I am a pretty health conscious eater. That doesn’t mean that I don’t crave and even give in to those less than healthy choices at times; however, I have found that on a tight budget, planning meals ahead that are healthy, yet also delicious, helps remove the temptation to eat the bad stuff while also keeping more money in my pocket. This 2 week meal plan is focused on healthy eating. That being said, there are things about these recipes that I tweak to make them even more healthy (like lessening the salt for instance). The download at the bottom of this post is a printer friendly version of all the recipes in their…mostly original state, followed by a grocery list and a list of things you should make sure are in your pantry. Warning: most of these recipes do not contain meat unless it is of the fish variety.
I put an asterisk in front of the meals that are quick and pretty easy in case you want to rearrange the order into something that works better with your weekly schedule.
Sunday: Great Grain Burgers w/ sweet potatoes and steamed cauliflower
Monday: Spaghetti with Vegetarian Meatballs, green beans, and whole wheat rolls
Tuesday: “Kidney” Pie
Wednesday: *Teriyaki Shiitaki Mushrooms w/ Brown Rice and Sesame Broccoli
Thursday: *Spicy Shrimp Wraps
Friday: Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Saturday: Veggie Pizza
Sunday: *Cashew Chicken becomes Cashew Mixed Veggies
Monday: Satay Prawns w/ Brown Rice
Tuesday: Potato and Bean Casserole
Wednesday: Frozen crockpot meal prepared ahead (Sorry, you’re on your own for tonight!)
Thursday: Fettuccini w/ Argula and Corn
Friday: *1-2-3 Hash Brown Pie
Saturday: All-in-One Spaghetti Frittata
Here is the download for the recipes and grocery list!
2 Week Planner Fish & Vegetarian Complete
Tidbits and other remarks:
For the Vegetarian Meatballs: The vegetarian meatballs are a bit of a time commitment, but they make a lot of meatballs. I usually freeze half of the batch and cook the rest that night. That way, it’s less work and it also means I’m only buying spaghetti noodles, sauce, and sides next time we eat this.
For the “Kidney Pie”: The filling for this pie should be made the day before. I usually make the filling at the beginning of the first week, freeze it, and then save it for the second week so that it’s less work later.
My grocery list estimates what it costs me at my local grocery store as well as my local taxes. You can alter this to fit your area. As you can see, it costs me a little over $50/week for food! However, I allow myself an additional $25 to cover refilling my pantry and other miscellaneous items that I need. Because there’s only three mouths to feed (one of them a very little mouth), we are able to eat the leftovers the next day to save the additional expense of buying lunch.
Health benefits of the Shiitaki Mushroom: it is thought that shiitaki mushrooms are beneficial in fighting the development and progression of cancer as well as lowering cholesterol to name a few good things. Here is a link if you want to know more about this delicious food!
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