typically have on hand. The exact flavor or style of the meal (i.e. strawberries vs. banana pancakes) just depends on what we have in the pantry. Mix/match according to your schedule and your own kitchen!
- scrambled eggs
- yogurt with fresh fruit and granola
- breakfast porridge
- blueberry pie millet porridge
- strawberries & cream baked french toast
- Toast and Smoothies
- zucchini bread with apples & carrots
Whole Food Eating Plan: Lunches
- leftovers from breakfast or dinner
- peanut butter & fruit sandwiches/wraps
- Healthy Homemade Lunchables
- homemade yogurt with granola and/or fruit
Looking for more delicious and frugal inspiration? Get more real food meal plans here.
FEATURED DOWNLOAD: Join 8000+ frugal foodies and download a complimentary copy of 14-day Frugal Real Food Meal Plan to take the guess work out of meal planning, lower your grocery budget AND feed your family real food! Click Here to Download!
Thank you so much for this post!
You’re welcome Lexie!
I have a good zucchini bread recipe. I’ll email you! 🙂
YES! Thanks Rachel!
PS meant to also say how excited I am to use this meal plan!!!
LOL, I’m so glad! 🙂
Hi Tiffany, I am sooooo excited to have this meal plan. We currently have school holidays here in Australia. I was wanting to make your carrot cake recipe as was wondering if i could reduce the sugar quantity in the cake? I have a diabetic husband and a daughter who is a sweet tooth. If i could bake the cake, but reduce the sugar amount would it affect the cake in any way? I am not made amount using heaps of sugar for baking. Could i for example grate an apple in? Thanks C.
Oh yes, absolutely! I’m working on specific measurements, but when I made the carrot cake recipe on my site, I sub melted butter for oil, whole wheat pastry flour for AP flour and add another 1/2 cup of shredded carrot. I made it w/two cups of sugar this week, but I think we could safely reduce that to 1 1/2 cups for sweetness, possibly more if I could tinker the wet/dry ratio and sub honey or even add a banana. If you grate an apple, try reducing the sugar a bit, and reducing the oil/butter too. The recipe is VERY versatile, so just taste before baking, and flour 1-2 Tbsp at a time to compensate for the extra wet if needed. 🙂
Thanks for posting! I think I want those baja tacos. I shared this in my July meal plan article.
You’re welcome! Those tacos are really yummy. Fresh pico… *drool*
I just wondering how you determine the quantities of things when you do your grocery list. I have double the amount of people you have plus 1 and 2 are teenagers. I am just trying this out and will double plus a little for the budget amount to start but I would really like to not waste to much. Also I want my family to feel like there is food in the house too. Just curious about your strategies. Our 8 if the is a specific post that would address this. Thank you so much, I’m so inspired.
Hi Steph! I know doubling the shopping list right off the bat will likely yield too much food, since you won’t eat exactly twice as much. With that said though, I would double everything for just one week, and then evaluate how much you had leftover. That will help you gauge what you need to buy more of (likely fresh and perishable items) and what you can buy less of (likely grains and pantry staples, since those come in larger quantities anyway). Then plan week 2 based on what you already have in the house and likely a shorter shopping list. It might take a few weeks to nail it down, and learning the quantities of what your family eats is a bit of trial & error, but it will be worth it in the long run when you’re able to make one master list, and shop for most of the month at one time.
When I first started meal planning, I started with what I was already buying first, and then created meals around it. Then I added/took away items as our eating habits changed and as the meal plan needed.
You’re most welcome Steph! I hope this helps, and I’m more than happy to answer or clarify if you need me to!!
I am interested in doing some sort of liquid fast,, preferably a smoothie for my daughter who is 13 to get her acclimated a vegan diet. I would consider a smoothie as well. Usually, I do the lemonade fast for 3 day. We both want to lose weight and get healthy, and get off meat altogether. Do you have any recipes?
.
Hi Tammy – you can find recipes for smoothies here: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/recipes/
Can you post a grocery list for your weekly menus? :))))
😉 We hope to have that for you soon Nat.
I’m new to your website and love what I’ve been reading thus far! I was just about to ask the same question as Nat. Until you have a grocery list – how do you best recommend putting one together?
Thanks!
Melissa
Hi Melissa! I would first go through the plan and swap out recipes that you don’t want or the family won’t eat. Then using the recipes, make a list of meats, then grains, then dairy, then miscellaneous (like sauces) and a tentative list of produce. Shop your kitchen first, crossing off things you already have. Shop for the meats, grains and dairy and buy from the produce list according to what’s on sale or in season. Swap veggies as needed (i.e. potatoes for sweet potatoes) to save a few bucks. Aim for $1/lb for conventional produce, $2/lb for organic!
