The Frugal Foodie

Real Life

I love meals with 40 ingredients and 2 hours prep time as much as the next person (wait, no one else likes those?), but real life at our house has me down to a short amount of time to put dinner on the table and a small amount of money with which to do it.

I'm going to share something that might be a stretch for some of you: our grocery budget is $120 for two weeks (or $60/week) for our family of three.  Eating out is one of my favorite treats, but we budget $80 per two weeks for it.  When Rhet was a tiny bit younger and our budget was a tiny bit tighter, we spent $80 every two weeks on groceries.  This is breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  It can be done, people!

It recently occurred to me that it might be helpful to others to simply post how I make that happen from week to week.

Some of the meals we have eaten are super simple & easy (maybe even embarrassing...ahem, boxed Mac & Cheese), and some are favorite recipes full of delicious & healthy ingredients.  I plan to give full disclosure over the coming weeks.  And, bonus for you: it's the holiday season, so hopefully it will take some guesswork off of your plate when it comes down to what to eat for dinner.

Here is a sample our *real life* plans were for this week through next Tuesday:

MONDAY: Cheese Ravioli w/ Burst Tomatoes in Herbed Butter Sauce

(This was a creation from the brain of yours truly.  Prepare frozen ravioli according to packaged instructions.  In the meantime, put a pint of grape tomatoes in a hot skillet with a little olive oil and let them heat up & burst.  I then mashed mine with a masher to help them lose their tomato shape so my 3-yr-old daughter would eat them--hey, real life!  Add salt, pepper, oregano, & basil, and then 1/3-1/2 stick of butter about 1 Tablespoon at a time until I you have a bonafide sauce on your hands.  Transfer the cooked ravioli to the skillet and tossed with the sauce.)

TUESDAY: Gnocchi w/ Pesto, Green Beans, & Ricotta

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Soup

(This started with a recipe years ago and evolved into the one I make from memory today.  Dice 1 onion, 3 stalks celery, & 2 carrots, then saute in a little olive oil.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, and a little grated garlic.  Today, I put the cooked veggies in my small crock pot after lunchtime, added 1 box of chicken stock, and then turned on low until dinnertime.  It's simmering in the kitchen as I speak and it smells delicious!)

THURSDAY: Boxed Mac & Cheese

(Do you have a suuuuuper cheap go-to when you don't have time or money to spend on a meal?  This is my go-to.  40 cents at Aldi, baby, and my husband can make it if needed.)

FRIDAY:  Homemade Pizza
(Dough from this recipe, topped with pesto, grape tomatoes, & shredded mozzarella.)

SATURDAY: Leftovers; Date Night (out to eat)

SUNDAY: Out to Eat for lunch, Popcorn & Ice Cream for Dinner (a weekly tradition)

MONDAY: Pumpkin Ravioli (from Aldi) w/ Brown Butter Sage Sauce (recipe on package!)

TUESDAY: Leftovers/Clean out the fridge!

Ok, there it is.  Not super veggie-loaded this week because, in all honesty, I had to make a trip to the auto dealership instead of making my list during PDO this past Monday, and I was right out by an Aldi, so I just decided to make some quick dinner decisions on the fly.  Real life, people.  Hope it gives you some ideas this week!

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