Do you get excited about discount food? Me too.

I get excited about discount food. It's the best day ever when I can find discount produce. On friday, I got mushrooms for 50 cents a pound! Big bags of stir fry mixes were going for $1.80, bell peppers were 25 cents and pizza crust was $1.12.

My original shopping list didn't call for mushrooms, stir fry veggies, bell peppers or pizza. But I wasn't about to pass up on cheap produce, so I changed my menu plan to incorporate them.

One of the best ways to save money on food is to buy what's at a good price and adjust your menu to fit the inexpensive options. But you should avoid buying discount produce unless you know how you will use it. Produce that is on discount goes bad quickly, that's why it's discounted. If you don't have a plan, it will go bad before you can eat it.

You don't need a specific recipe, just a plan. The easiest way to use up veggies is to chop them up and put them in a green salad. You can put almost any veggie on top of pizza, or saute them and add them to eggs. It's easy to add shredded or chopped veggies to spagetti sauces or soups.

If I don't have a plan for a vegetable, I won't buy it, because I know it will end up as slime in the bottom of my crisper drawer.

Here's my slime preventing menu plan for the week:

Friday:

pizza (with discount crust) topped with mushrooms + big green salad + watermelon

(this photo shows zucchini and peppers with pesto sauce, but you get the idea)

Saturday:

breakfast - scrambled eggs with sauteed diced mushrooms and bell peppers + toast

dinner - stir fry mix + tofu + rice + frozen mangoes

Sunday:

lunch - pizza (with discount crust) topped with bell peppers and pepperoni + green salad

dinner - meat tacos + bell peppers + leftover lettuce from the salad @ lunch + fresh melon

Monday:

mushroom and beef stroganoff + canned green beans + canned peaches

Because the mushrooms wouldn't last that long, I made this ahead of time, before the mushrooms went bad.

(image from wix.com)

Tuesday:

split pea soup with leftover ham from easter dinner + homemade bread + watermelon

(image from budgetbytes.com)

Wednesday:

rice and bean salad in tortillas + avocado + queso fresco + frozen mangoes

Thursday:

crustless broccoli quiche (I'll add bell peppers too if any are left) + any fruit left over + toast (if there's any bread left!)

Friday: Time to grocery shop again!

Leave a comment and let me know what you've been cooking! Hopefully you'll find some discount produce at your grocery store this week!

5 dietitian approved make-ahead meal ideas for busy May school nights

It was the middle of May. I stood in the warm kitchen happily chopping up veggies while listening to Jack Johnson. A warm breeze flowed in through the open window. Spring was in the air and I felt so relaxed.

And then......

My phone alarm went off....reminding me that we had T-ball at 4:30

And a track practice at 5:00

and a piano recital at 6:30

And now I only had 30 minutes to make dinner, eat dinner, find the T-ball uniform, and get everyone buckled in their carseats.

It was definitally May. The busiest month of the year.

Change of plans.

We found T-ball uniform, got everyone buckled into their carseats, ate cheese tortillas while driving and made it to practice (only 5 minutes late).

Fast forward 10 years.

I am older, wiser and better prepared for the insanity that is the month of May. I write out every activity on a paper calendar, I keep better track of sport uniforms, and most importantly.....

I meal plan.

Meal planning saves you loads of time because

• you'll only make one trip to the grocery store for the week

• you'll make meals ahead of time when there's zero time to make dinner

• you'll have more time to do laundry, so you'll be able to find the t-ball uniform easier

Plus, when you eat at home instead of eating out, you will eat healthier, save money, and feel better.

Here's what we're eating this week. I hope some of these dietitian approved meals will help you make it through the first week of May.

Monday: tofu buddha bowls

how to prep ahead for this meal: On sunday, cook the rice, roast the veggies, buy microwavable veggies, pan fry the tofu instead of baking it (takes about 10 minutes), assemble everything when it's time to eat

Tuesday: crock pot vegetable and barley soup + no knead bread + apple slices (you could add stew meat if you want to add meat to this dish)

prep: assemble crock pot stew and bread in the morning before work

Wednesday: BBQ lentil sloppy joes + rice and bean salad + oranges (you could do barbeque beef if you don't like lentils!)

how to prep ahead: cook extra rice on sunday (when making rice for buddha bowls), boil lentils while the rice is cooking, assemble the salad on sunday (the salad is also great for lunches all week long).

