Mental Health & Dementia Advocate
Cooking & Lifestyle Content Creator
40 - Mum & Wife
From The Hunter Valley NSW
Meal Planning
Changing the way you look at budget meals
I don't know about you, but when I have my meals sorted for the week I feel so organised! When it comes to meal planning, the first step is to work out what you *don't* need to buy.
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Let's go through the freezer first.
What meat do I have in here that I can use this week?
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Now that we know what protein we already have, what can we make with that? Let's say you've got chicken breast and beef mince. That's 2 proteins we don't need to buy this week!
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I always start with the protein and then build the meal around that.
Meal Planning Ideas
Week 1
For the first week I did under $100 meal shopping challenge to buy enough to make 5 dinners for 4 people.
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We made:
- Chicken Tender Burgers
- Shepherds Pie / Cottage Pie
- Sweet & Sour Sausages & veggies
- Fish, homemade chips & veggies
- Spaghetti & Meatballs
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Week 2
For the second week, our budget was set at $100 again and this time it came in at around $88. We again made 5 dinners to feed 4 people.
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We made:
- Yellow Curried Prawn & Rice
- Turkey Mince Burritos
- Drumsticks & Veggie Pasta Bake
- Minestrone Soup
- Pepperoni Pizza using Wraps
Week 3
For the third week, our budget was set at $100 again and this time it came in at around $90. We again made 5 dinners to feed 4 people.
But, we were able to push our budget by using some items from last week, for this week, allowing us to spend money on more expensive items & proteins!
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We made:
- Lamb Burgers
- Garlic & Herb Barramundi
- Chicken Alfredo
- Thai Coconut Veg Curry & Rice
- Garlic Beef with Mushroom Sauce
Week 4
For the 4th week, our budget was set at $100 again and tried to focus more on gluten free meals, but this time it came in at $104.16 We again made 5 dinners to feed 4 people.
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We made:
- San Choy Bow
- Greek Lamb Chops & Veg
- Dijon Chicken Drumsticks & Rice
- Roasted Veg & Salmon Rice Bowls
- Chicken & Cabbage Veggie Stir Fry
Week 5
For the 5th week I did under $100 meal shopping challenge to buy enough to make 5 dinners for 4 people.
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We made:
- Chicken Schnitzel Sub with Honey Dijon Sauce
- One Tray Sausage & Veggie Bake
- Slow Cooker Chicken & Corn Soup
- Spaghetti Bolognaise
- Tomato & Basil Fish with baked veg
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Week 6
For the 6th week I did under $100 meal shopping challenge to buy enough to make 5 dinners for 4 people.
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We made:
- Meatball Pasta Bake
- Slow Cooker Chicken Korma & Rice
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Stew
- Veggie Rice Pilaf
- Chicken & Pesto Potato Bake
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