I don’t know what it is about fall, but it makes me want to get back in the kitchen. I’ve been feeling more inspired about meal planning lately. Perhaps it’s because of this awesome time of year where summer food and fall food overlap (tomatoes aren’t quite gone yet!), or maybe with our new routine I need to be more on top of things, but whatever the reason, I’m feeling it.
I had several people on instagram ask for more meal planning and prep posts, and while I figure out ways I can offer more helpful info on the topic, I’m happy to share the details of my weekly hauls and plans. So here goes!
My food weeks run start on Fridays when I go grocery shopping. Per usual, I plan our meals then do one large haul for the week. Occasionally I end up needing to grab an item or two in between trips but the most part, I like loading up once a week (fewer grocery trips = fewer times getting the kids in and out of the car).
Though I do occasionally switch it up (local friends! Aldi in Mooresville is getting a complete makeover and will reopen November 7- I can’t wait to check it out!) I do love Whole Foods as a one stop shop. For this haul, I spent $205 for the week.
On Sunday I did a little bit of food prep. I made magic green sauce from pinch of yum and a large batch of quinoa.
It was my first time making the magic green sauce and I see why it has good reviews- it’s packed with flavor (I went heavy on cilantro instead of parsley) and great as a topping or dip!
Ok, ok, the meals!
Lemony Tomato Scallops with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bread
Shocker- the girls love scallops. Darn their expensive tastes! If scallops intimidate you, try this recipe- it’s super easy. It’s one I found a few years ago and occasionally pull it out when scallops are on sale.
Burgers with Roasted Asparagus and Caprese Salad
I blame football for distracting us, which led to burned buns and overcooked mushrooms and onions. Yet, just like pizza, it’s hard to mess up a burger too much thank goodness.
Ancho Chile Cinnamon Brined Pork Chops with Garlicky Green Beans and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
When I saw bone in pork chops were on sale, I knew I wanted to try Jen’s recipe. Something about putting meat in brine makes me feel really fancy and technical, despite the fact it’s super simple. Just like I find most of Jen’s recipes, this one was delicious! The pork stayed tender and juicy. I just need to try some of her recommended Dizzy Pig seasoning next time that I always hear her rave about.
[Tweet “Check out this meal plan from @ahealthyslice for healthy dinner ideas for busy days!””]
Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Magic Green Sauce
Kind of out of left field, but mixing the quinoa with salsa and piling it on a sweet potato with cilantro, red onions, sour cream and magic green sauce proved to be a tasty meatless Monday meal. The kids loved scooping out the middle part to make “nachos” and we ended with clean plates all around.
Salsa Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Leftover Mexican quinoa plus crockpot salsa chicken made for an easy meal on a day packed with ballet and soccer. I topped it with a quick guacamole, sour cream, chopped jalapenos, red onion and cilantro.
Greek Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
I totally forgot to buy the right kind of pasta so I used the only kind I had on hand. I also forgot to buy feta. Still, the dressing and olives brought more than enough flavor to make up for it!
My Favorite Kale Salad with Goat Cheese and Craisins with Roasted Potatoes and Tuna Salad
Also known as clean out the fridge night. After this meal, my fridge was literally bare, but at least our stomachs were full.
For more detailed weekly meal plans, check out my meal plan page!
Have you tried any new recipes lately that you love?
What is your biggest hurdle with meal planning?
Marissa says
i love your meal plans, and you are an excellent cook! i would love to see your ideas for more budget friendly cooking. i think for many of us (especially SAHM’s on one income), $200/week for groceries is extremely expensive. i love whole foods, but i do my weekly groceries at Walmart & try to keep it under $100/week, which i do successfully. the walmart in our area has a fabulous selection of organic, gluten free, etc. items. i do go to whole foods, fresh market (great deals on Tuesdays!), and trader joe’s for certain things when necessary.
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks for the feedback Marissa! Yes, I know my weak spot is food, so we do allocate more of our budget towards meals. We rarely eat out, so that actually saves us a lot of money that we put towards grocery budget instead. However, eating well certainly doesn’t need to be pricey. When we’ve gone a little crazy and need to reel it in, I find a few things help me: Adding in vegetarian meals (like my crock pot black bean soup that we’re having this week), limiting the different kinds of protein (since I cook for blog purposes too I try to switch things up with pork, steak, salmon, chicken, etc, but choosing meats that are on sale and limiting the variety definitely helps), and using frozen vegetables (which are often picked and frozen when super fresh and cost a lot less). Our bills have gone up as well since I started leaning paleo-ish. Protein and produce, especially when buying organic, add up super quickly! I’ve tried to start adding in meals that use pasta, grains, beans, etc to help balance things out a bit too.
Wow, this is getting wordy but I hope I was able to provide some helpful tips. I really appreciate the feedback and it is something I’ll consider for future grocery shopping posts too!
Liz T says
I appreciate Marissa’s feedback too, but I moreso appreciate your transparency in notating how much your shopping haul cost ran. Looking at the menu I also had the thought of “wow – I wonder how much all that cost” – to which you answered!
That said, I don’t know that your above comment was necessarily helpful; those are very common tips most everyone knows. What would be more helpful would be seeing examples of how those tips are employed and incorporated into a weekly meal plan (I’m also trying to budget for our family, too, and have to keep towards $100-120/week for our family of four.)
