A Day in the Life - My “Meal Plan” Plan
For whatever reason, I really like talking about my weekly meal plan.
I have a system, one that I keep tweaking and refining, and one that I can’t seem to stop talking about to my friends, my husband, even my one year old. In a recent meal plan conversation with a friend, she encouraged me to post more about my process, since other new moms/homemakers may want to read about it and learn from my mistakes and triumphs, especially as we continue to navigate living on one income.
Of course, I’m no expert and I’m constantly making mistakes - like going over budget or cooking something barely edible or running out of food by the end of the week and having to make an unexpected trip to Food City - it’s a learning journey for sure. But since I enjoy the journey (though I’ll admit, there’s been some tears along the way), I figured I might as well write about it!
So if you’re interested in reading about my meal plans, meal prepping, bargain hunting, and budgeting for the week for my little family of three, hopefully you’ll enjoy some more of that content here on my blog! I’ll have spreadsheets, receipt breakdowns, and quite a few screw-ups (but hopefully even more victories) to share along the way!
Psst…strap in, this is a long post. ;)
My “March 30 - April 5 Meal Plan” Plan
Since it’s already April 1st, I figured I’d tell you what we’re eating this week, what I bought from Aldi (weekly) and Costco (monthly), and how it’s all going.
Mondays - Meal Planning Days
My process for building a weekly menu and grocery list usually begins on Monday the week before. In my personal homemaking schedule, Mondays are my “admin” days, where I spend time reviewing our budget, making sure our bills are paid, and thinking about meals for the next week.
It’s a little strange to begin a new week by thinking about the next week, but I find it helps me stay organized and up to date on our calendar (like when Tucker works on a Sunday and gets a random week day off, or when Amelia has an upcoming pediatrician appointment, or when we have family/friends visiting, etc.). I meal plan on Mondays; I spend pockets of time during the week refining the plan; and then I grocery shop on Fridays.
I start either a mental or physical list of what we still have on hand, what will likely be leftover from the current week’s meals, and what staples on which we’re running low. From there, I spend the next few days adding to and editing the plan. It can change and evolve based on how the current week’s meals are going - so if I didn’t end up using all the ingredients for one recipe, I try to fit them into next week’s meals to minimize waste and keep the grocery budget low.
Our Weekly Grocery Budget
Currently, our grocery budget is $70 a week (I have a lofty, secret goal of getting it down to $50 a week, but that rarely happens, and $70 is much more doable for us).
This weekly budget does not include my monthly Costco trip (which ranges between $100 and $200 per month, depending on if we’re running out of all our paper products or not), nor does it include my Wednesday night dinner charge of $6 per week (explained below). It also does not include our egg budget - we spend $20 every two weeks for 60 farm fresh eggs. (We eat a LOT of eggs in our house.) Finally, we eat at Chick Fil A once or twice a month, which currently costs exactly $31.32 for all three of us to eat our favorite meals. So all in all, our monthly food budget is actually between $450 and $550 a month for our family of three (me, my husband, and our one year old, Amelia). It’s tight, but with lots of prayer, preparation, cooking from scratch, and bargain hunting, we make it work! (Most of the time. ;))
With that budget in mind, I’m aware we don’t eat the healthiest! In this season of our lives, we are so grateful for all the ways God continues to provide for us, so having food on the table, even if it isn’t the most colorful or the most organic or the most “crunchy-mama approved,” is always a blessing. Amelia definitely eats the best of the three of us, but our bellies are always full at the end of the day, and we are learning to trust God, day in and day out, with both our finances and our health. (I suppose I’m feeling a bit defensive about putting our meal plans out there in the open! Haha!)
One final note - I base my weekly meal plans on dinners first, and then fill in the gaps for breakfast and lunch after dinners are finalized. Dinner takes priority, since we always have a surplus of eggs, I can bake bread and other baked goods from scratch, and we rely heavily on leftovers for breakfast/lunch!
So without further ado, here are the meals I planned for Sunday, March 30 - Saturday, April 5, 2025:
This Week’s Meal Plan
Sunday, March 30
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia (Tucker and I skip breakfast most days, but especially on Sundays, because we like to eat a big brunch together after church, while Amelia naps.)
