(Work in Progress – still editing this one)
I am not cheap, but I am frugal. And I can make a dollar stretch in the kitchen. I do this by knowing how to manipulate ingredients and cook from scratch, as well as by shopping intelligently.
I was trying to help a close friend recently, who is trying to squeeze a bit more out of his food budget. We talked about scratch recipes, and his shopping choices; but then I realized that since he was unused to thinking this way at all, it might be useful to give him some pointers on how to plan for the whole week.
So, I made a weekly meal plan that would (probably) suit his tastes. This plan would also offer some concrete places to stretch a dollar in several places. For example, a whole chicken cooked on Sunday becomes a planned chicken salad on Monday, and then stock for soup on Tuesday; the 25 pound bag of flour, other baking necessities, and a gifted bread machine become the base for several bread products throughout the week.
Everything in this chart is relatively simple to make, and I have tried and true recipes for all of them, which I will post soon.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Crepes | Bagels & Cream Cheese | French Toast | Yogurt & Fruit | Muffins | Eggs | Pancakes |
| Lunch | English Muffin Pizza | Chicken Curry Salad | Soup & Rolls | Cottage Cheese Spring Salad | Tuna Salad Sandwich | Quesadilla | Pasta Bake |
| Dinner | Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables | Macaroni and Cheese | Sloppy Joes on Rolls with Salad | Leftovers (or Homemade Chili & Cheese Bowl) | Burrito Night | Spaghetti & Clams | Pasta with Pesto, Mushrooms, and Peas |
What I assume is on hand:
Flour
Sugar (white and brown)
Yeast
Salt
Vegetable Oil
Beans
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Some spices (mustard powder, curry powder, chili powder)
Shopping list for the week:
Meat Protein:
Ground beef (can be cut with ground turkey if it’s cheaper. I usually find 80/20 for about $2.50/lb and ground turkey for $2.00)
Family-size tuna fish packet in a pouch
Whole chicken at no more than $1.29/lb (I don’t think I ever pay more than $0.99, but I wait for it and freeze) (Can substitute bone-in thighs or leg quarters if it’s cheaper.)
Fresh Produce:
Onions
Potatoes
Mushrooms
In-season vegetables (whatever you like, that aren’t too expensive)
Lettuce (romaine and red leaf, or whatever is inexpensive and has color)
Carrots
Lemons
Garlic
Fresh oregano
Fresh basil
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Celery
Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Pepper (whichever is cheapest)
Bananas (even better if they’re on sale because they’re overripe)
Apples (or other cheap and sweet fruit for curried chicken. Raisins are good too)
Dairy:
Butter (1 lb unsalted/1 lb salted)
Milk
Sour cream
Eggs (2 dozen)
Yogurt
Large Bag (5 lb) of pre-grated cheese
Cottage cheese
Cream cheese
Frozen/Jarred/Canned:
Frozen peas
Can of chopped clams
Canned tomatoes (to make sauce)
Pickles
Other:
2 lb pasta (elbow macaroni or penne)
1 lb spaghetti
Bagels (pack of 6)
Large flour tortillas
Items for Soup (depending on kind of soup)
Plan Ahead Items:
Every day: Save all vegetable scraps in freezer for stock day. Especially ends of onions, celery, and carrots. Put stale, but unspoiled, bread in freezer for French toast, croutons, or bread pudding
Sunday: Bake bread and rolls. Freeze rolls. Cook whole chicken – save all bones (including neck!)
Monday: Prep chicken curry salad from leftover chicken. Save all bones and scraps! Make sure enough bread for Tuesday French Toast. Make stock from chicken scraps for Tuesday’s soup. Strain and store in fridge.
Tuesday: Make soup. Bake bread for following days.
Wednesday: Make muffins for Thursday. Soak beans for Thursday burrito night.
Thursday: Bake bread for following days.
Friday:
Saturday: Make English muffins for Sunday