(Photo Credit: The Walt Disney Company)
I wrote recently about how the Saving to Disney plan has affected my life in areas far beyond what I expected. Change leads to more change. In order to save money on groceries, I created a grocery budget. Once I create a grocery budget, I meal plan in order to best utilize coupons and sales to stretch my budget. Because I’m meal planning, I take more care with our extracurricular schedule.
What was that last one? I’ll say it again: Because I’m meal planning, I take more care with our extracurricular schedule. Let’s break it down. Meal planning requires me to assign each evening a meal. In order to assign a meal, I need to know that evening’s corresponding schedule. Is there soccer practice? Do we have an event at church? Special family activity planned? The deeper I get into meal planning, the better handle I get on our family schedule. Not only does this save us money by not wasting food or having to get takeout, it helps our family run smoother.
I really lucked out this week, since we have three, count ‘em three, events where someone who is not me will be providing a meal!
Meal Plan for 10/12-10/19
Thursday
- Dinner- End of the Season Soccer Party
*Event #1-pizza for the soccer team to celebrate a great season! And I am celebrating not having to make dinner.
Friday
- Breakfast- Yogurt with Bananas and Sliced Apples
- Lunch-Leftover Pizza for the littles, Homemade bread with sliced gouda, tomato, and strawberries for the adults
- Dinner- Cookout for my Husband’s Job
*Event #2-hot dogs and other assorted foods that can be held over a fire. This is two nights in a row that I am not cooking dinner. Living the dream, ya’ll.
Saturday
- Breakfast-Scrambled Eggs with Blue Cheese and Sliced Tomatoes
- Lunch- Turkey Burgers on Pretzel Rolls, with Blackberry Mango Salsa
- Dinner- Chicken Parmesan with Roasted Carrots
*You’ll see a lot of Ground Turkey based meals on my menus. Two very good reasons for that. First, it is way cheaper than ground beef. Second, it is way healthier than ground beef. When I first started with Ground Turkey I was very skeptical. But now I barely notice a difference. If you’re looking for an easy, healthy swap, Ground Turkey for Ground Beef is a great place to start.
Sunday
- Breakfast- Cereal with bananas
- Lunch- Birthday Party for a Friend, Lunch Provided
- Dinner-Cobb Salad with Mediterranean Gouda, Chicken, Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado
*Event #3 is a birthday party for a school friend of my daughter’s. You know, I didn’t realize it until I typed that up but that means three days in a row where at least one meal is provided by an outside source. With the weather turning cooler, and the holidays upon us, maybe that will be a little more common than the free for all summer months.
Monday
- Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs with Yogurt with Blackberries
- Lunch- LO Cobb Salad
- Dinner-Turkey Chili with Side Salads
* Look at this! No salad on a Monday. I told you all I was branching out. Ok, I guess there are salads, but they’re side salads. That hardly counts. We try and do a vegetable or fruit with every meal, which can be a little tricky as we head into the season of casseroles and stews. Side salads are an easy way to make sure you’re getting some veggies in.
Tuesday
- Breakfast- Omelets with Mediterranean Gouda, Tomato, and Bacon, served with crackers
- Lunch- LO Chili
- Dinner- Baked Chicken Fajitas with Peppers and Onions, Rice on the Side
* I love this baked fajita recipe so much, I wrote a whole blog post about it. Click here to get this easy and delicious recipe. If your meal planning has some open holes and you’re low on inspiration search Pinterest for your favorite restaurant meal plus the terms “at home” or “baked.” You’ll be shocked with how many options pop up.
Wednesday
- Breakfast- Mango Banana Milkshakes and Cereal
- Lunch- LO Chicken Fajitas
- Dinner-Homemade Chicken Soup with Homemade Bread
Thursday
- Breakfast- Fruit Salad with Cheese and Crackers
- Lunch- LO Chicken Soup
- Dinner- Dealer’s Choice
*Leaving Thursday night dinner open, as usual. If I don’t find anything good on the shopping trip Thursday, then I have plenty of ground turkey, chicken, and fish, so I can easily whip something up.
As the weather gets colder, do your meal plans change? Do you have a very different meal schedule when we get into the busy social season of the holidays? Any deep thoughts on Ground Turkey? Let me hear all about it after the jump!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!