Monday, November 19, 2007

Monday Menus

I've noticed a few other blogs doing this, so I thought I'd be a copycat. :-)

But, seriously, I am always hearing how expensive it is to eat healthy. I just don't buy it. Consider the cost per pound of carrots vs. cheetos, organic brown rice vs. rice-a-roni, an apple vs. Ben and Jerry's... and on and on. I have written several articles about shopping strategies and avoiding waste. But that's only part of the equation. Planning and preparing healthy, homemade meals is probably one of the biggest money-saving habits I have! And maybe this can help someone trying to add health and economy to their diet.

Monday
Breakfast: Fried egg sandwiches on whole wheat, orange juice
Lunch: PBJ on whole wheat, carrot sticks
Dinner: Chicken and autumn vegetable stew with whole wheat dumplings

Tuesday
Breakfast: Multi-grain hot cereal with maple syrup, red grapes
Lunch: Annie's mac and cheese, sliced apples
Dinner: Oven-BBQ Chicken with brown rice and green salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: Life cereal, milk, satsumas
Lunch: Homemade vegetarian pizza pockets
Dinner: Whole grain pasta with some sort of sauce--maybe pesto from the basil plants in my windowsill?--plus green salad and homemade foccaccia

Thursday
Thanksgiving! We'll be out pretty much all day.

Friday
Breakfast: Whole wheat waffles with apricot pineapple chutney
Lunch: Something with leftovers--hopefully we'll have some
Dinner: Vegetable stirfry with shrimp (I use very little shrimp, just enough that they feel like they had some), brown rice, green salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Multigrain hot cereal, grapes
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread, tomato soup
Dinner: Black bean tacos, grilled bell peppers, spanish rice

Sunday
Breakfast: Life cereal with milk, satsumas
Lunch: Annie's mac and cheese, carrot sticks
Dinner: Pork roast, homemade cinnamon apple sauce, roasted potatoes and squash

For snacks we eat fruits, veggies with homemade yogurt dip, yogurt, and homemade whole grain goodies. Most of what we eat is organic, although there are exceptions.

3 comments:

Burbanmom said...

I agree 100%! I was just talking to a friend about this, as things are "getting tight" for many of us and she decided to go back to clipping coupons.

While that helps, (I usually save about $18 with coupons and sales) I have diligently tracked every penny in our budget for the past 18months and found out the biggest factor affecting our grocery bill is: Meal Planning.

When I do it, our groceries run about $150 per week. If I don't, they're at $220. It makes a HUGE difference AND it keeps our "Dining Out" budget down too, as we never have to order that emergency pizza or chinese!

Thanks for the great menu ideas!

Emily the Great and Terrible said...

I never stopped clipping coupons! Although it IS a little bit harder to find them for organic products and whole foods.

Green Bean said...

Lots of yummy stuff here - I might steal a few of your menu ideas to feed my kids. BTW, found you off of burbanmom's blog. I really enjoy your blog and will definitely be a repeat visitor.

Happy Thanksgiving.