This Week's Meal plan For Around $100

Sundays are made for rest.  I'm a firm believer in that.  When I get the chance, I like to relax on Sundays - catching up on TV shows and laundry to help me mentally prepare for the week ahead.  (Currently stuck on Sons of Anarchy)  It's also when I do my grocery shopping.  

I've found that making a plan and shopping for the week saves me time and money.  When I have meals prepared, I'm not forced to spend money eating out.  Making a list also helps me stick to a budget.  Most of my grocery trips end up around $100 for the week.  If you do the math, thats around $14.28 a day for 3 meals plus snacks.  Go ahead and try to eat out for that.  Of course this doesn't include supplements but thats a post for another day.

Grocery shopping shouldn't be a chore.  It's a way to get creative about what you're going to eat for the next week.  Try to incorporate ingredients from other recipes to save money.  Last week I made two excellent Indian dishes using most of the same ingredients.  This week will be mostly Italian.

Here's a list of a few dishes I have in mind for this week.

Cottage cheese pancakes

Oatmeal cookies

Chicken parmesean

Chicken salad tortillas

Taco salad

Stuffed peppers

Tortilla pizzas with ground beef

Salmon

        Spaghetti squash and meatballs

I've attached a grocery list here in .PDF format for most of the ingredients I'll need.  Many of these recipes will call for spices or staples that I have in the pantry.  If I don't have something, I'll usually come up with a quick alternative. That's my guy style of cooking. I'll keep you updated along the week with recipes and tips along the way. 

Grocery List 3_30_14