A friend of mine said she was saving money by doing meal planning. I knew exactly what she was talking about because when it's 4:30PM and I'm already hungry, I venture over to the grocery store, which is viciously close to our house - 30 second walking distance(!), and I inevitably spend $30-$50 and end up with some junk food fillers and one meal. What!? That's insane. Yes, I said it: INSANE.
My friend claims she can spend $200 on 12 days worth of meals. Twelve whole days. Wow. I can't even really think about twelve
meals let alone days, but it sounded like I should give this a try since we're attempting to eat better (i.e., change up the variety so we're not eating the same ol' eggs in every meal) and save money (who doesn't need to save cash? p.s. we have a mortgage and I'm a stay-at-home, non-moolah-making mama).
Project Meal Planning started off on a good go: I selected three recipes I know well, and two I have never tried before. Meals were selected on freezing ability and the amount of food the recipe makes (copious = better, as long as it can all fit in our small freezer). I also figured into Project Meal Planning the fact that I can eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning (we already have the Costco-sized bag of oats), and lunch can consist of leftovers from amazing dish from the night before. The recipe finalists are: Enchiladas, Yam and Peanut Soup, Glory Bowl, Veggie Burgers, and Mushroom Medley Curry. Deep appreciation goes out to
Whitewater Cooks,
Rebar, and
Vij's At Home, my three favourite cook books.
One heck of a grocery list resulted in an hour and a half at the grocery store. I enhanced my shopping experience by going to the lovely Thrifty's down the street instead of the slacker Save-On across the road (that's a whole other blog post in the making). I spent $198.26 on food for these five recipes, which will make approximately, at a very
minimum, 20 dinner meals (if each recipe makes four servings, but they typically make
way more). Twelve meals? Ha! I've got you in the bag, Meal Planning. I'll also note here that of the nearly two hundred smackers I spent on groceries, I purchased a bunch of organic nuts on sale, two huge tubs of peanut butter (two for one!!), and big bags of spices good for many future meals in Project Meal Planning. I'm thinking the next five-recipe grocery extravaganza will come in well under $150.
Only trouble is.... now that I have this huge pile of groceries, I have to actually cook it all! Keeping myself in the moment, I'm taking things one step at a time. Today's meal: enchiladas, which also helps to serve as a dish for tonight's Gluten Free Mexican Potluck. Yep, you heard that right. I'm going to go back to the store for some gluten free corn tortillas, but other than that, we're all ready. "Por favor, comer la enchilada!" I don't actually speak Spanish, but Google translate tells me this is "please eat the enchilada".
If I have time this afternoon, I'll take a crack at another recipe. And when I say, "if I have time", I mean, if my Little seven-month-old Bean takes another two-and-a-half hour nap just like he did this morning. What are the chances he'll nap that long again? Not great. But I can always hope. Although.... the sun is now shining and my bike hasn't seen the pavement for a while..... There's always tomorrow to cook up a storm, right? -- Ack! Little Bean just discovered the dog's water dish and is currently smacking in and drinking less than clean water. Gotta go!