This is pretty much how I do it too – I split my shopping list into Meat, Cold/Frozen, Fresh, Cupboard and Misc (things like chook food and pharmacy items go there). I check the freezer and the cupboard, think about what needs using up, and then when I go shopping match that up with what is on special/cheap to make up meals. Sometimes there is something on special that is too good to pass up (like salmon roasts at 50% off, nom nom!) so I re-work my meal ideas in my head, or just figure it out when I get home lol. I’m not as organized as Tiffany though, and prices are very different here in Australia!
Thanks for sharing your method Sorrel! The more ideas the merrier!
Thank you so much for your blog and posts. We are a family of 3 people (1 adult (me) and my 2 kids (girls, ages 14 and 10)) and I would love to have a monthly grocery bill of $300 (or less) while still eating well.
I have a question: when you come up with the monthly amount of $330, how did you arrive at that amount? Did you include everything that was consumed in your household (like milk for kids, coffee creamer and filters….) or was it just the recipes?
I have to admit that I am struggling with the different steps in the process a) come up with meal plan, b) cost out the recipes c) come up with a grocery list, d) the inventory management. Managing a household is no where near as easy as people think it is. We really should go back to the old fashioned home economics classes that used to be taught in school. Oh well, I’m learning now!
Hi Cynthia! When we were in the process of figuring out a number, we calculated how much we spent the month before and capped it. We included everything in our household that pertained to food (so yes to filters) and toiletries (toilet paper, etc.) After a month or two of not going over that amount, we tried to reduce it slowly each month until we found a place where we’d be fairly uncomfortable if we reduced it anymore. Of course, this was all pending our income too. When income goes down, so does the budget!
You’re right – managing a house is NOT easy! Try re-arranging your steps: take inventory first, then plan based on what you have. Then going forward, keep your receipts and pay attention while shopping so you know how much things cost. Then when you’re planning meals and making lists, you’ll know right away about how much a recipe will cost.
Hello,
This looks great but I have a hard time believing that I’m going to only spend $330 on all you have listed (with breakfasts AND lunches) for a whole month. Are you working with sales that are going in the stores? Has anyone tested this? I would love this and really need to save. I guess I could try one week and see. Right now I’m so not sure. Make a believer out of me. I need some support here!! 🙂
LOL, I hear that often Angela. I share my monthly shopping trips here: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/tag/counting-crumbs/ so you can see everything we bought to eat for the month. There’s a couple months too where you can see what we spent to line up with the meal plan. 🙂 Sometimes I coordinate with the stores, but not always. Mostly, we buy in bulk when it counts, don’t eat expensive foods and eat what we buy! I can assure you though, these plans CAN be done for about $330/month. 🙂
Can you clarify the finances for me? Is this 330 a week? bi weekly? monthly? I currently cook real food for two albeit hungry adults and a two year old and with toiletries but meals mostly from scratch (minus stock, some noodles, meat. cheese, bread, dog food, and peanut butter). I regularly spend 220 a week. its debilitating financially.
Sure thing Kaci! It’s $330 for every four weeks and I’d say we cook 90% of our meals from scratch. It’s been a work in progress over the years to get it nailed down, but I assure you, it can be done!!!
Hi,
I was wondering if you have grocery lists for this meal plan already written up, and I’m just not seeing it.
Alex
Nevermind, I just saw an earlier question identical to mine and I read “Meal Planning in its Simplest Form.” I’m good 🙂 thank you for the resources!
You’re most welcome! 🙂
Hi Tiffany,
I am new to your site and excited about beginning a frugal real food journey. I struggle with making things that I know my kids will eat and yet be healthy. I know I will have to transition my pantry frm the boxes but I have started. So I have a great zucchini bread recipe for you that I adapted to be healthy and yummy.
Makes 2 loaves
3c white whole wheat flour. 3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda. 1/2 c coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder 1/2 c applesauce
1 tsp salt. 1 c brown sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon. 1/2 c raw honey
1/2 c unsweetened coconut shreds 2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Grease 2 loaf pans with cooking spray or coconut oil. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar and honey in large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients and add zucchini, coconut and chocolate chunks until just combined. Divide between pans and bake 50 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing(if you can wait!). Adapted from Mom’s Zucchini Bread from allrecipes.
Thank you so much for sharing Krista! That recipe looks delicious, and very similar to one that I’ve been testing out recently. I hadn’t thought of adding shredded coconut though – I bet that adds a nice sweetness! Welcome to Crumbs, and I’ll be sure to include this when I’m ready to post my finished recipe!!