Thursday: Lentil tacos, cabbage slaw, frozen mangoes

how to prep ahead: boil the lentils when you are cooking the rice on sunday

Friday: Homemade Pizza

prep: buy pre-made pizza crust at the store, assemble and bake your pizza with any veggies leftover in your fridge. Serve with a green salad and canned peaches

What are you eating this week? Leave a comment and let me know!

Want some motivation to get cooking?

Sign up for this month's cooking class. We will be making one of my summer staple meals: rice and bean salad. Here's the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/MmtzUNgU53dqi55k6

How cooking dinner at home saves you money and keeps you healthier

Friends and family frequently tell me that they eat out because it's cheap and easy.

It's absolutely true that picking up a pizza from Little Cesears is easier than

1. meal planning, and making a plan for one night of pizza

2. lugging kids through the store to buy all the ingredients

3. trying to cook with little kids at your feet

4. cleaning up the mess afterward

But eating out is NEVER less expensive than cooking at home.

Dont believe me? Here's proof:

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Pizza

The ultimate cheap dinner is a classic pizza from little caesars which costs $6.99

A homemade pizza costs about $3.25!

yeast: $0.62

flour: $0.12

cheese: $1.87

pepperoni: $0.37

red sauce: $0.25

total: 3.23

(cost for homemade dough with prices at walmart.com)

How is homemade pizza healthier?

• lower amount of salt in the sauce

• using whole wheat flour in the dough adds fiber

• you control how much cheese and pepperoni

• adding veggies to the top or the sauce adds nutrition

Looking for a great whole-wheat pizza crust? This is my go-to recipe: https://cookieandkate.com/easy-whole-wheat-pizza-dough/

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Tacos

1 regular beef soft taco from taco bell = $1.69 (for a small 6-8 inch taco)

1 ground beef soft taco made at home = $0.65 (for a 10 inch taco!)

tortilla: $.20

ground beef: $.30 (per oz)

cheese: $.10 per tablespoon (about what's on a taco bell taco)

seasonings: $0.05

shredded lettuce: $0.05

total: $0.70

How are homemade tacos healthier?

• lower in sodium

• more fiber if made with whole wheat tortillas

• add beans and vegetables for added vitamins, minerals and fiber!

• use lean ground beef or turkey to cut saturated fat

• try lentil tacos to add fiber and save even more money!

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Hamburgers and French Fries

McDonalds Quarter Pounder with cheese: $5.09

1 quarter pound hamburger made at home: $1.72

1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef: $1.18

1 bun: $0.17

pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mustard: $0.25

cheese slice: $0.12

total: $1.72

1 order of medium French fries at McDonalds: $2.69

Ounce equivalent of roasted potatoes: $0.98

How are homemade burgers and fries healthier?

• Sodium is bad for your heart. 1,140mg sodium @ McDonalds, only 600mg @ home

• Lower Saturated (bad) fat (roast potatoes instead of fry them, use lean beef)

• More fiber (whole wheat bun)

• More nutrients (add spinach, mushrooms, avocados)

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Orange Chicken and Rice

image from budgetbytes.com (link below)

1 bowl orange chicken and ham fried rice: $7.90 (per serving)

homemade orange chicken with rice: $1.62 (per serving)

How is homemade better?

• less salt (if you use low sodium soy sauce)

• less fat (pan fry instead of deep fat fry)

• Add more vegetables with the extra money you saved!

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We rarely eat out. Partially because it's so unhealthy, but mostly because it is so expensive.

I also rarely make burgers, fries or orange chicken at home. Not because they are unhealthy, but because meat is expensive.

So what do I make?

Subscribe to my blog to find out. It's free and starting in May 2023, I will post a weekly menu (including photos and recipes). My intention is to help you get an idea of what a healthy, budget friendly menu looks like.

Remember, eating healthy can be more expensive, but it doesn't have to be! Especially if you cook your meals at home!

Subscribe to my blog (free menu to your inbox once/week)

Sign up for the May 2023 cooking class (free + on zoom)