(photo credit: The Walt Disney Company)
Hey friends! Welcome to my first weekly meal plan post. Many of you have asked to see how I put the groceries purchased in my weekly Kroger trips to use. And your wish is my command! The Saving to Disney plan has had a tremendous impact on my budgeting and grocery shopping, so I’m thrilled to share how I use that resource to make meals for my special diet family.
For those who don’t know, my husband is a Type 1 Diabetic. This means he is completely insulin dependent and takes multiple shots a day in order for his body to process food. The trickiest thing for his body is carbs. As a result, we consume a protein and vegetable heavy diet. Oh, you know, just the most expensive things at the grocery store. I’ve got two littles at home as well. They are not Type 1, but since they are genetically pre-disposed, I’m very careful with their diets, too.
With restrictions like this it can be hard to have a menu that meets requirements and taste good. But I am committed to finding creative ways to keeping our diet from becoming boring. Saving to Disney has helped me do that by saving me money without cutting down on the amount of groceries I buy. The budget windfall has allowed me to explore foods I wouldn’t normally have tried, which have gone on to become staples in our diets.
Meal Plan for 8/17-8/25
Thursday
- Breakfast-Shakes (Bananas, blueberries, milk) and cereal
- Lunch- Pepperoni, Aged Gouda, sliced Mango
- Dinner- Salad with Chipotle Chicken (2.4 lbs of chicken purchased, peppers from a friends’ harvest)
*I always make enough dinner so that my husband can take a full portion to work for lunch. Sometimes I’ll have enough for me and the girls as well, but the priority is getting him to work with things where he knows the carb count, so he can take the required amount of insulin. Fast food isn’t really an option for him, so I have to be intentional about his lunches.
Friday
- Breakfast- Scrambled eggs with cheese (eggs purchased previous trip)
- Lunch– LO (leftover) Salad with Chipotle Chicken
- Dinner- Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti
*Contrary to popular belief, folks with Type 1 do need to consume carbs. The trick is they must be measured precisely, so the proper amount of insulin can be taken. For this reason, it’s easier to do carb based meals (like pasta) at home, so they can be measured correctly. I’m not above taking a measuring cup to restaurants, but for some reason my husband doesn’t like when I do that. ;)
Saturday
- Breakfast- Garden Omelets, with Homemade Bread and honey for the girls
- Lunch- LO Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti
- Dinner- LO Pizza
*We recently had my bigger little’s 4th Birthday party, and we had so. Much. Leftover. Pizza. The great news is, it was Costco pizza, so not only was it delicious but it freezes really well. Pop the desired amount of pizza on a cookie sheet, preheat your oven to 325 F. Cook for 10-15 minutes, based on your oven’s strength and desired crispiness of crust, and voila, like it’s fresh from the pizzeria!
Sunday
- Breakfast- Eggs, toasted homemade bread, yogurt with mango
- Lunch-LO Pizza
- Dinner-Shrimp Taco Bowls (with Rice, Onions, from a previous trip, tomato, pepper)
*My littles are obsessed with Yellow Rice. They refuse to eat a rice if it is not yellow. I’ve learned that yellow rice can be a great based for Spanish Rice. So, I’ll make enough rice for all of us, and split the box. Half the rice goes into the frying pan with a chopped tomato, a dash of cumin, red chile powder, and cayenne pepper, and voila, Spanish rice perfect for a taco bowl.)
Monday
- Breakfast- Shakes (banana, mangoes, yogurt-previous trip) and cereal
- Lunch- LO Shrimp Taco Bowls for him, Pepperoni, blueberries, and yellow rice for the girls and I.
- Dinner-Cajun Pasta with Sausage (fettuccine and sausage from this trip, homemade sauce)
Tuesday
- Breakfast- Scrambled eggs with Potatoes
- Lunch- LO Cajun Pasta
- Dinner- Jambalaya (Sausage, Shrimp, any remaining chipotle chicken, yellow rice)
Wednesday
- Breakfast-Shakes (Blueberries, mango, milk) and cereal
- Lunch- LO Jambalaya
- Dinner- Chicken Tenders and Homemade Fries, Side of Carrots (remaining 2.45 chicken breast from this shopping trip, Yukon gold potatoes. Carrots from previous trip)
Thursday
- Breakfast-Shakes (any remaining fruit and yogurt), cereal (whatever is left) and eggs (whatever is left)
- Lunch-LO Chicken Tenders and Fries with Carrots
- Dinner-Chili (2 lbs Ground Turkey, Canned tomatoes-diced and crushed, onion purchased previous trip, shredded cheese)
*Another thing that freezes well is onions, especially if you are using them for soup based meals. I bought a ton of onions a few trips ago when they were on sale and am just now getting to the end of them.
That’s the week! My shopping trips are on Thursday, since that is the start day for Kroger in-store sales. I like to hit the store at the start of the sale cycle in case they run out of things and I miss all the good deals. You’ll notice I did not use all the meat I bought on this trip. I like to stock up on meat when the prices are good, which means less pressure when the sales and coupons aren’t as good.
If you’re stumped on meals, I recommend doing a search with your favorite protein and one other factor. Phrases I have searched include: “pork and some kind of vegetable, easy”, “what do I do with all this chicken”, “eggs I haven’t made 100 times”, and “sausage and something else.” Even if you don’t put those proteins this trip, it’s great to have these recipes in your back pocket. Being prepared for a variety of outcomes can help take the guesswork out of meal planning.
Are you a meal planner? Do you love it or is it a lot of work? New to meal planning? What are you most nervous about? Hit me up in the comments!
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!