However, eating on a budget isn’t for everyone and you’ve never masqueraded that as your goal on your blog. I don’t think it should censor you on what you share or eat – it’s your blog! And I love your blog – yours is my favorite when I see on Bloglovin’ when you’ve updated with a new post ^_^
All to say, I always love the food weekly meal plans. Yes, your shopping hauls often look expensive, but you’re not claiming they aren’t and I think the transparency in saying how much it costs is great and you’re providing wonderful inspiration! Thanks, Brittany!
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Liz- thanks for your feedback and candor! I really do love hearing opinions from readers because it helps guide what content I focus on. I hesitate sometimes to share how much we spend because I know it’s on the high side (though of course weeks differ), but I value transparency and try to follow suit. I know my tips weren’t anything to write home about, so maybe I’ll try and share ways we cut costs when I feel we’ve been too generous with the grocery budget. Like you said, maybe seeing it in practice would be more useful because I definitely have weeks we eat on less than $125 a week. Again, thanks for your input and your kind words mean a lot to me!
Sandy says
Hi! I can’t seem to find the link for the Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Magic Green Sauce, any chance you can link it? It looks delicious in your photos!
Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
I just winged it on the quinoa sweet potatoes (quinoa mixed with chunky salsa) but here is the recipe for the magic green sauce- http://pinchofyum.com/5-minute-magic-green-sauce It’s super flavorful!
jennifer says
I really enjoy your weekly meal plan posts! I love cooking this time of year and I have cracked down on my meal planning too. We have practices for the kids on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and we go grocery shopping on Fridays – I am now exploring the world of my crock pot and my family and myself are loving it. We have done too many beef recipes and now i am trying to find some great chicken and vegetarian recipes too. I wish we could eat more organic but I havent been able to find the right balance yet to control the costs. We shop at Aldi and the local Latin Market – no organic there! 🙂
This is my sons first year of school – preschool! I also plan his lunches as I do dinners like I see on your menu. Do you find you feed your girls alot of the same lunches per week and then switch it up the next week? Or do you try to vary it per day?
Brittany Dixon says
Oh, I wish we had more local ethnic markets! We have an Indian one that is awesome but that’s all that I know of. I’d love to explore a Latin one.
With lunches, we usually do the same thing everyday and switch it up by week. For me, it’s just too hectic to switch it up everyday. We usually rotate sandwiches/fruit, ham roll-ups, snack plates, hot dogs, etc. Simple and quick 🙂
Megan says
This is a good lead in regarding a question i always want to ask when you do these posts – where is David and the kids food? There are no hot dogs or even fruit on your list. I see bananas in your picture but that’s it. Does David bring lunch or Pack it?
Liz T says
Her kids eat variations of this food – it’s often highlighted on the blog…
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Megan, David doesn’t actually eat lunch. I’ve offered to pack it but his job doesn’t really allow for a lunch. He eats breakfast, will snack on almonds in the car then eats dinner at home. If he works late he will usually grab a late lunch out.
As for the girls, we eat the same thing most of the time. I don’t do these posts weekly, so usually I will have some leftover lunch items from the week before. Also, if I’m cruising the grocery store, a few items usually make it in my cart that aren’t on the list (ie: grapes). The list just serves as my must-have list. Hope that helps clear it up!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I’m drooling! We will just come to your house for dinner! 😉 Seriously, I now want that quinoa and crockpot chicken!
Lindsay says
You’ve inspired me to try cooking scallops for the first time ever! Question though – that recipe (which looks delicious) is for one serving. How did you scale it for your whole family? Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
Good question! I tripled the scallops (14 total) and doubled the rest of the ingredients. It worked out well with bread to bulk up the meal! Good luck! 🙂
Lindsay says
Ok great, thanks!
Liz says
Someone else asked a similar question, but do you buy any snacks for the kids (and yourselves too, I suppose!) at all? Seeing your grocery list, there weren’t any crackers, pretzels, apples, grapes, etc. Do the girls have to take snacks to school at all? I have a 3 year old in preschool and struggle with what to send that she’ll actually eat and will be quick and easy. Also, does your husband pack lunches or eat out? $200 seems like so much to spend on groceries, especially without buying stuff for kids/husbands lunches. Just curious!
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Liz! Great questions. Honestly, we don’t snack that much, especially because I do not have to send the girls to school with snacks. If we do snack, it’s usually popcorn or yogurt. Sometimes we grab Bitsy Brainfood Crackers to have on hand (a household favorite) or crackers, hummus and grapes, but I find if I buy snack food it usually goes to waste.
As for David, he doesn’t eat lunch. No one believes me when I say this and I offer to pack it for him, but his job doesn’t really allow for a lunch, so he eats breakfast before he leaves, sometimes snacks on almonds in the car then eats a big dinner at home. If he works late, he;ll grab a late lunch out.
Cindy says
So happy you are going back to daily or every other day emails. I feel like I stay in the loop more with all the good recipes and meal plans. When it was just the one email a week, it was harder to go through all the posts at once, verses, having one every day or so to read in my inbox. I think you are FABULOUS and so happy you are willing to share with us! Thank you! You are dearly loved and appreciated. Cindy
Brittany Dixon says
I really appreciate the feedback Cindy! And your kind words- thank you for brightening my day 🙂
Cindy says
Your more than welcome 🙂 You deserve some praise…it is really apparent to us moms/ladies that you put a lot of effort into all your posts. Btw, I was born and raised in Athens, GA and my parents still live there! My husband’s in the military and we are stationed in England so I read from here. 🙂 God bless you! Cindy xx