Foodie Friday: Meal Planning for a Family of Four — New Year, New Strategy

Last year, as we adjusted to life with twinfants, our grocery and takeout bills were completely out of control. This year we have a new home in a new state and a new budget to go with it, so what better time to revamp our meal planning approach than right now?

Previous spending: I’m too embarrassed to even tell you

Current budget: $400/month on groceries, $200/6wks on Costco, $?? on takeout because we are crazy

Goal: $300/month on groceries, $150/6wks on Costco, $20/wk on takeout

Strategy: Produce from the farmer’s market every Saturday, circular items and staples only from the grocery store every Saturday, bulk items and proteins from Costco every 6 weeks. Prepare 3 portions of each meal: we eat two for our dinner and the boys split one the next day for their dinner.

For most breakfasts, we have cereal, french toast, or pancakes. Sometimes we pull from our dwindling supply of frozen New Jersey bagels (thanks, Mom!). For lunches, we do cold cut, tuna salad, or chicken salad sandwiches. And for snacks, we usually do fresh fruit, fresh veg, or, my favorite, rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins. Dinner was the real pain point. But no more!

Our first weekly produce haul from the Hernando County Farmer’s Market

Last weekend, we got two big grocery bags full of produce for $23. Here’s what we nabbed:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• 6 baking potatoes
• 2 ears of corn
• 3 enormous avocados
• 2 green peppers
• 2 red peppers
• carton of sweet peppers
• 2 lbs of green beans
• 1 lb of strawberries
• 8-oz package of mushrooms
• 6 tomatoes
• 2 eggplants
• 4 yellow squash
• 4 zucchini

Here’s what you can get for under $75 if you shop the sales! Why, YES, that is two $20 roasts you see there!

Then, we went to our two local grocery stores and shopped according to the circulars with our remaining $70 for the week. This is what we snagged there:

• 1 gallon 2% milk
• 1 box of Fisheye Wine
• 4 loaves of bread
• 5 cans of diced tomatoes
• 4 gala apples
• 2 rolls of sausage
• 2 cans of baked beans
• 1 block of tofu
• 1 box of kosher salt
• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 bunch of bananas
• 2 roasts (BOGO!)
• 3 baby food pouches

The rough cut of our 4-week dinner schedule. TIP: Meal planning is way more fun if you use multiple ink colors.

And this, my friends, is the dinner plan (and grocery list) we created for the month using our produce, our grocery buys, and the food in our freezer:

Week 1

• Monday – Salmon, green beans, rice
• Tuesday – Leftover Chinese food (we got takeout the previous weekend)
• Wednesday – Peppers stuffed with tofu and quinoa, corn on the cob
• Thursday – Eggplant parmesan with squash (freeze leftovers)
• Friday – Roast with potatoes, squash, carrots, and mushrooms
• Saturday – Leftover roast
• Sunday – Chicken and sweet potatoes

Week 2

• Monday – Chicken tacos with fresh tomato and avocado
• Tuesday – Shake-n-Bake pork chops with quinoa and green veg (get at market preceding weekend)
• Wednesday – Steak, potatoes, asparagus (get at market)
• Thursday – Chicken wings, corn on the cob (get at market), celery
• Friday – Lasagna with ground beef and squash
• Saturday – Peruvian lentils and rice, salad (get at grocery)
• Sunday – Lasagna (freeze what’s left after this meal)

Week 3

• Monday – Pork loin with green veg (get at market)
• Tuesday – Beef tacos with tomato and avocado (get at market)
• Wednesday – Salmon, rice, green veg (get at market)
• Thursday – Chicken parmesan with pasta
• Friday – Thai takeout
• Saturday – Barbecue chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob
• Sunday – Hamburgers

Week 4 (crazy week with only one of us home for dinner each night Tues-Fri)

• Monday – Mexican takeout
• Tuesday – Freezer leftovers
• Wednesday – Freezer leftovers
• Thursday – Freezer leftovers
• Friday – Freezer leftovers
• Saturday – Tofu cutlets on ciabatta bread with roasted red peppers (get at market), spinach (grocery), basil (market), oregano
• Sunday – Chili

Once we completed the plan, we wrote it on the calendar that lives on our fridge so now there is no more “Oh no! What are we having for dinner???” panic in the late afternoon, and we always know what the boys are going to have for dinner because it’s based on grown-up dinner the night before! We are also building our freezer stash so we have backup on particularly busy days or if one of us is solo at dinner time (week 4!) and doesn’t feel like cooking for one.

So, this is how we solved our what-to-do-about-dinner problem and our overspending-on-food problem, after almost 10 years of dinnertime food-budget stress. What’s your approach to meals? Is it working for you? How do you feel about your spending on food? Leave a comment and share your strategy — or lack thereof. ;)

This post is a continuation of a weekly feature at Amateur Parenting: Foodie Friday. Each week, we’ll give you new ideas for feeding yourself and your family, from making baby food for your little ones to cooking meals that mom, dad, and your big and little kids will enjoy. Want to request a post on a specific meal or feeding issue? Contact us with your idea!