Category Archives: Menu Pans

Easy Meal Plan

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chalkboard with the word meal on it.

This week was a strange one! We’ve only had 1 of our kids for almost all of. Let’s just stay it’s been abnormally quiet and a lot more picked up around our house. (The last time I’ve had one child at home was over 6 years ago when our second was born!) We met up with the grandparents for an outing and then the big two went on home with them. They come back tomorrow. My 3 year old has done so well being alone (for her first time ever) but I think she’ll be so excited for her siblings to be around.

Because we just had the 3 of us, I wanted to tackle some projects around the house so meals were extra simple. No great markdowns or deals this week, either.

If you are new to the world of meal planning, be sure to check out this post on 7 different methods you can try! And obviously it’s even okay to switch up your methods for different period. 

And I have to ask, is it soup weather where you are at yet? I’m looking forward to making my first soup of the season soon! It’s been so hot for so long.

Easy Meal Plan

Saturday
(This is the day we were gone with Shaun’s parents)
Mexican Restaurant
Freddy’s

Sunday
Cereal (yep, that’s what happens when you are short on kids)
Pizza at small groups

Weeknight Suppers:
A bowl with teriyaki Chicken, roasted brussel sprouts/broccoli/onions/bell pepper, & brown rice x 2
Leftover pizza and veggies
Chorizo, Scrambled eggs, and sauteed veggies
Homemade Pizza (the kids are back)

Breakfasts: Pancakes

Weekday Lunches: Salads for Shaun and myself (with assorted veggies and some meat), PB sandwiches/butter toast with veggies and fruit for Reagan

Snack Options: Grapes and pretzels

What’s on your menu this week?

Easy Meal Plan

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This week was a simple week when it comes to meals. Most of my shopping was done at Aldi. We grabbed lettuce at Wal-Mart and bell peppers that were on sale at another local store. We are eating almost the same thing Monday-Thursday. I’m okay with keeping things easy because our days always seem to go by quickly and it’s going to keep getting busier until the end of the year! 

If you haven’t done much in the way of meal planning, be sure to check out this post on 7 different methods you can try!

This week there weren’t any spectacular finds in the grocery ads and I didn’t find any markdowns I wanted to buy. A little sad but it makes me appreciate the weeks I do even more. 🙂

Easy Meal Plan

Saturday
Chocolate Chip Pancakes (The kids were so excited! We haven’t made pancakes for a while)
Taco Salad

Sunday
Nachos
Pizza

Weeknight Suppers:
Roasted Veggies, raw bell peppers, and Chicken Drumsticks x 2
Roasted Veggies, raw bell peppers, and Sausage
Chicken Drumsticks, fresh veggies, and chips
Homemade Pizza

Breakfasts: Bagels (marked down and put in the freezer – I told them they need used up this week!)

Weekday Lunches: Salads for Shaun and myself (with assorted veggies and some meat), PB sandwiches/butter toast/ x 3, leftover pizza, mac and cheese on Friday with veggies and fruit for the kids

Snack Options: Grapes, pretzels, homemade banana bread, homemade yogurt, carrots, celery

What’s on your menu this week?

Easy Meal Plan

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chalkboard on whitewashed boards with the word meal

Happy weekend! For me, that always means meal planning and grocery shopping. The menu is made and the grocery shopping is partly done. A torrential downpour sometimes makes you cut your shopping trip short after the first store. 🙂 (The rain actually first hit when I was a still a mile from home on my run this morning. I was SOAKED! We then got soaked running to and from the car at Aldi a couple hours later.)

Meal planning is pretty simple in my house. It keeps me sane and helps things be manageable. If you missed my post on 7 different ways to menu plan, be sure to check it out here!

I always hit up Aldi, a couple local grocery stores depending on their sales, and sometimes get one or two things from Wal-Mart. Even with all the stops I can be done shopping within an hour. Yay for smallish town living, I suppose!

This Week’s Deals

Some weeks the ads are great and some weeks I find loads of markdowns and others none. Here is a brief summary of what I found:

I was excited to see spaghetti squash on sale this week! Our favorite spaghetti squash recipe is making an appearance on the menu this week. Seriously, it’s so good! It’s a great introduction to adding spaghetti squash to your diet.

I found a few packages of bagels half off. I bought some to have in the freezer for easy breakfasts for the kids.

There was also a rack of baby back ribs marked half off. I bought those and put in the freezer to use later this month.

Easy Meal Plan

Saturday
Community Event
Chicken Thighs

Sunday
Breakfast for lunch (eggs and bacon)
Pizza (we used up leftovers this past Friday instead of making pizza)

Weeknight Suppers:
Homemade Pizza
Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein x 2
VBS
Baked Chicken Thighs

Sides: Roasted veggies, fresh veggies, fruit

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, bagels (marked down and put in the freezer), eggs

Weekday Lunches: Salads for Shaun and myself (with assorted veggies and some meat), PB sandwiches/butter toast (or whatever they are feeling that day) with veggies and fruit for the kids

Snack Options: Grapes, pretzels, homemade banana bread, homemade yogurt, carrots, celery

What’s on your menu this week?

$170 Grocery Budget

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We are back again with another meal plan that uses the produce and meat sales in this week’s Aldi ad. I love shopping at Aldi – the bulk of my purchases come from there and then a will pick up a few items that are on sale at other stores. So an Aldi meal plan is the best!

Meal plan chalkboard for a budget friendly Aldi meal plan!

If you struggle with coming up with ideas for what to eat this week, I hope this post gives you some inspiration.