Brunch: Oatmeal for Amelia; Eggs, Waffles, Sausage, & Breakfast Potatoes for Me and Tucker
Snack: Yogurt Melts and a Fruit Pouch for Amelia
Dinner: Mediterranean Chicken, Naan, and Greek Pilaf (chopped chicken breast in Greek marinade, pilaf with feta cheese, lemon juice, and chopped artichokes, garlic naan, tzatziki sauce)
Bedtime Snack: Banana for Amelia; Homemade Brownies (cocoa, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt) for Me and Tucker
Monday, March 31
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Oatmeal for Me & Amelia
Lunch: Sunday Dinner Leftovers and Roasted Veggies (giant frozen veggie bag from Costco, should last us at least a few weeks!) for Me and Amelia; Tucker takes frozen breakfast sandwiches that I prep weekly to work
Snack: Peanut Butter & Honey on Wheat Bread (pb & honey we have on hand; wheat bread is leftover from the previous week) and Yogurt Melts for Amelia
Dinner: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie (butter, half & half, frozen veggies, canned chicken, flour, spices)
Bedtime Snack: Banana for Amelia; Leftover Homemade Brownies for Me & Tucker
Tuesday, April 1
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Banana and Yogurt Melts for Amelia
Lunch: Leftover Chick Fil A (week prior) for Me; Peanut Butter and Homemade Applesauce Sandwich for Amelia; Frozen Breakfast Sandwich for Tucker
Snack: Fruit Pouch for Amelia
Dinner: Marry Me Chicken Pasta & Roasted Veggies (sun-dried tomatoes, half & half, chickpea pasta, canned chicken, frozen veggies, butter, spices)
Bedtime Snack: Homemade Applesauce for Amelia
Wednesday, April 2
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Zucchini Muffins for Me & Amelia (going out for the morning!)
Lunch: Marry Me Chicken Pasta Leftovers for Me & Amelia; Frozen Breakfast Sandwich for Tucker
Snack: Applesauce Pancake with Peanut Butter for Amelia
Dinner: Dinner at Church (During the school year, our church serves dinner on Wednesday nights - Tucker has to work these events, but he gets to eat for free and so does Amelia since she’s under 5 years old. I just pay $6 for myself, and we all get to eat dinner together with our church family! Plus it’s a meal I don’t have to cook! ;) Wednesday nights are great.)
Bedtime Snack: Banana for Amelia
Thursday, April 3 - Always a “Leftovers” Day!
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Oatmeal with Homemade Applesauce for Me & Amelia
Lunch: Leftovers -OR- “Get Creative in the Kitchen” for Me & Amelia (by Thursdays, I’m trying to make sure we eat anything that won’t make it by the next week, so Amelia and I basically have “girl dinner” for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays); Frozen Breakfast Sandwich for Tucker
Snack: Zucchini Muffins for Amelia
Dinner: Leftover Night! This week, I anticipate having leftovers from the Chicken Pot Pie and the Marry Me Chicken Pasta (Sometimes, I have to get extra creative with our leftover nights to make sure the leftovers stretch to be enough food for all three of us; sometimes, we don’t have any leftovers and I really have to get creative. Generally, I try to plan for a leftover night by making at least one or two meals for other dinner nights that I know will stretch. This has taken a lot of trial and error, but generally I know that pasta, soups, chilis, stews, roasts, pot pies, and shepherd’s pies will stretch for more than one meal.)
Bedtime Snack: Banana for Amelia
Friday, April 4 - Grocery Day for Next Week!
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Applesauce Pancakes with Peanut Butter for Me & Amelia
Lunch: Leftovers -OR- “Get Creative in the Kitchen” for Me & Amelia (after Thursday night, Amelia and I eat anything we didn’t eat the night before; if there’s nothing leftover, we’ll make another egg, sausage, veggie, and potato hash, since those are ingredients I know I’ll still have on hand); Frozen Breakfast Sandwich for Tucker
Snack: Zucchini Muffins and Yogurt Melts for Amelia
Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner (Fridays are often our “eat out” nights, where we get Chick Fil A (even for the baby!) and maybe some cheese curds from Cook Out or something else fun. However, with prices increasing, we’ve limited this treat to only once or twice a month, depending on the budget. We won’t be able to swing a Chick Fil A meal this week, so we’re having “breakfast for dinner!” Based on whatever ingredients we have on hand, we’ll have eggs, toast, and sausage, or maybe I’ll make a quiche, a frittata, or a big hash served family style. One time we had chicken and waffles! Another time I made homemade biscuits and sausage gravy! We make do and make it homemade, and the Lord always blesses us with a delicious and filling meal at the end of the week. :))
Bedtime Snack: Banana for Amelia
Saturday, April 5
Breakfast: Eggs and Blueberries for Amelia, Coffee for Me & Tucker
Snack: Oatmeal with Homemade Applesauce for Me & Amelia
Lunch: Eggs, Toast, Sausage Patties for all three of us
Snack: Peanut Butter & Honey on Wheat Bread and Yogurt Melts for Amelia
Dinner: Pizza for Me & Tucker; Chicken Nuggets or Sweet Potato & Black Bean Patty and Roasted Veggies for Amelia (I keep homemade chicken nuggets (ground chicken, shredded carrots and zucchini, and spices) and sweet potato and black bean patties in the freezer as a backup plan for Amelia. We don’t let her eat frozen pizza with us, since it’s not the healthiest meal. ;))
Fridays - Grocery Shopping Days
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi for our weekly groceries, and at Costco once a month, mostly for diapers, wipes, toilet paper, and paper towels. I like to go first thing in the morning on Fridays, after Amelia and I have had breakfast, to maximize the time before her afternoon nap. Thankfully, Amelia does such a good job at the store! She loves to wave at people from the cart seat and hold random items I give her while I shop (I have to watch her closely though, she’s taken a bite out of an avocado, peel and all!)
