POST 2: What's for dinner?

Week 1

Alright, here are this week's meals:  I'll be adding to this list as I take pictures.  If you missed the first part of this post, see here.  I'm trying to show that one can eat wholesome foods on a trim budget.   Whatever reason your food budget may be low (unemployment, saving for something, frugality, paying off debt, etc.) is it possible to eat a wholesome diet?  With some work, is it possible for us to make all meals, for 4 people, for 31 days on $350?  This stemmed from reading a newspaper article where a family of 3 was receiving $375/month in food stamp money and complaining it wasn't enough.  Well, being frugal is hard work.  I try to remember that we've chosen this lifestyle and felt called to have me home right now.  So I'm not complaining.  I really am thankful for God's provision in our income and resources.  Let's see if we can do it!!

 {Note, I'm not suggesting that if your budget is higher than ours that you should lower it or that it's bad.  Whatever budget you decide on you'll still need a strategy to stick with it. Utilizing resources well is a big hill to climb. I'm suggesting that those who choose or need to tighten their budget can be successful if they plot.  I'm also not suggesting that we eat the best and healthiest of foods.  We choose not to buy many organic things in this season. I do, however, feel we feed our family a fairly balanced diet and intentionally limit processed foods.  You'll see mostly dinners but I'm sure I'll mention other meals as well to show how we make the budget work.}

January 1st:  Ham steak, Roasted root veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip), spinach salad with sunflower seeds and mandarins.  Weight Watcher Points:  9
Money Saver:prepare your own sweet potatoes instead of buying prepared sweet potato fries (Oh how we miss those though :)

 

January 2nd: Mexican meatball soup (with ground turkey), a few tortilla chips, spinach salad (with carrots, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds), and Spanish style rice.  WW Points:13
Money Saver: Make homemade Spanish rice instead of buying boxed by using rice, tomatoes, and spices from the cupboard (I use cilantro and broth or salt).  

January 3rd: Homemade veggie and turkey pepperoni pizza, green salad, kale chips, and fruit salad (blueberries, bananas, and apples). WW points:11 
Money saver:  Make your own salad instead of buying the prepared bags. Also, make your own pizza dough! Yumm. Freeze berries in the summer to utilize them in the winter.  These berries are fro my mom's garden.  

NOTE: This is one meal I take the time to make two separate variations- both regular and gluten free pizza. Nothing quite beats my mom's homemade pizza dough! (Sorry, Aaron). For my hubby we usually use Udis pizza crusts though we've experimented with Bob's Redmill and Pillsbury..   

January 4th:  Curry chicken salad (with raisins, apples, and celery) on iceberg lettuce with a satsuma orange. WW points: 7
 Money Saver: Use your leftovers strategically! We tend to send leftovers in my husband's lunch box but on Saturday we generally make a larger than normal dinner so we can take Sundays "off" from most cooking.

 January 5th:  Leftover curry chicken salad on iceberg, sliced roasted potatoes (Italian seasonings and kosher salt), 1/2 grapefruit, and a mandarin orange. WW Points: 9
Money Saver: Buy a bag of potatoes instead of prepared frozen potatoes.  Peelers and I don't mix, so I give these ones a good scrub, cut them in thin slices with the skin on, add some herbs, and roast.  Pretty easy.

January 6th: Spaghetti with pesto, cheese, and walnuts; mashed cauliflower, grapefruit.  Not pictured:  2 small (frozen) meatballs that weren't done yet when we sat down to eat.  I may have turned on the toaster oven but forgotten to plug it in ;)  WW Points: 9

January 7th: Burritos with homemade tortillas, homemade black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion; green beans,; a few tortilla chips; mandarin orange. WW Points: 7     Money Saver: Make your own beans instead of buying them in the can.  Easy to make and freeze.