Does going grocery shopping every two weeks sound good? I have a meal plan for you that is easy, delicious and costs $70 a week. Are you in?
This menu plan is especially for you if you: 1) don’t love cooking but want delicious dinners, 2) want to save money on groceries and 3) can rock the same meal plan two weeks in a row.
Of course you can have a meal plan cheaper if you shop different places and make things from scratch, but I’m in a serious cooking rut right now. I need this to be easy, affordable, a one-stop-shop and full of things my kids will eat!
I shop almost exclusively at Costco lately. As our kids get older, they’re eating more, so I’m able to buy in bulk. I like shopping at Aldi and Trader Joe’s, but usually I don’t want to go to more than one place with these guys! Most of the bulk prices at Costco are unbeatable and their organic selection is growing all the time.
My grocery budget is $550-600 a month. That includes diapers, cleaning supplies and paper products. Read more here.
We are a family of five, but the kids don’t eat a large amount at dinner, so this would probably work for four adults over two weeks. If you have more mouths to feed, this would work for one week.
Costco shopping list
- avocados $7.99
- tomatoes $4.79
- baby spinach $4.49
- creamer potatoes $7.99
- mac and cheese $9.96
- veggie burgers $12.69
- beef pot roast $12.40
- rotisserie chicken $4.99
- frozen lasagna (2 pk) $12.79
- eggs (2 dozen) $7.99
- plain yogurt $6.49
- shredded cheese (2 pk) $7.79
- grated Parmesan cheese $7.49
- rice $12.69
- tortilla chips $4.99
- hamburger buns $3.89
- tortillas $3.99
- black beans (8 cans) $6.79
= $140.20/$70.10 a week
So dinners are $70 a week and you are also working on your stockpile. At the end of the two weeks you will still have shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, beans, rice and you can freeze tortillas! Let them thaw in the refrigerator.
From your pantry:
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- olive oil
- hot sauce
Best things to buy at Costco
The lasagna already comes frozen and divided in two, so it’s perfect. It amounts to only $6.50 a pan. You can’t make lasagna for that! It’s delicious too. Even my picky Italian husband give it two thumbs up. I usually one in the freezer for unexpected dinner guests.
You can spread the pot roast out by putting it in dishes instead of making it the main course. This pot roast is incredible. It’s found in the refrigerated section. We’ve tried the ribs and pulled pork there too, but the pot roast is what I continue to buy! It’s even kid-approved here so that’s a huge bonus. If you have leftover, put it in a bun and enjoy a beef sandwich!
Almost $10 for a tray of mac and cheese, you say? This is a splurge for me, but this is my favorite mac and cheese! And this is coming from a good ol’ midwest girl who has tried a good number of this cheesy dish in her day. And when you split it in half, it’s $5 a week and that’s pretty fair.
You can’t beat $5 for a perfectly cooked rotisserie chicken. Sometimes I shred it and put it in 2-cup baggies for casseroles or stir fries. Sometimes I serve the breast. I finally learned how to carve the chicken the right way here. It helped me get more and better slices from the chicken. I make my own chicken stock from the carcass like this.
The organic baby spinach is an incredible buy at under $5. It’s packed with nutrients and is very versatile. Sometimes my kids will eat it, sometimes they won’t, but it’s good to include anyway. I know I need to eat more greens! One trick is to throw it in smoothies and the kids don’t even know it thanks to a banana!See 5 ways to sneak spinach into your food here.
I buy the Mexican shredded cheese because it has a lot of flavor and is finely shredded. It is good for a long time, but you can freeze it if you need to.
I bought a huge bag of organic brown rice, but to take another shortcut you could buy these pouches that heat right up in the microwave instead!
Freeze!
I put half the avocados in the fridge to slow ripening. I put the already frozen food back in the freezer.
I also freeze half of a lot of these items so they will remain fresh for the next week. It also saves food for the random nights that plans change and you won’t be home for dinner. Then you won’t worry about food going bad or be in a hurry to use it up.
Freeze half of the:
- veggie burgers
- pot roast
- mac and cheese
- chicken
- buns
Will the produce stay fresh two weeks?
The potatoes will be fine in a cool, dark spot. The spinach will hold up in the fridge. Take out any limp leaves when you see them. The tomato skins will start to dry up at a week and a half, but you can sauté them and they will still be delicious. And avocados. You know how how those guys are. They’re fickle, but like I mentioned above, the refrigerator does keep them fresh longer.
Menu
Let’s lay out the menu. You can download the PDF at the bottom.
Told you it was easy! What do you think? Is this something you would try? Where do you shop and what are your favorite easy dinners?
Download the PDF here.»
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