Eating Well on Sixty: 7/10-7/16 Planning Ahead

I could easily spend an entire paycheck at the store each week. Sometimes I make excuses to go to Whole Foods when I really don't need to. Luckily, Brett is quite good at knowing when we really do need to, and when I'm just having WF hallucinations. (That alone probably saves us close to $1000 each year).But now that new school bills are looming in the very near future, it's time to get serious. And since I couldn't find many $60 meal plans that were healthy, delicious and vegetarian, I decided that I would create my own. Armed with three $20 bills, we will eat. And we will eat well.

$__55_

 

This weeks total? Not too shabby, eh? If I add up the past three weeks, I am right on target in keeping with a $240/month budget. I think I will be able to swing $200, though.

What I am most excited about is how well we planned ahead this week. With all of the house buying excitement (I reeallllyy hope this works out...everything is looking good), and with me rushing to complete my last summer course earlier than planned, it's a bit hectic around here. So what did we do? We were up at 5 on Sunday, and after a Roo walk, a run, some chocolate berry pancakes, some quiet time and reading, we were ready to get cookin'. Rather than post pictures of the meals, I'll share some snapshots of my freezer:

We prepared all of this amazing food by 10:40. Our kitchen is tiny, but we made it work. I'm kind of a kitchen queen, and I really don't like having help- but it was fun to cook together and it's definitely something we're going to be doing every week now that schedules are getting tighter. If you struggle to find time to cook healthy meals because of a packed work week, consider this. It's such a relief to be ready for the week ahead!

This week:

Breakfast

-oatmeal with apples and hazelnuts and brown sugar
-toast with peanut butter and fruit

-greek yogurt/granola/berry parfait

Lunch

Most days, leftovers from dinner will be eaten the next day as lunch. Other days, these are what I rotate in:

-veggie burger veggie wrap with veggies and slice of cheese

-baby green salad with green peppers, tofu

-brown rice, broccoli, spinach, and tofu

-tofurkey roll ups, veggie sticks, cheese

Dinner


Sunday

-Chipotle. : )

Monday

-Tofurkey on rustic bread, veggie mac n' cheese, and salad

Tuesday

-Mango bbq beans over brown rice with salad (from this cookbook...I stole it from my mumma)
 

Wednesday

-Gemelli with edamame pesto (!) and salad (from the same cookbook as above...this is a fantastic recipe for your wallet AND your fat intake. Edamame is most definitely cheaper and lower in fat than pine nuts or cheese!) Basil came straight from our garden. ..I love basil, Don't you?

 Thursday
-Aloo Chole (I. Can't. Wait.) with jasmine rice and freshly baked naan. (I'm obsessed with Indian food. I'm slowly building up my spice pantry and cannot wait to dive into a homemade dish of Aloo Palak as soon as I get some Asafoetida.)

 

Friday

-Pizza on homemade dough


Saturday

-Tofu squash burgers (not shown in freezer picture..but the burger mixture is there in a baggie!) with sweet potato fries and salad

Snacks/Treats

-popcorn with Parmesan cheese and spices
-chocolate chunk banana bread
-greek yogurt with grapes

-mini smoothies with frozen fruit

Last Week

Enjoy!