The best way to save money on food is to avoid waste. Eat leftovers or put them in the freezer to eat later. Plan meals around food you already have in your fridge before it goes bad. If you can't cook it before it goes bad, stick it in the freezer.
Then, don't forget about the food in your freezer!
Every week, before planning a menu, a take a quick look in my freezer to see what needs to be used. This way, leftovers don't turn into giant balls of freezer burn before I get to them. This week, I found some Salami, a gallon bag of leftover chili, and some pesto in my freezer that need to be used up. I also have a big bag of carrots in my fridge that need to be used up before they go bad.
Here's the menu I planned around those items. Take a look in your freezer and assess what needs to be used!
Monday: leftovers from the weekend (I ended up making hummus and tabouleh Saturday)
Tuesday: Elk Tenderloin from the freezer + roasted carrots + orange slices
Wednesday: Rice and bean salad (using leftover rice from sunday's stir fry) + whole wheat tortillas + mango smoothie using frozen mangoes
Thursday: Chili from the freezer + grilled cheese sandwiches + green salad + sliced oranges
Friday: Pizza using salami and pesto from the freezer + any fruit left in the house
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Mother's Day! We are going to a family gathering and bringing tortellini salad + my all-time favorite dessert