I keep my meal plan and grocery list on a Google Sheet, which I access on my phone. I look up and compare pricing prior to heading to the store, and I tend to be pretty strict with the budget. If something said it was cheaper online, but more expensive in store (this happens very rarely), then I don’t buy it or I hunt for a cheaper alternative. Knowing what I’m expected to spend before I get to the store has made a huge difference in sticking to our budget!
In my price checking/bargain hunting adventures, I’ve determined Aldi to be superior in pricing. Food City has been a constant disappointment in terms of cheap pricing, and Walmart only beats Aldi when I’m looking for brand-name items. Of course, Costco is better for bulk items, and I try to pick up bulk fruit or vegetables if there’s room in the monthly Costco budget.
Here’s a snapshot of what my “weekly meals” Google sheet looks like:
I like to print this off and keep it above my computer at my desk, so I know what we’re eating every day! It helps me plan for how much dinner prep is needed each afternoon. :)
Grocery List & Pricing Breakdown
Here’s a breakdown of my grocery list for this week’s meals - I shopped at Aldi last Friday (March 28) for these items. My total was $52.60.
Grocery Trip
2 Packs of 8ct. Mini Garlic Naan, $9.30 (Dinner Ingredient)
English Muffins, $1.49 (Lunch Ingredient, For Tucker’s Sandwiches)
5lb. Yellow Potatoes, $3.59 (Freezer Restock)
White Onions, $2.39 (Freezer Restock)
3 Pack Zucchinis, $2.23 (Lunch Ingredient, Meal Prepping Zucchini Muffins for Amelia)
Lemons, $3.89 (Dinner Ingredient)
Mayo, $3.29 (Staple I Ran Out Of)
Half & Half, $2.79 (Dinner Ingredient, Will Use for 2 Dinners!)
Pilaf Mix, $0.95 (Dinner Ingredient)
Tzatziki Sauce, $3.19 (Dinner Ingredient)
Pepper Jack Cheese, $1.85 (Lunch Ingredient, For Tucker’s Sandwiches)
Frozen Pepperoni Pizza, $4.29 (Dinner)
3 Pack Thin Sliced Chicken Breast, $4.89 (Dinner Ingredient)
Feta Cheese, $1.95 (Dinner Ingredient)
Jar of Artichokes, $2.29 (Dinner Ingredient)
Hazelnut Coffee Creamer, $2.69 (Staple I Ran Out Of)
TAX - $1.53
TOTAL - $52.60
Here’s my list of ingredients for this week that I already had on hand, either from previous grocery trips, or from my monthly Costco run (I spend between $100 and $200 per month on Costco). These items on hand helped me decide what we were going to eat this week, to keep our grocery list under $70.
On Hand
Milk, From Monthly Costco Run
Eggs, We Purchase 60 Farm Fresh Eggs Every 2 Weeks
Flour, 25lb. Bag From Monthly Costco Run
Butter, From Monthly Costco Run
Various Spices, On Hand Staples
Frozen Veggies, From Monthly Costco Run
4 Cans of Chicken, From Monthly Costco Run
Chickpea Pasta, From Monthly Costco Run
Blueberries, From Monthly Costco Run
Bananas, From Monthly Costco Run
Amara Yogurt Melts, From Monthly Costco Run
Fruit Pouches, Previous Food City Trip (Bought Out the Store, Since They Were On Sale For a Dollar Each!)
Frozen Sausage Patties, Previous Aldi Trip (Pack of 30)
Tips & Lessons Learned
An Extra Walmart Trip
Today, I had to make an extra trip to Walmart for more bananas, which cost less than $2 for a bunch of 7. We’re currently switching up Amelia’s sleep schedule, which has added another snack to her daily meal schedule (something I didn’t prepare for when creating this meal plan). Since we eat dinner around 5:30pm and have pushed her bedtime to 8pm, she gets hungry close to bedtime. Lately, bananas have been our go-to, but I’ll likely switch it up for next week’s daily fruit and bedtime snack.
