Last weeks food spend was $200.29! Just 29 cents over budget...
and what's more, we ate better than ever. I think the reason for that is I happily purchased some more expensive ingredients knowing they were ok budget wise. Ordinarily I would have passed them over thinking they were too expensive. We even had bacon and eggs for breakfast New Years day:)
...and menu planning?
I have come and go from it in the past, depending on available time / energy but it really is a must. It results in tastier and more nutritious meals every time.
So to this weeks menu:
Tuesday - Maple Chicken & Chickpea Salad
Wednesday - Pan fried Mung beans with chicken
Thursday - Tomato Risotto
Friday - Roast vegetable & Couscous salad
Saturday - Nasi Goreng
Sunday - Quinoa patties & salad
Monday - leftovers:D
Budget is $200 - 6 people, 3 adult portions / 3 child portions
So far (my shopping week runs Tuesday to Monday) the spend is $179.37. I did pick up two packs of premium mince reduced to clear (of course!) this week too, so that'll help out next week:)
Shopping list:
Fresh ingredients:
500g sweet potato
2 red onion
2 brown onion
5 spring onion
3 tomatoes
4 cups salad greens
2 1/2 cups broccoli
6 yellow squash or 3 zucchini
100g mushrooms
1 red capsicum
1kg butternut pumpkin
1 carrot
2 lemon
1 1/2 cups chopped coriander
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1kg chicken breast
500g prawns
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups Basmati rice
1 cup couscous
2 cups cooked Quinoa
2 cans chickpeas1 can chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked mung beans
5 eggs
Greek yogurt
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
60g Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
Pantry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup vegetable stock
maple syrup / olive oil / vinegar (apple cider) / soy sauce / salt & pepper / sesame oil / vegetable oil / garlic / ginger / shrimp paste / sambal oelek / oyster sauce / sugar / cumin
Here are the other Project: Food Budget participants:
- Emily Levenson
- Dairy-Free Cooking
- Test Kitchen Tuesday
- Red Pen Mama
- Acquired Tastes
- Fit Flexitarian
- Warm As Pie
- Katy Rank Lev
- My Inner Healthy
- Little Blue Hen
- xox, b
- What da Health?
- Project Food Budget 2.0
- A Nice Heart and a White Suit
- Fresh...A New Chapter
- Chandeleah
- Two Eggs Over Easy
- That's Just Me
- Eat Whole Be Vital
- Four Happy Violets
- Naturally {Un}refined
- Pgh Dad
Hello from a fellow Food Budget blogger. So glad to find your blog! It's lovely.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristy, lovely idea with the food budget. I am not so diciplined to do that! I was just wondering when you were allocating partners for the House Ornament Swap? Thanks, Sharon
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