I’m a huge fan of using menu planning as a way to keep grocery costs down (my first point in this post on drastically reducing your grocery budget). No matter how many of these recipes you use, I highly recommend you get your downloadable menu plan template and put it to use. It has saved me so much money over the years:

This week, I’m not only going to include the sample Aldi menu, but I will also share what I’m feeding my family for the next week on my $170 a month grocery budget. This means twice as many ideas.

Aldi Produce and Meat Sales to Check Out (10/24-10/30):

These prices are in my local ad – your prices might vary.

  • Pomegranates $.69 each
  • Red grapes $.79 a pound
  • 3 pack multicolored bell peppers $1.99
  • Gala apples 3 pounds for $1.49
  • Asparagus $1.79
  • Avocado $.49
  • Chicken Tenders $1.99 a pound
  • Tortillas – $.79

Honestly, there aren’t many spectacular deals. Especially in the meat department. That’s why you try and buy extra for the freezer when you come across a great deal. The produce sales aren’t too plentiful this week either. Thankfully, in season produce you’ll still be able to get for a good price.

Aldi Meal Plan

Suppers:

Fajitas: use the chicken, tortillas (or make your own), and avocados that are on sale
Chicken Noodle Soup: use the chicken that’s on sale and affordable produce
Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet: cabbage is very affordable this time of year
Veggie Fried Rice: use the carrots you bought for the soup
Stromboli: use ricotta left from last week and make your sauce
Brinner: Homemade Egg McMuffins using meat of choice and fruit (and potatoes if needed)
Fend for yourself/leftovers/freezer meal

Snack and Side Ideas:

Apples and grapes
Carrot and celery sticks
Bell Peppers not needed in fajitas
Bread for the soup

Frugal Lunch Ideas:

Sandwiches
Rice Cakes (with peanut butter or meat)
Leftovers
Beans and Rice
Salad
Pancakes

Frugal Breakfast Ideas:

Breakfast Apple Crisp (I’d cut the butter back to 1/2 cup to save money)
Oatmeal

$170 per month Menu Plan for this Week:

Okay, and now for my family’s menu for the week. I plan using the method I outline in my menu planning template:

Saturday
Workday – lunch provided
Pancakes for supper

Sunday
Eggs and hashbrowns for lunch
Fall Festival for Supper

Weeknight Suppers:
Homemade Pizza
Wedding rehearsal/friends & family dinner
Snack Supper (helping with our church’s Trunk or Treat so something fast and easy)
Soup x 2 (maybe potato sausage)

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, leftover pancakes, eggs, maybe oat flour muffins

Weekday Lunches: Soups from the freezer for Shaun, PB sandwiches on homemade sourdough with veggies and fruit for the kids, salad for me

Snack Options: Cuties, pretzels, crackers, carrots, celery

What’s on your menu this week?

Meal plan chalkboard for a budget friendly Aldi meal plan plus my menu for my $170 per month family of 5 budget!

Aldi Meal Plan

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We are back again with another meal plan that uses the produce and meat sales in this week’s Aldi ad. I love shopping at Aldi – the bulk of my purchases come from there and then a will pick up a few items that are on sale at other stores. So an Aldi meal plan is the best!

If you struggle with coming up with ideas for what to eat this week, I hope this post gives you some inspiration.

I’m a huge fan of using menu planning as a way to keep grocery costs down (my first point in this post on drastically reducing your grocery budget). No matter how many of these recipes you use, I highly recommend you get your downloadable menu plan template and put it to use. It has saved me so much money over the years:

This week, I’m not only going to include the sample Aldi menu, but I will also share what I’m feeding my family for the next week on my $170 a month grocery budget. This means twice as many ideas.

Aldi Produce and Meat Sales to Check Out (10/10-10/17):

These prices are in my local ad – your prices might vary.

  • Gala apples (1.49 for 3 pounds)
  • Oranges (1.99 for 3 pounds)
  • Red grapes (.85 a pound)
  • Pineapple (1.29 each)
  • Grassfed ground beef (4.49 a pound)
  • Bone in chicken thighs (.79 a pound)

Each week will include one or two vegetarian meals. This is a great way to keep your grocery budget down. Another tip for a lower grocery budget is to select just 4-5 of the listed suppers and eat leftovers the other nights. (This is also a time saver!)

Aldi Meal Plan

Suppers:

Potato Sausage Soup (use potatoes and kale leftover from last week)
Crispy Chicken Thighs (make extra to use in the chicken rice casserole)
Taco Salad with salsa and chips. (Use ground beef and/or beans)
Pasta Pomodoro
Chicken Rice Casserole (use the leftover meat from the chicken thighs)
Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup

Snack and Side Ideas:

Apples, oranges, grapes
Carrot and celery sticks
Roasted veggies (carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, etc)
Homemade biscuits

Frugal Lunch Ideas:

Pancakes
Sandwiches
Rice Cakes (with peanut butter or meat)
Leftovers
Beans and Rice
Roasted Vegetables
Salad

Frugal Breakfast Ideas:

Oatmeal
Hard boiled eggs
Pumpkin muffins

$170 per month Menu Plan for this Week:

Okay, and now for my family’s menu for the week. I plan using the method I outline in my menu planning template:

Saturday
Pancakes for lunch
Chicken and Veggie Noodle Soup for supper

Sunday
Eggs and hashbrowns for lunch
Small groups for supper

Monday: Leftover soup

Tuesday: New spaghetti squash recipe (bought the squash when it was on sale last week)

Wednesday: Kids eat at church

Thursday: Leftover spaghetti squash

Friday: Pizza night

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, leftover pancakes, eggs

Lunches: PB sandwiches on homemade sourdough, veggies, fruit, salad, deli meat

Snacks: Grapes and pretzels

What’s on your menu this week?