I also needed extra bananas for the Zucchini Muffins I prepped for Amelia.
My Fruit/Veggie Philosophy
To keep our budget low, I stick to only one or two types of fruit and vegetables for the week (sometimes they last longer than a week, especially if I splurge on Costco organic or go the frozen fruit/vegetable route). This past week, it’s been blueberries and bananas, homemade applesauce (from a bag of apples), and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables for our weekly fruit and vegetables.
Weekly Protein
I do the same thing for our weekly protein - I try to pick one type of meat for the week and buy in bulk. This week was chicken - I bought a few thinly sliced chicken breasts for one meal and then used canned chicken I had on hand for the rest of the meals. (In my monthly Costco trip, I always grab a 6-pack of canned chicken to have on hand.) Though canned chicken isn’t the best, I like to use it when the recipe calls for the chicken to be cooked into the dish, like chicken pot pie and chicken pasta. It’s cheaper and is easier to dump into the recipe. For our “Mediterranean Night” dinner though, fresh chicken breast was a better choice.
What I Prepped This Week
For Tucker: Sandwiches for Lunch
Just about every week, I make Tucker “breakfast” sandwiches with English muffins, sausage patties, eggs, and pepper jack cheese slices. I make them all at once (the English muffins come in a pack of six), wrap them in tin foil, and toss them in the freezer. He takes one to work with him every morning to eat for lunch and loves them. From what he says, they’re filling enough to fuel him for his manual-labor job but not too heavy to make him feel tired and sluggish the rest of the day. I’ve tried to ask if he needs more food, like a side or something to take along with him, but he’s assured me it’s the perfect amount for him, so it’s been working well for us! Cheap to buy, easy to make, quick to eat!
For Amelia: Zucchini Muffins, Homemade Applesauce, Applesauce Pancakes
I like to keep plenty of snacks and dinner alternatives in the fridge/freezer for Amelia during the week, and I prefer to make most of it myself. I did purchase Amara Yogurt Melts from Costco during the monthly run and some Plum Fruit Pouches from Food City awhile ago that we’re still slowly making our way through.
For the Zucchini Muffins, I used this recipe I found on Pinterest! It calls for both bananas and zucchini, plus some applesauce (which was perfect, since I made homemade applesauce this week!) and some other ingredients I already had on hand. I keep a few in the fridge for the week and freeze the rest.
For the Homemade Applesauce, I just peel and core a full bag of apples (I buy the cheapest I can find at Aldi, and this bag was from last week’s grocery trip), boil them until they are soft, then mash them with a potato masher and add a little bit of cinnamon. If I’m using the applesauce in another recipe that doesn’t call for cinnamon, I’ll just portion some out and add the cinnamon after. Then I just keep it in the fridge all week!
Finally, I also made Applesauce Pancakes. I like to make these whenever I make homemade applesauce, because they keep so well in the freezer and warm up fast in the toaster. I use this recipe from Pinterest as well, sometimes swapping the type of flour or milk as I see fit. This recipe isn’t my favorite and can be a bit messy while making (the batter is a pretty chunky consistency), but it gets the job done. I’d like to keep hunting for another - if you have any recommendations, please send them my way!
For the Freezer: Potatoes & Onions
Finally, if there’s room in the budget for it, I like to stock up on other items I keep in the freezer. This week, it was onions and potatoes, since I ran out of both! For the onions, I bought a bag of white onions, chopped them all up, separated them into ½ cup portions, and put them in the freezer. These are great for all kinds of recipes - I just pull out a bag and dump it into the pan/pot/crockpot/etc.!
For the potatoes, I bought a 5lb. bag of yellow potatoes. I used a few for our Sunday brunch, but the rest I just diced into bite-sized pieces, blanched for a few minutes in a pot of boiling water, let cool down, and stored in a freezer bag. These will be great for breakfast potatoes, sheet pan meals, and even mashed potatoes!
Whew, that was a lot! Cheers to a new week!
Okay, that was a lot! But it’s what I process through every single week to make sure we’ve got food on the table and I’m not stressing about dinner every night. And like I said, I like the process a lot! If you’re in the throws of early motherhood and homemaking, I know how overwhelming it can be. By no means is this a one-size-fits-all process, but it’s helped me feel more prepared and organized in my own home. You gotta do what works for you and your family!
I hope you got something out of this - a tip or a trick, an idea or two on how to plan your family’s weekly meals, or just a kick out of how I run our home. ;) Thanks for reading this far - see you next week for another (hopefully shorter!!) weekly meal plan breakdown.
