grocery list

There are usually two scenarios that find people diving head first into the world of meal planning — they need to save time or they need to save money. But at this point in the year, it often seems those two go hand and hand. We’re in the heart of the fall semester, activities are ramping up, and something about the waning evening sunlight makes it feel like a mad rush between the end of work hours and climbing into bed at night. There’s no time for planning and executing a healthy dinner on the fly!

Then you’ve got money saving. Ah yes, I feel you there. Maybe you spent a little too extravagantly on summer travel or plan to spend extravagantly on the upcoming holidays. Either way, there’s no room for extravagance in this in-between!

Enter the power of the stupidly simple meal plan…

Shopping List

Breakfast

Oatmeal
Yogurt
Bananas

Lunch

Bread
Lunch meat
Cheese
Salad
Salad Dressing

Extras (Snacks, desserts, and lunch add-ons)

Granola bars
Fruit (apples, oranges, berries on sale)
Crackers
Hummus
Peanut butter
Cookies

Dinner

Chicken
Rice
Stir-fry vegetables
Bulk frozen veggie
Pasta noodles
Ground turkey or meatballs
Pasta sauce
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Avocados
Refried beans or black beans
Green peppers
BBQ sauce
Hamburger buns
Chips

Meal Plan

Breakfast – Oatmeal or yogurt topped w/ bananas

Lunch – Sandwich or salad w/ 2 sides of choice (and/or any dinner leftovers)

Dinners –

Monday/#1: Chicken stir fry w/ frozen veggie

Tuesday/#2: Spaghetti w/ fruit salad

Wednesday/#3: Quesadilla w/ beans and guac

Thursday/#4: Stuffed peppers w/ frozen veggie

Friday/#5: Panini and chips

Saturday/#6: BBQ chicken sandwiches w/ frozen veggie/fruit salad/chips (whatever is left)

Sunday/#6: Eat out

What meals are on YOUR stupidly simple meal plan? Here’s to a stress-free and money-saving AUTUMN!! 🍂 🍁 🍂

Hey guys! I thought I’d pop on today and share a really simple grocery list you can use to create quick and easy meals for one through the course of a work week. Maybe you’re trying to limit eating out to save a little dough for your weekend or maybe you just don’t have the cash flow right now to get fancy. Whatever the reason, I’ve got you covered. Pick up these items and combine them with spices and other pantry staples you probably already have on hand. These are pretty much the key foods I discovered, after years of spending money I didn’t have to dine out with frequency, could be turned into a meal plan I can whack out with my eyes shut. And in time, this is the list I would turn to when I showed up at the grocery store without a plan and just a twenty dollar bill or two to spare. Hope you find it helpful!

Oatmeal packets
Bananas
Dozen eggs
Canned tuna
Tortillas
Mustard
Hummus
Box of spring mix
Avocado
Baby carrots
Rice cakes
Peanut butter
Bag of sweet potatoes
Can of black beans
Chicken breasts (2)
Brown rice
Bag of frozen vegetables

This list = 5 breakfasts + 5 lunches + 5 snacks + 4 dinners

Here are some ideas…

Breakfasts – Oatmeal with bananas, Oatmeal with peanut butter, Hardboiled eggs, Scrambled eggs, Rice cakes with peanut butter and banana, Breakfast burrito

Lunches – Tuna salad wraps, Peanut butter and banana wraps, Salad greens with tuna and avocado, Salad greens with leftovers, Egg salad on rice cakes, Egg salad wraps

Lunch sides/Snacks – Baby carrots and hummus, Hardboiled eggs, Bananas, Rice cakes and peanut butter, Sweet potato, Avocado

Dinners – 1) Baked chicken breast with a baked sweet potato, cooked vegetables, and a side of salad greens. 2) Jacket sweet potato dressed with black beans and a side of Mexican rice. 3) Scrambled eggs with sweet potato home-fries and avocado smash on a rice cake 4) Stir-fried chicken and vegetables over brown rice.